Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I will become a True Hero!” Ochako declared, fists clenched at the injustice in front of her.

The man was tall, so tall she didn’t even reach up to his knees, but he bent down, blond hair flopping over, to speak with her. “It’s unlikely you will ever succeed. But if you would like to one day be a True Hero…”

He held up her hand, and slipped a ring on it. A rose decorated the top.

“...this will guide you back one day.”

Ochako swirled the ring around her finger as Mr. Aizawa droned on about mathematics. Those memories were from so long ago, she could barely remember the man’s face. Math wasn’t her strong suit, but she tried to pay attention instead of reminiscing.

It was hard to pay attention though, when Mina passed her a piece of paper. Ochako tried to ignore it until the lecture was over, but Mina poked her whenever Mr. Aizawa faced the board, nudging her to open the apparently urgent note. With a sigh, Ochako unfolded it, and came face to face with some drafted lines.

At random, Ochako went ahead and circled the first one. She passed it to Mina with Mr. Aizawa’s back turned, but was caught by Momo in a seat ahead of her glancing back. Ochako gave an awkward smile at her raised eyebrow, but aside from that brief look Momo didn’t make any sort of fuss at her passing notes in class. Momo was studious, but downright lenient compared to Tenya beside her, who would have announced the distracting behavior to Mr. Aizawa right away.

Ochako raised an eyebrow of her own when Momo’s other neighbor slipped a note onto her desk. Ochako supposed she had Kyouka to thank for loosening Momo up a bit, though Momo primly slipped the note under her textbook instead of wholesale reading it in class.

When the bell rang, students practically leapt out of their seats. Ochako didn’t bother getting up, as she had her friends on either side of her.

Izuku to her left stayed at his desk, even as he turned away from the open comic book on his desk to face her, but Mina completely got up and took a seat on Ochako’s desk. “Are you guys gonna watch kendo practice today?”

Izuku frowned. “I don’t know, the coach is pretty scary…”

Mina rolled her eyes. “Yeah but his son is so hot!”

As Mina went off on one of her swooning explanations, Ochako’s eyes wandered the classroom. Everyone had their little groups they all gravitated towards, all except… There in the corner sat Himiko, blonde hair done up into two messy buns. Her face was blank as she stared out the window, golden eyes looking hollow.

Abruptly, her cheeks flared to life and there was a sparkle in her eyes. She stood up and practically skipped out of the classroom. Curious, Ochako squinted outside at what might have caused that reaction. There were several groups out in the courtyard, but most distinctive was the student with half-white, half-red hair, and a facial burn that only fueled his fangirls’ fervors.

He had only been passing through, but Himiko bounced up behind him, grasping his arm familiarly with that wide smile. He glanced back at her, grimacing, and shook her off of himself. Her smile never dropped.

“Oh! Why didn’t you say he was out there?” Mina exclaimed with a squeal, apparently having gotten curious at Ochako’s gaze.

She was briefly embarrassed at having been caught staring, but decided to move on. “Does Himiko know him?”

Mina frowned. “She hangs off of him like a vine.”

“He doesn’t seem to like it much…” Izuku commented.

“He clearly doesn’t,” Mina exclaimed, “that weirdo needs to learn to back off. There are rules to romance you’re supposed to follow.”

Still, Himiko trailed behind him as he left the courtyard. That did seem weird, for a girl to be so desperate she ignored all those signs. Was Himiko that much of a fangirl?

Even further though, Ochako wondered why Himiko was so confident approaching him, and yet… they had been in the same class for weeks now, and she hadn’t deigned to talk to anyone during their breaks or lunches. Did she like being alone?

“Excuse me.”

The three of them turned to see Tenya standing ramrod straight. “Ochako, may I speak with you?”

Ochako sighed. “Is it about my uniform again?”

He nodded, “Some people from other classes have been asking why you’re not following the rules.”

“The school rulebook just says students should wear uniforms to school every day. It doesn’t say girls have to wear the girls uniform. So I’m totally within the rules.”

His body was tight. Ochako remembered the first time he had tried to chastise her for wearing the boys uniform and she had paged through his bible of a rulebook to point at the relevant rule. He had then tried to appeal to Mr. Aizawa, which had scared Ochako at the time. She was a scholarship student, so if any teacher decided her outfit was worth taking away her scholarship, she would have become a burden onto her parents once again. However, Mr. Aizawa had turned to Tenya with his usual tired eyes and said he didn’t care how people dressed so long as students showed up for class and paid attention.

Since it was technically allowed, Tenya had mostly backed off, but occasionally tried to appeal again. “Even so, you are utilizing a loophole, and the spirit of the rule did not intend this kind of crossover. Doesn’t it scare the ladies in the locker room when you enter in a boys uniform?”

Mina butted in, “Tenya, do you think all the girls are stupid? We all know Ochako at this point. We love her. Remember when she fought Kinoko’s awful ex-boyfriend?” She sighed dreamily while imagining it. “What a fantastic brawl! She swung him over her shoulder and onto the ground in a jiffy! He’s stayed far away since then, and now Ochako is a hero to all us girls!”

Ochako chuckled and scratched the back of her head. “It wasn’t such a big deal, I just saw him harassing her when she kept saying no, and well… a hero has to step in for such a situation.”

Tenya chopped a hand. “That was also against the rules, and I must insist that in such uncomfortable situations a teacher is alerted instead of trying to take justice into your own hands.”

“Sorry Tenya, but I’m not going to stop anytime soon. When I see injustice, I have to stop it.”

He let out a long sigh. He recovered quick though, and opened his mouth to say something else.

Momo put a hand on his shoulder. “Tenya, aren’t you joining us for lunch?”

He hesitated, but soon turned to join Momo and Kyouka for lunch, finally leaving Ochako alone.

Once he was out of hearing distance, Izuku leaned in to say, “Don’t you get tired of him getting all worked up about this? I feel like it’d be easier to just wear the girls uniform at this point.”

“No way. I wouldn’t have been able to fight Kinoko’s ex-boyfriend if I had to worry about my skirt flipping up all the time. It’s way easier to maneuver and be ready for anything in the boys uniform.”

Izuku shrugged. “I don’t know, still… maybe you could wear shorts underneath?”

She scoffed. “The rulebook does explicitly forbid students from wearing shorts under their skirts.”

The restrictions around the girl’s uniform were ridiculous, which is why wearing the boy’s uniform was best.

Mina grabbed around her shoulders. “I think it’s super cool Ochako!”

Izuku chuckled. “Still, why do you always want to be ready for anything? You can always ask someone else to help if there’s another situation. Teachers should have intervened in the Kinoko situation.”

She shook her head. “Heroes don’t need help, they help others. I thought an All Might fanboy like yourself would understand that.”

Izuku immediately flushed with excitement at the mention of All Might, as predicted. “I mean, well, All Might was, of course, one of the greatest wrestlers ever, and many comic creators cite him as a direct inspiration for their heroes, both in design and his selfless, indomitable spirit, you can trace Megatastic Man, Superfly Guy, and Ultra Hero Boy to him, but… but…” Izuku’s muttering faded and he looked up. “...what was I talking about again?”

Mina intervened, “Doesn’t matter! Come on guys, let’s enjoy lunch.”

Once school was out, Ochako wandered the grounds. She didn’t want to watch Mina’s latest crush swing wood for the tenth time, but she didn’t feel ready to go back to her dorm yet. There was plenty going on, various clubs active, and Ochako wondered if she should have joined one earlier in the year. But nothing had compelled her, not enough to give up the free time she usually spent messing around with Mina or Izuku.

After circling around the school, she turned around to head back towards the kendo room. By now, the fangirls had probably been chased out by the coach, and she could probably catch her friends on the way out.

On her way back though she took a different hallway than usual, and found herself lost. Had she ever been down this path before? This school felt like a maze sometimes. But she put one foot in front of the other, looking around for any landmark.

Her eyes widened at the site of a greenhouse outside. Had that always been there? Curious, she stepped out and approached the structure. It was tall and rounded at the top, but the circle of space it occupied wasn’t particularly large. Still, leaves trailed up the walls, and upon a closer look there were roses in all sorts of colors. Her gaze followed them through the glass, marveling at the variety of colors, not just the classic red but also white, purple, green, yellow…

She blinked. That wasn’t a rose. It was a head of hair, two buns planted on top, and the face of Himiko looking right at her.

Ochako flinched at the intent gaze, but when their eyes met Himiko let out a small smile. Was she inviting her in?

It couldn’t hurt to be curious, could it?

She opened the door, but hesitated at the threshold. Inside seemed even tighter than it had looked on the outside, pots and plants covering every surface and not leaving much walking space. It seemed designed for just one person. “Can I come in?” Ochako asked just in case.

Himiko was still smiling. The watering can was still pouring. Wow, how thirsty were the plants? “...Sure.”

Ochako entered, and the door swung shut behind her with a clang. The sound was oddly heavy, more like a prison door than the entrance to a garden.

Though Himiko wasn’t talkative in the classroom, perhaps Ochako could get a better sense of her in an environment like this. “This is gorgeous, did you do all of this?”

“Yes. It’s my responsibility.”

“Oh, like a club?” Ochako tilted her head, “Are you the only member?”

“Not a club, I just take care of it.”

“Whoa, impressive!”

She giggled. “You’re too nice.”

Nothing else. Only responding as Ochako spoke to her. She couldn’t figure her out. Himiko was being sweet, but that mild smile and agreeability almost felt like a mask.

So she was shy, she supposed.

“I’m surprised,” Ochako admitted, just to make conversation, “You’ve never mentioned this greenhouse in class. Not that you talk much…”

“I don’t need to.”

“Have you ever made a bouquet? I bet it would liven up the classroom…” Ochako reached out, tugging at the stem of a pink rose so she could sniff it.

“Careful-” Himiko started, but too late.

There was a sharp pain against her pointer finger, and Ochako pulled back with a squeak. “Oh! I’m sorry, I forgot about thorns.”

There was a prick of blood starting to swell out of her finger. Ochako sighed at it, evidence of her own clumsiness. When she glanced up to make sure her companion wasn’t judging her too harshly, she was surprised to see Himiko’s pupils wide and laser-focused on her fingertip.

Was she worried? “Sorry, but do you have a first aid kit or anything?”

Himiko’s gaze didn’t waver. “No.”

The school bell rang, indicating the end of after school activities. Ochako startled at the sound, had she spent so long wandering? 

Himiko’s gaze bounced up, and she dropped the watering can. “It’s time to go meet my sweetheart!” She exclaimed, heading for the door.

Ochako almost tripped backward as Himiko hurried past her, and she marveled at the change in energy. Himiko’s cheeks were already pink with excitement, eyes wide and a skip in her step as she hurried out the door.

She was gone before Ochako even caught her breath. It made her laugh lightly in the lonely greenhouse. Who was Himiko’s sweetheart? And why was she so enthused about meeting him?

Ochako shook her head. That wasn’t her business. She had her own people to meet up with. Kendo would surely be over by now, so her friends would be free to head out. Perhaps they could enjoy some snacks in Izuku’s dorm.

So Ochako went down the hallways and found herself outside the kendo room. She looked around for familiar pink hair, trying to see over a crowd in front of a nearby bulletin board. Across the room, she saw pink and started through the throng of people.

Her ears picked up words along the way though.

“Whoa that’s cringe…”

“...–embarrassed to have written that–...”

“OoOoH, baby ‘you’re so cool, but set my heart on fire’~!”

Despite the mocking tone, those words were familiar, and suddenly her attention snapped to the bulletin board. What exactly was causing that fuss? She pushed her way through the front, ignoring the guys who cussed her out for bumping into them. She had to get up there and see what was really going on.

Her breath caught in her throat at familiar handwriting, black ink on pink stationary paper peppered with hearts. The lines were familiar, practically poetry, confessing love to Shouto Todoroki. There were creases from having been folded up into the size of an envelope, a letter that should have been private.

And someone had posted it on the hallway bulletin for anyone to read and judge.

Ochako’s head flared with anger. “Don't you guys have anything better to do?” She said as she marched right up to the letter and tore it off the board.

There was laughter, but people did start to disperse. It was enough that she could see through the crowd, to a girl in the back looking on in horror at the scene, Izuku at her side muttering in concern.

Ochako approached her, letter in hand, hand shaking with rage. “Are you okay?”

Mina’s lower lip jutted out, and tears squeezed out of her eyes. She shook her head, then turned on her heel and ran.

Izuku had bolted after her, awkwardly waving to Ochako as he went, so Ochako knew he would comfort her in the immediate aftermath. She would check in on her as well, but there was something she needed to do first.

She stomped her way down the hall, right up to the kendo room. Fortunately, her target was still there, neatening up the bamboo swords. There was one still on the ground, and Ochako didn’t even hesitate in snatching it up, pointing it at Shouto Todoroki. “You.”

He turned, blank expression never changing, even with the wooden weapon pointed towards him. “What?”

“You disrespected my friend’s feelings.”

“I don’t see how that’s my problem.”

He had the audacity to turn away, as if she wasn’t even worth looking at. She stomped a foot. “I want to fight you.”

He looked back with a sigh. “I don’t have time for every–” His eyes flickered downwards, towards her grip on the sword, and suddenly he paused.

“So?” Ochako challenged again.

He brooded for a few more moments, then sighed. “All right. If it’s a duel you want, meet me on the roof in thirty minutes.”

She blinked. She had kind of imagined using this practice space, specifically designed for battles, but she supposed it made sense that he wouldn’t want to be beaten up in his club room, and definitely wouldn’t want to be caught by the coach.

“Alright. Thirty minutes, the roof,” she agreed to his terms.

When she left the club room, she brought the kendo sword she’d picked up with her. She would start with trying to whack him, and if that didn’t work she’d toss it away to wrestle him to the ground. As accomplished as he was at his sport, she had to believe he was probably a spoiled and sheltered kind of guy who wouldn’t know what to do when there wasn’t a referee.

While waiting for the meeting time, she stewed in her anger. He was popular, but that didn’t give him the right to throw Mina’s feelings out like that. There was such a thing as a graceful rejection, and she would show him the consequences of not bothering with that.

As she made her way up the stairwell, she realized she’d never actually been on the roof of this school. Despite the school only having three floors, one for each grade,  it felt like ages to get up to the top. She could have sworn Mina had tried to open the door to the roof once and not been able to make it budge.

Somehow though, when Ochako grasped the door handle, it struggled a moment, but gave way and allowed her through. Maybe that was Shouto’s privilege; he could have asked for or stolen the roof keys from his father and left it unlocked for her.

The door opened, and she was somewhere entirely new.

The roof seemed more vast and round than she expected from the school. And apparently they were so high up that she couldn’t quite see any of the buildings she knew were around. There was nothing but sky, clouds, and… an upside-down glass building hanging from above? There were two large structures and some sort of bridge-like hall between them, decked out on all sides with glass. What was most striking about it though was the damage; it was torn and strewn with debris, as though there was a great battle taking place, but a bright light shining down like a spotlight from the center of the bridge blinded her to too many details. Like the glossy page of a comic book, obscured by the curve of the page reflecting light.

She couldn’t stare up at it for too long, as there were two people standing in the center of the roof, staring right at her. Shouto, who she expected, stood with no apparent weapon.

Perplexingly, Himiko stood beside him, donned in an elaborate red dress with a long, wide skirt instead of her school uniform.

Ochako took a step forward, and the roof door slammed shut behind her, the sound echoing across the rooftop.

What had she gotten herself into?

Shouto watched the girl’s gaze wander the whole roof before settling on the two of them. Himiko giggled beside him. “She came,” Himiko commented.

He didn’t respond.

“What is all this?” The girl said, stepping closer and gesturing to Himiko. “What’s that outfit about?”

Himiko grinned. “I’m the Rose Bride.”

Strangely, she just tilted her head in confusion. Shouto glanced down at her hand again, making sure he saw correctly. Yes, she had a rose ring, so she had to know what was going on. Why else would she challenge him to a duel?

She seemed ill prepared though, with just the shinai she stole from the kendo room earlier. He sighed, knowing that his dad would probably be pissed if he discovered it missing. It’s not like he could prove Shouto had anything to do with it, though.

“For this duel, each of you will wear a rose,” Himiko explained, “The first person to knock the rose off the other person’s chest wins.”

The girl blinked. “Uh, oh. Okay. I guess that’s probably safest.”

Himiko brought out a white rose for Shouto, just like he preferred. She tried to cling onto him as she always did, always begging for attention and affection he didn’t have. In school she was annoying, but on the rooftop she could get downright aggressive with her affection, so he shoved her off. “Focus on your job,” he reprimanded her.

She was thrown off-balance enough that she landed on a knee, but her creepy smile never dropped. She straightened up. “Of course, darling.”

The other girl was angry again. “Would it kill you to be nice? You shouldn’t push a girl that hard.”

“She’s not a girl,” Shouto informed her, “she’s the Rose Bride.”

There was a role he had, and a role she had. His father had raised him to grasp her power, and with that sort of focused training it was only natural that he had earned her. The competition he had faced had been, frankly, disappointing. Even though he sometimes wanted to throw the matches to disappoint his father, his own pride had him unable to let the clumsy competitors beat him.

This girl was no different. She hadn’t even brought a proper sword, what was she expecting?

Himiko had placed a rose in the breast pocket of the other girl's chest, pink. For some reason, she seemed to linger more than usual. Shouto just wanted to get this over with, so he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

His opponent flinched, but why should she care? She was here for the same reason as everyone else. A chance for power. Too bad he couldn’t just give up the progress he’d made.

Finally, Himiko was at his side, and began the match. She placed her hands against her chest, and started her incantation. “Come forth, the quirk of generations that dwells within me, heed your master and come forth!”

There was a bright glow, and the handle of a sword forced its way out of Himiko’s chest. Himiko continued to lean back, so Shouto placed one hand on her back and one on the sword handle, a parody of a dip, if one normally pulled swords out of one’s dance partner.

As he swung the sword up in the air, he shouted, “Grant me the power of One for All!”

Their dance was done, so he immediately let go of Himiko and wiped his palm on his pants. Touching her was necessary to grasp One for All, but just because she was his Rose Bride didn’t mean he had to treat her like a wife. He refused to pretend.

“What the hell?” The girl across from him whispered, staring at the golden-hilted sword in his hand as bells rang, announcing the official start.

His response was to dive forward, aiming straight for the rose on her chest.

She jumped back, still looking shocked, stumbling. He maintained his usual relentless attack pattern, driving her back as she struggled to parry his hits with the shinai.

With just a shift in his angling, he sliced the shinai cleanly in half.

“That’s a real sword?” The girl exclaimed, practically offended.

Shouto slowed down to raise an eyebrow at her shock. “This is a real duel.”

The girl’s eyes glanced off of him towards the Rose Bride, so he took the chance to dive for another hit.

But she was stubborn, dodging him still instead of surrendering. Clearly she hadn’t done any training in preparation for this, so he was kind enough to warn her of her imminent defeat. “I’ve been trained to wield the One for All since I was a child, you could never hope to compare.”

Still, she did some lame parries with the half of the shinai she still had.

“You don’t seem like you like Himiko at all,” the girl said between blows.

“That’s irrelevant to my role.” He cut off another slice of her shinai, so it was barely more than the hilt.

“What’s the point, then?”

She was hopeless now, even as she held her weapon, she had fallen back enough that he was able to point his sword directly at her. If there was any moment for her to surrender, this was it. “As I said, I’ve been trained to succeed here since I was born.”

Her face hardened. “Does it matter that you’ve been trained if you don’t actually want it?”

She surged forward, and Shouto was stuck processing her words, slowing down his reaction. He swung the sword, aiming for her flower, but he wasn’t certain if it hit. The two of them paused, behind each other now. He straightened up, turned his head to look back at her and the rose on her chest.

The pink rose stood solid, unbroken.

He glanced down at himself, and saw white petals scattering into the wind.

Bells rang in the distance, the duel was over.

One for All dissipated from his hands, and Shouto fell to his knees.

Chapter Text

Ochako still wasn’t entirely sure what had happened yesterday after school. But she woke up the next day to the smell of bacon and eggs, and when she opened her eyes there was a plate full of breakfast in her room.

And Himiko sitting at the table. “Good morning, darling.”

Ochako blinked. “You’re in my room.”

The dorms had locks, and although a teacher could open them with a special key in an emergency, she wasn’t sure how a student like Himiko would get in. Then again, maybe Himiko could dig into her chest and pull out a lockpicking set.

Yesterday’s events came back to Ochako in a stream. The weird arena on top of the school, Himiko in that dress, and the actual sword that Shouto had fought her with. Once she defeated him she had left with haste, weirded out, but apparently she couldn’t just walk away from whatever that had been.

“Of course, I’m your Bride after all,” Himiko responded with a smile.

Ochako sat up with a sleepy groan. What was all this? “Uh… I didn’t propose.”

Himiko giggled. “You won the duel, so you get to have me! Aren’t you lucky?”

“Is that… how that works?”

Slowly, Ochako was piecing together what might be going on. Some sort of weird system with swords and duels that she had accidentally stumbled upon. Was this a special after-school club?

“Come eat breakfast, darling! I worked hard on this for you.”

Ochako approached the table cautiously, but it did smell good, so she took a bite.

As soon as she swallowed it, Himiko leaned forward with a whisper. “I included a secret ingredient.”

Ochako froze, concerned. “Uh… what?”

Himiko winked, then made a heart shape with her hands. “Love~!”

She continued eating… Whether it was thanks to love or not, it tasted pretty good. Himiko sat with her head propped up by her hands, watching Ochako with satisfaction. This was way outside Ochako’s general expectations for her morning, but somehow the flow was hard to fight.

Still, eventually she commented, “Don’t you want breakfast too?”

“That’s so sweet of you to think of,” she responded with a thrilled giggle, “but I already ate.”

“Oh, okay…”

So was Himiko like, some sort of special maid that would make you breakfast every day if you won her?

“What exactly was that duel?” Ochako asked.

Himiko tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

Was Ochako the weird one for not just rolling with what had happened? She felt like most people would be a little wary at a girl breaking into their room to give them breakfast. “I was just trying to beat Shouto up because he disrespected my friend’s feelings, but now you’re like… here?”

Himiko smiled wide, cheeks pink. It was an expression unlike what she had shown her in the greenhouse the other day; instead of subdued it was more like the flashy emotions she had made when running after Shouto. “Duelists battle to own me and the power of One for All that resides within me. I can be whoever you want me to be. I can be your maid, your cook, or…”

As she explained, Himiko had scooted around the table and closer, closer to Ochako. Now she sat right next to her, and started to lean their faces together as Ochako stared, sweating. It was the kind of position that seemed to imply Himiko was going to kiss her, which was silly considering they were both girls. Ochako turned to face her plate, trying to make clear she was focused on eating.

Himiko’s lean turned into a smooth fall, Himiko shifting to fall back-first into Ochako’s lap. She looked up at her with a smirk. Her hand went up to the scarf of her uniform, loosening it as though preparing to bare her cleavage “...more. You can do whatever you want with me.”

Ochako reached over to Himiko’s collar, and saw her smile widen at the approach. But when she got there, Ochako simply tugged it back into place, tightening it up. “D-did you do this to Shouto, too?”

Himiko’s expression didn’t change. “The winning duelist is given free reign of me.”

“Isn’t that frustrating? That makes you sound like an object or like, a prize instead of a person.”

“Aww, you think I’m a prize?”

“That wasn’t meant as a compliment.”

“Ah, should I be insulted?”

Ochako frowned at the flippant tone. “Have a little self-respect. Do you really want to be at the whims of whoever wins those games? That’s no way to live.”

“I love you, though,” Himiko said all too easily, “so I want to do whatever you tell me to.”

A flush came to Ochako’s cheeks unwillingly. She tempered herself by reminding herself that this girl probably said that to Shouto up until yesterday as well.

There was something weird going on with this girl, which Ochako didn’t fully understand. She had always kept to herself in class, but now she was showing a whole new side to Ochako just because she knocked a rose off of the school’s resident pretty-boy. Why did Himiko sequester herself away from everyone, hiding in that greenhouse and only coming out for whoever had won that duel?

“I’m not really into this duel roleplay stuff,” Ochako admitted, “I’d rather be just like… normal friends or something.”

Himiko got up out of her lap, sitting up straight. “Normal friends?”

“Yeah, I know you’re not super involved in the class, but like… we could talk and eat lunch together?”

If she showed Himiko a more healthy way to live, then she was sure she would stop playing this game involving swords and ‘ownership’. It didn’t seem that complicated.

Himiko smiled at her. “If you say so.”

Mina and Izuku were taken aback when Himiko bounced over to their table at lunch, but thankfully didn’t ask too many questions out loud. Both of them sent Ochako questioning glances whenever Himiko wasn’t looking at them, though.

Which was a lot, considering how Himiko seemed laser-focused on Ochako.

“So, um…” Izuku was stuttering his way through an explanation, “I submitted my essay for the competition, I really hope the judges like it.”

Ochako had considered participating in the essay competition, but there was no cash prize. She had worked hard to get a scholarship to this school that covered all her expenses, but she would have participated in a competition if it meant extra money she could use for herself… or even better, send home to her parents.

Of course Ochako didn’t say anything about it. Izuku was a proper student with proper motivations to participate in extra work for reasons other than money; her selfish thoughts would have seemed silly.

Mina leaned forward. “Isn’t one of the judges our principal?”

Izuku nodded furiously, excitement in his eyes. “All Might himself, a true inspiration! To think a famous retired wrestler would end up managing our school… it’s amazing. I used to watch all of his matches when I was a kid. The unbeatable champion…” 

Himiko grinned. “Ah, you have a crush on him?”

Izuku’s eyes widened, “N-no, not like that! I just admire him a lot, like in an idol sort of way? Besides, he’s an adult, and I’m just a boy.”

“Don’t worry,” Himiko grinned and leaned close to him, “I think you have a chance.”

As much as Ochako wanted Himiko to meet and get to know people outside of her game, she had to admit Himiko introduced weird moods to the table.

“Uh, that’s really alright, that’s not my goal…” Izuku explained weakly.

Fortunately Mina interrupted with a topic change. “You know, I saw this show the other day…”

When school let out, Ochako checked in with Himiko, “Do you need to take care of the garden?”

Himiko stared at her a moment, then smiled softly. “I understand.”

She walked away then. Ochako watched after her, confused, but couldn’t think too hard about the odd interaction with someone grabbing her shoulder to spin her around.

“Girl,” Mina said urgently, “What was with Himiko sitting with us today?”

“...I’m trying to make friends with her?”

Mina narrowed her eyes. “She’s weird. Bringing weeeeird vibes to the table.”

“Don’t be judgy!” Ochako admonished her, “I think she’s not used to interacting with others much, but deep down I’m sure she’s just a normal girl.”

Before they could get into it, the door to the classroom opened, and Shouto Todoroki himself entered. He scanned the rapidly-emptying classroom before his eyes set on Ochako. Beside her, Ochako could see Ashido’s shoulders go completely stiff.

“You,” he said with venom, “I challenge you to a duel after school tomorrow.”

Ochako blinked. “Uh.”

He didn’t wait for a response, simply turned on his heel and marched out the door.

Now Mina and Izuku were absolutely flabbergasted. “Uh, hello? What was that?”

Ochako took a deep breath. “Okay, well this weird thing happened yesterday…”

During the conversation, the three of them had gone outside. The grounds of the school were decently kept, including a footpath that took them through woods and alongside a gentle stream.

“Well that seems impossible,” Izuku said at the end of the explanation.

“It does, doesn’t it,” Ochako agreed.

“I think it sounds romantic!” Mina declared, “Hey, can only Himiko be that Rose Bride or whatever, or do you think someone could take her place?”

“Uh, I dunno?” Ochako said, “I didn’t really dig, since I don’t really want to get too deeply involved in it.”

“Well it doesn’t look like you have a choice,” Mina reminded her, “Considering Shouto challenged you.”

Izuku was muttering under his breath. “Is there a whole system? Can anyone challenge you for a match and you have to accept? How often do these fights occur? Hmm…”

“Ah well,” Ochako said, leaning back in her seat, “I’ll just throw the match, then I won’t have to be involved anymore.”

Mina whined, “Aw, that’s no fun!”

“Probably for the best.” Izuku kicked a stone into the stream. “Seems kind of dangerous, especially if they’re real swords.”

It was nice to hear someone else found all this strange. It made everything seem more manageable, knowing her friends would be by her side.

Did Himiko truly have no friends of her own? Is that why she felt the need to play the game?

“Hey, what’s that?” Izuku said, urgency in his tone.

She followed his gaze to the stream, where a very familiar head of blonde was poking up over the water.

Ochako gasped. “Himiko!”

Both she and Izuku ran to the edge of the stream, taking in the soaked girl below. She was in a deep part, up to her shoulders in water, but she was hunched over for some reason. Her head turned to look at Ochako upon her calling.

Izuku reached out across the stream as if he was going to dive in himself to grab her, so Ochako grabbed his other hand and leaned back. She wouldn’t let someone get hurt on her watch. “Don’t fall in,” she warned him.

He still leaned out, able to get a far angle with Ochako balancing his other side. Himiko blinked at them, straightening up while clutching something to her chest. “I can walk out,” she said.

Ochako rolled her eyes. “Just take his hand!”

The next actions were almost instantaneous, Himiko darting out a hand to take Izuku’s, and Ochako pulling Izuku’s other arm back even further back to help pull her out. In the process, Ochako landed on her butt, while Izuku got back upright and was able to tug Himiko back onto dry land.

“Are you okay?” He asked Himiko, still holding her hand.

She didn’t look at him; her head was hanging to look closely at her other hand, up near her chest, where something small and feathered sat. Ochako got up to take a closer look, with Mina approaching at the same time.

Mina said first, “Oh, it’s injured!”

Himiko tilted it outwards a bit, revealing a small bird with an injury. Though it was mostly cleaned from the river there was a distinct dribble coming out of its body, red and probably fatal. 

Himiko smiled at her. “A cat got to it, but it fell into a river while trying to escape. It seemed like a shame.”

“You shouldn’t try to save something like that yourself,” Mina chastised her, “It’s unsanitary. Tell a teacher or something!”

Himiko just smiled at her.

Meanwhile, Izuku seemed like he might burst into tears. “D-don’t jump into water all willy-nilly like that, it could be dangerous! You never know when you could end up swept away…”

His hand was still holding Himiko’s, holding so tight his knuckles were white. “Uh, Izuku?” Ochako said, glancing between his face and the hands.

He realized a moment later, and his face turned bright red. He let go of Himiko and covered up his face in embarrassment. “Sorry! Oh gosh, sorry, sorry… you just reminded me of someone I lost a long time ago… sorry I freaked out about it.”

Ochako shook her head. “No, that’s alright. Better safe than sorry, after all.” She turned to Himiko. “And you, you’re soaked now!”

All her clothes were dripping, but she seemed blind to her own state, just staring at the bird. With a sigh, Ochako pulled out a handkerchief and reached out for the bird with it.

“You shouldn’t touch that with your hands, here, I’ll wrap it up.”

After a moment's hesitation, Himiko placed the animal delicately on the cheap fabric of Ochako’s handkerchief. She wrapped it up delicately, but didn’t feel any movement from it.

With a grimace, she said, “Himiko, it might be…”

“I know,” Himiko said, still smiling, “it’s dead.”

Mina took a step back, “Oh, yuck! That’s even worse, Himiko why would you pick that up?”

Himiko shrugged. “It just seemed like a waste.”

Ochako sighed. She didn’t really get Himiko, but clearly she felt bad for the poor animal. Before anything else, she would resolve that concern. “Come on, we can bury it properly.”

She carried on a bit deeper into the footpath, finding some soil in the garden that looked loose. There was a flat-ish rock nearby small enough to pick up with one hand, and she used it to sort of dig into the earth. When she had a small pocket, she slid the bird’s body in and returned the dirt on top of it. It wasn’t particularly deep, but hopefully it was enough to not be disturbed for at least a little while. At the end, Ochako put the stone up like a gravestone at the end of the burial.

“...Should we say a few words?” Ochako suggested, hoping to give a little closure to Himiko.

Izuku went first, “Um. I hope you’re more peaceful buried in the earth than lost in the stream.”

Mina spoke awkwardly. “Uhhh sorry about like, dying. And stuff.”

Himiko said, “You’ll at least feed the earth like this.”

That was quite ecosystemically-minded of her. Ochako supposed that made sense with her gardening. Ochako finished the burial off with, “I hope you rest in peace.”

The four of them remained in silence for several long seconds, respectful.

Then Mina broke it. “Himiko, shouldn’t you go get changed?”

Gently, Ochako took her by the arm. “Come on Himiko, she’s right. I’ll walk you to your dorm.”

Himiko grinned. “Oooh, you’ll walk with me? How sweet.”

They left then, a different direction than Mina and Izuku. The direction was familiar, but Ochako didn’t really clock what was going on until they were in front of her own dorm room.

“This is my room,” Ochako said as Himiko pulled out a set of keys that fit into the lock.

Himiko smiled. “Yes! The Rose Bride lives with the Champion.”

“But there’s no space for you to even sleep unless–”

The door opened, and Ochako discovered another bed had been stacked on top of hers, turning it into a bunk bed. A dozen new stuffed animals looked down at her from the top bunk.

“...Huh.”

“Did you want to share a bed?” Himiko asked with a smirk.

“N-no!” Ochako defended, “When did this even get set up?”

Himiko walked into her… their? room and made herself right at home, opening a new set of drawers that had been apparently added along with the bed. She pulled out another uniform and then began to strip.

Ochako closed the door behind herself, then turned to stare at it. She could hear fabric shifting behind her, but felt awkward watching this girl she barely knew get changed. After about a minute, things seemed to go quiet behind her, and she opened her mouth to ask if she was done–

Himiko hopped on her back, throwing her momentarily off balance before she caught her. “Aw, you’re allowed to watch if you want,” Himiko teased.

“No thank you,” Ochako said, still processing the facts.

Apparently she had a roommate now. Did the school sanction this Rose Bride stuff? It didn’t seem possible for Himiko to get this all set up during school unless facilities management was somehow involved.

It seemed like a waste. “...Himiko,” Ochako started.

“Yes darling?” Himiko had gotten off her back now, but was still clinging to her arm.

“Shouto challenged me again.”

There was no change in expression from Himiko.

“I’m not really into this kind of roleplay,” Ochako confessed, “I only fought him in the first place to defend Mina’s honor, so…”

Still no reaction at all. Just waiting, looking at Ochako with hearts in her eyes.

“Well, I hate to say this after you’ve gone through the trouble of moving in, but I think I’ll just throw the match.”

Himiko’s expression stayed light, adoring. “If that’s what you want, darling.”

Ochako let out a breath. “You’re not mad?”

She shook her head. “I could never be mad about my sweetheart’s choice.”

Despite the easy agreement, it felt like it was too easy. “You’re okay with going back to Shouto?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“Even if he keeps treating you rudely?”

“If he wins me, that will be his right.”

Ochako pursed her lips. “Why are you playing this game?”

She was still smiling. “It’s my fate, and I’m happy to do it.”

“Couldn’t you like… just not show up?” Ochako asked hopefully, “Like I could fight Shouto and lose, so he’s satisfied, and you could just not be around, right? You don’t have to play the game.”

Himiko giggled, and reached a hand up to ruffle Ochako’s hair. “You’re cute.”

Ochako blinked as Himiko bounced away. Was that a yes or no? She wasn’t sure.

When Ochako stepped up onto the roof, Himiko was there in that big red dress, so that must have meant she didn’t take her suggestion to heart. Across the roof, Shouto stood with a vaguely constipated expression and a metallic sword. Ochako swallowed hard at the sight; that looked sharp, and she hadn’t actually stopped to think about a weapon.

As she stared, Himiko stepped forward and attached a pink rose to her chest. Then Himiko went to Shouto with a white rose. As she got close to him, his expression stiffened even further, as though Himiko’s mere presence was worth cringing at.

So why was he fighting so hard to get her back?

She didn’t get him or Himiko. Their relationship seemed strange, but she hadn’t intended to interfere when getting vengeance for Mina. She figured if Himiko was willing to go back to him, it couldn’t have been that bad… but somehow she still felt compelled to check to try and understand what was really going on.

Himiko placed her hands on her chest. “Come forth, the quirk of generations that dwells within me, heed your master and come forth!”

Himiko started to lean back, and Ochako barely caught her before she fell towards the ground. At Himiko’s chest a glow emanated, and the hilt of a sword burst out. Although it was strange, Ochako found herself entranced at the sight. Her hand reached out like she was in a dream, pulling slowly and revealing the blade out of her.

The sword was warm.

“Grant me the power of One for All!” Ochako shouted, almost without thinking.

Somehow the sword fit perfectly in her palm, impeccably balanced and easy to swing. She marveled at it, and wondered just how sharp that shining blade might be. Across the roof, Shouto still looked sour, even as distant bells rang to signal the start of the match.

“Why did you challenge me?” Ochako asked, still tilting her hand to feel the finely-crafted sword that seemed to become a natural extension of her arm.

“That power you’re holding in your hand is one that is owed to me. From my birth, I’ve been trained to control it, so there is no person better suited. You barely seem to understand what’s going on, so give it up to someone who will handle it properly.”

Although Ochako had been thinking of throwing the match, hearing him demand that of her had her hackles raising. She raised her sword properly, getting into something like a starting stance. She was no swordsmanship expert, but the way he was talking pissed her off. “And what about Himiko? If you get her back, will you treat her any nicer?”

“The Rose Bride is simply a vessel, you’re wasting your time in thinking of her like a normal girl.”

She glanced at Himiko, who maintained a neutral smile with no change in expression. Was she going to pretend that wasn’t a rude thing to say?

Well if Himiko wasn’t going to defend herself, Ochako would. It’s what a hero would do.

She launched towards Shouto, swinging her blade to try and get that rose on his chest.

He parried effortlessly, not even looking afraid of her anger. Each time she thought she might get him, his blade would slide in and redirect her entirely. It got to the point where the hilt of her sword touched his, and they were locked together as both tried to push forward.

“Why do you even care?” Shouto asked, “It’s not worth fighting for something you have no use for.”

“Why do you?” Ochako shot back, “Why don’t you go ahead and lose?”

“Loss is not an option,” he returned with a glare, “my father has made that clear.”

With that, he shoved her back, creating enough space between them that the tips of their swords could brush the petals of their roses. Ochako took several cautionary steps back, and fortunately he paused long enough that she could catch her breath.

So did Mr. Todoroki know about this weird game? Or did Shouto just mean that generally?

Whatever it was, she saw room to goad him. “So it’s not even what you want, is it? Just playing for your father’s dream instead of your own.”

His eyebrows scrunched, pissed, and he ran forward. “You don’t understand what it’s like to live with him!”

Ochako would meet him head on. She ran forward as well, putting them both on a collision course. Both had their swords out, ready to slice at the other’s rose.

Their paths crossed. She slowed down, Shouto behind her. Ochako looked down at the rose on her chest.

It was intact.

Turning, she took in Shouto’s back, standing straight, but white rose petals fluttered in the wind, surrounding him like snow.

Joy surged in her chest as Himiko approached her. She had won. She had won.

Shouto didn’t even look back at them. He marched away, stiff arms, shoulders hunched, completely tense.

There was a smile on Himiko’s face, wide with red cheeks. So perhaps, deep down, Himiko hadn’t wanted to go back to Shouto either, right? Ochako was sure that had to be the case. That made sense.

And if Himiko would rather be with Ochako, then it was only right that Ochako protect her from guys like Shouto who just saw her as some sort of sword to be won.

“I thought you were going to throw the match,” Himiko commented, arms coming up to wrap over Ochako’s shoulder.

Ochako smiled at her. “I changed my mind.”

Chapter Text

Shouto didn’t try to challenge Ochako again. For a few days, Ochako basically forgot about the whole weird dueling stuff. All that had really changed was that Himiko hung out with her and her friends now, and cooked her breakfast every morning, and slept in her room…

But aside from that, she could almost forget what had led to Himiko joining her. It was like Himiko was just a normal girl.

Today, Ochako was on classroom clean-up duty without her friends. Himiko had offered to stay behind for her, but Ochako had shooed her off with a reminder that the rose garden she loved couldn’t take care of itself. Himiko already seemed eager to act like her maid in a way that was a little concerning, so Ochako didn’t want to make her do the chores that were Ochako’s responsibility.

Himiko had pouted, but acquiesced.

Besides, Ochako was lucky enough to be working with Momo, the class vice president and fencing club captain who was the epitome of responsibility. Clean-up wouldn’t take long with her tall and capable classmate.

As they worked wiping down surfaces, putting away things that were out of space, and clearing the board, Momo started conversation. “How have you been doing?”

“Oh I’m good!” Ochako exclaimed, “How about you?”

“I’m good, of course. How are your friends?”

“They’re…. good? I guess?” Ochako responded, feeling a bit like Momo was running down some sort of list of ‘polite questions to ask a classmate’.

“I see.”

After an awkward moment of silence, Ochako returned, “How are your friends?”

Momo perked up. “They’re good as well! Kyouka’s interested in a new band with some delightfully boisterous music, and Tenya is a gentleman as usual.”

“Mm, a gentleman?” Ochako teased, coming to wipe at the desk right next to Momo so she could see her reaction. “Is that how he’s been acting towards you?”

“...Well he acts that way with all women. He would never be improper,” She responded coyly.

Mina had several theories on the relationship between their classmates, and Ochako saw a juicy opportunity to confirm one of her top suspicions. “Would you like him to be improper?”

Her cheeks went red, “Oh dear, of course not, I’d like us to be proper.”

“But you’d like there to be an ‘us’?” Ochako dug.

Momo was still wiping at the same desk, hand going in circles over where she’d already cleaned. “...I think we’d be compatible.”

“Oooh someone has a crush,” Ochako teased.

She scrubbed at the desk with even more vigor. “You should be careful who you tease, Ochako.”

“Or else what?” She pushed, delighted at their vice president being a little off-balance for once.

“Or I might start asking you about Himiko.”

There was a strange mood in the air at the comment, one Ochako didn’t know how to address. Clearly there was some sort of implication, but she found it hard to parse.

“Uh, what about Himiko?” Ochako asked.

“The way she clings and stares at you, you ought to be a little cautious.”

Ochako’s shoulders relaxed. Momo was simply misunderstanding. “She’s not used to having friends, so she’s still learning how to interact. She’s just energetic, don’t worry.”

Momo was still wiping at that same desk, now sparkling so bright a reflection could be seen in the surface. “You think she sees you two as friends?”

“Well, yeah, what else would we be?”

Momo finally lifted the cloth she had been using to clean the desk. She stared at Ochako. “She treats you like a lover.”

Instinctually, Ochako laughed, and the sound echoed against the walls of the classroom. “Don’t be silly, we’re both girls.”

Once again, a strange silence. It made Ochako uncomfortable, the empty space where her mind wandered into wondering if she’d said something wrong or if Momo was thinking something unkind.

Momo didn’t laugh though. Instead, she stepped closer. Though Ochako had been bent over a desk of her own, she stood straight at the approach. Momo kepting coming closer until Ochako felt the need to back up, only for the back of her thighs to hit the edge of a desk. Still, Momo stepped even closer, reaching out to put a hand on Ochako’s shoulder.

“Sometimes two girls tempt each other,” Momo warned her, “Especially when a girl like you dresses and acts like a boy, it can confuse feelings. It’s important to enforce boundaries if you don’t want to end up in something dangerous.”

Momo’s hand slid down Ochako’s arm, making her shiver. She swallowed hard as it stroked downward, over her bicep, elbow, and down to her wrist. “I-I’m a normal girl,” Ochako defended herself, “Himiko is, too. You don’t have to worry about that.”

Her wrist was grabbed, Momo holding it up in a motion much harsher than Ochako was used to from her classmate.

“Where did you get this ring?” Momo asked.

Ochako’s head was reeling from the sudden topic change. “It was a gift..”

“From who?”

She tilted her head. “A hero, a long time ago. I don’t remember it well, but it’s precious to me.”

Momo grabbed at the ring.

Ochako shoved out of her grip, curling over the hand with the ring. Fortunately it was still there, but Momo was glaring at her.

“That ring is keeping you connected to the Rose Bride,” Momo stated seriously, “If you want to stay a normal girl, you should get rid of it now.”

“You know about that stuff?” Ochako asked, surprised.

Shouto was the kind of guy who sequestered himself from others, and Himiko had been on the fringes as well. It made a strange sort of sense to Ochako that they were involved in the strange dueling system, but Momo didn’t seem like the type to involve herself in odd magical roleplays.

“If you will not listen to reason, then I have only one option.” Momo pointed at her. “Ochako, I challenge you to a duel.”

There was a glint on Momo’s finger, a ring just like Ochako’s.

“...Huh?”

Momo didn’t like to think about Himiko. About what Himiko knew.

Hands clasped, pulling each other along. Like children, giggling as they explored the school.

As they stood on the roof, Momo kept her gaze squarely on Ochako across from her. Himiko was beside her, looking towards Momo, but her gaze would not waver.

“I don’t know,” Momo said, “What if students aren’t supposed to go into the greenhouse?”

“It’s not locked.”

They did their little dance, Himiko bringing out the power of One for All. Ochako played along with it, gently dipping the Rose Bride as she drew the sword out from her chest. It was as fanciful as theater, a game that Ochako was cluelessly playing. She was even costumed like some sort of hero, a boy able to save the damsel in distress.

“Wouldn’t this be a romantic place for a date?”

“It would,” her companion agreed, “what would you do?”

Momo blushed. She already knew where this was going, and it had her feeling like the greenhouse was all too warm. “I don’t know much about dating, you’re the one who looks those things up.”

She waited. What came next was her favorite part, but she couldn’t start it herself; it was too embarrassing. She waited patiently for those three magic words her companion could use to transform them, and create that secret space where Momo got to work out all those strange feelings developing.

“Want to practice?”

Ochako’s eyes had been locked onto Himiko’s, gentle. Ochako was under some illusion in regards to the Rose Bride, and her expression was painfully fond as Himiko pinned a pink rose to her chest. It was as though they were the only two people in the world.

A hand was at her waist, squeezing and pulling her closer. She wanted to squeak, but the mouth against her own kept her quiet. Momo brought up her own hands, sliding it up the neck, carding through the dark purple locks of hair…

Himiko approached Momo.

She opened her eyes briefly as they caught their breath, and saw the bright yellow eyes watching them over Kyouka’s shoulder.

Momo gasped and shoved her away, confusing her for a moment before she followed her gaze to see the girl who was still staring at them, a watering can in her hand, expression unchanging from a neutral smile.

A witness. Suddenly, those silly pretend indulgences Momo had been playing with felt terrifyingly real. She glanced towards Kyouka, who looked back at her with flushed cheeks and messy purple hair.

The rose Himiko offered up to Momo was purple.

So Momo slapped it out of her hand, letting it scatter through the wind. Himiko’s hands were hit in the process, but that didn’t matter.

“What the hell, Momo?” Ochako exclaimed

“We can’t do this anymore,” Momo told her the next time Kyouka tried to practice.

Kyouka’s face fell. “But…”

“I want to be a normal girl,” Momo told her clearly, “I’ll marry Tenya some day, and I don’t want him to misunderstand us. We’re just friends after all. You understand, don’t you?”

Himiko reached behind herself and pulled out a new rose, this one a plain red. Better. Momo allowed her to pin it on her chest. She focused her gaze on Ochako, who seemed pissed at Momo’s earlier behavior.

Good. That sort of emotion would make her clumsy, and would make it easier for Momo to win.

Momo had control over her emotions. If she had the Rose Bride, she wouldn’t let her cling and swoon over her all the time like Ochako did. She would lock her up properly in that greenhouse, away from other girls.

She understood now that what she had with Kyouka had been temptation to go onto the wrong path, but Momo had changed since then. She was stronger, and would no longer be shaken by a girl looking up at her with her lips lightly parted, reaching out with warm hands to try and lure her into something that could jeopardize her future.

Bells rang in the distance. Ochako raised up One for All, and launched towards Momo.

She easily shifted away, dodging and flicking the sword away with the fencing foil she had brought with her. “You won’t understand your feelings until you’re in too deep,” Momo warned her.

“What do you know?”

“If you let her get too close to you, she’ll take advantage of you.”

Ochako waved that sword towards Momo’s chest, but it was no effort at all to sidestep the attempt to slice off her rose. “What are you so afraid of?”

Momo stiffened. She wasn’t afraid. She simply understood the truth of the world, that girls married boys. No matter what sorts of play she indulged in, some day she would need to put down her toys and live as a proper adult.

Ochako would learn her lesson as well. That boy’s uniform was her image of a hero, but ultimately it was nothing more than a costume that would be shed once she was done with puberty and grew into being nothing more than a woman.

Confident, Momo engaged Ochako and twirled her foil, twisting One for All out of Ochako’s grip. She flung it high into the air, up towards the battlefield floating above them in the sky, and shoved Ochako down.

As Ochako scrambled back, staring up at her with wide eyes, Momo pointed her foil right at the pink rose. “You’ll thank me someday,” she told Ochako with pity.

“You’ll thank me someday,” Momo told Kyouka, “When you have a boyfriend, he won’t have to worry about me.”

“I don’t care what you think,” Ochako said with venom, “I’ll have my relationships on my own terms, not yours or anyone else’s.”

There was a slice through the air, swinging past her ears, and straight down in front of her. One for All, fallen straight down from the sky where she had thrown it.

Momo was so shocked she didn’t even flinch. Instead, her head tilted down slowly, taking in the blade that had embedded into the ground, slicing through the red rose on her chest along the way.

Ochako stared, the pink rose on her chest still untouched.

Ah. Momo had lost.

Ochako was glad she won, but she was still confused as she walked with Himiko to class the next day. “Why do you think Momo was so desperate to separate us?” Ochako asked idly.

Himiko smiled. “Perhaps she’s jealous.”

Despite what Momo had implied, Ochako knew Himiko was just teasing. They were friends now, just friends. Rather than continue that train of thought by bringing up Tenya, she decided to redirect. “She has plenty of friends though, like Kyouka.”

“They’re a bit like us, I suppose,” Himiko turned to her, “I love you more, though.”

Ochako laughed. At least Himiko seemed to understand. “It’s no good to be jealous of others’ friendships.”

By now they were at the classroom and Ochako didn’t want to continue gossiping that way in earshot of Momo and Kyouka, but luckily Izuku practically jumped on her as soon as she walked into the door, allowing ample distraction. “Ochako, you won’t believe it!”

“Huh? Believe what?”

“My essay won!” He was grinning from ear to ear, elated. “All Might himself read it, and congratulated me!”

Ochako squealed. “That’s amazing, congratulations!”

Chapter Text

After winning that essay contest, Ochako and Ashido had asked Izuku to help them with their English homework, saying that he clearly knew what he was doing if All Might himself acknowledged him in the essay contest.

Now they were all gathered in Ochako’s room, huddled around a table as they worked through english. And with Ochako’s room came Himiko.

Izuku was still getting used to Himiko.

“Can you pass me that eraser?” he asked her, as she was closest to the pink eraser on the table.

Himiko smiled. Picked it up with delicate fingers. Leaned across the table, bending forward, letting the collar of her uniform droop down and almost, almost expose a bit of her chest. Izuku gulped. Ochako had described a sword coming out of there. Was that really possible? What did she look like under that red scarf?

His face grew hot.

“Thank you,” he mumbled, taking the eraser from her hand.

Their hands brushed, and with a stuttering heart he thought he saw her smile a little wider at him.

He forced his head down, trying to concentrate on the worksheet in front of him. He looked at his own hand, holding his writing utensil, no ring on his fingers.

He had a rosecrest ring though.

It was buried in a drawer, wrapped up in a microfiber cloth. A gift from this mysterious All for One that could let him into the strange world Ochako had described. Did he want to go there though? Apparently All for One saw something in him that might thrive, something that could make him a True Hero.

“Ahh, this is complicated,” Ochako groaned, “Izuku, what did you say for number four?”

He snapped back into focus. “Uhh, number four… number four… okay, so you have to focus on the parts of speech…”

As he described it in more detail, Ochako leaned closer. She was to his side, and trying to look over his shoulder. As he got deeper and deeper into describing the solution to the problem, she leaned even closer to squint at where he was pointing on the paper, and with a start he realized there was something soft and pillowy pressed against his upper arm.

He swallowed hard. “And uh- yeah that’s uh. That’s how I um, worked through the problem.”

“I see!” Ochako exclaimed, “Thanks Izuku, that makes sense!”

“Ahaha. No problem,” he squeaked.

Ochako leaned back and he was finally able to breathe again. 

He didn’t want to fight Ochako. She was a sweet girl, the first that had talked to him when he joined this school. He didn’t have a lot of friends, not since he was very young.

There was one friend, in his childood… but he was long gone now, after that day at the river.

Ashido distracted Ochako with some anecdote about their classmates, and Izuku took a minute to catch his breath properly and glance at Himiko. It seemed as if she sensed his gaze, as she soon turned to look right at him.

Embarrassed, he stared down at his worksheet again. He hoped his ears weren’t too red.

He didn’t want to get between Ochako and Himiko. They were both so cute, and he was just… a guy. Not a True Hero or anything, just a guy lucky enough to be in their presence for a moment. Ochako liked to be independent anyway, so the guy who could be her hero would have to be the best of the best.

He learned his lesson long ago about the dangers of trying to be a hero.

“Wait, what about question seven?” Ochako asked.

He smiled. He could support them in this way at least. “Well if you look closely…”

Though Izuku loved his friends, sometimes he needed a moment to his own. So after school today, he went to the stream by the school. Things were calm there; he liked to stare into the water while sitting on a bench. The depth of this water probably wasn’t dangerous, not like the river near his home, which could whisk a child underwater in a single moment.

There was blond in the corner of his eye, and he flinched for a moment, almost expecting to see a certain person, but it was just Himiko.

He let out a sigh, but as Himiko got near the edge he jumped up. “Himiko!”

She paused. Turned towards him. “Yes?”

He realized his energy was a bit too high. He laughed awkwardly. “S-sorry, you’re just close to the edge. Why don’t you sit down?”

Himiko looked at him with inscrutable eyes. Her foot shifted, ever-so-slightly closer to the water, and his shoulders raised.

But it was just her shifting to walk towards him, and soon enough she took a seat.

“What are you doing out here?” He asked.

Nowadays he mostly saw Himiko at Ochako’s side, though occasionally Ochako said that she went to some greenhouse in the school to take care of the garden. Though they had seen Himiko here one time, saving that poor injured bird, he didn’t think he saw her before.

“Ochako told me she wanted a little space, so I had to go away.”

He gasped. “I’m sure she didn’t mean it in a bad way.”

“Mm,” Himiko shrugged, “she said some stuff about how it would be good for me to stretch myself away from her, which is a little silly in my opinion, but I have to obey what she says.”

Izuku hesitated a moment. He wasn’t sure if it was his place to ask, but curiosity got the better of him. “Is that… part of the whole Rose Bride thing?”

She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Yup. Whatever my darling says, I am obligated to do.”

He gulped. “Anything?”

Himiko giggled and leaned towards him. “Are you having dirty thoughts?”

“N-no!” He lied, “I was just thinking like… so if they asked you to do something like carry all their books, you would have to?”

“Yes, but you’re thinking small. If my sweetheart told me to go to school naked, I would do it without a moment of hesitation” she said with a smirk.

He resolutely avoided her gaze. “O-or if they told you to jump in the river?”

“Yes. Whatever they want, I must do it.”

Izuku knew that Ochako was sweet, she would never ask Himiko to do those sorts of wild things. But still… “Are you happy with Ochako?” he asked.

“I’m always happy with my darling,” she responded vaguely.

It was like she was some sort of doll, unable to disobey or reject whoever owned her. It felt wrong to Izuku, too easy for someone to take advantage of.

“There were other champions before Ochako, weren’t there?”

She nodded.

“Did… did they all treat you alright?”

She was still smiling. “They treated me exactly how they wanted to.”

Himiko was a strange girl. Izuku found himself looking at her long eyelashes and wondering who had touched that face, who had done things to Himiko that she couldn’t reject.

“How often do Champions change?”

She shrugged. “It depends.”

“How long do you think Ochako will protect you?”

Although he trusted Ochako, he remembered her describing the duels in the first place as a silly thing. She hadn’t seemed particularly invested in the system, and seemed to find it as a whole somewhat annoying.

Plus, they used real swords. So far Ochako hadn’t been seriously injured, but if she kept getting challenged, it would only be a matter of time before she got stabbed and hurt so bad she had to leave school forever.

Himiko kept on smiling. “Until she is beaten, I’m sure.”

He stared at the water. He had once had a friend who fell into a river, but back then despite Izuku’s best attempt, he had been too small to save him. Now though, he was bigger, getting closer to adulthood every day. All Might himself had acknowledged his essay, and this ‘All for One’ figure believed in him too, so surely he could fight for what he thought was right.

Izuku turned to Himiko, and it was like looking into that boy’s eyes again. A second chance to do the right thing and save someone from the inescapable pull of a current.

“If I became your Champion, would you be happy?” He asked.

She tilted her head, her smile gentle. “I will always be happy with my Champion.”

He could feel it in her gaze, she wanted him. She wanted to be saved by him, it was like she was calling to him through the restrictions of her position. She needed a True Hero, and a boy like him had a chance to become that if he believed in himself.

He jumped up from his seat and faced Himiko seriously. “I’ll save you, Himiko. You’ll be my Rose Bride, and I’ll beat anyone who wants to take you away and do cruel things.”

As she had been this whole conversation, she was smiling. That meant she would wait for him, he was sure. 

“Don’t worry,” he reassured, “You and Ochako will be safe.”

Ochako didn’t seem to agree.

“Uh, what?”

“I said that I challenge you to a duel!” Izuku declared, pointing at her with the finger that held the rose ring All for One had gifted him.

Ochako rubbed her forehead. “Izuku… I thought that you were my friend.”

“I am!” He insisted, “I know it’s hard on you, having to deal with all those weird duels and stuff. Let me beat you, and I’ll take that burden away so you can live freely.”

“But Himiko…”

“I’ll take care of her too,” he assured her, “then you won’t have to worry.”

She was still frowning. “I can handle it, though.”

Izuku had read many comic books. He had seen plenty cool and confident girls like Ochako, and although they were awesome, in the end they would all need to be saved at some point. Even if a girl argued with her rescuer, he had to be strong enough to handle both her spitfire and the villains around them. Was Izuku strong enough? Was this worth arguing with a friend?

He looked over her shoulder, to where Himiko was standing while clinging to her arm. Himiko was smiling, and his heart thudding against his chest in reaction was all the confirmation he needed.

“Then prove it to me,” he insisted, “The strongest should protect her.”

Ochako pursed her lips. “I’ll show you strong.”

Ochako had no clue what was going through Izuku’s brain right now. She thought he was her friend, but apparently he was dragging himself into this weird game as well. She didn’t want to fight him, but he left her no choice.

Across the arena, he glared with a sword in hand, something borrowed from the fencing club probably.

Himiko pinned her usual pink rose to her chest, making Ochako smile. After that though, Himiko had to go to Izuku. She pulled out a green rose, and rested a hand on his chest as she found a spot to pin his rose.

His face became as red as Himiko’s dress, and he spoke to her, “Don’t worry Himiko, I’ll have you soon enough and you won’t have to worry.”

There was an ugly twist in Ochako’s gut at how he phrased it, and at how he looked at Himiko. Like some sort of prize to be won.

She would show him a winner.

Himiko began her usual incantation, “Come forth, the quirk of generations that dwells within me, heed your master and come forth!”

Ochako was getting used to this rhythm now, and easily held Himiko as the sword burst from her chest, pulling the hilt out of her. “Grant me the power of One for All!”

The march started bells echoing across the roof, and it was time to show him what she was made of.

“I didn’t ask you to intervene,” she told him as she stepped closer.

He stepped closer as well. “A True Hero acts even when he isn’t asked to.”

“Have you considered that I want to be a True Hero?”

“It’s a hard road, I wouldn’t put you through that.”

“I didn’t ask for your permission.”

To accent her point, Ochako lunged forward, and he did as well.

“Go Ochako!” Himiko cheered from the side.

Izuku’s lunge stuttered, and he turned towards Himiko with a look of betrayal. The distraction was enough that Ochako was able to slice through that green rose on his chest, sending the petals scattering through the wind.

He gaped down at himself, disbelieving. Ochako walked past him cooly, going to Himiko.

Behind her, Izuku fell to his knees. “I failed to save someone… again.”

“I’m sorry it had to end this way,” Ochako told him sincerely.

He was quiet.

Himiko was looking at her with that big smile of hers, wide enough to show her teeth, a set of canines on either side.

Ah, that was cute.

Ochako put a fond on her waist. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect this life of yours.”

Her cheeks were red, elated. “I’m yours.”

Things were strange, but Ochako was getting comfortable with this now. Himiko was her friend, and Ochako would keep her at her side, so she could live as a normal girl. It didn’t matter how many duelists came at her, she was the hero who would fight on to protect Himiko.

Katsuki grinned down at the letter. Those fuckers wouldn’t know what hit them.

Chapter Text

Ochako was getting used to this new life with Himiko. It felt natural now to wake up to the smell of breakfast made fresh just for her. She had learned most of the names of the stuffed animals Himiko filled their room with. Where Himiko clung onto had turned into a familiar warmth, and Ochako had acclimated to even the more raunchy teases Himiko sometimes made. These days it felt like they were truly friends.

Though Ochako encouraged Himiko to have some time alone as well, worried about her becoming too codependent, today Ochako decided to come along with Himiko to the rose garden to see if she could help.

However, when Ochako offered to help, Himiko just shook her head gently. “Don’t worry yourself, darling. We all have our burdens to bear, and this is mine.”

Ochako blinked at her. “Are you sure?”

She smiled. “Yes.”

Well, Ochako had been trying to get her to speak her mind a bit more, so if Himiko felt that strongly about it she wouldn’t insist. Instead, she hung around and provided company as Himiko worked, watering and then going around with clippers to trim some of the bushes.

“...How long have you been taking care of these flowers?” Ochako asked, trying to make a little conversation.

“A while.”

Himiko reached up. Ochako was no expert on roses, were they supposed to grow so tall? They were almost like vines, trailing up the walls of the greenhouse. Himiko had to go up onto her tiptoes to clip away at some branches.

One of the branches that fell had a tiny rosebud, petals only barely starting to part.

“Seems like a shame,” Ochako commented, “it didn’t even get to bloom.”

Himiko didn’t turn around from her task. “If a bud cannot commit, it must be culled so more resources can go to those who are properly blooming.”

“I guess gardening is more ruthless than I assumed.”

“If it disturbs you, I can take a break.”

“Nah.” Ochako watched Himiko’s back fondly. “I like watching you.”

Himiko stumbled.

It was just a bit, enough that she had to reach out and grab something to stabilize. Ochako got up on the realization that she had grabbed some supports wrapped in rose vines; in other words she had a handful of thorns.

“Himiko!” She exclaimed, hurrying to her side.

Himiko hadn’t even made a sound. She simply stared at her own hand a moment, taking in the injuries. There were only two cuts, but one was already welling up with blood. 

As Ochako watched, Himiko brought her palm up to her mouth.

“Stop!” Ochako exclaimed.

Himiko jerked, glancing towards Ochako with wide eyes. She had paused entirely, mouth still parted as if she was really going to lick at her own wound.

Ochako dug through her pocket. “Wait a moment, you don’t have to do something so unsanitary…” She pulled out some band-aids. “Here! I know you don’t keep them around here, so I brought some just in case.”

Himiko stared, still completely frozen.

Awkwardly, Ochako started peeling the wrapper from it herself. She came close and covered the first cut on Himiko’s hand, then the second. “There! Good as new.”

Himiko started moving again, slowly lowering her hand and putting a smile back on her face. “...Thank you, darling. So considerate”

“Of course,” Ochako said with a smile.

They were truly becoming precious friends.

Katsuki marched down the halls, sticking his head into every classroom during lunch. “Yo, is the Champion in here?”

He mostly got idiots making weird faces at him, confused. Eventually, once he asked his question to his third classroom, that half-and-half bastard approached him. “The Champion? She’s some brunette.”

Katsuki glanced down and saw he had one of those rings as well. “Some brunette? Do you even know what classroom she’s in?”

He hummed for a solid minute, face blank as always. Katsuki was about to tear him to pieces in frustration when he finally said, “I think… was it 1A?”

Katsuki wrinkled his nose. Ugh, that was the same classroom as that annoying Deku, wasn’t it?

He stomped away. 1A… 1A… there.

“Yo, where’s the Champion?”

Though he attracted a lot of attention, there was a particular brunette whose head snapped to him.

Unfortunately, someone familiar stood near her, his broccoli head trembling. “K-Kacchan…”

“Fuck off,” Katsuki dismissed him immediately, keeping his glare on his potential opponent, “I wanna fight you.”

The girl frowned. “Here?”

Katsuki flashed the ring he’d recently received. “On the roof.”

Her eyes widened in understanding, then her brows pressed down in determination. Instead of dignifying Katsuki with an acknowledgement of challenge, she turned to some blonde girl hanging off of her to say, “Don’t worry, Himiko, I’ll beat him and maintain our peaceful life.”

“Of course, sweetie,” the blonde responded.

“Kacchan, since when have you…?”

Katsuki made the mistake of bothering to look at Deku at all, and was stricken at the sight of a ring on his finger as well.

He snatched up Deku’s hand, squeezing it tight enough that he squeaked. “Where did you get this? Did you steal it?”

“No!” Izuku exclaimed, twisting out of Katsuki’s grip with more indignance than he deserved. “It was a gift.”

Katsuki curled his lips down. There was no way that wimp earned an opportunity to become a Duelist normally. After all, Katsuki had only just recently been granted the opportunity, how could Deku already have a ring?

“...But you’re not the Champion,” Katsuki said, just to confirm.

Deku flustered, looking at his shoes. “No, I… I couldn’t beat Ochako.”

Katsuki nodded, satisfied. Deku was still weak, a wannabe-hero who could dive into danger but could never win. Katsuki could surely overtake him properly, and Deku would never have reason to look down on him again. “I’ll beat her.”

With that, Katsuki left. It was time to show just how powerful he was.

Ochako maintained her confidence as she went up to the roof. Somehow, Himiko always felt compelled to go ahead of her, and would be waiting in that strange red dress. She wasn’t sure where she changed into it, perhaps some secret closet on the third floor?

None of it changed the fact that she had a mission. The guy who had stomped into their classroom had the aura of a delinquent, and she couldn’t deny a hint of nerves at his intimidation factor.

But she was the Champion, who had won every match so far. She would protect Himiko and the friendship they were slowly developing, nothing could get in the way of that.

She opened the door to the roof.

Katsuki stood ready, glaring. In his hand was a proper sword, one-handed but thick compared to the one she usually pulled out of Himiko. It shone in the light, well-polished and cared for. Ochako was momentarily distracted by how pristine it was, but was pulled back to the moment by Himiko pinning a rose to her chest.

She smiled down on Himiko. “Don’t worry.”

Himiko smiled back at her. “I’m not worried at all.”

Then they had to part for Himiko to pin a pale yellow rose to Katsuki’s chest. Soon enough, she would tear that rose asunder and bring Himiko home as usual.

“Come forth, the quirk of generations that dwells within me, heed your master and come forth!”

The motion, Himiko leaning back into Ochako’s arms to allow the sword to burst from her ribs, was familiar now. Ochako naturally grasped the sword grip and pulled.

She raised the sword to the sky. “Grant me the power of One for All!”

The bells rang, and the battle began.

Katsuki launched himself towards her, a powerful leap that spoke to strong thighs. Ochako jumped back, avoiding a fierce swing coming down where she had been.

She expected him to need a moment to reorient, but he swiftly tilted his balance and took a chance with the upswing to go for her again.

“Why are you so aggressive?” Ochako asked, “You don’t even know Himiko.”

“Who gives a shit about her? I’m just here to win.”

He emphasized that with another fierce swing, which Ochako tried to block with her sword. Unfortunately, his heavy force shoved her off balance and she was sent stumbling backwards.

“I’ll win One for All and be a True Hero!” He declared, an intensity in his eyes that made her freeze a second.

He swung, and she could only block at the last moment. This time she was sent all the way back onto her rear, tumbling over the ground.

She forced herself back up. Her body hurt, but the flower had survived, so she could still defeat Katsuki. “All of you keep talking about One for All and this weird game, but Himiko just wants to be a normal girl! You guys shouldn’t treat her like some sort of object!”

Katsuki laughed, approaching rapidly. “You think you’re different from any other Duelist? We all want the Rose Bride and One for All for our own reasons, your reason isn’t better than mine.”

She was up now, and pissed. What did he even know? He hadn’t spent hours with Himiko in her rose garden, seeing her tenderly care for the plants. He hadn’t watched Himiko slowly get to know other people. He didn’t know about her, didn’t care about her the way Ochako did.

Everyone else kept jerking Himiko around and trying to use her for themselves, but Ochako wanted what was best for Himiko. That was why she won, why she deserved to win.

Ochako went for Katsuki, aiming her sword right at his rose, and his sword pointed towards hers as well.

Their paths crossed so swiftly that Ochako wasn’t even sure of the outcome. She spun around to take Katsuki in, and with disappointment she registered that his rose was still intact. She steadied her stance, preparing for another attack, when a breeze sent pink petals scattering across her vision.

Katsuki had a feral grin, and his sword was lowered, as though the fight was over.

With a glance down at her own chest, and the destroyed remnants of the pink rose Himiko had given her, Ochako realized that it was.

For a minute, she was frozen. Then the sword in her hand dissipated, snapping her out of her stupor. Desperately, she reached out and snatched at the last of the petals starting to fall off, trying to shove them back onto her chest.

Meanwhile, Katsuki had approached Himiko. He snatched up her wrist, pulling her close, and looked smugly down on Ochako. “One for All is mine, now, as I am the Champion.”

Ochako’s head snapped to them, aghast. “Stay away from her!”

He cackled. “You think you get to decide that?”

Ochako marched over to him. She had no sword, but she had her fists. She tried to shove herself in between Katsuki and Himiko, but a delicate hand reached out to stop her.

Ochako was confused. “...Himiko?”

Himiko hadn’t stopped smiling the whole time.

“Himiko, you don’t have to do this,” Ochako reminded her, “Let’s stop playing this weird game. Don’t you want to become a normal girl? We could hang out with Mina and Izuku.”

All Himiko did was glance towards Katsuki. He spoke for her, “Tell her you don’t care about all that.”

“I don’t care about all that,” Himiko repeated.

“You’re just a vessel for One for All.”

She nodded. “I’m just a vessel for One for All.”

Rage and despair made Ochako’s fists shake. “That can’t be true!” she declared, “What about all that time we spent together? You wanted to become a normal girl, didn’t you?”

Himiko wrapped her arms around Katsuki. He smirked at Ochako, smugness palpable. “One for All doesn’t want, she just is.”

“She is trying to be a normal girl!” Ochako insisted.

Katsuki turned to Himiko. “You’re just a weapon for people to wield, aren’t you?”

“Of course darling, I’m just a weapon.”

“Himiko!” Ochako called out again, begging for Himiko to tear her eyes away from Katsuki and look at her again.

There was no response, though. Himiko was Katsuki’s now.

Ochako had truly lost.

By the time she got back to her room, Himiko’s stuff had somehow been moved out. Not a trace of her left behind. As if their friendship had never occurred in the first place.

Chapter Text

Himiko was satisfied.

Her new Champion was lovely, as they all were. He was beautiful, walking along the courtyard after school.

“Darling!” She exclaimed, chasing him down to cling onto his arm.

He curled his lips. “You’re getting annoying.”

She squeezed his arm tighter and pressed her cheek against his shoulder. All she knew how to do was love. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart, how shall I be less annoying?”

Katsuki shoved her away, sending her to the ground. Her knee scraped against the stone path they were on, enough to draw a little blood.

She blushed. So he did love her! Enough to want to see her bleed.

“I don’t need you hanging off of me,” her Darling said with a sneer, “You’re just a weapon, so stop trying to spend time with me like this and just stay up on that roof until I have use for you.”

Himiko got up, patting the dirt off of her skirt. “Whatever you say, Sweetie.”

He walked away, not looking back at all. He trusted her, of course. Trusted she wouldn’t have a single other thought than obeying his command.

She didn’t need any other thoughts.

Himiko made a steady pace back into school. She passed by the rose garden, then passed the classrooms. In one of those classrooms, Ochako…

The thought was outdated. She had to focus on her Sweetheart’s important command. 

Up and up the stairs. The crowd of first years were left behind on the first floor. She ignored the second floor, a decent though scattered number of students occupying the classrooms. The third floor, meant for upperclassmen closest to graduating, was quiet, with classrooms scarcely populated.

Growing up was rare, here.

Now she was up to the roof door. Her blood warmed as she grasped the handle, the power of One for All unlocking the door for her, even without a ring. No matter how many Sweethearts passed through her, this power was steadfast, her constant companion and chain.

Now the expanse of the roof was hers. Barren, illusory, but at least the breeze numbed her skin. Her red dress flowed out, like blood spilling down to her ankles. Nowhere did she feel the weight of the Rose Bride more than in this arena. Above her was the school-turned-battlefield in the sky, turned upside-down so she could see the devastation, reminding her exactly why True Heroes were needed. 

She had to stay here, now. It was better than the alternative.

Like this, she had a Beloved. She was a bride. Even as a child, she had dreamed of being a beautiful bride, gorgeous and sweet and loved in a way she had never felt before. She read the stories and understood a woman’s role. She could not control the narrative, but she could choose the one who would control it.

This was the only way anyone would ever love her.

Himiko stayed standing. Any moment now, her Champion would walk in through the door, and she wanted him to see that she was ready for whatever he wanted. He wouldn’t leave her for long, she knew. She had what he wanted, what everyone wanted. A power that could destroy anyone, locked up in her very blood and incapable of being stolen away. Anyone who wanted it needed her, and she was secure.

Though Ochako hadn’t seemed to quite comprehend the power…

Which was an unnecessary thought. She would meditate on her Sweetheart, instead. Blond hair, red eyes, a fierce expression that could defeat any competitor.

One for All needed to be wielded by someone strong. It was for the best that this man had her. The weak, those who didn’t understand, needed to be culled.

She put a smile on her face. She could wait for him to come see her, no matter if it took eternity.

Ochako was fine.

So what if she woke up alone now? So what if Himiko was ignoring her in class? So what if she had been wrong about everything with Himiko, they had never truly been friends, and Ochako had just been the idiot imagining all of that meant anything at all to the other girl?

And what was the big deal if Ochako turned out to be weak, in the end? Hadn’t Momo said that she was supposed to turn into a normal girl one day? Normal girls didn’t assume the world revolved around them, or try to save other girls like they were a hero.

“You’re moping,” Mina accused during lunch.

Ochako barely lifted her forehead off of her desk. “I’m fine.”

“Uh huh…” Mina crossed her arms. “Everyone keeps asking me why you wore the girls uniform today.”

Ochako didn’t respond. She was too miserable. What was the point of wearing pants when it hadn’t helped her defeat Katsuki at all? In the end, she was just another girl who had to back off when the fight got too rough. She didn’t know if she’d ever fight again after embarrassing herself so badly, so she didn’t need to borrow the boy’s uniform anymore.

Izuku piped up, “I think it suits her. It’s alright, Ochako.”

“No it doesn’t,” Mina insisted, “she looks miserable!”

Because she was miserable. But that was her lot in life, now.

“Is this about your fight with Himiko?”

Ochako pouted and turned her face away. It was even more embarrassing to describe in detail to Mina and Izuku just how much it hurt.

Izuku tried to comfort her anyway. “It sucks to lose, I know. Especially to Kachhan, of all people… Must have been a vicious fight.” He stared into the distance, as though remembering something.

“Regardless, Himiko is the bitch who abandoned you the moment you lost in her weird little game!” Mina said, perhaps a bit too loudly, considering Himiko was in their classroom.

Her chair scraped against the floor as Ochako abruptly got up. “You don’t know anything about her!”

Though Mina seemed initially taken aback, she recovered quickly enough to retort, “Do you?”

Ochako opened her mouth, preparing for some sort of counter… then closed it.

That’s how she ended up in this situation, wasn’t it? Not trying to really learn about Himiko, just making assumptions and enjoying whenever Himiko confirmed them.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” Ochako said before hurrying out of the classroom.

She fled like a coward. Tears were prickling at her eyes, trying to escape from all the regrets swirling around inside of her. She was an idiot, a wounded hypocrite.

Ochako ended up going to the restroom as she claimed, though she didn’t need to use it. Where else would she run? The greenhouse, to haunt Himiko once more? No, it was better that Ochako sequester herself like this, hiding in a stall to lick her wounds. Her uniform skirt pooled around over her lap. It felt strange to sit like this, always aware of her spreading legs in a way she never felt in the boy’s pants. Girls had limitations, and she had reached hers.

She sniffled, probably overreacting to a stupid little comment, but still hurt. Mina was right, but Ochako couldn’t pretend it didn’t sting. Why was Mina so sharp in situations like this?

The door to the bathroom opened. “...Ochako?”

It was Mina’s voice.

Although she considered staying quiet, the concern in Mina’s voice convinced her to admit, “I’m here.”

“Oh, good! Come on out.”

There was a moment of hesitation, wanting to wallow alone for a while longer, but ultimately Mina was her friend, and she couldn’t avoid her forever. So Ochako opened the stall door and shuffled out, avoiding Mina’s eyes and hoping that the rims of hers weren’t very pink.

“I’m sorry, Ochako.”

Ochako’s gaze snapped up to Mina, who did look at least a bit sheepish.

“I know you like Himiko, even in spite of this recent stuff… and probably calling her a bitch was too far. I was just really mad at how she showered you in attention and got you all attached only to abandon you over something stupid.”

As awful as Ochako had felt for the past few days, the apology made her feel at least a little better. Just a little, but better than nothing.

She took a step closer to her friend, starting to spread her arms, and Mina dived into her, wrapping her up in a hug.

“Thanks,” Ochako muttered into her shoulder, “I’m sorry I was kinda dramatic.”

Mina laughed. “No need to apologize. You know me, I love drama.”

Ochako relaxed a bit in her friend’s arms. Even if everything with Himiko had gone downhill, Ochako at least had this rock, a steady friend she could rely on. There was more to life than just that weird duel game.

Then she wondered if Himiko had anybody like Mina in her life, whether she had anything that didn’t all lead to those duel games, and suddenly she was sad again.

“Oof, tight squeeze!” Mina exclaimed.

Ochako realized she had been gripping tight, and carefully let go of Mina. 

She smiled at Ochako. “So we good?”

“We are.”

And Ochako realized what she needed to do.

Fencing was over, but there wasn’t anyone in the club room yet. Ochako jiggled the lock to the supply closet with a bobby pin, desperately hoping that something would click and the lock would spring kindly open for her. She wished she could see the mechanisms inside somehow, but even if she could, she had avoided turning on the club room lights to avoid tipping anyone off that she was trying to break in. A bit of dying sun filtered in through the window, but it was dreary.

Picking locks was a lot more complicated than the movies made it seem. She struggled in vain for about ten minutes, then dropped the pins with a sigh. Only one option left.

She took a few steps back, then threw herself against the door by her shoulder. It shook, but didn’t break quite yet.

“Stop that,” A voice behind her said.

Ochako jumped, surprised to hear Momo’s voice. “Oh! Momo, I uh…”

“I heard.” Momo stepped into the club room, the light from outside streaming behind and leaving her face in shadow. “A friend of mine from Katsuki’s class said you confronted him about some sort of duel.”

She nodded mutely. She had been caught red-handed by their class vice president and the captain of the fencing team trying to break into the fencing supply closet; she was surely about to get in trouble.

“You can’t stop me,” Ochako said, instead of pleading for mercy.

Her voice was sad, “I know.”

Momo stepped deeper in the room, approaching the closet herself. Out of her pocket, she pulled out a ring of keys. Ochako stared, not quite believing as Momo plucked one in particular and slipped it into the lock Ochako had been struggling with.

“You’ve been pretty down in classes, and the girl’s uniform doesn’t suit you,” Momo said in way of explanation, “as the class vice president, I should look out for my classmates and help them out.”

Ochako smiled. “Yeah? Not gonna stop me with all that weird stuff about getting in too deep?”

The door opened, hinges creaking. “If you’re willing to break in like this for her, I think you’re already in too deep.”

Inside were various helmets, padded body armor, and most importantly the swords.

Momo hovered over them for a moment, then plucked one out of the pile with expert precision. “You can have one of the sabers.”

She handed it to Ochako, who gingerly took it from her hand. The weight of it was different from One for All. It wasn’t balanced the same way, didn’t feel like an extension of herself.

But it was better than nothing.

“Thank you,” Ochako said.

Momo let out a huff, almost a laugh, as she closed the door and locked things up. “I’m just doing my duty as vice president to make sure you have a fighting chance. You and Himiko are bound to separate one day, but… if you want to cling to her a little longer, I can’t begrudge that. Keep playing pretend, play the hero as long as you can… that bliss won’t last forever.”

A True Hero wouldn’t back down forever just because his pride got hurt. Ochako’s pride was torn to shreds in that match with Katsuki, but that was no excuse to give up now. She still had something she needed to do.

“So you finally decided to show up, eh?” Katsuki shouted as Ochako came out onto the rooftop.

Here they were again, on the roof. Above them, that structure with light shining down on them hung upside down, its construction and the smaller buildings around it ravaged by some long-ago battle. It felt so long ago, that fateful day when she had trekked up here to confront Shouto about posting Mina’s letter. Back then she had been confused by all the pomp and circumstance, the roses, and Himiko standing between them in that red dress.

Himiko was now pinning a yellow rose to Katsuki’s chest. He didn’t even look at her, just at Ochako to goad her further. “You really think you can beat me? You really think you can be a Champion, after I destroyed you so thoroughly?”

“I don’t care about all that Champion stuff,” Ochako told him.

Now Himiko approached with a pink rose. She smiled sedately, and pinned the rose to Ochako’s chest without truly looking at her.

“I have something to say to you,” Ochako said to her.

Himiko tilted her head towards Katsuki, as though asking permission to listen, but all Katsuki did was laugh. “Hurry up, Rose Bride. I want to have a victory dinner after this.”

So Himiko hurried to his side. As per usual, she pressed her hands against her chest, and a glow emanated as she made the call, “Come forth, the quirk of generations that dwells within me, heed your master and come forth!”

It was strange to see someone else catch her as she tilted backwards, the sword’s handle bursting forth. Katsuki grasped it, an expression more contemplative than she had ever seen on his face as he watched the blade slide cleanly out of Himiko’s glowing chest.

As it slid entirely free, he swung it up into the air and shouted, “Grant me the power of One for All!”

The bells rang, and Ochako readied her stance. 

Katsuki let out a laugh at her determined expression. “You hung onto the Rose Bride for so long, but didn’t even know how to properly wield the power of One for All.” He tilted the sword downwards, towards the ground, and spoke to Himiko. “Rose Bride, abandon your body and protect One for All.”

All Ochako could do was watch in confusion as Himiko knelt down, getting on her knees, to reach the tip of the sword that Katsuki had brought so low. Slowly, Himiko took the long blade, gently touching it from below with her fingers, and lifted it towards her lips.

Something about it, Himiko on her knees, completely obedient, bringing a weapon that close to her face as Katsuki looked down on her with a fierce smirk, had Ochako feeling like a voyeur.

Himiko kissed the blade, but as her mouth left it she stuck out her tongue, just enough to slide against the edge, and blood dripped down.

Ochako gasped as the entire sword began to glow red, gently pulsing like a heart. Katsuki lifted it properly, and swung it. The very air shook, displaced by its power, and Ochako could barely keep on her feet as the roof fencing behind her shook and cracked under the force.

“This is the true power of One for All,” Katsuki declared, “Isn’t it incredible?”

Though One for All demanded attention, her eyes slid off of it to see Himiko slowly standing up. There was no dirt on her dress from kneeling, and she peacefully took steps back to stay out of their battle.

Her attention returned to Katsuki as he launched towards her, bold and brutal as she remembered. This time, he had One for All, and the shift in the air that came with it was overwhelming.

She dodged, sidestepping, and then barely stumbled back again as he smoothly pivoted to catch her with the blade. It sliced her sleeve, but not the rose on her chest, so she was fine.

“Face it, you can’t be a True Hero!” Bakugo shouted, not even slowing his slices to speak, “You’re not strong enough!”

Ochako shifted as much as she could, but he kept catching the edges of fabric in her girl’s uniform. It took all her attention just to keep the left side of her chest out of range of his weapon. She needed to switch towards offense if she wanted any hope of winning this. So she raised her saber, hoping to deflect him and create an opening.

Her sword was sliced clean in two.

She took several large steps back, staring down at what was left in her hand, the handle, guard, and perhaps a half-meter of the blade.

Katsuki didn’t let up, even as she tried to gather her bearings, and she had to stumble back fully to avoid her rose being sliced. Along the way, his blade slid over her stomach, and not just the fabric but her skin was slit.

She took in a stuttering breath as she looked down. It was surprisingly clean, but beads of blood began to build along the injury.

Then Katsuki was on his assault again, and Ochako had no time to think. All she could do was dodge, try to get up, step back, and get sliced again and again and again.

She lost track of how many times he nicked her, and soon she couldn’t differentiate between where she was wet from sweat and where she was wet from blood. It was force incarnate, relentless and unforgiving. Pure strength.

Ochako fell back, barely bracing herself on one knee to block his sword with the base of her blade. One for All caught in the metal, but Ochako could see that through the red glow that it was already digging into the blade.

Still, she held her ground, even as Katsuki pressed deeper and deeper, slowly ruining the last of her sword. “Give up!” he shouted, “You’ll never beat me!”

She ignored him, and shouted out, “Himiko!”

There was no way she could look at her while holding Katsuki off like this, but she had to hope she was listening. Things looked bleak, and although Ochako would not stop fighting, she wanted to get this off her chest now while she might have Himiko’s attention.

“Himiko, I was rude to you! I didn’t really get to know you, and assumed how you would feel without asking!” Ochako’s arms were shaking. One for All was more than halfway through her blade. “I was a bad friend to you, Himiko, and I’m sorry!”

Suddenly, One for All stopped glowing, and was no longer red. There was not a speck of blood on it, despite all of Katsuki’s attacks. Had that special power run out?

Katsuki seemed surprised, frowning down on it. “What the–?”

Ochako took the chance to press back again, using the force of her legs while getting up off the ground to shove Katsuki back. He stumbled, shocked, but quickly regained his stance.

Both of them stood, facing each other. Ochako with her clothes torn, dripping blood and down half a blade, but determined. Katsuki flicked One for All experimentally, as though testing it out, but had his own intense look, ready to face her again even without the extra power he had forced out of Himiko.

They both launched in the same moment, like a mirror. Their paths crossed, and their backs faced each other.

Ochako looked down first, and almost cried in relief at seeing her pink rose still in place. And with a glance back, she saw yellow petals carried along the wind.

Katsuki was looking down at himself like he couldn’t believe it. “No… no, but I’m strong,” he said, more to himself than to either of the others on the roof.

Himiko stepped towards Ochako, and One for All dissipated from Katsuki’s hands. “Darling,” she said to Ochako, “I am now your Rose Bride.”

Now Himiko was at least looking at her properly. They could start again; Ochako had another chance to treat her well, to try and actually learn who her friend really was.

“Nevermind all that,” Ochako told her, “Let’s just go home.”

Chapter Text

Ochako slowly woke up, hearing shuffling in the room. It was dark, but some moonlight illuminated enough to show someone slipping on her shoes.

“Himiko?” She asked blearily.

The figure paused. “Yes, sweetheart?”

“Where are you going?”

“...My father asked for me.”

Ochako forced herself to get up a bit more, but Himiko hadn’t even turned on a light, so it was hard to focus. “Huh? Is everything alright? Is there an emergency?”

“Everything is perfect. He just wants to check in on me.”

“At this time of night?”

“He’s very busy.”

The door opened and closed before Ochako could ask anything else. Himiko hadn’t sounded worried or frantic at all, even though the circumstances were strange. What kind of father came by to visit a school in the middle of the night? Then again, HImiko was always a little strange in everything she did, so perhaps it ran in the family.

She was too sleepy to overthink it. She put her head on the pillow and fell back asleep.

Enji stared at the flower in his new office.

Previously, this had been the school counselor’s office. And technically it still was, but the occupant had changed. As of last weekend, the previous counselor had been overtaken by some serious illness, something that kept him in the hospital and unable to advise. And thus, Enji stepped in.

School counselor wasn’t exactly at the height of principal, but at least it was closer than kendo coach.

For now, he observed the red spider lilies growing in a pot on his desk.

“Touya,” he said.

His son, beautiful young Touya, hair as white as snow, only recently tall enough for his feet to touch the ground as he sat in the plush guest chair, looked at him with wide eyes. “Yes, Dad?”

“Pluck me one of those liles,” Enji commanded.

Obediently, Touya plucked one from the base of the stem. As it broke from the rest and was gently cradled in Touya’s hands, it evolved. Inky blackness snaked up from Touya’s hand, bleeding all over the red to turn the flower black. The stem as well began to disintegrate and harden, until it had gone straight, stiff, and sharp enough to pierce the skin.

“Oops,” Touya said lightly, staring down at the changed flower in his hand, “Sorry, Dad.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Enji told him, “The flower is supposed to do that.”

Touya was still staring at it. “...Why?”

Enji chuckled. It had been hard arranging all of this, figuring out how to get into this position and getting flowers with this sort of power, but it would be worth it soon enough. “With those, you can become the next Rose Bride.”

He turned to look at Enji. “Me? The Rose Bride?”

He nodded. “Right now, All Might has his Rose Bride here at UA. She is One for All, the source of all his power, and so he completely controls this school. Everything bends to his foolish whims. But me…”

Enji could still remember meeting All Might, seeing that strength and power, and aching.

Aching to have it for himself.

“I can’t grasp the Rose Bride for myself. I tried to have Shouto keep her while I figured out how to use her, but he was a disappointment and lost her. No, it’s much better to get rid of her entirely, and put someone new in her place.” Enji looked at his son, never strong enough for kendo, but perhaps the perfect pliant vessel for this maneuver, “You will become the Rose Bride, you will host One for All, and I shall become the principal of UA with absolute power.”

Touya smiled at him. “Whatever you want, Dad.”

Enji would get what he wanted.

All he needed to do was kill the current Rose Bride.

Kyouka sat uncomfortably in the counselor’s office. The chair she was in was too plush, as if it was designed to hold broken glass, but she wasn’t broken at all.

She was just struggling a bit with grades. It wasn’t a big deal.

“Mr. Aizawa said your grades have been falling in almost every class, aside from music,” Mr. Todoroki said, “Can you tell me about that?”

She shrugged. “I just haven’t been studying recently. There’s nothing really going on.”

“Nothing at all?”

“Nothing.”

Mr. Todoroki sighed. “It must be painful if you’re not willing to talk about it.”

Kyouka snapped. “Can I go back to class now?”

He got up, and put his hand on the handle of a door. Not the one Kyouka had entered through, but one behind him that she had never seen inside. “Kyouka, please step inside.”

Confused, but not looking to disobey a teacher, Kyouka approached, and he opened the door.

The air felt thick, somehow, inside that room. Was this some sort of new therapy technique? She wasn’t sure, but when Endeavor tapped her back, she felt compelled to step properly inside.

The door shut behind her, and she was alone.

The room seemed to be arranged in a traditional japanese style, complete with tatami mats over the entire floor. The wall opposite of her seemed to be made of paper, luridly decorated with red flowers, something with long petals that burst from the center like fireworks. On either side of the room were understated but elegant end tables, each with an incense burner actively releasing smoke.

And thus she realized why the room felt hazy.

She took a deep breath. She had been expecting some sort of gentle scent, but somehow all she could smell was something like charcoal, like burnt toast, like destruction.

“Kyouka. Why are your grades falling?” Mr. Todoroki was not there, but his voice echoed in the room like there was some sort of hidden speaker.

It made her jerk with surprise, confused. But somehow, not being able to see the counselor made her feel a little more willing to admit, “I’ve been avoiding studying.”

“Why are you avoiding studying?”

The smoke had filled the room enough that she could see the air going gray, and every breath only intensified that burnt scent. She wished she had something pleasant to cleanse her nose, like her vanilla chapstick, or the coconut shampoo Momo always used.

She spoke strangely easy, the incense coating her tongue. “I always study with Momo, a… friend of mine. But I’ve been avoiding her, so I haven’t been studying the same.”

“Why?”

It was hard to see through the smoke. “I’ve just been frustrated with her. It’s stressful to be alone with her, and… and sometimes when she brings others to study with us, it’s even worse.”

Tenya was so stiff when he studied, and it hurt to see Momo doing her best to make him relax a bit. Giving him her full attention, making him the tea he liked, and in one painful, awful session, offering to give a backrub to reduce the tension in his shoulders.

“Why is it worse?”

“She’s always flirting with them, or trying to get me to flirt with them. It’s distracting.”

Even worse was when Momo would invite Denki to those sessions, offering to help him study, but then carefully arranging their seats so Kyouka would sit next to him. She was subtle, at least, but even the occasional wink or nudge she made while egging Kyouka towards him made Kyouka want to vomit.

“Jus t distracting?”

Kyouka stiffened.

“Go deeper, Kyouka. Open the next door.”

Though the smoke was thick, Kyouka approached the paper wall and discovered that there was a sliding door. She pushed it to the side, and found the next room completely filled with fire.

“Step inside, and burn away those defenses.”

Like she was in a dream, she stepped in. The door slid shut behind her of its own accord, and her body burned.

It enveloped her, fierce and hot. It hurt, it hurt.

“It hurts!” She cried out.

“What exactly hurts?”

“Seeing her!” She shouted out, like the words were being burned out of her throat. “Seeing her flirt with that boy, or telling me I should be flirting with boys, as if she doesn’t know! As if everything we did together meant nothing at all, just a stupid silly thing that she can just brush under the rug. She wants us to be friends!” Kyouka screamed, “I don’t wanna be friends!”

The fire quenched abruptly, though the air was still thick with smoke.

“Go deeper, Kyouka.”

There was another door. She slid it aside, and entered the next room.

In front of her there was a shrine. A photo frame sat, and bouquets of red spider lilies framed it. In front, a tiny stick of incense burned. 

“What do you want?” Mr. Todoroki’s voice echoed.

“I want Momo to stop being a coward. I want her to admit it meant something to her. I. Want. Her!”

“Your only choice is to revolutionize the world. The path you must take has been prepared for you.”

She looked into the picture frame, and saw that the photograph it held was herself.

There was the sound of something behind her, and she turned. The last thing she remembered was a black flower, a sharp stab in her chest, and a boy with white hair.

Momo was sorting out the equipment, doing inventory. Since Ochako had not returned the saber, she needed to adjust the numbers a bit to make sure no one asked too many questions. With All Might’s resources, they could afford to replace a saber every once in a while.

The rest of the team had left already, so she was surprised to hear someone come in behind her. She turned. “Oh, did you forget–?”

It was Kyouka.

Momo struggled not to drop her clipboard. “Oh, Kyouka! It’s good to see you, how are you?”

They were alone in the club room. Kyouka had closed the door behind herself. That was fine though, they were friends. They studied alone together sometimes, though not much as of late. Momo had been expanding their circle so they got closer to some others as well, but it’s not like she was avoiding being alone with Kyouka.

Still, she found her palms getting sweaty as Kyouka got closer, walking in a straight line like a woman on a mission to get right up close to Momo. She still hadn’t said anything, not even a greeting.

“Kyouka? Are you alright?”

Kyouka smirked at her, all confidence. Something in her eyes felt dark, like she wasn’t all there. But Momo could barely focus as she got close enough to wrap a hand around Momo’s waist and pull her close, bringing their bodies flush together.

“Oh!” Momo exclaimed, “We. Um. Someone could walk in, they might misunderstand this sort of hug…”

It was just a hug. Friends could hug each other, even if they looked at each other the way Kyouka was looking at her now, like a panther preparing to chase down a gazelle.

“I don’t want just a hug,” Kyouka finally said.

Momo started to take a step back, tried to twist out of her embrace, but when Kyouka refused to loosen her grip Momo found herself helpless, unable to fight her way out in spite of all her strength. “We shouldn’t…” Momo suggested, heart pounding, terrified and yet licking her lips just in case.

Kyouka simply smiled up at her, and placed a hand over Momo’s chest.

They hadn’t gone that far before, so Momo flushed anew. “Please…” she started, heart pounding and unsure if she wanted it to stop or for Kyouka to rush and take it from her before she could properly object.

But a pain in her chest interrupted the thought. She fell back, this time Kyouka letting her go, and curled in on herself at the pain of it. It was as if every feeling she’d ever shoved down was stabbing at her ribcage, begging to be released.

With a sharp cry, Momo’s shoulders fell back. Dimly, she registered something bursting from her chest, and with a glance down she saw the grip of a fencing foil.

As if she had penetrated Momo’s very soul and pierced her heart, Kyouka grasped the foil and pulled it out.

And then Momo could not think anymore.

After school, Ochako and Himiko headed towards the lockers to pack up for the day. Mina and Izuku had run off to check out the kendo club again, so it was just the two of them.

“What was with your dad last night?” Ochako asked.

Himiko tilted her head. “Hmm?”

“It’s a weird time to visit one’s kid.”

“Is it?”

“I think so.” Ochako’s parents couldn’t afford to travel all the way out here to visit, so she couldn’t claim to have experience

Himiko shrugged. “He just wanted to talk to me, but was busy, so we had to squeeze the time in.”

“I don’t know anything about your family.”

There was no response as they continued down the hallways. Himiko didn’t take the bait to elaborate.

But Ochako was curious, so she pushed, “What kind of family do you have?”

“Just my father,” Himiko said, “he adopted me a long time ago.”

Ochako’s eyebrows raised. There was a lot she didn’t know about Himiko. “Whoa, really? What’s he like?”

“He’s nice and generous to everyone. A pillar of the community. He was sweet enough to take me in, even though he’s busy with so many other things.”

“What does he do?”

“He works at this school, actually.”

“For real?” Ochako opened her locker. “What does he–”

Her throat dried up at the new addition inside her locker. 

Ochako foolishly hoped that after defeating Katsuki, she could secure a normal life for herself and Himiko. Nobody had approached her for a challenge in a long while, not even Katsuki since she defeated him. 

But staring into her locker and seeing a note, typed up on formal stationary, demanding to meet her on the rooftop after school, she knew peace couldn’t last long.

“Oooh a love letter?” Himiko, clinging to her arm, asked.

Ochako shook her head. “A letter of challenge, it looks like.”

“Hmm…” Himiko adjusted her grip so she was hanging off of Ochako’s neck.

“They’ve never left a note before,” Ochako commented idly, “I wonder who it is?”

“Mina likes writing letters.”

“Don’t be silly, Mina hasn’t written a letter in ages. Besides, she wouldn’t play in these weird duels.”

“She was writing one to that boy yesterday.”

Ochako paused in closing her locker. “...That boy?”

“The kendo boy. I saw over her shoulder, dozens of metaphors. A lot like her first letter.”

Ochako let out a sigh. “When will she learn…?” 

“Don’t worry, sweetheart.” Himiko got so close their cheeks brushed. “We can show her what romance looks like.”

She laughed, gently nudging Himiko away. “If anyone knows romance, it’s Mina. Don’t worry, it’s not like you can get rid of a crush in a day, after all,” then she muttered, “even if he so rudely posted your love letter on a bulletin board.”

Himiko smiled. “Did he do that?”

“Of course.”

Ochako had all of her things now. “Do you need to go to the greenhouse before we go up to duel?”

Himiko shook her head. “Let’s not keep the challenger waiting.”

The first thing Ochako noticed when she went up to the roof was that it was no longer empty.

Desks covered the space. For a moment Ochako wondered if this had turned into some impromptu storage space, but on a second look she noted it was laid out with perfect regularity, and on every single desk was a vase of red spider lilies. Below the desks were strange chalk outlines, which she abruptly realized she had only ever seen in crime dramas—the outline of bodies. The whole arrangement had a clear central space and path that led to her challenger.

It was shocking to see her classmate Kyouka across from her, for some reason wearing a decorated black boy’s uniform instead of the girl’s uniform she usually wore. In the breast pocket, a black spider lily rested. “...Kyouka?” Ochako asked, “Why are you here?”

Ochako had gotten better at paying attention and looking at people’s hands for the rose ring since Momo’s role as a challenger had been revealed. But she had never seen a ring on Kyouka’s hand, though now she could see something black on one of her fingers.

“I’m from the Black Spider Lily,” Kyouka explained, “I shall kill this fool, then kill the Rose Bride!”

Ochako gasped, that didn’t seem right. “Um, kill?”

“Yes.”

There was no hesitation in Kyouka’s voice. There was a dark determination in her gaze, one that almost felt like it was looking through Ochako at the girl behind her.

She swallowed hard. “What…? Kyouka, be serious, this isn’t like you.”

“No, this is the real me. So long as I have this lily, you won’t be seeing that fake Kyouka anymore.”

“Fake?” Ochako couldn’t keep up. “Why are you doing this?”

Kyouka laughed. “Momo thinks she can just act like nothing happened and it would all go away…” She stroked the fencing sword in her hand. “But I took this from her, and I’ll use it to kill you and that Rose Bride!”

There was no more time to negotiate, Ochako had to address this now. Himiko started her incantation, “Come forth, the quirk of generations that dwells within me, heed your master and come forth!”

Ochako pulled out the sword and shouted the partner phrase, “Grant me the power of One for All!”

As soon as One for All was in her hand, Kyouka leapt forward, pointing the tip directly to the left side of Ochako’s chest.

Ochako deflected the hit, still confused by these actions. This felt different from the other duels she had done. There was something unstable about Kyouka, like it wasn’t truly her.

“I thought you and Momo were friends!” Ochako exclaimed in the rare moments where she wasn’t dodging the sharp tip of Kyouka’s sword.

“Friends?” Kyouka cackled.

Ochako barely ducked in time to avoid a stab, but the sword still caught some of her brunette hair and sent strands of it flying in the wind.

“Momo wishes we were just friends!” She declared, “I won’t let her keep pretending, I’ll tear those feelings out of her and make her admit it!”

It wasn’t just the same sword as Momo’s, but her moves as well. Fluent, sharp, efficient, but instead of Momo’s calm there was a frenzy in her eyes. Like she was possessed.

What had she said? So long as she had that lily…

It took careful maneuvering, but Kyouka didn’t seem like she was protecting herself so much as she was trying to go in for a kill, so the moment Kyouka left herself open, Ochako struck.

When the lily was sliced, Kyouka screamed like Ochako had struck her very heart.

She took a step back, concerned. Kyouka eventually stopped screaming, and instead collapsed on the ground. She fell precisely into the shape of one of the outlines on the floor, as if it had been made for her.

Ochako stumbled back, not sure what to think. What had she done?

Himiko spoke behind her. “The duel is over, we can return home.”

Ochako almost jumped. “Are… are you sure we should just like, leave her there?”

She smiled. “The duel is over, we can return home.”

Well, Himiko was the expert when it came to this sort of thing.

Even so, Ochako remained worried about it to the next morning. She tapped her foot as she waited for first period, carefully watching over the classroom for a clue. Momo, at least, seemed relatively normal. Quiet, but she was always quiet unless Kyouka drew a laugh from her. For some reason, her fingers kept tracing over the scarf of their uniform, as though there was something that itched underneath.

Finally though, Kyouka entered the classroom, looking normal as ever. She even immediately looked for Momo, giving her a small upturn of the lips and waving. 

Somehow, Momo seemed taken aback a moment, and the tips of her ears turned red.

But she returned the greeting with her usual enthusiasm. Kyouka approached, and they started an amicable conversation.

Ochako let out a sigh of relief. Himiko, who had been sitting on her desk, leaned towards her as though curious.

“I’m glad they’re still friends,” Ochako told her quietly.

Himiko glanced back towards them. She stared strangely long, then turned back to Ochako. “Is that what they look like to you?”

She tilted her head. “Of course? What else would they be?”

Himiko smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “A pair of liars.”

She really didn’t get Himiko sometimes. “Why would they be lying?”

“Sometimes you have to keep lying to keep what little you have, whether it’s to others or yourself.”

Ochako struggled to see how that applied to Kyouka and Momo, but if Himiko was saying it…

“Himiko,” she was barely forming the thought, but it was enough to ask, “do you lie?”

She smiled at Ochako.

At that moment, Mr. Aizawa got up to the front podium. “Alright class, to your seats. This week, we’re going to start a creative writing assignment…”

Chapter Text

Eijirou waited outside the classroom for Katsuki to finish talking to their teacher. He wasn’t sure what exactly it was about, but it wasn’t uncommon for him to follow up about their lessons directly after class, so he’d be fully equipped for homework that night. That kind of conscientiousness was a key part of why Eijirou loved to mooch off of his studying—no matter what subject, Eijirou could rely on Katsuki to guide him even the most complex schoolwork.

So he happily waited as other students walked out. Some of his classmates ribbed him as they passed by and he laughed at their good-natured farewells, but soon enough those people who knew him were off to do their own things. Among the anonymous student body now passing the classroom on their way home or to their dorms, almost nobody looked at him. That made sense; he wasn’t much of a standout guy with his plain, gloomy black mop of hair, so even when he smiled strangers wouldn’t look twice.

“You’re still out here?” Katsuki’s voice made Eijirou turn around.

There he was, his dynamic, genius classmate who made every student in the hall glance surreptitiously towards them. A smile came to Eijirou’s face just getting to bask in his light. “Let’s walk back together!”

Katsuki shrugged a shoulder. Rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

That wasn’t a ‘no’, so Eijirou hurried to keep pace as Katsuki went off to the dorms. Eijirou was lucky enough to be roomed the next door over from him, so he had every excuse to hang off of his shoulder.

Alone, Eijirou was just a guy. With Katsuki? Eijirou didn’t really shine himself, but he got to reflect the light Katsuki radiated at a million watts 24/7. Katsuki went about his life with confidence so purely concentrated Eijirou desperately hoped it would rub off on him at some point. He didn’t waste time with niceties, he didn’t have to because he was so dedicated to his goals that everything else was an afterthought.

Maybe Eijirou was an afterthought.

But at least Katsuki didn’t tell him to shut up as Eijirou prattled about what he thought of today’s history lesson, the silly prank Hanta played using some tape, and the goth book Fumikage was sneakily reading under his desk during class…

Katsuki grunted and shrugged and furrowed his brows more deeply on occasion, so Eijirou knew he was listening.

“...And I can’t believe you solved that equation so quickly!” Eijirou went on, “On the board in front of everyone too.”

And there it was, Eijirou could see the flicker of a smile from his friend, peeking out from his cheek like the sun rising from the earth.

“You better believe it,” Katsuki responded, “that’s what happens when you actually study.”

Eijirou laughed. “I study!”

“When you study well.”

They were nearly at their rooms. Eijirou tried to linger at Katsuki’s door. “Why don’t you show me?”

Katsuki didn’t even bother looking at him. “Not tonight, I need to study for real.”

Eijirou pouted. “You could study with me.”

“You’re always distracting me,” Katsuki said, “I’ll help you tomorrow, after I set myself up for success tonight.”

When Katsuki opened his door, Eijirou tried to shove his way inside, which sometimes worked, but by now Katsuki was familiar with his shenanigans and put a palm out to hold him back with the practiced ease of a cat owner preventing their cat from sneaking through a door.

Eijirou only backed up because he had no choice. “You promise, tomorrow?”

Katsuki shrugged. “No promises.”

And he shut the door.

Eijirou sighed at his absence. The hallway felt colder without him. Katsuki was determined, and didn’t make promises carelessly. A star like him couldn’t afford to be careless.

Meanwhile, Eijirou was clumsy wherever he went. He flubbed his last English test, even with Katsuki’s help. He was friends with his classmates, but he doubted any of them stared at him the way he stared at Katsuki.

He was an admirer, not the admired.

Eijirou’s room was right there next to Katsuki’s, but the thought of going in there to sit alone depressed him enough that he decided to head downstairs to the dorm common spaces instead. Maybe Hanta would be around.

Instead, he nearly walked in on Neito on some tirade.

“...and that smug smirk! Katsuki thinks he’s better than all of us, doesn’t he?”

“I always feel like shit when he looks at me like that,” one of their classmates agreed.

Eijirou froze. Took a step back. He was around the corner, so none of the people gossiping had seen him yet.

“Where does he get off on treating everyone like they’re beneath him? It’s like he’s the king and everyone else is supposed to just bustle around like the side characters to his oh-so-important life.”

He should go away. He wasn’t supposed to hear this, right? It was super awkward to know people were talking about Katsuki this way, but Eijirou was just… he was just a guy, he wasn’t brave enough to confront his classmates.

He wasn’t like Katsuki.

Eijirou took a step back, vowing to at least attempt a little studying in his room, when Neito’s laugh made him pause again.

“It’s like ‘oooh you guys are all idiots’ well who’s the real idiot? The people who actually work together? Or the friendless loser?”

Eijirou practically jumped from the hidden corner. “He’s not friendless!”

Everyone in the common space flinched at his entrance, and Eijirou immediately wanted to apologize and shrivel into a raisin and roll away. Maybe if they had just been insulting Eijirou he would have, but this was about Katsuki. Katsuki was worth defending.

Someone muttered. “Eijirou… I know you latch onto him, but…”

“You really believe he thinks of you as a friend?” Neito challenged.

Eijirou marched right up to him. What would Katsuki do? “Of course he does.”

“Yeah? You think he actually sees you as anywhere near his level? As someone as important as he is?”

Neito spoke like he was trying to run a cheese grater across the listener’s ear. Eijirou clenched his fist. His blood was pumping, a nervous angry swirl that was desperately struggling to hold ground. “O-of course he does. We hang out all the time.”

“Come on,” he mocked, “that’s not him, it’s all just you making an effort. Look me in the eye and tell me you truly believe if I went up to him right now and asked he would say you’re his friend. Would you bet your life on that?”

Eijirou snapped, and punched Neito right in the face.

Mr. Todoroki steepled his fingers. “Do you understand why you’re here today?”

Eijirou shifted in the seat across the desk from the school counselor. The chair was plush, and there were even red flowers in the room to give a gentle vibe, but with how intense Mr. Todoroki was, Eijirou couldn’t imagine getting comfortable here.

“I punched my classmate,” Eijirou admitted, “I’m sorry, I lost my cool, I won’t do it again.”

In the moment, it had felt like the right thing to do. Neito had been insulting Katsuki, so wasn’t it right to defend his friend? In the end though, Eijirou wasn’t a hero, and violence probably wasn’t the answer.

Mr. Todoroki was still frowning. “I didn’t call you in for an apology. I’m supposed to understand why you hurt him.”

He shifted in his seat. “He was badmouthing my friend, that’s all.”

“That’s all?”

Eijirou nodded.

“Nothing deeper than that?”

He laughed. “I’m a simple guy, Mr. Todoroki. Again, I’m sorry about punching him. Can I go now?”

Mr. Todoroki stood up, shaking his head. He opened a door behind himself, and motioned for Eijirou to get up. “Eijirou, please step inside.”

Was this some sort of punishment? Eijirou wasn’t sure, but Mr. Todoroki was a teacher so Eijirou obeyed and got up, entering the mysterious room. The air felt heavy for some reason, but there was a beautiful wall of paper painted with brilliant red flowers with elongated petals that caught his eye.

The door shut behind him, and he was alone.

He briefly turned back, but soon found his eyes wandering again. Two end tables had incense burners going, and Eijirou sniffed the air experimentally. He wasn’t very discerning, so it all just smelled like smoke to him. 

Mr. Todoroki’s voice echoed, “Eijirou. Why did you punch your classmate?”

Eijirou looked around, but Mr. Todoroki wasn’t in the room. “He was talking badly about Katsuki.”

“What did he say?”

He gritted his teeth. The smoke in the room made his eyes watery. “He was insulting him. Said he thought he was better than everyone, and… and called him friendless.”

“Why did that make you want to punch him?”

“I’m Katsuki’s friend,” he claimed, “at least, I think I am.”

“Why do you only think that?”

Why was the smoke so thick? Eijirou was struggling to breathe. It was as though ash was coating his body, his lungs, his tongue as he spoke, “I… I guess it’s hard to tell if he really thinks of me as a friend? But I’d like to be. I want to be his friend.”

“All you want is to be his friend?”

Eijirou clenched his fists. What was he supposed to say to that?

“Go deeper, Eijirou. Open the next door.”

Eijirou approached the door in front of him. It was a sliding door, so he pushed it aside and discovered a room completely filled with fire.

“Step inside, and burn away those defenses.”

Like he was in a dream, he stepped in. The door slid shut behind him of its own accord, and his body burned.

It enveloped him, fierce and hot. It hurt, it hurt.

“It hurts!” He cried out.

“What exactly hurts?”

“Being in the background!” He shouted, almost growling along with the crackle of the fire around him. “Always being the side character, only ever able to cling onto the main character! Why can’t I shine the way he does? Why don’t people know me the way everyone knows him? How do I stop being this hanger on and actually become his equal?” He rasped, voice breaking, “He doesn’t truly look at me.”

The fire quenched abruptly, though the air was still thick with smoke.

“Go deeper, Eijirou.”

There was another door. He slid it aside, and entered the next room.

In front of him there was a shrine. A photo frame sat, and bouquets of red spider lilies framed it. In front, a tiny stick of incense burned. 

“What do you want?” Mr. Todoroki’s voice echoed.

“I want to be the main character! I want Katsuki to actually look at me for once, like I’m at his level! I. Want. Him!”

“Your only choice is to revolutionize the world. The path you must take has been prepared for you.”

He looked into the picture frame, and saw that the photograph it held was himself.

Eijirou backed up, terrified, and bumped into something. He almost screamed, but before he could make a noise, something sharp was stabbed into his chest, and his last thought was of a black flower.

There was a knock at Katsuki’s door.

“I’m studying!” Katsuki shouted at it.

Still, it kept knocking and knocking, repetitive and completely undeterred by his shouting.

“Fuck off, I’m busy!” he tried again.

But it kept on going. There was no way he could focus like that. Was someone trying to ruin his grades?

He got up and stomped to his door. He would punch the lights out of whoever was being so obnoxious. He flung the door open, and paused.

It was just Eijirou. Why hadn’t he said anything?

“What,” Katsuki hissed.

There was no response from Eijirou though. His eyes were dark, and somehow Katsuki found himself taking a step back as he shouldered his way into the room.

“Seriously,” Katsuki continued, “I’m busy studying.”

There was a spider lily on Eijirou’s chest, over his heart. It was black, which Katsuki was pretty sure wasn’t a natural color for it. It was right at the spot where duelists always wore their rose.

Katsuki frowned even more deeply. “Where did you get that?”

Instead of responding, Eijirou placed a hand on Katsuki’s chin, touching him in a way he had never dared to before, forcing his face up to meet Eijirou’s eyes instead. They were intent, staring him down.

Katsuki shoved him back immediately, face flaming. “What the hell?”

Instead of apologizing, Eijirou stalked closer again, walking straight towards him until Katsuki was backed up against a wall. Eijirou’s voice was calm, low, confident in a way he’d never heard it. “You shine so brightly Katsuki.”

His heart pounded as Eijirou put a hand against Katsuki’s chest. It was slamming against his ribs, begging to get out.

“I’ll be borrowing that light.”

His heart exploded. Katsuki gasped, mouth open with a silent scream, and his shoulders jerked back. He glanced down and saw the hilt of a sword had burst out, making his sternum burn. He was exposed, everything out in the open and easy to take.

He hated it.

Eijirou grabbed the handle and pulled, and all Katsuki could do was writhe from the pain until he passed out.

Ochako stared out across the roof. Once again, there were desks all set up with vases of red spider lilies, and chalk outlines littered the floor.

What confused her wasn’t that this was apparently the new normal. No, what really had her scratching her head was her opponent.

“Uh… who are you?” Ochako asked.

The boy, with shaggy black hair that matched the black spider lily on his chest, laughed. “Of course you would say that. You, one of those people who shine in the spotlight, could never spare a glance for someone like me.”

Ochako tilted her head awkwardly, still trying to figure him out. He must have experienced the same thing as Kyouka, where his personality got warped to make him want to hurt Himiko. Still, she was struggling to figure out what to say to some guy she’d never met that wanted to kill her friend. She glanced at Himiko, but she just stood in that red dress with her usual smile and didn’t offer any advice.

“Okay…” Ochako said slowly, “but what’s your name?”

“I am Eijirou Kirishima of the Black Spider Lily, I will become the star, the one who killed the Champion and then the Rose Bride, and everyone will know my name!”

So this is what was happening, huh? Ochako turned fully to Himiko and reached out a hand. It was time for the incantation.

Himiko glowed and said, “Come forth, the quirk of generations that dwells within me, heed your master and come forth!”

Ochako pulled out the sword and shouted the partner phrase, “Grant me the power of One for All!”

Thus equipped, Ochako was ready to face Eijirou. She waited, expecting him to jump towards her as most opponents do, but he simply stood in a stable stance, sword up and ready. Eventually Ochako grew impatient and approached, trying to goad him into making the first move so she could deflect and gain the advantage.

“So you want people to know who you are?” Ochako said, “Like you wanna be famous?”

Eijirou shook his head. “Not famous. Even the famous can be shunted to the side as secondary. No, I will defeat you, and become the main character!”

Now Ochako was really confused. “Main character?”

He finally attacked, a stab towards Ochako’s gut that was fortunately well telegraphed enough to deflect. The sound of the blades scraping pierced the air, and Eijirou stumbled beside her. She took the opportunity to quickly change her stance and go for a stab of her own, this one aimed right at that black spider lily over his heart.

Eijirou blocked the very tip of her sword with the flat side of his own. Ochako’s arm shook at the reflected momentum, and she took a step back.

“Of course you wouldn’t understand!” Eijirou shouted at her, “You’re the Champion of these games, so it must feel so natural to think of yourself as the center of the world!”

She frowned. “I don’t–”

Another attack. She dodged, and returned with a slice that was once again blocked. She pressed her sword against his, but he kept his feet grounded, never entertaining the thought of deflecting or dodging. As their faces got close, she could see the determined fury in his eyes.

“You never think about how the side characters are doing, do you? Who cares! Their job is just to support you, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think of people that way!” Ochako defended herself.

“You wouldn’t, would you!” Eijirou’s face was in a snarl that abruptly reminded Ochako of Katsuki. “It feels natural to relegate everyone around you to support while the world bends to revolve around you, doesn’t it!”

She pushed off, unable to break through his blockade. With a bit more space between them, she took a moment to wipe the sweat from her brow. “Where is all this coming from?”

“You couldn’t ever understand what it feels like to always be shunted to the side, to be holding up the stage for someone else instead of standing on it yourself! Well feel the fury of the side character, and fall to this blade! You will feel what it’s like to become the sidenote, destroyed for someone else’s development!”

His sword got a cut in, against Ochako’s side. She only barely dodged a more fatal hit. 

He followed it up with a series of slashes, which Ochako had to stumble away from. Whenever he went on the offensive his attacks were so fierce that it took her everything she had to parry, but even when she avoided getting hit, his impenetrable defense meant she couldn’t get a hit in on him either.

She shouted over the explosive echoes of their swords clashing, “You’re trying to divide the world into people who are purely main or side characters… but shouldn’t everyone be the main character of their own life?”

His posture stuttered, and she finally found a chink in his defense. She snaked through it, aiming directly at his heart.

The black spider lily fell apart, and Eijirou screamed. He collapsed, still screaming, until he finally landed in a chalk outline that perfectly fit his body.

Ochako took several wary steps back. Was he still breathing? She looked towards Himiko, uncertain.

Himiko just smiled. “The duel is over.”

That night, Ochako watched Himiko climb up the ladder into her top bunk. She wore a pleasant yellow nightgown every night, the pinnacle of what one imagined of bedtime.

It was like she was out of a storybook.

“Light off?” Ochako asked once Himiko seemed settled.

“Whatever you want, pumpkin.”

Ochako got up and turned off the light before scurrying back into her bed herself.

Even though she tried to sleep at first, her head was still running through today’s duel. It was the first time she had dueled someone she hadn’t even known, and the confident way Eijirou had divided people up had shaken her, even if she thought it was awfully simplistic.

“Himiko?” She asked out to the darkness.

“Yes?”

“Do you think there is such a thing as main characters? Even in real life?”

“What do you think?”

She hummed. “I always imagined everyone as the main character in their own life.”

“So do you think of everyone around you as side characters then?”

She frowned. “Uh. I don’t know, I guess not really like that. I just… well, I see myself as important, but I don’t expect others to treat me as important… does that make sense?”

“Sure.”

Ochako let out a small sigh, relieved. It made sense, Eijirou was the one thinking strangely about things.

Before Ochako could drift off to sleep, though, Himiko spoke again, “Why do you think Eijirou thought of himself as a side character?”

Ochako opened her eyes, though there was nothing to look at. “...I don’t know. It seems kinda sad… do you think others made him feel that way, or do you think he just got caught up in his own philosophy?”

“Who knows? The end result is the same. He only exists in connection to more narratively important people.”

“Whose narrative? He should have a story of his own, shouldn’t he?”

“Some people are scared of their own narrative,” Himiko’s voice had grown quiet, slow, sleepy, “they’d rather hang on to someone else’s.”

There was the sound of owls outside. Ochako thought it over for a minute.

She began, “Himiko… do you think of yourself as a side character?”

The only response was a light snore from above her, Himiko having fallen asleep. Ochako let out a sigh and turned over herself. It was time to sleep.

Katsuki entered the classroom without an ounce of caution. He wasn’t going to glance around like he was scared. Just because…

Thankfully he was the only one in class this early, so no one saw how he shivered at the memory. Eijirou’s intense face, the hand on him, the pain…

He shook himself before slouching into his seat. Had that even really happened? He woke up some time later, after the sun had set, on the floor of his room, a little sore and dehydrated but with his heart still beating in his chest. He wasn’t entirely convinced it hadn’t all just been a bad dream.

Katsuki stayed totally definitely calm each time the classroom door opened. He purposefully didn’t turn with each sound, because only a coward would be jumpy and overly cautious after that. Either Eijirou came in as regular, or he didn’t. It didn’t affect Katsuki either way.

The bell was about to ring when someone shoved their way into Katsuki’s line of sight. He suppressed a jump, and looked up at Eijirou’s face and…

“The fuck did you do?” Katsuki said, staring at his hair.

Eijirou patted at the dyed red mess on top of his head, gelled up with enough product to make actual spikes that pointed up and everywhere. He grinned sheepishly, “I just kinda felt like a change, you know?”

Katsuki let out a breath. That was just Eijirou. Not advancing on him like last night. Just being his wacky, overly enthusiastic self. “Shitty hair,” Katsuki muttered, almost feeling normal despite the underlying suspicion that something somewhere deep had fundamentally changed.

Eijirou simply laughed. “Does it stand out?”

“Like a car crash,” Katsuki spoke louder this time, finding new footing.

“Aww, it’s okay if you’re too shy to say you like it,” Eijirou goaded.

It was more shit than usual from Eijirou. Katsuki didn’t hate it. “If someone says they like those sorry excuses for stalagmites on your head, then you’ll know they’re as idiotic as you are.”

Once again, Eijirou laughed, and the universe seemed to slot back into a new place.

The bell rang, and Katsuki finally caught his breath.

Chapter Text

Class let out, and the whole crew, Ochako, Himiko, Mina, and Izuku, headed for the doors. They had agreed to another study session, and Ochako was excited to hang out with her good friends.

Before they left, though, Mr. Aizawa called out, “Mina?”

They all paused, but Mr. Aizawa waved the others along.

“I’d like to talk to just Mina for a moment,” he said.

They left without Mina, but waited just outside the classroom to catch her once they were done with whatever they had to meet about.

“Do you think it’s about her grades?” Ochako asked, confused as to why their homeroom teacher would specifically call her out.

“I don’t think so,” Izuku muttered, “I looked over her tests the other week to help address what she hadn’t learned, and they were low but not unmanageable, and she’s actually doing decently in English, so it seems strange to only call her out when there are others in the class who are likely performing similarly…”

“Perhaps Mr. Aizawa is giving her some love advice,” Himiko suggested with a sly grin.

Ochako laughed. “Mr. Aizawa? Giving love advice? That’s rich.”

Fortunately they didn’t have to wait long for Mina to exit the classroom, a neutral expression on her face.

“Everything okay?” Ochako asked.

Mina immediately smiled. “Totally! It was a small thing, no big deal.”

Himiko hooked her chin over Ochako’s shoulder like a cat to ask, “What was it?”

There was a moment of hesitance, but Mina said, “Just a silly thing about what I wrote for that creative writing exercise last week. Mr. Aizawa thinks I should… I should let you know, I might miss lunch tomorrow, ‘cause he told me to check in with the school counselor then.”

She kept stressing it wasn’t a big deal, but being told to see a counselor about it sounded like there was something going on. “Huh? What did you write about for that reaction?”

“...Just something really zany,” Mina explained, “super fantastical and kind of ridiculously random, so he probably thinks I’m on drugs or something.” She laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to the counselor tomorrow and get it cleared up that I was just zooming to get the assignment done in time, and it’s really not that deep.”

 “Alright, if you say so.”

Mina entered the counselor’s office, and was somewhat surprised to see Shouto’s father. “Mr. Todoroki?”

He nodded. “Come in, sit down.”

Slowly, she took a seat. “Where’s–?”

“The old counselor got sick, so I’ve taken on the position.”

She rarely saw Mr. Todoroki, though he sometimes glared at the crowd of girls who liked to wait outside the kendo room for a chance to see Shouto. She hoped he didn’t remember her in that crowd. He already looked like a hardass; she didn’t want to be on his bad side.

“Do you know why Mr. Aizawa sent you here?”

Mina gave a cheerful grin, “Because my story was just that zany?”

Mr. Todoroki picked up some papers and squinted at them. “Let’s review. This assignment was to write a fairytale-style story, was it not?”

She looked around the office. It surprised her that there were flowers; Mr. Todoroki didn’t seem like the gardening type. “Yeah.”

“So you wrote a story about a world where people are made of jewels covered in a layer of rock, and when you meet your soulmate, these rocks fall off and reveal all the jewels underneath.”

“It’s a classic soulmate AU setup,” Mina explained, “Though the specifics are my own twist.”

His brows furrowed, confused as he muttered “Eh-you…?” but then he continued clearly, “So your main character in this world watched a bunch of people around her reveal their jewels while she stayed covered in rocks. And it has her travel far and wide in search of her soulmate, but she finds no one. After everyone she knows becomes jewels, she remains the dull rock among them. And at the very end, you have her fling herself off a cliff, and when she lands, her body cracks open and she finds she never had any jewels inside to begin with.”

Mina sat stiffly. “Is this about the tragic ending? I was just trying to follow the assignment. The original Little Mermaid was a tragedy, wasn’t it? A lot of fairytales were,” Mina defended herself.

“I believe Mr. Aizawa’s concerns lie in that this character has such a violently tragic ending, and that her name happens to be…” he squinted at the paper before saying, “‘Amina’.”

“She’s an original character.”

“...Sure.” Mr Todoroki looked in her eyes. “Mina, is this ‘Amina’ some sort of metaphor for yourself?”

Her mouth felt dry. “Don’t be silly. It’s just a story.”

“What’s making you feel like just a rock among your peers?”

“Nothing,” Mina repeated, “It’s just a story.”

He stared her down a minute, but she held fast. It really was just a story, she liked shiny things, and thought it was interesting to make people who were shiny inside. And maybe to explore what it meant if someone somehow lacked that shininess.

Mr. Todoroki sighed. “I see. It must be painful if you’re not willing to talk about it.”

Mina crossed her arms and scooted back in her chair. “So… can I go back now?”

He got up. “We have one more thing to do first.”

Behind him, there was a door. He opened it up, and waved Mina towards it.

“Please step inside.”

She was confused, but he was the counselor here, so she got up and entered the room. It was some sort of traditional Japanese room, with incense burning on either side of it.

The door closed behind her. She almost called out to ask what was going on, but then a speaker hidden somewhere in the room said: “Mina. Why did you write that story?”

Somehow, it felt easier to speak when she wasn’t looking at him. “I don’t know, I think everyone feels like just a rock sometimes, don’t they?”

She took in a deep breath. The incense must have been flavorless or something, she could only smell smoke.

“Like, there’s all this sparkle everywhere, in movies and books and even around me, everybody is falling in love, and I’m… I’m…”

The air was thick with smoke. “You are?”

“My love is unrequited, I guess. Every girl’s story is a love story, but the unlucky ones get stuck with a boy who doesn’t reciprocate, and the romance becomes a tragedy. It’s poignant.”

The incense was giving her a headache; it felt like there was something pounding against her skull, begging to be let out.

“Go deeper, Mina. Open the next door.”

Oh, that was a sliding door in front of her, wasn’t it? She slid it aside, and was immediately confronted with heat.

“Step inside, and burn away those defenses.”

Like she was in a dream, she stepped in. The door slid shut behind her of its own accord, and her body burned.

It enveloped her, fierce and hot. It hurt, it hurt.

“It hurts!” She cried out.

“What exactly hurts?”

“Not knowing what love is!!” She screamed, “I want it, I want it, I want to be shiny and glittering like all those girls in the stories, like the people around me, but aren’t we all pretending? Why can’t I feel those butterflies fluttering? Even though I’m a girl, why don’t I fit into a romance? I need someone to make me normal and understand how it feels!”

The fire quenched abruptly, though the air was still thick with smoke.

“Go deeper, Mina.”

There was another door. She slid it aside, and entered the next room.

In front of her there was a shrine. A photo frame sat, and bouquets of red spider lilies framed it. In front, a tiny stick of incense burned. 

“What do you want?” Mr. Todoroki’s voice echoed.

“I want to fall in love! Everyone is always saying how pretty Shouto is, I want him to properly be my love interest, so I can finally be normal! I. Want. Him!”

“Your only choice is to revolutionize the world. The path you must take has been prepared for you.”

She looked into the picture frame, and saw that the photograph it held was herself.

Ah. Perhaps she did have to fling herself off the cliff to find this determination.

Shouto was putting away his shinai when he heard something behind him.

He turned quickly, expecting his father. These lunchtime practices were a rare treat, where Dad wasn’t in the clubroom watching all over them. Skipping a meal was worth getting some practice in without him staring holes into the back of his head.

Instead though, it was just a girl. Pink. Shouto didn’t know her, so he turned back around to finish up.

His wrist was grabbed.

He twisted out of the grip, confused. How had she gone from the door all the way to the far side of the club room in the moment he was turned away?

Now he was facing her, and saw a strange smile on her face. “Shouto,” she whispered sweetly.

“Uh.” He frowned. “What?”

She giggled, and reached out a hand that tapped at his chest. “We have to be destined to fall in love.”

And suddenly his chest hurt. In fact, it almost burned, the way his face had a long time ago. He curled in on himself, screaming in pain.

Then with a gasp, his back arced, and he could feel something slide out from his ribs. As his vision started to fade, he glanced down and saw the tsuka of a shinai, as if begging to be pulled out.

Then Mina grasped it, and he lost all consciousness.

Once again, the duelist left a note in Ochako’s locker. The handwriting seemed familiar, though she struggled to place it. Regardless, it was a letter of challenge, and as the Champion she was obligated to respond.

The roof was like last time and the time before, with the chalk outlines of bodies and the desk all laid out in a grid. This time though, instead of a vase of spider lilies on the desk, there was a piece of paper. 

One she had seen before, posted on a bulletin board without permission.

“I will kill you, and then kill that ridiculous Rose Bride,” Mina’s voice echoed.

Her head jerked up, and she saw her friend standing there, across the roof. Her uniform had turned dark and a black spider lily was pinned over her heart.

“Ochako, draw One for All,” Himiko said.

“No,” Ochako whispered, disbelieving.

Why did Mina have that intense look in her eyes? How could her friend turn to do this? This felt different from Izuku’s well-meaning egoism, there was not concern but hatred in those eyes as she pointed her kendo sword at Ochako. “Draw your weapon.”

“No,” Ochako repeated, “Mina, why are you doing this?”

“I’m going to fall in love,” she said cryptically, “I’ll take Shouto’s heart, he will show me what it means to love.”

Shouto? Again? “He’s rude,” Ochako countered, “are you still crushing on him? After what he did? You can do better, Mina.”

“Easy for you to say. You could never understand my feelings!”

Mina started her approach. Hard, heavy steps with her sword raised. Soon she would be in range to swing.

“Mina, please,” she pleaded, “I don’t want to fight you.”

“Well I do!” Mina declared, and swung.

Himiko started her incantation, “Come forth, the quirk of –”

Ochako pushed her back so she wouldn’t get hit by one of Mina’s swipes. “No, Himiko, I can’t wield One for All against her.”

Himiko’s voice was panicked, “You have to–”

“Aww, you guys are so cute!” Mina exclaimed, mocking in her tone, “You love each other, don’t you?”

Ochako didn’t know how to respond, so she continued to dodge, trying to lead Mina away from Himiko. It was stressful to go against a sword without one of her own, but the idea of hurting Mina was even worse.

Without a weapon though, Ochako fumbled and landed on the ground. She thought she would get sliced, but instead she felt a pull against her hair, Mina tugging her back up to aim the sword against her throat.

“Come on Mina, we’re friends, you don’t have to do this.”

“I don’t want friends!” Mina snarled, “I want to crush! I want to crush someone the way Izuku crushes you, the way Himiko crushes you, something that will change everything and make me understand the world’s obsession!”

Izuku? Himiko?

“Don’t act like you don’t understand!” Mina shouted, “I can see you sparkling, can see them sparkling, showing off the love I don’t have! I want it! I want a place in this world! I want to fall in love like you guys!”

With considerable difficulty, she shifted her legs to brace her feet against the ground. With sudden movements, she was able to grab Mina’s hands, including the one with the sword. They were in a standoff, Ochako holding on so the sword was held straight up into the air.

“Mina…” Ochako choked out, “I can’t say I fully understand, but…”

Ochako pushed, spinning them around, twisting the sword out of Mina’s grip along the way. She spun, twirling it, aiming it to cleanly slice through the spider lily on Mina’s chest.

“No matter what, you will always be my precious friend.”

Mina gasped, and fell back.

The moment she landed, perfectly in one of the chalk outlines, Himiko ran to Ochako. “Darling!”

Ochako opened an arm automatically, where Himiko could slot up against her for comfort. “I’m fine.”

“You shouldn’t have hesitated against a villain,” she chastised.

Ochako shook her head. “No matter what… even if she was acting like a villain, I can’t hurt her.”

For once, Himiko wasn’t smiling.

Chapter Text

Mina seemed better, with no apparent memory of the duel, but Ochako was unsatisfied. Something or someone was making these people fight, and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

Whatever it was.

She wished she had a lead, but she felt cautious about potentially triggering Kyouka or Mina’s memory. They didn’t respond to oblique hints about it, so Ochako figured they had forgotten. It was as though something had burrowed into their brain and brought out the worst, only to get cut off with the flower.

The flowers…

After school, Ochako went to Himiko’s side. She was packing up the last of her books. “Can I join you in the greenhouse, today?”

“You can always, darling, but I’m not going to the greenhouse today.”

Ochako blinked at her. There wasn’t much that Himiko did other than tend to the greenhouse and hang out with her. “No? What are you up to?”

“I’m visiting my father.”

“Again?”

Himiko nodded. “He misses me.”

That made sense. Ochako missed her parents too, but she couldn’t expect to see them anytime soon. Her scholarship covered her tuition, room, and board, but it did not cover train tickets for parental visits.

Himiko looked straight at Ochako. “Would you like to meet him?”

Ochako’s eyebrows raised. “Your dad?”

“I’ve told him all about you.” She was smiling. “He’s curious.”

She shifted on her feet. “Is that alright? I don’t want to intrude.”

Though she felt awkward, she couldn’t deny curiosity. There was so much to Himiko that she didn’t know, and meeting her family might be the first step in getting to know her past a little more.

“That’s not intruding at all,” she assured her, “like I said, he wants to meet you.”

“Then sure!”

They left the school, and Himiko led the way. She started towards some faculty apartments, which made sense, since he worked for the school. Ochako was curious if it was one of their teachers, but while she was with Himiko alone, she wanted to ask some more urgent questions.

“Himiko… all the roses we’ve used for the duels, did you grow them yourself?”

“Of course! Do you like them?”

A smile came unbidden to Ochako’s face at her enthusiasm. “Yes, but I was wondering… do you grow any other flowers in the greenhouse?”

They were in the midst of the faculty apartments, but Himiko hadn’t turned to head into any of them yet. Instead, she tilted her head at Ochako. “Other flowers?”

“Like… you know, the spider lilies,” she started to whisper, paranoid, “do you think someone could have stolen them?”

Himiko laughed. “No, I don’t grow spider lilies in the greenhouse.”

That was a clue, at least. Ochako hummed. “So whoever is doing this must be growing the flowers themselves…”

They finally paused in front of a building. The gate around it was ornate, even more elaborate than the design around the greenhouse. The entrance was locked up tight with a comically large lock. Behind it, Ochako saw a tall, skinny building with a domed top, and only a small section of flat roof on the very tip.

Ochako blinked at it. “Isn’t this…?”

Himiko pressed a small button hidden along the side. “Daddy? I’m here with a friend.”

The front door of the principal’s estate opened and All Might himself walked out. He was emaciated, a far cry from his prime wrestling years, but his presence remained huge. The air around him seemed to part for his sunflower yellow suit and the wide reach of his arms.

“Welcome!” He exclaimed, voice booming as he approached the gate. “It’s a pleasure to see you, dear Himiko!”

He had a huge key in his hand. He pushed it into the lock on his side and pried the gate open, allowing them inside. As soon as they stepped inside, he locked the door again.

As soon as he put the key into a huge pocket, he took Ochako’s hand and shook it hard with a firm grip. “And of course a pleasure to meet you officially, Ochako Uraraka! Himiko has told me so much about you.”

Ochako was sweating. When Himiko said her father was part of the faculty, she didn’t expect the principal himself. “I-it’s great to meet you too, sir!”

He patted her back, with a wide palm that almost knocked her off her feet. “Please, none of that ‘sir’ stuff, just call me All Might.”

She nodded, still trying to muster up words in front of the famous celebrity and the person who ran this entire school.

Fortunately, Himiko had happily latched onto his arm and was pulling him towards the door. “Daddy! I missed you.”

All Might ruffled Himiko’s hair as they went inside. “I’m so sorry for how busy I’ve been, but it’s always a joy to see you.”

Ochako followed behind, imagining how nice it would be to be able to jump into her parents arms. Maybe on a long school break… but then again this school covered her expenses during that time too, so it would be helpful for her parents if she didn’t come home and drive up the grocery bill. Maybe after graduation.

That felt like a long time away. She tried to do the math to figure out how long, but started to feel dizzy.

All Might tilted back to acknowledge Ochako. “Come, have some coffee with us.”

They were led into a dining room of some sort full of bold and bright colors. The plush and shiny upholstery, steel edges along countertops, and smooth rounded corners created the impression of some American diner.

“Get comfortable,” All Might told them.

The dining table was quite small, a booth with two long seats. Ochako scooted onto one side.

Himiko scooted onto the other, so they were facing each other.

All Might entered with three mugs’ handles looped in the fingers of one hand, and a freshly steaming coffee pot in the other. He placed the mugs down and poured.

Ochako found the mug in front of herself was pink with white impact text around it that said GIRLBOSS.

Maybe it was originally Himiko’s?

The mug Himiko was holding now was shaped like a cow, complete with protrusions for little horns, a cowbell, and a handle shaped like a thick cowtail. It was cutesy, suiting Himiko like her stuffed animals. Beside her, All Might took a seat in front of a #1 DAD mug with a picture of Darth Vader on it.

He was sitting on Himiko’s side, next to her, so close their sides were pressing.

“Thank you for being such a good friend to my daughter,” All Might started.

“Ahaha, no need to thank me, I’m happy to be her friend!”

Both of them smiled at her. Although Himiko said she was adopted, their matching blonde hair and pleasantly blank smiles were eerily similar.

Ochako took a sip of the coffee since she didn’t know what else to do. It was bitter. Politely, she pretended to sip at it a little longer.

“How is school going for you both?” All Might continued.

“It’s wonderful,” Himiko responded instantly.

Ochako wondered if Himiko ever told All Might about the dueling games. She must not, right? Any good father would have stopped her if he knew. Maybe it would be good to tell him so he could help Himiko get out of it, but Ochako didn’t want to betray Himiko’s trust like that.

All Might was staring at her, and she realized she forgot to respond. “It’s going fine!”

He leaned forward. “Really?”

“Y-yes.”

His vibrant blue eyes bored into her, like he was stripping her apart piece by piece to see the center of her issues. Suddenly she felt as though every lie she ever said was laid out for him to judge.

But he paired the intensity with a smile. “Come now, Ochako. As the principal of this school, I love to hear from students directly how things are going. How am I meant to improve the school if I don’t get feedback from my precious students? It’s clear there’s something troubling you. Allow me to be your support.”

She coughed. “Um, I mean things are pretty fine for me.” She didn’t think she could lie to his face, but she could do some half truths. “Sorry. It’s just that… well some of my friends have been going through things, I guess. They seem to get stressed and blow up, but it’s… it’s something I can’t really talk to them directly about. Or maybe it feels like they don’t want to talk about it at all.”

All Might’s eyes crinkled. “I see.”

“It’s all personal stuff, though!” Ochako assured, “I don’t think it’s any problem with the school.”

He shook his head. “Any problem affecting students is a problem for the school. Even if it’s personal, that’s why we have counselors. Although…”

He trailed off, and took a sip of his coffee. Ochako remembered she was supposed to be drinking as well, and so forced herself to swallow a bit more. 

When All Might put his mug down, he continued, “...our counselor became ill recently. Another faculty member took over his office and role for now, but I worry about whether he’s really doing a good job.”

A memory snapped into place. Mina going to the counselor’s office, just before the letter appeared in Ochako’s office.

Ochako’s brow set. “I see.”

All Might smiled again, no worries on his face. “If you use his services, let me know if he is helpful or not. If not, I will handle the situation.”

She found her cheeks going hot at the extreme offer. How many students had a direct line to the principal to smite any faculty? “Ahaha.”

It was probably a joke, right?

There wasn’t any laughing, though. All Might turned to Himiko. “How’s the coffee? I used your favorite beans.”

“It’s absolutely delicious!”

Himiko’s coffee cup was still full. Instinctively, Ochako drank a bit more. If she didn’t think too hard about it and slid it directly down her throat without lingering, it wasn’t so bad.

“It gets lonesome in this building,” All Might continued, “there are so many empty rooms… I wish I could fill them all with your joyous laughter.”

Himiko swirled her cup around, but did not drink it. “I visit as much as I can, Daddy.”

The visit was thankfully short, and although classes were over, many faculty were still on campus.

There was a particular office she needed to visit.

She knocked on the counselor’s door. 

“Come in.”

The moment she entered, Mr. Todoroki’s eyes jumped from his papers to stare at her. “Ah, Ochako Uraraka. Sit down.”

“No thank you,” Ochako didn’t know how to go about it delicately, “Mina came to you yesterday, didn’t she?”

“...I must maintain confidentiality.”

She looked around the room. It was not particularly decorated, but as her gaze reached a particular corner, her blood ran cold.

Red spider lilies.

It wasn’t black, but it was damning enough. “Mr. Todoroki, don’t you think those flowers are a little morbid for a counselor’s office?”

He smiled. “What an assumption. Tell me, what do you think death is?”

She frowned. “Uh, dying?”

“It is the precursor to rebirth.” He stood up. “Only through death, can someone be born anew and express their true feelings.”

Mr. Todoroki approached, his full height on display. Ochako wondered how Mina felt, how Eijirou felt, how Kyouka felt, when confronted by this man in this office. Did he ask them about death as well?

“My friends and classmates came to you,” she started, “what did you do to them?”

He laughed. “What did I do? You should be asking what they did.”

“You changed them.”

“I revealed their innermost desires, the want deep in their heart.”

She frowned, confused. “What they wanted?”

“To have someone all for themselves, someone they can own and use as they please.” He looked down on her. “I’m sure you relate.”

“I don’t.”

“No?” He smirked. “What are you, some kind of hero?”

“What if I am?”

She would be whatever she had to be in order to protect her friends.

He chuckled, as though a child made a joke they didn’t even understand. “Those people were just trying to be their own heroes. Everyone wants to be one, don’t they? You and I as well. We’re not suited to being victims or villains.”

Ochako glared. “You’re sounding like a villain right now.”

“Maybe in your story.” He smirked. “But I will be a True Hero, I guarantee it.”

What was he even saying? Trying to dress up his cruelty with some sort of noble intention? “And how many people’s feelings will you trample to get there?”

“Your concerns are misplaced. Ultimately, those children were simply side characters, they didn’t really matter. I gave them a chance to change their fate, but in the end they were bound to fade back into the background.”

Ochako’s jaw clenched. How was he talking like this, as if Mina’s tears weren’t important? She mattered. They all mattered. Was it because he was an adult? He thought nobody would fight back?

“They were pathetic. But you? The path you must take has been–”

She didn’t even think, she slapped him. “You son of a bitch!”

He allowed himself to spin from the force, then slowly turned his head back to her, cheek red but face not at all shocked. He brought up a single hand to cradle his own injured cheek, and Ochako saw the rose signet ring on his ring finger.

Ochako spat, “I challenge you to a duel. On the school roof.”

Enji knew it would have to come to this at some point.

Those children he had recruited could only go so far. In the end, if you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself.

On the rooftop, there were desks everywhere. On each desk was a photo frame, and below the desks there were chalk outlines on the floor. He ignored all of that to look at that detestable Rose Bride in the center, clinging onto the Champion.

How ridiculous that One for All should be chained to a silly little girl like that.

The Champion and her Rose Bride did well thus far in keeping One for All, but in the end they were both puppets. The girl glaring at him across the desks probably didn’t even realize how much of a puppet she was.

Enji, though? He was an adult. A man. He was mature. He could handle One for All properly, unlike these children.

He had honed his skills and was worthy of being a True Hero.

“I shall kill you,” Enji warned, swinging his sword in a salute, “and then that Rose Bride.”

The Champion snorted. “Fat chance.”

Childish overconfidence that he would destroy. She thought she was so radiant, that she could carry the world’s ills on her shoulders and save everyone by herself.

“Come forth, the quirk of generations that dwells within me, heed your master and come forth!”

Then there was that sword, coming out of the Rose Bride’s chest to lend to her Champion, who shouted, “Grant me the power of One for All!”

What an ego.

The bells rang, and Enji dove forward. One for All would give the Champion an unfair advantage, so he had to strategize. Weaken the Champion first.

This was all to weaken All Might.

Their swords met in a series of parries, sounds of clashing metal filled the air. Back and forth, but someone would falter sooner or later. Enji would close that gap and overtake him. Her. The Champion.

Their swords met, close to the guard, and they were both pressing against each other, allowing Enji a good look in her eyes. The determination matched All Might’s.

But he was stronger than her, bigger, and slowly she leaned back at the force of his pressure. A smile came to his face, seeing the Champion fall back. All Might was fallible. He could be defeated.

To seal the deal, he twisted his sword at the moment his opponent lifted a foot to reinforce a stance.

Smoothly, he spun One for All out of the Champion’s hands, sending it clattering to the ground.

The moment the Champion dove to pick it up, he aimed his sword so it would impale her heart as soon as her hand could grasp it.

“Darling!” the Rose Bride shouted, and the Champion faltered just a moment soon enough that the sword passed over her shoulder, nicking her hair but not penetrating any skin. She was kept away.

On the ground, One for All disintegrated, lost without a wielder.

Enji laughed. What would the mighty Champion do now? There was nothing to be done. One for All was a crutch, an all-powerful tool that did nothing when the owner didn’t know how to wield it.

The Champion was taking rapid steps back as Enji chased her down, swinging his sword with reckless abandon. He was so close! He could show the world that All Might couldn’t hold up this school forever, that somebody else could hold that same power, that Enji mattered.

All Might would fall, and Enji would be the True Hero.

He swung for the Champion, a perfect swipe across her heart.

But suddenly his vision was full of red, the Rose Bride jumping in to shove the girl out of his range. The Champion spun with the push, keeping the Rose Bride grasped tight so neither of them would fall.

Even Enji was momentarily surprised. The Rose Bride wasn’t supposed to interfere. That wasn’t her role.

“Darling, together,” the Rose Bride said.

Then her hand planted itself on the Champion’s chest, and a strange glow emanated.

The Rose Bride called out, “Rose of Heroism, please come forth!”

The glow grew even brighter, and suddenly something burst from the Champion’s chest. The Rose Bride pulled ever so slowly, unsheathing a sword from her partner’s body.

Together, the two girls shouted, “Grant us the power of One for All!”

Enji blinked, and the Champion had a sword again. A new sword.

The Champion launched herself towards him, and it took him a moment to gather his bearings. Still, even with a new sword, he was better. He had to be better. Someone had to be better than All Might.

He turned the tides soon enough, and it took everything the Champion had just to deflect his blows. Enji could do this. He was going to win, he–

Touya said, “You will not win this duel.”

Enji faltered. Was that Touya behind the Champion, looking at him with pity in those sad blue eyes?

The Champion took the opportunity to refresh her offense, and Enji couldn’t keep looking at his son anymore. He was thrown off-balance, and crashed into one of the desks. The picture frame on it clattered to the ground, and he glanced down at it.

There was his son. The photograph from his shrine.

He stumbled backwards, dodging another slice from the Champion. “No…”

There had to be a way to bring his son back. He wasn’t dead, not forever, his precious firstborn… If it cost him his own son to get this strong, maybe with this strength he would be able to bring him back. To save him.

“I’ll become the number one,” he reminded himself, trying to amp himself up even as everything suddenly felt hollow, “I will be strong, I will be… I will be the True Hero!”

Memories flashed through his head, regrets about turning away from his child when he needed him most, with fatal consequences.

He didn’t even see the final blow from the Champion that tore apart the black spider lily on his chest.

Enji collapsed, gasping, and joined his son in death.

Dabi kicked in the door to the office. “Yo.”

The man in the suit smiled at him. “Dabi, how good to see you come back.”

He sauntered into the room, already rolling up his sleeve in expectation. There were parts that weren’t covered in burned scar tissue, enough for this at least. “I was hoping to get a lil extra cash.”

“Do you need something in particular?” The man was already pulling out the needle and bag Dabi was used to seeing. “We could work out a deal, I’m sure. I’ve got connections in high places.”

“No thanks.” Dabi knew better than to get more mixed up in this business than he needed to. “Cold, hard cash is plenty flexible, and I’m not interested in playing games.”

He dabbed at Dabi’s inner arm with some chemicals, and then he pressed the needle in. Dabi grimaced on instinct, but compared to getting burned, a quick prick in the arm was nothing.

The man jiggled the bag a bit, and slowly it began to fill. “How’s Tomura doing? Still rebelling by holing up in his room with videogames all day?”

He hated this small talk part. “Tenko is doing fine.”

“You should bring him to visit next time.”

“There won’t be a next time.”

The man went quiet for a minute. “People can’t stay away from here forever. They’ll always come back to me.”

Dabi snorted. “Don’t count on it. We’ve got one-way tickets to Amsterdam.”

He laughed. “Amsterdam? Tomura can barely speak Japanese, much less a foreign language.”

“He’s been playing games in Dutch to prepare, so he’s certainly doing better than me so far.”

Maybe it was wild to just up and move to a whole new country, but both Tenko and Dabi needed a change. When Dabi had been younger, trapped in UA and under his father, the thought of going out onto some completely unbeaten path with no one to guide him had been terrifying. He had clung to what he knew, playing the part everyone wanted him to play.

When he couldn’t fulfill that part, it had crushed him.

“Are you sure I can’t persuade you to take a pause and stay here a bit longer?” The man asked, “I got rid of your father, if that changes your answer.”

Dabi let out a long breath. There he went, clinging to people’s childhoods, dragging them back into the same misery he marinated in. “No thanks.”

“You two are young, it’ll be difficult to navigate a whole new country by yourselves.”

When he thought about the stress and uncertainty of moving too hard, it scared Dabi. When he thought about sliding back instead, relaxing into the miserable past, he was terrified. “We’ll manage.”

The man laughed, as though it had been a joke. “Sure, sure you will. Well, when you realize how short-sighted your little plan is, you and Tomura can come crawling back to me. I will always welcome you.”

This overgrown child emperor wasn’t worth the fight. “Sure.”

By now, the bag was full of his blood. The man closed it up, pressed a bandage to Dabi’s inner arm and pulled out the needle with well-practiced movements.

“She appreciates this, you know,” the man said, “she’ll miss your blood if you leave for good.”

“Tell Himiko to savor that last bag then. I’m not planning to come back.”

Dabi had tried with her, way back then, but she hadn’t been ready to leave when he and Tomura had. 

“I’ll always be here, you know,” the man told him, as if it was intended as a comfort.

“I know.”

Dabi knew this man would stay here in this world, where he was powerful, where he could enjoy his illusion of heroism. As Dabi walked away, out of the office and down steps, he wondered if that guy would stay in that coffin until he rotted. If maybe he was already rotting from the inside out.

This wasn’t where Dabi belonged, not anymore. He came back periodically for the easy cash, and because he knew Himiko needed some sort of supply, but it was time to cut this place off for good. No matter who was or wasn’t still in there, Dabi was gone, and if he wanted to survive with Tenko he needed to stay out.

So Dabi exited the gates for the last time, and moved on.

Chapter Text

Class ended, and Tenya Iida did what he did every day after school. He packed up his notebooks and textbooks, double-checked who was on duty for classroom cleanup, made sure those two students were aware of their responsibility, and then walked out the classroom with measured steps and a straight back. As the class president, he had a duty to be a good example for his classmates. 

So he did not dally on his way to the library, where he intended to study for one and a half hours before going to get dinner. There was a library on the school campus, though it was its own building, so he happily made the trek across the property to get to the ideal study space.

He did not even slow down when he passed by a shiny red car with decorated gold hubcaps. Or if he did slow down, it was just a bit. Just a quick stop to admire the craftsmanship on the finish, and to admire the presence of a convertible on school grounds. It looked well maintained, possibly new with plush and clean seats. He was amazed that it was just out here in the open, without any sort of cover to protect it from the elements.

“You like it?” A deep voice behind him asked.

He jumped at being caught ogling someone else’s vehicle, and when he turned he stiffened fully. “A-All Might!” he exclaimed, then saluted by instinct.

All Might, their honorable principal, laughed at him. “At ease, young man.”

Tenya did his best to appear ‘at ease’ without sacrificing an ounce of his professionalism. “Thank you, sir!”

“Truly, you can relax. You’re Tenya Iida, are you not?”

Tenya thought he might faint right then and there. “Yes! I’m honored you know my name, sir!”

All Might’s eyes slid off of him and onto the vehicle behind. “Are you a fan of cars? You looked quite enamored.”

“Indeed, my family has been involved with automobile manufacturing for many years,” he explained, “I’m well versed in them for the sake of our company.”

“That wasn’t just a studious look,” All Might said with a smirk, “you find it beautiful, do you not?”

Heat rose to Tenya’s cheeks. “I–I suppose I do.”

All Might stared at him with a warm smile, but something about his eyes felt like he was pinned up on a wall for judgment, and all Tenya could do was pray that he measured up to whatever All Might was looking for. He swallowed a nervous laugh and tried to maintain his perfect posture, even as the gaze made him want to prostrate himself. Tenya tried to maintain perfect decorum in all he did, but if there was anyone capable of finding issue with his conduct it would be their legendary principal, looking him up and down.

But whatever All Might was looking for in him, he must have found it, as he took a step forward and put a hand on Tenya’s shoulder. The shoulder smoldered like it was on fire. “Would you like a ride?”

He couldn’t respond for a moment, as his head spontaneously combusted.

All Might laughed, loud and friendly, and waved a set of keys in front of him.

All Might opened the driver side and sat down as naturally as he walked. He placed the key in the ignition, and with a firm turn the engine came to life. The thrum of it was warm and sonorous, demanding attention while maintaining a smooth quality.

“Come on, you clearly want to,” All Might teased him while patting the passenger seat.

Was he that obvious? Still, Tenya was hesitant. “Sir, is this allowed?”

Amusement flickered in his eyes. “I’m the principal, so yes. It is.”

Tenya couldn’t argue with that, so he walked around and gingerly opened the passenger side door before carefully sitting down. He barely gave the door enough force to close, afraid of marring that perfect paint job. All Might put the car in reverse to back up while Tenya scrambled for a seatbelt, but found nothing.

“Sir, where are the seat belts?”

He didn’t even look at him. “This is vintage, so there are no seatbelts.”

Tenya was in the business of new car manufacturing, not vintage maintenance, but that still felt wrong; “But for safety–”

“Oh dear, do you believe I’ll get you into an accident?” The car was driving forward now, off of the campus.

Tenya did not mean to insult. “No, of course not, just…”

“Then don’t worry,” All Might told him in a tone that gave no room for argument, “just feel it.”

He took a deep breath and tried to feel despite the lack of security. This was the principal, of course he was safe.

As All Might drove down various streets, he said, “So your family does cars?”

“Indeed. Fifty years of quality work.”

“And you’re going to inherit it?”

He frowned. “It seems that way.”

“Oh?” All Might sounded legitimately curious. “You don’t sound excited.”

“I am excited, truly, it is my greatest honor, of course, it’s just…” He tried to think of a way to phrase it delicately. “My big brother was supposed to inherit it.”

“Oh dear. Did something happen to him?” Something about his voice seemed to hit just the right tone that made Tenya want to loosen his tongue and be sincere.

“A car accident,” Tenya explained, hands patting his lap instinctually in search of a phantom seat belt, “he’s stabilized now, but he got severely injured. He’s not in a state to manage an entire company by himself. But… I’m still too young to inherit it. My parents stepped back in to manage it for a bit, but they need help.”

“How tragic. I’m sorry for your brother… and for you.”

They turned onto the highway. “All Might, where are we going?”

He chuckled. “Like I said, just going out for a ride.”

“I can’t stay out too long, I need to study.”

“Then we’ll go fast.”

All Might pressed his foot on the gas, and put them in the left lane. The highway wasn’t busy, thankfully, but Tenya still found his heart pounding at the acceleration. The wind was whipping through his hair, pressing against his glasses like a warning.

He almost asked for them to slow down, but then All Might said, “It must be frustrating, being so young.”

Tenya clenched his fists in his lap. “I wish I could graduate already and help them.”

The engine thrummed, acceleration, and based on a glance at the tachometer which jerked down, they must have gotten to fourth gear at least.

“Sir…” Tenya felt like he was being disobedient questioning All Might of all people, but the safety he was instilled with was screaming at him that they were racing down the highway without a seatbelt. “Shouldn’t you slow down?”

All Might laughed. “This is why you’re still a child.”

Embarrassment crawled up Tenya’s neck, even though he didn’t understand what All Might was really saying.

“Come now,” All Might prodded him, “can you feel the wind in your hair? The throb of the engine? That’s the power, the freedom of adulthood.”

His hair was whipping over his head from the speed. There was a knot in his gut as the speedometer ticked up and up, and the potential disasters got more dire. “It’s dangerous,” Tenya shouted to be heard over the wind.

“Adulthood is dangerous!” All Might shouted back, “But have a taste, and you’ll love it.”

Tenya’s heart was a pounding mess. The lights they passed were a blur, creating the sensation of escaping space and time itself. They were the car, they were the road, they were speed itself incarnate. The engine was revving as their speed increased, as if cajoling, begging him to become one with the vehicle, to embrace the heat of the engine and race along with it recklessly down the empty highway stretched out in front of them. 

He gulped what air he could that rushed past, and kept his eyes open. He had never felt like this, had never felt this delicious bundle of fear and excitement that built and built into a peak of sensation he was about to crest over.

“Let me exhilarate you, Tenya Iida.”

And he tasted adulthood.

Ochako laughed at Mina’s joke as they walked down the dorm hall, shopping bags in hand. Or rather, several shopping bags for Mina, and a little one for Ochako. She loved shopping with Mina, since she never made any comments if Ochako focused on helping her pick items instead of spending money herself. Though Mina had invited Himiko, Himiko had excused herself with claims that she couldn’t stray too far from her garden. With how many roses she had in the greenhouse, it was no wonder Himiko needed to put some time into it on the weekends, and so Ochako hadn’t pushed.

Plus, it had been great to get quality time with Mina. She was always a delight. It felt like the most natural thing in the world for Mina to follow her all the way back to her room instead of splitting off. She didn’t want this hang out to end.

When she opened her door, she was faced with Himiko at their table, clutching a stuffie while leaning over a book.

“Himiko!” Ochako exclaimed, delighted she was done with her gardening.

Himiko smiled back at her while idly petting the stuffed animal in her lap, which seemed to be a purple elephant. 

“Hey,” Mina greeted, still swinging her bags back and forth. “Himiko, you gotta see what we got!”

Ochako watched Himiko carefully, afraid she might feel left out, but Himiko seemed perfectly serene. So she let Mina pluck out each item dramatically while Himiko happily watched on. As Mina got closer to the bottom of the bag, she began to pull out the high-ticket items that they had mulled over for a solid twenty minutes in the store.

“And this is lipstick, isn’t that cool? I’m going to look so cool. Do you want to try it, Ochako?”

Ochako leaned back, a hand up to buffer from Mina’s rapidly approaching lipstick. “Uh, no, that’s alright! I don’t think it’d suit me, and it’s against school regulations, isn’t it?”

Mina rolled her eyes. “It’s the weekend, the teachers aren’t checking! And besides, just a little isn’t that noticeable. It’s subtle, mature!”

Still, Ochako looked at the makeup with caution, a bit curious but mostly uncertain. “Hmm, I don’t know…”

There was a devilish glint in Mina’s eye, and she pushed herself right up to Ochako and grabbed her cheeks with one hand, squishing and pulling her close.

“M-Mina!” Ochako squeaked, starting to struggle.

But Mina held on tight, and when Ochako started to get up to escape, she sat herself on Ochako’s lap to keep her pinned. “Come on! Just a little bit, it’ll be fun!”

Ochako’s heart thudded against her ribs. Mina was looking at her with excited eyes, that stout rod in her hand up like something between a threat and a promise. The fierce red color of it was intimidating, something that could turn her into either a clown or femme fatale in Mina’s hands. She licked her lips on instinct, preparing herself, but her whole face was tense in anticipation of Mina pushing her to the edge of something she’d never explored before.

At least Mina paused, asking again with those big pleading eyes, “Pretty please?”

Ochako swallowed hard and forced herself to relax. Mina was her friend, one she could trust. Even if Ochako didn’t feel ready… Mina would hold her hand through each step. “O-okay,” she finally acquiesced.

Even with her cooperation, Mina had gotten comfortable on her lap, and was still gently cradling her chin to keep her face steady as the tube approached her lips. Mina was driving, and Ochako tried not to squirm too much on the ride.

Finally, the cool tube pressed and swiped gently over her upper lip. Ochako let her mouth part slightly so she could get a better angle, and Mina giggled as she got to the end.

“Alright, now kissy-kiss!” Mina exclaimed, leaning back so Ochako could see her face making a lip-smacking motion.

Ochako had seen this on TV, and she did her best to press her upper lip against her lower, then slid it back and forth before doing a little kiss motion like Mina did. The pigment made her feel different, created a new weight against her skin. She was hyper-aware of each nerve now coated with lipstick, and she desperately hoped it didn’t look as weird as it felt.

Mina leaned forward again, taking her chin in hand and brushing the back of her thumbnail across her lower lip, scratching along the way in a manner that made Ochako gasp.

The reaction just made Mina laugh. “It went a little too far down there, but I think it’s hot!”

To show her, Mina got off her lap and rifled through her bag, bringing up a compact mirror that had come with her blush. She passed it to Ochako, who held it gingerly to take in the little of her face she could see.

It felt different. New. She wasn’t sure if she liked it or not. At least she felt relieved getting to try something a little scary with Mina.

She glanced towards Himiko, who was sitting perfectly still, though her elephant was squeezed so tight its legs were sticking straight out. “What do you think, Himiko?”

“You’re always the cutest.”

Mina wagged a finger. “Not cute, but hot. She looks mature, doesn’t she?”

Himiko tilted her head. “Is that what maturity is?”

Mina nodded. “We’re getting older, which means we gotta get ready to get boyfriends. And boys love a mature woman, the fashionable kind that wears makeup. They’re not gonna want girls who are still into kiddie stuff.”

Himiko’s expression didn’t change. “Some men prefer immature.”

She sighed with pursed lips. “As if you would know. You look like such a kid with all your stuffed animals. Are you gonna stay a child forever?”

Ochako flared. The tone had been light, but there was an edge to the judgment. “Mina!”

“What?” Mina waved towards Himiko’s bed. “There’s like a dozen stuffies there. I outgrew those years ago. It’s fine if Himiko is childish, but I’m just saying she can’t go pretending to be an expert on sophistication.”

Still, Ochako didn’t like it. It felt like she was trying to shrink Himiko down into something small. “Maybe she’ll like them up through adulthood, it won’t mean she’s not an adult. It’s just a like.”

Himiko pressed her face close to the elephant. “I love them.”

“See? Nothing wrong with that.”

Mina pressed her lips together, clearly frustrated, but soon enough she just let out a sigh. “Whatever.”

Ochako smiled at the self-restraint. She knew Mina didn’t always mesh well with Himiko, but she appreciated when Mina made an effort.

Mina extended an olive branch to Himiko, “Do you want to try the lipstick too?”

Himiko got up and took a relaxed seat on her bed, surrounded by her collection of stuffed animals like a throne. “No thank you,” she said with a smile.

Mina gave Ochako a look like Can you believe? but Ochako didn’t want to push Himiko about it. She rarely objected that clearly.

So Ochako changed the subject. “Hey, you put it on me, but you haven’t even put it on yourself yet! Come on, show me how it looks.”

That brightened her mood, and she grabbed the compact to look at herself. “You’re right, let’s see…”

They played around for a bit longer after that, but soon enough Mina returned to her own room to put away all her purchases.

Once Mina was gone, Ochako checked in with Himiko, “Are you alright? Did she go too far?”

Himiko giggled. “It’s fine.” Then, after a pause, “You guys are very touchy.”

Ochako raised an eyebrow. “As if you’re one to talk, you touch me all the time, don’t you?”

Himiko got up. “So it should be fine if I touch you that much, too?”

With only that as her warning, Himiko marched over and plopped herself into Ochako’s lap, spreading her legs over hers, and bringing their faces close. Ochako leaned back by instinct, her heart pounding against her ears.

“Mina did this, too,” Himiko emphasized, bringing up a hand to hold Ochako’s chin so she couldn’t look away.

It made Ochako sweat. “Um. I guess she did.”

“Is lipstick something adult?”

“...I think so?”

“So you were doing adult things with Mina?”

Her whole face flushed. “Don’t say it like that! That makes it sound dirty.”

Himiko brushed her thumb up over Ochako’s lower lip, and Ochako was certain she was about to combust into flames. 

“I wanna do adult things with you, too,” Himiko said, leaning closer, “like sharing lipstick.”

Her face came closer, eyes fluttering closed, and the whole world seemed to slow down. Ochako stopped breathing, trying to process the way Himiko’s lips were targeting her own to steal the lipstick. Wasn’t that an awful lot like… like a kiss?

Ochako shoved her away, blood pounding in her ears. She couldn’t even look at Himiko with how much her head was spinning.

“Um,” Ochako said, brain struggling to string together words, “that’s… too adult for me, I think.”

Finally, she got the courage to look Himiko in the face, and saw something blank that soon morphed into a little smirk. “You’re very innocent, aren’t you?”

Ochako was still flustered, and the teasing in Himiko’s voice didn’t help. All she could do was try to counter, “And you’re not that childish, are you?”

Himiko laughed fully then. “Despite my stuffies.”

The mood was weird. Ochako felt weird and fuzzy inside, like she was on the brink of something terrifying that Himiko was about to push her into. She got up, almost stumbling on her first step, trying to get to her desk, trying to distract herself.

“We should study,” Ochako begged to change the subject.

Himiko grabbed her wrist as she passed, and for a moment Ochako thought she might get thrown against the ground and have no choice but to understand.

But all Himiko did was say sweetly, “I’ll wait for you, as long as it takes.”

And then she let her go. Ochako didn’t respond. She didn’t know how she wanted to respond. She took the next few unsteady steps to her desk and pulled her books open to have an excuse to look busy.

Her head cleared a little with the distance. Himiko was a curious girl, it seemed. 

Ochako was afraid she might be curious too.

Momo sipped at her grape juice in a wine glass. It almost matched the tone of the wine her parents and Tenya’s parents were sipping from. Gentle classical music played on speakers hidden so smoothly in the restaurant that she could not locate where it was coming from. She tried to listen; it might have been Bach based on the measured precision of the notes and harmonies, but she couldn’t focus for long before getting distracted by their parents’ conversation.

“...It would be fabulous,” her mother was telling Mrs. Iida, “we’ve dabbled in dozens of industries, but automobiles are so specialized, there’s a huge depth of expertise required to be able to do quality business in that sector.”

Mrs. Iida was sugarsweet. “It is very special, but please, don’t imagine it’s so outside your wheelhouse. We’re friends, aren’t we? If you ever wanted to explore opportunities, we’d be thrilled to show you our operations.”

There was a delicate dance being done. Momo was used to it at this point, and kept a polite half smile on her face.

“You’re so kind,” her mother said, “and we truly appreciate your openness. Now my husband and I have our hands full with the current merger, but if you’re willing to have a bit of patience, we would love to get to know your operations. Or…” She looked meaningfully at Momo.

Momo smiled on cue. “Perhaps I could visit? I love to learn new things.”

Mrs. Iida clapped her hands together. “That would be so delightful! Surely our Tenya could take your daughter on a tour of the facility?”

Tenya, who was sitting beside her and had maintained a similarly cooperative smile, nodded vigorously. “Of course! I would be happy to show her around.”

Her role was done, so she went into autopilot, mirroring the expressions of her parents as the conversation went on and on. They had drilled into her enough times the importance of her behavior in front of potential suitors that she fell into her patterns naturally. Still, she had heard these cycles of niceties and manners so many times that it bored her, so she tried to focus in on the music again. They had moved on from Bach, and she definitely now recognized Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. She had practiced it on piano more times than she could count.

As she moved her gaze in regular intervals around the table to seem like she was paying attention, she accidentally made eye contact with Tenya. He smiled at her warmly.

She forced her lips up higher to smile back, and raised her glass of grape juice in acknowledgement. At least they were in this together.

Tenya made it seem easy, though. He never seemed to doubt his path laid out for him; he was on a straight track, staying purely in his lane without ever looking anywhere but forward. Momo did her best, and she was well-versed in presenting her pristine facade, but there was always that tiny, niggling part in her that screamed she was faking everything.

She just wanted the confidence that Tenya held in his shoulders as he turned back to engage her parents in conversation.

Momo never asked if he was as bored by these dinners as she was. If he said he wasn’t, she would feel like a failure. If he said he was, she would know there was no hope she could ever get to the level of actually enjoying these things.

At least the food was good. And the music had moved on to a piece she didn’t recognize, but the sweepingly vague but evocative style made her suspect Debussy, or at least an impressionist composer. She liked it.

The dinner finally finished, so they all headed outside. Her mother had surreptitiously called for a chauffeur, and was eyeing the street for their limo. Momo saw it coming down the traffic, but before it reached them, a red car stopped right outside their street.

“Well, well! If it isn’t my precious students, Tenya and… Momo!” All Might exclaimed from the seat of a convertible. “What a coincidence!”

Momo was briefly starstruck as All Might left his shiny car, still running, to stand and shake hands with her and Tenya’s parents. He introduced himself as the principal, and gave the usual compliments.

“Momo is an outstanding student who the faculty and students can always rely on. And your Tenya… he’s a stellar young man who will change the world, I’m certain.”

As he said this, All Might put a hand on Tenya’s steady shoulder. Momo found herself swallowing hard seeing how at ease Tenya seemed, maintaining that perfect posture and letting All Might touch him as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Tenya was destined for great things. He could handle anything, even the principal of their school pausing their families on the street to overwhelm them with greetings and introductions and compliments.

Finally he wrapped things up, “Will Tenya and Momo be going back to the school dorms after this? I could drop them off, if that would be more convenient for you?”

Momo eyed the convertible, cautious. There were no seatbelts. She glanced sideways at the Iida’s, wondering if they would notice. They were car manufacturers, and after what happened to Tensei a few months ago… she expected a little hesitancy.

But they were all smiles. Her mother giggled and agreed easily, telling Momo to enjoy the ride and the opportunity to bond with All Might himself.

Tenya jumped at the opportunity as well, and he opened the door to the backseat. He motioned for her to take a seat, and she did what she was supposed to. She slid inside, and scooted another seat over so that he could take the seat next to her.

But he closed the door and went to the passenger side. Oh.

All Might got back in the driver seat next to him, and the three of them waved as All Might peeled away from their parents.

“It’s great to see you,” Tenya said familiarly, something strange in his tone, “What a happy coincidence.”

“A coincidence indeed,” All Might returned, grinning like the two of them were sharing a private joke that Momo was not privy to.

“There’s no seatbelts,” Momo commented as they got out of the busy streets and to more open roads where the speed limit increased.

Tenya laughed. “Exciting, isn’t it?”

Momo’s eyebrows lifted right off her head. Tenya was not the type to dismiss safety protocols, especially not car safety. If Tensei hadn’t had his seatbelt on, he might very well have died.

What had changed?

They were on the highway now, and the car picked up speed. “It’s dangerous,” Momo warned.

Once again, Tenya laughed. “Adulthood is dangerous, Momo.”

She frowned. Something was going on. Tenya wasn’t in the back with her, he was in the passenger seat, ahead of her, and he had to look back to take in her tense expression.

“Come on,” Tenya said, “can you feel the throb of the engine?”

She could. It made the whole car purr, pleasantly enveloping her body. “What’s going on, Tenya?” she asked point-blank, feeling like a child for having to ask.

“Do you want to become an adult?” he asked.

There was a whirr, the wheels spun faster, and the wind whipped through her hair like swords.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

Adulthood was coming for her no matter what. She was the only heir to the Yaoyorozu fortune, so after graduation she would have to marry a man her parents approved of, one who could handle their corporation with skill and ruthless talent. Her adulthood meant having a husband. Becoming his wife. Every day it got closer.

Tenya’s hand ran along the exterior of the car, stroking the shiny red paint. “I want to become an adult as fast as possible, someone who can take over my family’s business. I want to be someone who pushes forward, no matter the risk, and takes what he wants.” He looked back again, a knowing smile on his face. “I want you, Momo.”

Oh.

It took all of her self-control to maintain a neutral expression. She had run through this in her head dozens of times, imagining his eventual confession then proposal, hoping she could acclimate herself to it enough that she would respond correctly.

She wanted his confidence. She wanted his careful consideration. She wanted to feel as comfortable as he did reaching out and using the power that came with their legacy.

Maybe having him would be enough.

“I want you too, Tenya,” she lied.

He pulled a lever, and suddenly his seat went flat, laying his upper body in the backseat. His expression was pure thrills. His glasses had fallen off, and now his eyes were squarely on her. The wind whipped at his shirt, buttons popped open casually, and overall he looked more mature than she would ever be.

She still felt like a child in the garden, playing with her girl friend in ways they never should have.

Tenya reached out a hand, caressing her cheek. “Let’s become adults together,” he said.

The car sped up. They were far over the speed limit by now, breaking the law, but if Tenya wasn’t going to argue with All Might, it wasn’t Momo’s place to argue either. She wanted to be an adult as soon as she could, someone mature enough to not get bored during those dinners. Someone who could drink real wine instead of juice. Someone who wanted the right people in the right ways instead of clinging to the mistakes of childhood affections. 

“We’ll work together,” Tenya said, “with our hearts intertwined, we can defeat anyone.”

She let Iida tug her face downwards towards his, until they met in a kiss.

His lips tasted nothing like Kyouka’s.

Ochako mentally prepared herself as she stood in front of the roof door with Himiko. Once again a letter of challenge had been left in her locker, though with Mr. Todoroki defeated, it couldn’t be another one of those Black Spider Lily challengers… right?

She shoved the door open, and discovered the roof full of cars. The cars were placed absurdly, sometimes only half of them sticking out of the ground at random angles like someone had loaded a video game wrong and everything was clipping through the ground. She blinked several times to make sure she was seeing things correctly, but they did not dissipate, even as she approached the center of the arena. She glanced beside her and saw Himiko somehow had switched to the Rose Bride dress while she wasn’t looking.

In the center of the arena, there was one car set properly on the ground, with its headlights on and shining right into Ochako’s eyes. She squinted, and made out a silhouette… no, two silhouettes.

Two people?

When she was only a few meters away, the car headlights dimmed and she was able to make out her challengers. Momo Yaoyorozu, and Tenya Iida. The class vice president and president, respectively.

Tenya stood dressed in an elaborate suit, a dark blue with various silver accents. He already wore a rose in his breast pocket, a red rose like Momo’s. She stood beside him in a long maroon dress, suspiciously reminiscent of the princess-like Rose Bride dress.

Neither held a sword.

“What are you guys doing here?” Ochako had to ask.

“All for One informed me of these duels,” Tenya explained, hands moving with chops to emphasize as he spoke, “and I have come to divest you of your Rose Bride. With her power, I shall attain adulthood and all the benefits thereof… along with my dear Momo.”

He put his hand around Momo’s waist and tugged her closer.

Ochako tried to appeal to her. “Momo, you already fought me, it didn’t work, you should know this is useless.”

“I fought you,” she admitted, “but you’re fighting us this time.”

She leaned back, and Tenya wrapped his arm fully around her waist to support her. A glow began between her breasts, which Tenya delicately hovered above until the handle of a fencing foil popped out. Momo’s eyes fluttered closed as he drew it out, relishing the smooth slide.

They would not be outdone. Ochako took a step closer to Himiko, and nodded to her.

Himiko pressed herself up against Ochako’s side, and placed a hand on her chest. Something thrummed inside her, warm but light.

“Rose of Heroism, please come forth!”

When Himiko said the words, the heat in her body grew and concentrated on that one point, and Ochako started to lean back as if she were weightless. There was a sliding sound, and a slick sensation between her breasts, until it abruptly stopped. With a gasp, Ochako stood up straight again, and Himiko gave her the sword.

“Grant us the power of One for All!”

Ochako flicked the sword, turning her wrist sharply. Unlike the previous sword she used to pull out of Himiko, this sword felt completely weightless in her hand, like a completely natural extension of her arm. There was no strain at all despite its size as she pointed it at Tenya.

Beside him stood Momo, not in any sort of fencing stance. This wasn’t the fierce, raw Momo that had tried to put Ochako into her place back during their duel. This Momo was pure, reserved manners and a placid smile that betrayed nothing. Standing next to Tenya like nothing more than his scabbard.

“Are you really not going to fight, Momo?” Ochako called out, “Despite your skill?”

Momo’s face didn’t change. “Women shine best in a supporting role. My role is to support Tenya.”

Bells rang out, and the duel began.

Tenya launched first, speed incarnate, and if Ochako’s sword had been any heavier she would have been too slow to parry him out of the way. Just in time she flicked him aside, and their swords traded blows.

“Give that power to someone who knows how to use it!” Tenya snapped at her as he flurried swings at her.

Though he was fast, all of those attacks were easily blocked by holding her sword at a certain angle. “You think that’s you?” she challenged.

She couldn’t help but compare his sword fighting to Momo’s. Momo’s careful footwork, her precise lunges, and each clever move she made had screamed experience. Her expertise intimidated Ochako even now; if they faced each other again, Ochako knew Momo would almost definitely be the victor. 

“You haven’t seen or experienced what I have,” Tenya said between thrusts, “I’ve touched adulthood. A child like you wouldn’t understand.”

Tenya was quick, but each move was telegraphed, and stuck to such a basic standard that even Ochako found herself feeling clever for knowing how to counter every move.

She slammed her broad side against his sword, pushing him back far enough that she could take a deep breath.

“Tenya,” she said, “we’re literally the same age. ‘Touching’ adulthood doesn’t actually make you an adult.”

She kicked off the ground, aimed her sword at the rose on his chest, and he stood with the wide eyes of a shaken boy as the petals scattered.

The bells rang again. The match was done.

Ochako followed Himiko to the greenhouse after the match. With the sudden new challengers, there hadn’t been a chance for her to check in on the garden today. There wasn’t much Ochako could do, since she had no expertise when it came to plants, but at least she could be some company. That tight, round building felt like a different world with how much the roses filled the space.

It made more sense to Ochako now why Himiko was the only one there without a club or anything to support her. If her father was the principal, he must have allowed its construction for her sake and given her complete control of it. A dense little garden all to her own, a pinpoint in the expanse of her father’s school that Himiko could call her own.

What a doting father.

“How long have you taken care of this garden?” Ochako asked.

Himiko tilted her watering can, showering a bush planted in a low pot. “As long as I’ve been here.”

When she finished watering that pot, she looked up at Ochako, and Ochako suddenly stopped breathing.

Something about the setting sun streaming in through the window, giving the whole greenhouse a warm glow, twinged at Ochako’s memory. Like a word trapped on the tip of her tongue, she stared at Himiko. Her buns with stray hairs all around set a messy impression. Ochako tried to remember.

There had been some mess, a long time ago, hadn’t there? It wriggled in the back of her head, something amorphous but there struggling to breach the surface of her memory. A coffin. A hero. And then…

Swords?

“Himiko…” Ochako started slowly, “...have we met before?”

The door to the greenhouse opened. Both girls turned to take in All Might, who shouldered past some tall vines to push his way inside. “Darling,” he crooned.

Ochako almost blushed, assuming he had said that to her, but a moment later when Himiko dropped her watering can and jumped over to him with a call of “Daddy,” Ochako realized he was definitely talking to his daughter just then.

Awkwardly, Ochako shifted on her feet. She thought it would have been polite to leave and allow them their family time, but All Might was blocking the door with his body.

“Are you girls having fun in the garden?” he asked.

“Of course,” Himiko responded.

Ochako nodded. On the ground, the abandoned watering can rolled slightly, leftover water now soaking the ground. Disrupted. All Might was more important than all of that, even to a gardener like Himiko.

As Himiko leaned back slightly, allowing space between herself and her dad again, All Might spoke to her, “It’s such a joy to see you. I get terribly lonely in that tower of an office without you, you know.”

Himiko smiled. “You’re seeing me right now.”

The way the two of them smiled at each other showed just how much of a family they were. “I’m barely snatching moments of your time.”

“I’m sorry.” Still smiling.

“No need to be sorry, we’re both busy people, but I think we could make things easier for both of us. Dear, why don’t you come live in the principal’s building with me?”

Ochako very much felt like an intruder, a pest in the greenhouse that was interfering with a family matter.

“Daddy, I love you, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t bear to leave my dear roommate alone.”

He stared. “Your ‘dear roommate’, hmm?”

Ochako tried to shuffle towards the exit, but neither of the blondes moved. They faced each other squarely, their twin smiles never dropping.

“Yes, I need to stay by her side,” Himiko reiterated.

There was no way All Might knew about the duels, or he would have put a stop to it. When Ochako had won, Himiko had made very clear that part of being the Rose Bride involved living with the Champion, so she must have felt strongly on sticking to that rule. It hurt to know she was holding Himiko away from being with her family… so Ochako opened her mouth, planning to assure Himiko that they could stay friends even if she lived somewhere else.

All Might beat her to the punch with a resolution, though. “Why don’t you both come live with me?”

Himiko didn’t respond. Instead, she tilted towards Ochako. Ochako realized after a moment she had to respond. “Oh! Uh… is that allowed? Himiko is family, so that makes sense, but I’m just…”

“I’m the principal,” All Might assured with a wink, “I’ll make it allowed. Besides, if you’re so dear to my Himiko, then you’re family to me too.”

Ochako found herself flustering at the fond attention. “Oh, if you really think it’s fine…”

She glanced over at Himiko. Ultimately, it should be her decision, shouldn’t it?

Himiko was still smiling, more like a decorative statue in the greenhouse than its gardener.

That wasn’t a no, so Ochako decided to help Himiko see her father more easily. “Then sure!”

All Might’s grin widened, the first change to his expression since he entered. “Wonderful!”

Chapter Text

“So you’re staying in the freaking principal’s estate?” Mina exclaimed as they walked.

They were arm-in-arm, but they wouldn’t be for long. Once they got through the parking lot, they would be at the dorms, and Ochako would have to split off to head to her new living space.

Ochako nodded. “It’s just because he and Himiko are family and want to stay close, it’s not a big deal.”

“Yeah, but you’re not family, unless you’re planning to get adopted too.” Mina nudged her. “Or even worse… you wanna become Himiko’s stepmother?”

Ochako gasped and elbowed her back. “Ew, Mina! Be serious!”

She giggled. “I’m joking. Mostly. I mean, he’s letting you stay in his house, isn’t he? That’s favoritism. Maybe you can get him to inflate your grades a bit.”

There was a parking lot beside them as Ochako admonished her. “I wouldn’t ask for something like that!”

“Still,” she dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, leaning close, “what is it like living with them? The weirdest girl in school and the literal principal in one house?”

“Himiko’s normal. And it’s very normal, honestly. She said she would make me some shaved ice as a treat tonight.”

Mina raised an eyebrow, but then her gaze slid over Ochako’s shoulder and her eyes widened.

“Oh my gosh, check that out!” Mina exclaimed with a gasp.

She hurried over to a red convertible with the hood down. It was sleek, shiny, undeniably eye-catching. Ochako admired how the light glinted off of it while Mina fussed around it, making comments about all the details she could see inside.

After a minute, Mina pulled out her phone and turned it around to take some selfies. She even leaned against the hood of the vehicle.

“Mina!” Ochako chastised, “What if the owner shows up?”

“Come on, Ochako, isn’t it cool? Join in!” She pulled Ochako into a selfie, with the spotless windshield clearly visible behind them.

Ochako allowed two selfies, but grew so nervous she pushed out. “Isn’t that enough?”

“Wait, just one more thing,” Mina said.

That was all the warning Mina said before she hauled herself over the door and into the driver’s seat.

“Mina you definitely shouldn’t do that!” Ochako scolded.

“Shh,” Mina hushed her, then handed her phone, “take just a couple of pics, okay? Then I’ll hop out and no one will be the wiser.”

When Mina was in a mood like this, Ochako knew there was no fighting her. So with a sigh, she took the phone and started taking pictures as Mina put on a serious face and gripped the steering wheel as though she was really going to drive out of there.

After just three photos, a low male voice spoke from behind her, air brushing over her ear. “Oh? You girls like that?”

Ochako jumped with a yelp and instinctively swung out an arm. The creep caught her arm and held it fast. Ochako started to struggle, but then she finally looked back and discovered their principal, All Might, looking down on her.

She froze and squeaked out, “Sorry!”

All Might smiled and let go. He turned his attentions towards Mina, who was still sitting sheepishly in the front seat. “Oh my, you’re really enjoying my car, aren’t you?”

Mina sat up ramrod straight, “Ahaha oh my goodness, I just slipped and fell in here, I’m so sorry, I’ll get out immediately, I’m so sorry All Might, sir…”

Mina started to get up, but All Might put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her down. “No.”

She blinked up at him. “...No?”

“You like the car, don’t you?”

“It’s really cool.” Mina’s eyes never stopped looking at him.

“Move over. I’ll take you for a ride.”

All of Mina’s nervousness dissipated in an instant, and her face broke out into a thrilled grin. “For real? For realsie for real?”

“So long as you get out of the driver’s seat.”

Mina scooted over instantly and bounced on her side. All Might opened the car door properly and seated himself at the wheel. He pulled out a key and turned it in the ignition, bringing the vehicle to life. Mina giggled as though the sound were the sweetest thing she’d ever heard.

Ochako stood there awkwardly. Hadn’t she and Mina intended to walk together? “Um…”

All Might smiled kindly at her. “Do you want to go for a ride with me too, Ochako?”

Himiko was planning to make shaved ice for her tonight. “N-no, that’s alright, I told Himiko I’d see her as soon as possible.”

Mina laughed. “Your loss!”

All Might simply kept smiling as he reversed the car out of its spot. Mina was bouncing in her seat like she was about to go on the ride of a lifetime.

“I’ll see you at home,” All Might told her as they rolled away.

Perhaps Ochako should have gone with them. Was she missing out on something really amazing? Then again, Himiko wasn’t here. She wouldn’t want to go do something that exciting without at least offering Himiko the same.

Ochako hurried to the principal’s building. She didn’t have a key, but she pressed the intercom button and Himiko came out to let her in. She had those same huge keys that All Might had. 

“Sweetheart!” Himiko exclaimed, pulling her over the threshold. “I was so lonely waiting for you.”

That made Ochako’s heart relax. Skipping the car ride was for the best.

Himiko carefully locked the gate and the front door again before coming inside fully. They went up to the kitchen, where a gigantic bowl of shaved ice sat.

“Oh wow!” Ochako exclaimed, “Did you make all of that?”

“Yes, it’s only a fraction the size of my love for you, but it’s all I could do while waiting.”

The table below the bowl was already wet from it starting to melt, so Ochako hurried to grab another bowl and spoon, then served herself a bit. There were a few syrups to flavor it, and Ochako went for a strawberry one. When Himiko served herself some, she added cherry syrup.

Once they were settled in that diner-esque booth, both on one side, Ochako told Himiko about what happened on the way there.

“...And so he offered her a ride.”

Himiko sucked on her spoon a moment before responding, “What about you?”

“Huh?”

“Did he offer you a ride too?”

Ochako chuckled. Himiko knew her father best. “He did, but I told him you were waiting for me, so I didn’t join them.”

Himiko put down her spoon in her bowl. The only thing left now was melted water and the remnants of the bright red syrup. “Were you trying to be considerate of me?”

Though it was normal, Ochako felt herself start to blush at being called out directly. She shoved some of the cold ice into her mouth. “I guess a little, yeah? It seems weird to go out with your father without you, doesn’t it?”

“No, it’s perfectly normal.”

“...Is it?”

Himiko scooped some of the ice from the main bowl that hadn’t melted yet. She spoke while squirting the cherry syrup. “He wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t.”

“But you were waiting here for me, I didn’t want to leave you waiting.”

“That’s okay. You can always have fun with my father if he asks.” She was still pouring the syrup.

Despite the reassurance, something still felt strange at its core. “Without you, though?”

The bottle ran out, so Himiko held it up while nothing came out. After a moment, she put it down and faced Ochako with a grin.

“Daddy’s taken me on plenty of drives. Don’t worry, I won’t miss out.”

Ochako forced another spoonful of ice. Her own bowl was mostly melted now. “...If you say so.”

She tried to imagine it, herself and All Might in that red convertible. Ochako had never ridden in a car without a hood, so all she had was imagination. Would she get to sit in the passenger seat? Would the wind blow through her hair? And without Himiko there, what kind of things would they talk about?

Curiosity warred with that strange gut worry. If Himiko said it was okay and normal though, what was stopping her? If Himiko and Mina both went on car rides, it was only a matter of time until Ochako went on one as well.

The big bowl of ice was fully melted now. Himiko sighed at the sight. 

“You could refreeze it,” Ochako suggested.

“How many times do you think I can put the same water through this? Freeze it, cut it up, melt, and freeze to do it all over again?”

Ochako didn’t get why she was asking, but she tried to think back to science class and the states of matter. “Probably a lot of times.”

“Forever?”

She shrugged. “If you don’t eat it all in one go, and keep adding new water with each round… probably?”

Himiko went quiet. She sat staring at the bowls.

Ochako didn’t understand. “Do you want to keep it going forever?”

She hummed lightly. “I guess so. It’s not like it knows anything else.”

Shouto swung his shinai. Sweat dripped off his forehead, making his bangs stick to his forehead and that scar on one side, but he didn’t pause to wipe it away. He had to get stronger.

A knock at the door of the kendo room made him pause. He turned to take in the person interrupting.

All Might smiled at him. “Kendo is on pause, isn’t it?”

“Our coach is gone, but I want to keep my skills sharp.”

His eyes softened. “How are you handling your father’s disappearance?”

Shouto raised his sword. Swung it down with the kind of control that had been drilled into him since he had been old enough to understand punishment. “I’m fine.”

He continued his exercises. The faculty had put a pause on kendo while they tried to find Dad or, better yet, a new coach, but as captain Shouto had the keys to the supply room. Surely All Might wouldn’t begrudge a student training at his sport.

“You’re on a narrow path, aren’t you?” All Might commented.

Shouto didn’t know what that meant. “I’m just doing what I want.”

“You have dreams of winning kendo championships?”

Shouto had never really imagined it. He didn’t imagine much beyond this gym, and the roof where he had briefly possessed One for All. “Sure.”

When there was nothing else said, Shouto thought All Might had gotten bored and left. He walked himself through some more steps, forward and back, ultimately always ending up in the same place.

But behind him, All Might spoke again, “Come with me.”

Shouto lowered his shinai. “Why?”

“You need a break from this. Come, trust your principal.”

A command was a command, and there would still be time to train tomorrow. Shouto put away his things, changed into his uniform, and followed All Might out.

All Might walked a step ahead of him the whole way down the halls. Down steps and out of the building, he led them to a parking lot.

In the parking lot, All Might walked towards a bright red car with no roof. Inside it, a girl with pink hair was holding up her phone, staring at it with one hand in a peace sign while leaning against the back rest.

“Mina Ashido,” All Might said with a chuckle, “I see you’re enjoying my car.”

She put down a phone and clapped her hands together like she was praying to a god, and the way All Might looked down on her, it felt like it could be true. “Thanks for letting me inside… and for showing me such wonderful things.”

With it being a convertible and all, Shouto imagined it wasn’t hard for anyone to just hop inside.

All Might leaned close to Shouto and gave him a wink. “How about you join us for a ride?”

Mina’s eyes widened. Meanwhile, Shouto was confused. “A ride?”

All Might nodded to him. “You may not realize it for yourself, Shouto, but you’re stressed. As the principal of this school, I care about every student. And I’ve been keeping an eye on you… especially since your father cannot.”

Shouto clenched a fist.

All Might opened the door to the backseat. “Both of you, let me take you for a joy ride.” He leaned towards Minda. “I have a feeling you can help Shouto with his blues.”

Mina giggled manically as she leaned into the backseat. Meanwhile, Shouto was still hesitating. “I don’t have blues.”

“You have something, don’t you?” All Might said, still holding the door open. “You’re not fully satisfied.”

Maybe Shouto didn’t know what it meant to be satisfied. Did All Might know?

Shouto got in the car.

All Might hopped into the driver’s seat. He revved up the engine and peeled out of the parking lot.

Beside Shouto, Mina was squirming in her seat, biting her lip and seeming not fully comfortable. 

“So, Shouto,” All Might spoke over the sound of the engine and the traffic around them, “What will you do now that your father’s gone?”

“The same thing I’ve always done. Keep training.”

“Why?”

“I want to.”

“Do you really?”

Shouto didn’t know, so he went silent.

Mina suddenly spoke up, “I’m sorry about your father. I hope they find him soon.”

“It’s fine,” Shouto said, as he had a hundred times since the news had come out.

The car went onto an onramp, leading to a highway. All Might said, “That’s very kind, Mina. You care about Shouto, don’t you?”

Mina giggled. “Don’t tease me!”

Shouto hoped All Might would keep teasing her, so he would stop interrogating him and bringing all his painful uncertainty to the forefront of his mind. He had survived off automation so far, and so long as he didn’t think about it too hard he could keep going on forever like this. He wasn’t entirely sure how happiness was supposed to feel, but at least he had accustomed himself so he no longer felt sadness.

Unfortunately, All Might was not merciful. “Why did you start training?”

“...My old man made me.”

The engine beneath them was purring. All Might’s voice was similarly low, pleasant, almost hypnotic. “And that’s been your whole life. Training, training, training. Before school, after school, and on every school break, it’s been everything. Tell me, Shouto, do you like kendo, or do you just not know anything else?”

They sped up. The acceleration pressed Shouto against the back of the seat. The pressure grew the longer he waited to respond. He finally choked out, “I don’t know.”

The car didn’t stop speeding up. There was no break.

All Might looked back at them, taking his eyes off the road. “Mina? What do you want?”

Mina shyly covered her face from All Might, but from the side Shouto was able to see her furious blush. “I think I want… I want to like a certain boy. And I want that certain boy to like me too.”

All Might went on, looking specifically at Shouto now. “Now that your father’s gone, there’s no more pressure, and you have a chance to redefine what you want.”

Mina lowered her hands and looked at Shouto, desperation in her eyes.

“You should want a beautiful girl. Discover a world outside of what your father boxed you into.”

All Might switched lanes, so quick that both of them in the back were sent towards the right. Without a seatbelt, Shouto practically fell into Mina’s lap. As he tried to straighten back up, Mina kept right up against him. They were basically cuddling.

“Shouto,” Mina said softly, barely audible over the engine, “will you go out with me?”

The air rushed past them so fast Shouto was afraid he wasn’t getting enough oxygen. He felt dizzy looking into this girl’s expectant eyes. From the front seat, he could feel the pressure of All Might’s gaze as well. All Might was the principal, he was even higher-ranked than his father. If there was anyone who knew what one should want, it would be All Might.

“Okay,” Shouto responded simply, not knowing enough to say anything more articulate.

The engine revved again, and they reached absurd speeds that turned the world around them into a blur. All Might’s yellow hair had gone pale under the harsh light of passing streetlamps, and his yellow suit went dark under the sharp shadows cast. Shouto couldn’t focus or orient on anything outside the strange focal point of the vehicle, so he simply sat in confusion as Mina’s hands grabbed his face and pulled him close.

He gave into convention and let her kiss him.

As the two of them waited on the roof of the school, Mina looked down at her outfit. Her dress was long and tasseled, a cute combination of purples and teals that complemented her pink hair. 

“Am I cute?” She asked Shouto, already knowing the answer.

He didn’t know, though. He looked at her blankly. “Are you?”

“Yes.” Mina forced herself to keep smiling. “Say it. Say I’m cute.”

“You’re cute,” he said.

She squealed.

The cutest boy in school said she was cute. She was dating him, so she was the luckiest girl in the whole school.

Soon Ochako would see it. Himiko, too. When they faced them, on this roof littered with cars, they would understand. They would be jealous, but there was nothing that could be done. They would win, she and Shouto would gain the power of One for All, and they could wish for a happily ever after together.

She wanted to believe they could make each other happy. If the cutest boy in school couldn’t make her understand love, who could?

“Win for me,” Mina said.

“...Okay.”

The door to the roof opened, and there were her friends. Himiko kept her idiotic smile on the whole time, of course. Nothing could shake that girl. When Ochako looked at her, expression falling into something that looked like betrayal, Mina almost felt bad.

But she knew even without One for All, Ochako and Himiko would still have what Mina did not. Mina needed this, needed the miracle to finally complete her.

“Mina… I thought we were friends,” Ochako said sadly.

“I’m sorry,” Mina said, “but we’re in love.”

She pulled Shouto in closer. He didn’t grab her back, didn’t return that affection, but that was just because he didn’t understand yet. With One for All, they would both figure out how to feel things correctly.

“My boyfriend wants One for All, so of course I’m going to support him,” Mina declared.

Shouto nodded, and something warm bloomed from Mina’s chest. Her eyes fluttered, and she naturally fell back. Something strange was stirring, no sliding from between her ribs. It grew from her sternum until it burst out.

Shouto grabbed the handle just above her heart, and she gasped. If she gave it to him, would she finally understand?

He pulled, and the blade smoothly slid out from her, leaving an acidic sting on her woundless sternum.

Across the roof, Himiko and Ochako had done a similar dance, Himiko pulling a sword out of Ochako that she then handed to her. That seemed silly to Mina. One person was meant to be the sword who was used, the other person was the user. Ochako couldn’t be both. She turned to look at her beloved, the one who could use her body and make it into something worth anything. His face was blank.

Calm, surely. That meant they would win.

The bells rang, and the match began.

Mina watched, not really understanding the battle. Ochako’s arm flexed as she spun her sword around, deflecting and dodging Shouto’s determined swings. Neither of them was smiling.

Himiko stood across the battle from her, also not smiling. Mina was so bored, she reached out her hand behind her, and felt the door of a rumbling car.

She opened that backseat door and got inside. As soon as she was sitting down, the car tilted, rolling on only one half of the wheels as it drove along the perimeter of the dueling arena. It didn’t take long for the car to stop beside Himiko.

Mina patted the seat next to her, “Come, Himiko, let’s talk.”

Himiko’s mouth moved up in an imitation of a smile, and she ignored the spot given. Instead, she opened the driver-side door and took a seat

The car moved, but Himiko never brought her hands up to the wheel. Neither of them was driving. It was all momentum, the world driving them around a looping track. They rotated around their champions, dueling in the center.

“You don’t need this game,” Mina began, “Ochako would like you, even without it.”

“Is that what you believe?” Himiko was facing forward, so Mina was stuck looking at the back of her head.

“I want it more than you. I’ll treat my champion better than you ever did.”

“Ah.” Himiko’s voice was understanding. “You don’t care who your champion is either, right? So long as you have one.”

The shallow implication made Mina bristle. “Of course it matters. I love Shouto.”

“Why?”

“He’s the cutest boy in school, all the girls are crazy about him.”

“But why are you in love with him?”

Mina’s nails scratched the leather of the seat. She looked out the car, towards the duel. She wasn’t an expert, but neither opponent had backed down yet. Shouto’s hair blew from the breeze their car had kicked up, revealing that burn scar around one eye that all the girls found so powerfully tender and compelling. She had never thought hard about what that scar came from.

She didn’t really care.

“It doesn’t matter,” Mina snapped.

As Shouto swung the sword downward, something liquid leaked out of the blade, flying through the air and landing on his arms.

He flinched.

Himiko spoke again. “You love him enough to turn your back on your friend, and you can’t think of one thing you love about him?”

Mina didn’t like this, Himiko speaking as though she understood anything. “Ochako will turn her back on me one day too. When she finds someone she loves. Maybe it’ll even be you.”

There was no response.

Mina smirked, hoping she had hit something lethal. “Would you like that?”

Himiko turned her head fully. There wasn’t a shred of emotion on her face. “So you’d betray her before she betrays you?”

The fury rose in Mina’s throat like bile. “We can’t live like kids forever. Everyone is supposed to fall in love. Ochako, you, Shouto, and me. Everyone gets paired off. Everyone loves it. I love it.”

“Do you?”

There was a grunt from the battle, from Shouto. Mina’s head snapped towards him, and she was shocked to discover his clothes had become tattered and full of holes. For a moment she thought Ochako had gone hard, but another swing from Shouto revealed that liquid seeping out of the sword and landing on his shoulder. The liquid bit away at the fabric, and his shoulder was exposed.

He staggered, grimacing as the acid sank into him.

Ochako shouted at him, “Why keep fighting? It’s hurting you, isn’t it?”

He raised the sword once more. Red, painful welts were visible through the clothes. “It’s what I’m supposed to do,” he declared.

Ochako launched, dodging his shaky attack, and the tip of her sword struck the rose on his chest.

The car went off that looping track. Mina’s head snapped forward, and Himiko was no longer in with her. The vehicle went straight forward towards another car pointing straight out of the ground.

She crashed.

Ochako laid down on her bed. Himiko laid down on hers as well.

The room All Might had set aside for them was a little strange. Their beds weren’t bunkbeds like in the dorms, instead they were two half-circles, offset from each other so only half of the flat edges touched the other.

That overlap was enough for them to be able to look at each other’s faces if they turned their heads at night. Now, too, Ochako could see Himiko staring at her, and by instinct the sight made her smile.

She reached out a hand. “Do you think Mina hates me?”

Himiko reached out as well, and intertwined their fingers together. “I think she hates herself.”

Ochako sighed, looking up at the ceiling decorated with glow-in-the-dark stars. “That doesn’t make sense, though. She’s such a dynamic gal… I don’t get why she wants some sort of miracle, or wants to act like the Rose Bride. I mean—” she flustered a moment, aware the Rose Bride herself was in the bed next to her.”—I know you like the game and all, but Mina has a lot of other things going on. She’s not the type to just sit back and… you know… just do whatever someone tells her.”

Despite her attempts to be polite, Ochako felt rude, so she glanced towards Himiko’s face. She was seeing it upside down with their bed arrangement, but she didn’t see any offense.

Himiko said, “Maybe it’s not someone telling her what to do. Maybe it’s the whole world.”

“No way,” Ochako said with a sigh, “I haven’t been telling her to keep pining over Shouto. Even if she likes him, isn’t fighting me to support her crush too much? We’re friends.”

“You think a friend is more important than a crush?”

She frowned, suddenly uncertain where her line was. “W-well, I mean… in this case, yeah? We were friends long before Shouto, right?”

“She said he was her boyfriend. Is it okay if she prioritizes her boyfriend?”

“Well she still barely knows him though…”

“What if they got married? Would she have to prioritize him over you?”

“What’s with all these questions?” Ochako said, more sharply than intended.

“I’m just trying to imagine what Mina was thinking.”

The thought was strange. Ochako thought she knew Mina since they spent a lot of time together, but she realized she couldn’t definitively say whether Himiko’s questions had run through her mind or not.

Ochako peeked up at Himiko, uneasy. “Himiko?”

“Yes darling?”

“What are you thinking?”

Her eyes widened. Himiko didn’t respond at first.

Ochako egged her on. “I’d truly like to know. You’re my friend, I want to understand you.”

After some long, unsteady moments, Himiko spoke softly. “I…”

Ochako held her breath.

“I’m sleepy,” Himiko finished.

That made Ochako giggle. “It is bedtime, after all.”

“Yes,” Himiko’s cheeks were pink as she smiled, “Good night… Ochako.”

Chapter Text

Ochako tugged at the weed from its base. By the time Ochako’s team was done with this part of the school, everything would be neat and tidy. A school vacation was coming up, so the administration wanted to get the school in good shape before people left campus.

School clean-up day was always a nice reprieve from the usual drudgery of classes. Plus Ochako got to hang out with her friends when they were assigned the same team!

Unfortunately Himiko wasn’t with her on this weeding task, but at least Izuku was, along with a few other people from other classes. She staunchly avoided Shouto and Katsuki as they worked alongside the stream. There was a redhead with them whose name Ochako didn’t remember, who at least kept the mood light with some chatter on that side, and a couple other people from their class.

Ochako spoke with Izuku, “These weeds are stubborn, aren’t they?”

“You’re doing great though!” Izuku assured, “Look at the pile we’ve got!”

“It’s thanks to your hard work too,” she returned.

The conversation behind them was getting more boisterous, mostly the redhead teasing and causing Katsuki to snap at him. Still, the redhead seemed completely nonplussed about the bad attitude and treated it like some normal ribbing between friends. Ochako mostly tried to tune it out. She had worked her way over towards the little grave she set up, back when she was first getting to know Himiko and she found that dead bird in the stream. Ochako made sure the area around the grave was neat and tidy… but as she looked closer, she saw the dirt was disturbed. After all this time, it should have settled, right? Unless an animal had dug it up, or something.

Cautiously, she dug just a bit to check. Would she find bones underneath by now?

There was nothing.

There was a splash behind them, and Izuku jumped up immediately. Ochako turned just in time to see him leap towards Katsuki and the redhead, who both had at least one foot in the stream. It looked as though they had been roughhousing, based on the redheads sheepish expression at being caught.

“Kacchan! Are you okay?” Izuku cried out, legitimate concern cracking his voice.

Immediately, Katsuki snarled. “I’m fine, Deku.”

Deku? That wasn’t Izuku’s name, and the way Katsuki said it didn’t sound nice.

Still, Izuku reached out a hand towards him. “A-are you sure? Do you need a hand up?”

Katsuki slapped the hand away. Ochako gasped already from that much audacity, but then Katsuki took a step onto dry land and punched Izuku square in the face.

“Izuku!” She cried out, affronted.

He stumbled back, grabbing at his injury. Meanwhile Katsuki had taken another threatening step forward, but just pointed aggressively, “Don’t look down on me, nerd!”

Katsuki stomped away before anyone had a chance to reprimand him, and the redhead gave an apologetic smile before chasing after him. 

A couple of people around them were staring as Izuku held a hand against his injured face. Up close, Ochako could see his lips wobbling, and she knew the waterfall of tears was coming. Though her blood was pumping, eager to chase Katsuki down and teach him a lesson, she knew better than to leave Izuku alone like this. She grabbed his free hand and tugged him away. “Come on, let’s go to the infirmary.”

The others didn’t stop them. Ochako felt a little bad about leaving their classmates to finish the job by themselves, but ultimately it was Katsuki’s fault.

“Are you okay?” Ochako asked along the way.

Izuku burst into tears.

She had to pause their journey to tuck them into a side hallway where he would have a modicum of privacy. She patted his back as the tears flowed down his cheeks. Thankfully, he kept a napkin in his pants pocket at all times, so he was able to wipe up his messy face along the way.

“He was being a total dick,” Ochako reassured him.

Izuku shook his head, “That’s just how he is, I was the stupid nerd there though…”

She smacked him lightly on the back. “Don’t say that! He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. What does he have against you, anyway?”

He sniffled. “I don’t know, we used to be friends…”

Her eyes widened. “You were?”

“Back when we were kids, we used to always play together. Both of us loved All Might. We both wanted to be like him… and even now, I look at him and I… I can’t help but think he’s so…” He sighed. “He’s so strong. Stronger than me, for sure.”

“Huh.” Ochako struggled to imagine the brash and overconfident Katsuki playing with the sweet and awkward Izuku, but she supposed as children they might have been different. “Why not anymore?”

Izuku drew in a huge breath, wet from snot from crying. “Once, when we were playing by a river, Katsuki was too close to the edge. He was messing around, and then… then… he fell in, and the current was so fast, he started to drown.”

Suddenly, it dawned on Ochako why Izuku had reacted so strongly to the splash.

“I tried to jump in after him, I was so scared, but I was even more scared of losing him, and…” Izuku wiped at his eyes. “...I ended up almost drowning too, honestly. It was stupid, I guess. We were lucky the other boys ran and grabbed some adults, they had to fish us both out. It was so serious, we both ended up having to go to the hospital.”

“Oh my goodness, that’s scary!”

“It was, but worse, afterward… Kacchan didn’t want to play with me anymore. He was mad I jumped in after him, I guess.”

“Well that’s stupid of him! You were being a good friend, and he doesn’t appreciate that?”

Izuku laughed weakly. By now his tears had turned into a steady trickle rather than a flood. “Thanks for saying so, but I guess it’s a little complicated.”

It didn’t sound that complicated, Katsuki was just an asshole, but she focused on what was important. “Let’s get you to the infirmary.”

He nodded and let her pull him along down the halls. He was still sniffling, but was alert as they carried on.

Just when they reached the infirmary, the door opened and both of them had to look up at the person.

“Oh my,” All Might said, “what brings you here?”

Izuku’s palm in hers grew immediately sweaty. Ochako responded, “Izuku got hurt.”

All Might closed the door behind himself. “Oh dear, he did?”

Ochako tried to look behind him, but the infirmary window was frosted glass. “Um, yes, so he needs to go to the nurse…”

“How unfortunate, the nurse isn’t here.”

“That’s alright!” Izuku exclaimed, voice tight and face red as he stared up at All Might, stars in his eyes, “I’m fine! I’ll survive!”

All Might wagged a finger while leaning down to take in Izuku’s face. “Absolutely not, my dear boy, you can’t let injuries go unaddressed or they’ll just get worse.”

When All Might gently cradled Izuku’s face to get a closer look, it seemed as though he might spontaneously combust in his idol’s hands. Ochako held back a giggle when All Might brushed a bit of curly hair away to check what was hidden behind and Izuku started vibrating in excitement.

“I-I’m really fine!” He insisted.

“Nonsense!” All Might exclaimed, “You’re clearly hurt. As the principal of this establishment, I could never ignore such an issue as this!”

Although Ochako was relieved to have All Might helping them, she reminded him, “But you said the nurse is out?”

He nodded. “That’s alright, I can take him to the hospital.”

“The hospital?” His voice squeaked. “No, that’s overkill, I’ll sleep it off.”

“Don’t be silly, my boy, it’s no trouble at all. Or do you not trust my assessment?”

“N-no, of course I trust you, I mean you’re All Might after all, sir, I just… it’s a lot.”

All Might turned his winning smile on. “Come, Izuku, I’ll drive you.”

Izuku swallowed hard. His face wobbled, as though warring with different parts of himself. Finally, he surrendered. “Okay.”

All Might’s eyes slid back to Ochako. “And you?”

She blinked. “Me?”

“Would you like to go on a ride with me as well?”

For some reason, she started to sweat. Maybe she wasn’t any better than Izuku. She scratched the back of her head and laughed. The car looked cool and all, and Himiko had said it would be okay for her to ride it, but… she couldn’t ignore her responsibilities. “I need to go back and help with school clean-up.”

All Might simply smiled. “If you say so.”

Satisfied, All Might put a hand on Izuku’s shoulder and pulled him close. Izuku let go of Ochako’s hand, signaling that her role here was done. She had gone and gotten Izuku help, even without the nurse in office.

“I’ll take good care of him,” he assured.

Katsuki stalked out of school, still in an awful mood. Every time he had to interact with that nerd was a drag. And especially when he pulled that shit acting like Katsuki was a helpless child who needed his help. Eijirou and him had just been messing around, it literally was not even a medium-sized deal that his shoes got a little wet, but Deku had to go and act like he was some poor excuse of a guy in need of saving.

He wasn’t. He was strong.

“Yoohoo! Katsuki!” 

Katsuki stopped dead in his tracks, only half-way through passing the parking lot on his way to the dorms. He recognized that booming voice.

All Might stood in the parking lot, a huge grin on his face. As soon as he had Katsuki’s attention, he waved him over.

That was All Might, so of course Katsuki went over there. He was the strongest of the strong, the kind of guy who always ended up on top. That was his ultimate ideal, perfection and power in tandem.

“Katsuki, my boy, would you like to go for a ride?”

His chest puffed up, proud, but he remained nonchalant. “Sure.”

All Might opened the door to the backseat, and Katsuki slid in. This was All Might’s car, and he could tell how much he cared about it from all the detailing. The seats felt like real leather, and were pristinely kept without a scrap of dirt. That was a real challenge for an open convertible, so it was clearly well kept.

When All Might turned his key and revved the engine, Katsuki watched his every move enraptured. The car key didn’t have a ring, wasn’t attached to anything else, and so when All Might pulled his hand away to grab the gearshift, he could see the familiar rose insignia on the bow of it.

Very familiar. Katsuki glanced down at his own hand, where he still had the rose ring he was gifted by All for One.

Katsuki showed him he was paying attention. “Is this about the duels?”

From this angle in the backseat, Katsuki could only see a sliver of his face, but he saw enough of his cheek to know it curved up and out with a grin. “You’re sharp.”

Of course he was. He was Katsuki Bakugo. Still, All Might calling out to him all of a sudden was strange behavior, and so something must have triggered it, thus he made the educated guess that the duels were involved. Katsuki paid attention and was aware that even if round cheeks still had the Rose Bride hanging off of her, there had been several duels. Still, so far Katsuki had been the only one to have defeated her.

Then again, that girl had turned around and defeated him in turn.

There had been no letter since that girl had somehow gotten an advantage over him. Katsuki assumed he had completely fucked himself over, and couldn’t be trusted as a duelist anymore.

But he was in All Might’s car now, enjoying the plush seats as he drove down the streets and got further away from the school. There was still potential in him that All Might believed in.

“Ochako needs to be defeated,” All Might said, “and I believe you can be a part of that.”

“I’ll do it,” Katsuki answered instantly, making clear his dedication, “as soon as we get back to school, I’ll send her a letter of challenge.”

All Might laughed. “Hold your horses a moment, Katsuki. You’ve fought her before and lost.”

His lips curled down. “I’ve also fought her and won.”

“Yes, which is why I think you’re my best chance… but to succeed, we need to introduce a new element.”

“A new element?”

“The games have changed. The Rose Bride is not just lending One for All, she pulls a sword out of her Champion, letting her wield her own heart. Those two have been mingling close, turning into something greater than the sum of their parts.”

They got onto an onramp, and Katsuki didn’t even think of making conversation while the engine revved aggressively to get up to speed. Instead, he embraced the way the wind brushed over him, and eyed All Might’s wide, confident shoulders. He had only one hand on the wheel.

Katsuki realized there were no seatbelts. Whatever, All Might wouldn’t crash.

“So what?” Katsuki challenged, “I’ll beat them both.”

All Might laughed. “You can fight them… but not alone.” All Might tilted his head towards the passenger seat. “You can come out now.”

Katsuki was perplexed until he heard a squeak and a horribly familiar mop of hair appeared over the headrest.

Immediately, Katsuki grit his teeth. “No.”

“Get in the backseat,” All Might told Deku.

Deku maneuvered himself over the center console and landed next to Katsuki in the backseat. There was no divider between them, and so any turn could send them into each other.

Deku smiled apologetically. “Hey, Kacchan.”

Katsuki may have failed before, but surely he didn’t deserve this grave insult. He ignored Deku to address All Might, “I won’t do it. I can defeat them with my own two hands.”

As if the night couldn’t get any worse, All Might sighed and shook his head. “Katsuki, that stubbornness of yours is a weakness. You’re pushing away a potential asset just because of your pride.”

Katsuki’s face felt hot despite the wind whizzing past it. The engine was thrumming, and Izuku sat awkwardly beside him with his shoulders up to his ears, almost as tense as Katsuki was.

“He can’t make me stronger,” Katsuki argued.

“He brings out the worst in you,” All Might returned, “that hatred may be strong enough to defeat them.”

Everything was going too fast. The streetlights were going by so swiftly they were smearing against his retinas, and even All Might’s hair had taken on a bright white glow from the harsh lights passing over it. Like a god who came down to exert his will.

Then Izuku had the audacity to say, “I’m not a helpless child anymore, Kacchan. I’ve grown stronger, I can help… we can’t defeat them alone, but with our strengths combined, I believe we can do it!”

As if he needed that encouragement. As if Katsuki needed him.

Did the car speed up again? Katsuki was struggling to gulp in air. It all sped past him, and the exhaust rattled from the strain of accelerating. The momentum, the pressure was unbearable, and he was drowning again.

No. Not again.

He stood up. Deku made a shocked sound beside him, but who gave a shit what that nerd thought? He looked behind the car. The pavement was dark, and what little marks there were on it passed in a blur. 

“S-sit down!” Izuku exclaimed, “That’s dangerous! You could fall out!”

They were going an absurd speed, but if Katsuki launched himself hard enough, and landed in a roll…

“Katsuki,” All Might warned, not even looking behind himself.

He jumped.

There was a scream, Deku’s of course, but for one moment Katsuki was weightless, flying, free. 

Then something grabbed his ankle. His flight was aborted, and his body slammed against the back of the car. Pain burst from multiple areas, his arm, his ribs, a hip, even his chin which jutted against the license plate.

His hair was brushing the road; he could smell the exhaust from down here. It smelled like freedom.

“Let go!” He screamed at Deku, shaking his leg as much as he could while stretched over the back end of the vehicle.

Deku did not let go, because when the fuck did Deku ever listen to him? So Katsuki was stuck flailing like a fish, trying not to scrape his hands against the deadly sander that the pavement below him had become at this speed.

All Might didn’t even slow down.

“You’ll die!” Deku screeched.

“Not your problem!” Katsuki returned while trying to kick him with his other foot.

Unfortunately, Deku snatched his other leg and got more leverage. Worse, he pulled and pulled and pulled, and Katsuki was slowly forced back into that prison of a vehicle. When most his body was in the backseat, Deku finally loosened his grip.

Katsuki tried to jump out again.

Deku was ready this time though, and dragged him back by his arms. He wrestled him down, shoving him down onto the floor. Katsuki tried to twist out, but he was definitely bruised and unwillingly flinched several times from the pain of those spots getting jostled.

In the end, Deku had him pinned down. Both his wrists were held up above his head in Deku’s death grip, and Deku’s lower body was planted over Katsuki’s hip and part of his thigh, meaning all his limbs were neutralized.

Not his voice, though.

“You motherfucking piece of shit!” Katsuki shouted, “I’ll kill you, I’ll throw you overboard myself if I have to! You ain’t satisfied ruining your own life you want to drag me down with you, huh? Is there a brain in there, or is it all empty space?”

All Might spoke above him, “Katsuki, calm down, I want–”

“When I get out of here, I’m going to scrape the floor with your face! That punch was too little, you clearly haven’t learned your lesson!”

“I want to talk–”

“Every day you fucking try me, you useless fucking Deku! Everyone knows you’re a pathetic piece of shit, and if they seem like they don’t then it’s only because they don’t know yet and they’ll figure out soon enough! I’m not like you, so don’t try to act like we’re anywhere near the same level!”

All Might said, “Izuku, shut him up for a minute.”

Deku grimaced, eyes darting all around, but his hands were occupied with keeping Katsuki’s arms down and not punching his lights out. Katsuki didn’t stop shouting. He hurled as many insults as he could. Even if they had taken away his ability to move, at least he could make it unpleasant for them. He wasn’t going to sit and listen to bullshit while pinned down by Deku of all people.

As Katsuki continued his barrage of insults, Deku’s eyes suddenly widened, and he looked down at Katsuki’s lips. His face started to approach his.

Like a horror movie, everything seemed to slow down. No way was Deku going to attempt what that looked like, was he? But he continued to get closer, even as Kacchan snarled to warn him away.

“Sorry,” Deku murmured, as though that could make up for what he was about to do.

At the first kiss, Katsuki bit him. Izuku yelped, pulling back a moment, and Katsuki thought he was safe.

But then Izuku pressed his forehead against Katsuki’s, pinning his skull in place so he had limited mobility to bite. Still, when Deku shut him up again, he fought as much as he could. His lower jaw could still move, and he was able to get slight bites in. He tried to shove him away with his tongue, but Izuku held fast.

He wanted off. He wanted out. He wanted to reach into the hull of the car, rip out the combustion engine with his bare hands, and let it explode over them all.

While Katsuki struggled, he was unable to shout, and so All Might spoke unobstructed. “I’m sorry we have to use such methods, Katsuki, but I truly want to talk to you,” his voice was silky, deeper than he remembered, “I know you know better than to fight me.”

Everything around Katsuki felt slimy. He was way closer than he ever wanted to be to Deku. Worst of all he was suffocating, drowning, helpless.

“I’m going to let Izuku let go of you, alright? And when he does, I want you to get up and come into the passenger seat beside me. You don’t have to share the backseat with Izuku anymore, alright? Can you do that?”

Katsuki made a muffled noise against Izuku’s mouth. His body was straining, aching in pain, and submerged in dread. 

All Might laughed. “Ah, well, close enough. Izuku?”

Finally, finally, Deku backed off, leaving a gross strand of saliva in his wake. As soon as he let go of Katsuki, he brought his sleeve up to his mouth and rubbed vigorously, desperately trying to scrape off every cell that had touched Deku.

He didn’t say anything. He wasn’t about to invite more of that punishment.

Deku’s eyes watched him warily as he pulled himself up. When he got to standing, Deku’s hands hovered as though ready to catch him again.

But Katsuki simply stepped into the front, taking the passenger seat he had been offered. Away from Deku. At least for a little bit.

He took in shuddering breaths. Watching the road made him feel a little less nauseous, but the colored dividers on the road were going by so fast he started to get dizzy again.

All Might kept his foot on the gas, and turned back. “Izuku, cover your ears, alright? I need to talk to Katsuki privately.”

Katsuki hated and craved the mercy. Izuku obediently covered his ears with his hands, and with the wind and engine on top of that there was a good chance he truly couldn’t hear them.

Katsuki didn’t start the conversation. His bones were weary; all he could do was lean against the backrest and force in breaths while waiting for All Might to tell him what torture was next.

“Come now, Katsuki,” All MIght began, voice cloying, “you want power, don’t you?”

Who didn’t? Katsuki didn’t bother answering, it was obvious.

“You imagine power to be purely a matter of physical strength. But there are many forms of power. Power over yourself, power over society, and power over other people. If you want to be truly powerful, you must use every avenue you have available. Don’t give up potential strength simply because it isn’t the exact form you want it.”

“Stop playing games,” Katsuki rasped.

He got to the point. “Use Izuku. Take advantage of his naivete. Wield him, make him your tool, and use him against others. By using him, you’ll be able to get One for All.”

Katsuki could still taste blood. He spat out over the side of the car while he considered. Even if the blood splashed against the exterior, it would blend in with the red paint.

“One for All…” Katsuki said, “...it would grant me a strength beyond Deku’s, right?”

“With One for All, you would never need him again.”

He eyed him warily. “With One for All… could I become even more powerful than you?”

The exhaust sputtered, and All Might shifted the wheel by just a few degrees, enough to send everything careening towards the side. He corrected soon after, pushing everything back, but Katsuki was reminded just how fast they were going.

He looked over at Katsuki with a grin. His eyes were red. “Why don’t you find out?”

If Katsuki wanted to stop all this and escape, he needed One for All. He needed to use everything at his disposal, no matter how disgusting. And then he could throw Deku away and become so powerful that no one would ever be capable of forcing him into that helpless state again.

“Fine,” he surrendered, “I’ll do it. I’ll use Deku.”

Ochako stared across the roof.

“Izuku… again?”

Before Izuku could say anything, Katsuki stepped in front of him to shout at her. “He’s not your opponent, I am!”

Izuku stepped in front of Katsuki to say, “I’m sorry, Ochako, but this is for the best. All for One has shown me the truth of it all, and I realized… it’s time for me to step up! I want to help you get out of these awful situations!”

“But with Katsuki?” Ochako yelled back, “he’s such a jerk!”

Katsuki grabbed Izuku’s wrist and yanked him towards himself. He placed Izuku’s hand on his chest. “Just do it, you damn nerd.”

She didn’t understand at all how Katsuki thought it was okay to treat Izuku so violently, but Izuku didn’t protest. Instead, Izuku pressed close, his palm firmly on Katsuki’s sternum, and Katsuki looked up as though he couldn’t bear to watch the process.

A glow shone through Izuku’s fingers, and then a hilt popped out with a flinch from Katsuki. As the handle was drawn out and a blade slid out of him, Katsuki made a wet choked sound which Izuku didn’t acknowledge.

A warm hand pressed on Ochako’s chest, and she turned to see Himiko looking at her. They had to do it as well. With a nod, Ochako leaned back and let her body grow warm. Slowly, Himiko drew the sword from her, and together they shouted, “Grant us the power of One for All!”

When Ochako had the sword in her hand, she looked across the roof and saw that Katsuki was also holding his sword. His face was tense, determined, as fearsome as their first two matches.

The bells rang, and the duel commenced.

Katsuki jumped forward, going on the offensive immediately. Ochako could anticipate that by now, so she made a quick defense. Noise rang out across the roof as their swords met again and again, a horrible series of parries that had Ochako sweating already.

Izuku called out, “Aim for her right side!”

Suddenly, Katsuki spun and flung his sword behind him. It whizzed through the air towards Izuku, who barely dodged in time to let the sword eventually land behind him.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Katsuki shouted at him.

Ochako tried to take the chance to swipe at Katsuki’s rose, but he slapped the flat side of her sword away with his palm. It threw her off-balance long enough that he was able to sprint towards his lost sword.

Izuku had picked it up, and was holding it like an offering, and still entreated, “Kacchan, I’ve been watching her, she’s slower whenever you go at her from the right, she’s been anticipating and defaulting left moves–”

Katsuki snatched the sword out of his hand. “Your mumbling is creepy as hell.”

Izuku shouted after him, “I’m just trying to help!”

“Well don’t!”

Ochako had chased Katsuki in hope of getting him off-guard, but he was alert even while he yelled at Izuku. The moment she swung, Katsuki was ready to parry. It became clear quickly that this was going to be a tight match. Both of them were sweating, red-faced, desperately trying to get a hit on the other. 

For one beautiful shining moment, Katsuki fell for a feint of hers and she was finally able to slash right at his rose—

Then Izuku jumped in the way, taking a slice across his shoulder. Ochako backed up, not actually wanting to hurt Izuku.

Apparently Katsuki didn’t feel the same, as he grabbed Izuku by his collar and flung him towards the ground. “Fucking– sit still, you dumbass, like the Rose Bride. Don’t jump in and distract me!”

“She was going to get your rose, and I need to be better than the Rose Bride if we’re going to defeat them!”

“There’s no we, it’s me. And I would have dodged without your useless attempt at martyring yourself!”

While they argued, Ochako tried to get another dirty hit in, but Katsuki parried her away and then, worse, jumped unexpectedly close and kicked her stomach, sending her stumbling back.

He didn’t go for her rose, though. Instead, he stalked over to Izuku who was near the edge of the roof but getting up again.

“Didn’t he say we would be stronger together?” Izuku cried out, “I was excited to be by your side again, but you…!”

“I needed you for this—” Katsuki pointed his sword at Izuku, “—but I was using you, obviously. Now that I have my sword, I don’t need your sorry attempt at protection.”

Izuku grabbed the sword and shoved it aside, palm going bloody from the attempt. “We’re supposed to be partners, would it kill you to cooperate for once in your life?”

Ochako got up slowly, marveling at the distraction. Was Izuku trying to help her perhaps? In his own way? 

Katsuki used his non-sword hand to grab Izuku by his collar and lift him to his tiptoes, growling at him. “I don’t want you, so stop your pathetic show and leave me alone.”

His eyes were full of tears. “Kacchan, I just wanted to help–”

Katsuki flung him to the ground, making Izuku yelp. Meanwhile, Ochako stalked quietly towards Katsuki, who was facing away and making more than enough noise complaining to cover her footsteps. She raised her sword.

But Izuku could clearly see her, and pointed her out. “Kacchan, behind you!”

Katsuki spun around to block, then shouted, “Take a swan dive off the roof, nerd!”

Something new lit up in Katsuki, and Ochako couldn’t spare a moment to watch Izuku’s reaction. All she could do was keep up, angling her sword every possible direction to block and redirect every attempt from Katsuki to get her rose. He was feral, lashing out like he was on fire, and Ochako was driven back step by step. He fought to kill—or like he was going to die.

As his fervor reached a peak, and his sword became a terrifying blur, there was a moment when his arm was out and his face was clear that Ochako finally caught a glimpse of the truth of it. “You’re not just angry, are you?” 

“Hah?” Katsuki was abrasive, snapping, and his whole face was scrunched up in furious disgust.

But beneath all of that, below the wrinkles set between his brows, Ochako could see a flicker of something in his eyes that screamed out to her, and when she finally saw it she couldn’t look away from the painful truth.

“No. You’re afraid.”

His grip loosened for a single moment, and that was all Ochako needed. She flicked it, sending it flying, and didn’t waste another second before slicing the rose on Katsuki’s chest.

While he clutched at his chest, sweating with wide eyes, Ochako finally had a chance to look behind him at Izuku.

He stood on the edge of the roof, his back to them. As the wind carried yellow rose petals towards him, He leaned forward.

“Izuku, no!” Ochako screeched, realizing too late what was happening, standing too far to do anything.

A car sped past, wheel on the edge, and hit Izuku from the side. Before he could fall forward, he was sent rolling over the windshield until he landed in the backseat with a pained groan. Injured, but alive.

Himiko waved from the driver’s seat, hands completely off the wheel, until the vehicle rolled to a stop.

Ochako’s shoulders relaxed

As Ochako and Himiko both laid their heads down on their beds, Ochako couldn’t stop thinking about the duel.

“I think Katsuki almost could have beaten me,” Ochako admitted.

“You really think so?”

Ochako turned her head. Their beds were arranged so they could look at each other, though Himiko stayed staring at the ceiling. “He’s pretty strong… but he kept letting himself get distracted by Izuku.”

“Izuku was distracting.”

“But he really was just trying to help,” she said with a frustrated sigh, “if Katsuki had just taken his advice or even just ignored him, he would have done a lot better.”

“Maybe the thought of letting Izuku do all that was worse for Katsuki than losing.”

She frowned. “It doesn’t make sense how much he hates him, though, considering Izuku was willing to almost drown for him. Like, why does he hate him for trying to save him?”

“Perhaps Katsuki didn’t want to be saved.”

“Like he’d rather die than let Izuku help him? He’s just trying to do a nice thing.”

“Is it nice?” Himiko was still staring at the ceiling. “Izuku deciding Katsuki needs to be saved from the way he was living? Telling him he’s not living his life correctly and needs to be rescued from his own choices. Is that heroism? Is it arrogance?” She turned her head to look into Ochako’s eyes. “Is it both?”

For a moment, Ochako was frozen, unable to breath, staring into Himiko’s bright yellow eyes. A streetlight screaming at her to slow down.

But Ochako wasn’t done with the conversation. “I don’t think Katsuki wanted to drown.”

“He chose to swim in dangerous water. He lives and dies at his own risk.” Himiko giggled. “And besides, Izuku didn’t even really save him, did he? He almost drowned himself. He tried to prove himself better, and failed at doing anything other than insulting him.”

“Trying is better than nothing, though.”

“Is it? Would you still try to save someone who was drowning, even if you were likely to drown yourself?”

Ochako reached out a hand between them. “Yes.”

Himiko put her hand in hers. “Even if they don’t want to be saved?”

She didn’t know what to say, so she just squeezed Himiko’s hand.

After a minute, Ochako dared to ask, “Are we still talking about Katsuki?”

Himiko giggled. “Of course we are.”

She pushed through her muddy thoughts to the naked center of her feelings towards the duel. “Then I still think he’s a coward.”

“For wanting to drown?”

“For being so afraid of being seen as weak that he’ll reject any hand that reaches for him. For being scared of getting better. For seeing all of Izuku’s actions as a power play instead of a bid for friendship.”

For some reason, Himiko’s face had gone completely neutral, no more smiles. “You think they’ll ever truly be friends?”

Ochako sighed. “I hope so.”

They kept their hands clasped as they fell asleep.

Chapter Text

“Bye Ochako, Himiko, I’ll see you in a week!” Mina called out as she exited the school gate.

Ochako waved. Himiko simply smiled. Around them, dozens of students were making their way outside of the school. One week of vacation where they could see their families and hopefully relax. A brief respite from the world of UA.

Himiko turned to her. “Shall we go back?”

She nodded.

Ochako had spent vacations at school before. Her parents sometimes offered to pay transportation for her to get home, but Ochako knew how tight money was. There weren’t just the tickets there and back, there was also all the food she would eat while home. Them offering was polite, but she knew the best way to support her parents for now was to reduce their burden as much as she could. Like a hero would.

The scholarship she’d received to get into this school was a blessing. She didn’t have to pay to eat at the dorms. And now that she lived with Himiko and All Might, more often than not one or both of them would cook for her. She had no doubt that the principal of the school could afford to feed her, and he never discouraged her from eating her fill.

This time, she wasn’t alone in her dorm room all break. It seemed like things would be nice.

“What should we do with all this free time?” Ochako mused out loud as they made their way back to the principal’s building.

“There’s some larger projects I need to deal with in the rose garden,” Himiko told her.

“Yeah? Want some help?”

Ochako imagined herself in the greenhouse with Himiko, matching dirt under their fingernails. It would be interesting to have Himiko tell her what to do, since Ochako didn’t know much about gardening she would need her guidance. Would they spend every day there? Ochako wasn’t sure how big the projects were, but surely Himiko could use some of her muscle.

“No thanks,” Himiko said.

She deflated. “Are you sure?”

Smiling. “Should I not be?”

Now Ochako was the uncertain one. She wanted her to, but wasn’t it meaningless if Himiko didn’t actually want Ochako there? “I mean, it wouldn’t be any trouble, I would probably just hang around the house bored otherwise…”

They were at the door and Himiko rang the bell before Ochako could say anything else. As per usual, All Might came down and opened the door, then the gate, both using those giant keys. He locked each one behind him as they entered.

“What a blessing to have two beautiful girls with me during this break!” All Might declared.

Though the compliment made Ochako feel a little awkward, Himiko seemed perfectly pleased with it as she responded, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

All Might turned to Ochako as they entered the kitchen. “What do you want to do this break?”

The intensity of his gaze made Ochako fluster, that was a lot of attention. “Uh, anything! Relaxing? It’s nice to get a break from schoolwork.”

“You can ask for more,” All Might said.

“I don’t know,” Ochako wasn’t used to asking for more than she needed to survive, “what do you want to do?”

He laughed. “Have you ever seen my comic collection?”

She hadn’t, so he led them up to the comic room. The towered structure of the principal’s building made for many levels, but each was often just one room with a small hall space near the stairs for privacy. First floor was the entrance and a parlor, second floor was the kitchen and diner area, third floor was Ochako and Himiko’s room, fourth floor was the comic room, and above that was All Might’s room. So of course, Ochako hadn’t had reason before to go above her own room.

All Might opened the door, and inside was a room filled floor-to-ceiling with comic books. All around them, against every wall were skinny bookshelves that got as close to the circular wall as they could, with every shelf filled up with hundreds, no thousands of issues, plus various collections of volumes. All the spines were colorful but each pocket of individual franchises felt organized and aligned perfectly.

The furniture had been relegated to the center of the room. Primarily just a comfy-looking pristine white couch. In front of it, she saw a projector propped up on a shelve of CDs and VHS tapes, but it wasn’t on. Ahead of it, there was something wide and white hanging from the ceiling, probably a screen for the projector.

All Might grinned at her slack-jawed expression. “You are welcome to enjoy any and all of my collection. I’m sure there will be something in there to entertain your fancies.”

“T-thank you!” Ochako exclaimed, stars still in her eyes at the sheer amount around her.

How much was each issue? Each volume? Many were even hardcover. She grew dizzy trying to calculate the cost, the value of this treasure trove.

And it was hers to peruse.

On the second day of break, Ochako giggled over some more of those comics. They were fun to read, definitely a nice change from the textbooks she had been forcing herself through.

This comic reminded her of Himiko, so she left the comic room to try and find her. “Himiko?”

No matter where she looked though, she was nowhere to be found. She checked their bedroom, the kitchen, and every other room she had access to. She even looked out the window, in case she was out in the yard or something. Since the door and gate were locked, Ochako couldn’t go out looking for her by herself.

Eventually, she went upstairs and knocked on All Might’s door. She had never been to his room, but she was aware of it at the top level of the building. It had her shifting nervously on her feet, but she steeled herself. He might be All Might himself, but he was also just Himiko’s dad.

When he opened the door, Ochako caught a glimpse inside. She saw a lot of machinery, some medical-looking stuff, including beeping machines and a plastic mask attached to some tubing on the bed.

Before she could look any more closely though, All Might stepped out of his room, forcing her to step back, and closed the door behind himself. He clicked it shut with a little key in the palm of his hand, keeping his eyes locked on her as he did so. “Ochako!” he exclaimed, nothing but mirth in his voice, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I was um, looking for Himiko?” Something about his confidence made her question herself sometimes.

He laughed. “Oh my darling daughter? I let her go out to that little greenhouse earlier today, she must still be there.”

Ochako frowned. Himiko hadn’t even offered to let Ochako come with her. Did she want to be alone?

“Are you lonely?” All Might asked.

She blinked, realizing how much must have been showing on her face. “It’s fine! I just wanted to show her one of your comics, this one reminded me of her…”

He eyed it. “Ah. There’s another arc that matches her much better, though.”

“Is there?”

“I’ll show you another day. There’s even a movie of it.” He leaned down, but he was so tall that when he leaned he was still above her. “Since Himiko’s abandoned you, why don’t we have a little fun for ourselves?”

For some reason, Ochako’s palms were sweating. She usually had Himiko or someone else with her when she interacted with All Might… with his big personality, it helped to have a buffer, and without one she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to keep up. “What kind of fun?”

He grinned. “Let’s go out. What would you like? The amusement park? Arcade? Museum?”

Those were places Ochako only ever went on rare school trips. Otherwise, it wasn’t worth the expense. “I would feel bad going out to something that fun without Himiko.”

His grin never dropped. “She wouldn’t mind. She prefers to stay at school, in her garden.”

“Still,” Ochako insisted, backing up again.

All Might looked at her several long seconds. Ochako wanted to walk away, but that would have been rude to do to the principal and the man who was letting her live in his house. So she waited in uncertain silence.

Even if Himiko had said it was normal, the thought of just going out on a drive with All Might by herself felt a little weird.

He still hadn’t stopped smiling. “How about we get my sweet daughter a surprise, then?”

“...A surprise?”

“She specializes in roses, but she loves other flowers too.The greenhouse is so small she has no space to grow anything else, and this building isn’t suited for gardening… but I believe she would love a bouquet.”

She perked up at the thought. A gift for Himiko? That felt sweet. “You think so?”

“I’m her father, I know so. Come.”

So she followed him downstairs. They stopped at the comic room to drop off the comic she had been carrying, and then left the building. Unlock, lock the door. Unlock, lock the gate. All Might seemed to have a massive number of keys in his pockets. Ochako imagined he could open anything in the whole school.

Did he ever unlock the roof? Had he seen the dueling arena?

“There’s a lovely florist downtown with wonderful arrangements,” All Might explained, “it’s a quick drive. We can be back before Himiko even realizes we’re gone.”

They walked towards the parking lot, passing parts of campus along the way. The school was quiet now, with so many people out on break with their families. Ochako was about to go out now too, however briefly.

She was glad there was no one there to witness them as All Might led her to his shiny red convertible, sitting like a landmark in the middle of a deserted parking lot. He glided his hand along the edge, stroking the paint job. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

Ochako didn’t know much about cars, but she knew about money, and this had to have cost a lot. “Yes.”

He opened the passenger side door for her. It felt a little silly, she was more than capable of opening it herself, but she wasn’t about to spurn All Might’s kindness. He was just old-fashioned. The seat was plush, probably real leather. 

All Might brought out another key. He jammed it into the ignition, gave a firm turn, and the car came to life.

“Are you ready to have some fun?” All Might asked.

Ochako didn’t know what to say, so she vaguely laughed.

It was enough of a response that All Might didn’t say anything else as he drove out of the parking lot. They left the school gates, and Ochako realized she couldn’t remember the last time she had left the school grounds.

They kept a steady, polite pace down various streets. The engine let out a pleasant thrum along the way that almost put her to sleep. “How far is downtown?” Ochako asked.

“Don’t worry.”

She tried not to worry. She wondered how long Himiko was going to be out gardening. Would she worry if she got back and they weren’t there?

“Should we have left a note?” Ochako asked.

“It will be fine,” All Might said.

They were getting a gift for Himiko, she would surely understand.

When All Might finally parked the car, though, they weren’t at a florist. Instead, they were at a zoo.

“...Huh?”

“I’ve been wanting to go to the zoo,” All Might said, “we’ll go to the florist afterwards. Won’t you do the kindness of granting an old man some company?”

“You’re not that old.”

She wasn’t sure how old he was. But he didn’t seem old, even if his hair was so blonde it almost seemed to be going white. 

He got out of the car and opened the passenger side door. “So? You won’t be embarrassed walking around with me?”

Where was such coyness coming from? “Of course not,” Ochako muttered, still a little confused and concerned that they weren’t at the florist.

“Then let’s go.”

A cougar prowled along the glass barrier separating them. Ochako marveled at its sleek posture and gorgeous yellow color.

“I feel like I could reach out and pet it,” Ochako commented.

All Might beside her chuckled. “That would be a bad idea.”

They had been through several exhibits, and by now Ochako felt light. This wasn’t the day she expected, but once she let go a little it was a great change of pace. She wanted to be a little silly. “Aww, but she’s so cute. I bet she’d behave for me. Look!”

The cougar rolled onto its back, looking every bit the affectionate housecat trying to lure its owner to touch its soft belly.

All Might put a hand against the glass, looking down on the creature. “She’s kept caged for a reason. She could tear out your throat in seconds.”

Ochako pouted. “Don’t you think she’d enjoy being out? This enclosure doesn’t seem that big.”

“There is plenty grass and some places for her to hide. The zoo has designed the environment precisely for her. If you think about it, she’s much better off than those in the wild, who don’t get their dinner hand-delivered every day.”

“She’s alone, though.”

The big cat went back and forth in that precisely designed environment, but didn’t get to interact with anyone. It reminded Ochako of previous school vacations, where she used to pace the school grounds alone with all of her friends gone home.

What would a lifetime of that loneliness feel like? With nothing but the occasional jailer coming by to toss in some chicken?

All Might laughed. “When I was here some years ago, they had two, but it seems they’ve gotten rid of one. Taking care of two is expensive.”

He put a hand on her head and ruffled it a bit. Ochako went entirely stiff, somewhat shocked. Her parents used to ruffle her hair when she was young, but this was… All Might wasn’t…

“It’s cute of you to worry,” he said before releasing her, “but don’t worry, the adults have it handled.”

Ochako swallowed hard. He had already started walking to the next exhibit. She surreptitiously ran her hands through her hair, trying to neaten it up a bit before moving on to the next area. 

Near the end of the exhibits was a little carousel, clearly a hit with the kids and preteens. It was the kind Ochako had occasionally seen at the mall as a kid that always cost money to ride on. This one was themed with all sorts of zoo animals. Pandas, zebras, and yes a cougar too.

All Might stared at it with a glint in his eye. “I love the carousel.”

“Do you?”

He nodded. “An endless ride. Purely the joy of movement without the unnecessary requirement of a destination. If I were a younger man, I would ride it over and over again, even now.”

All Might looked down at her meaningfully. She gulped, suspecting his intention.

“I’m too old, too,” Ochako said, noting the size of the animals were sized for children.

“Nonsense, look, those teens just went on.”

Indeed, there were two teens laughing as they exited the gates of the ride, a boy and a girl. Based on how they touched and teased each other, they were probably dating.

All Might nudged her. “Come on, indulge an old man. It would make me so happy to see a youngster enjoy the ride of my youth.”

Ochako hesitated, but before she could find some other objection, All Might was already approaching the operator with cash in hand. 

He went through all this trouble to take her out and seemed nostalgic about this ride, so cooperating was probably the path of least resistance. She entered the gates, and tried to not be embarrassed by the fact that she was probably the biggest person on there. She looked at the cougar.

“Ride the red panda!” All Might shouted to her.

He was paying, so she changed course and swung a leg over the red panda. After a minute where some kids found their respective animals of choice, lights flickered on, music played, and the ride began to move.

The pole moved up and down gently. The whole thing spun, not even fast enough to be dizzy, but Ochako felt light-headed all the same. What was she doing here? Riding a fake plastic red panda while her friend’s father smiled at her from the sidelines? He was about to take her on a car ride that would be much faster than this, but still he seemed to relish her embarrassed cling to the pole.

Though Ochako didn’t know how long the ride lasted, it felt like eons. Going around and around with no end goal, just trapped in the same endless loop for eternity.

Did All Might truly enjoy this?

When the music finally died down and the ride slowed to a stop, Ochako slipped off the uncomfortable plastic figurine.

“Get back on,” All Might said from the side, grinning and passing some more money to the attendant.

The money had already exchanged hands, so Ochako begrudgingly got back on the red panda.

Again. The same cycle. The same music. The same movements. That same pleased expression on All Might’s face every time she was turned his direction.

When it finally ended, Ochako jumped off the moment it stopped. She hurried to the attendant’s station, where All Might already had some more money in his hand to pass over.

She looped her arm through his and tugged him away. “No, I’m done.”

He laughed and allowed her to pull him away. “Oh my, so bold. Trying to take me somewhere?”

Her face flushed, uncertain how to parse that. She was embarrassed, but she didn’t want to take it out on an old man who was just trying to relive what apparently brought him a lot of joy as a kid. Either way, they were far enough that she felt alright letting go of him. “Sorry, I was just… I didn’t want to ride again. Sorry. I know you like it a lot, but I think I really am too old.”

His hand came down on her head and ruffled her hair again. “It’s cute seeing you all flustered,” All Might said, “but don’t worry, I’ll let you take a break from the carousel, at least for today.”

For today?

Ochako stared at herself in the zoo bathroom mirror. They finally finished their lap through the exhibits, so hopefully they would go to the florist now. The sun was right above them in the sky, so there was a good chance they would make it back before Himiko was done with her gardening.

Ochako’s reflection looked just a bit frazzled. She straightened out her hair with her fingers again. No matter what she did, it didn’t get quite neat. Like All Might had created a little cowlick. Was that weird? Would Himiko see it and misunderstand what it meant? She wished Himiko was here.

But she wasn’t, so she left the bathroom alone and looked for the man who had brought her to the zoo. He had gone through all this trouble to take her out; she wanted to make sure he was having a good time.

All Might stood in the lobby with a wide grin and a cougar plushie so gigantic that even when he held it up to his torso, its bottom paws nearly touched the ground.

“Uh…” she smiled on instinct, returning his expression, “where’d you get that?”

“I bought it at the gift shop!” he exclaimed, “Here!”

When he pushed the huge stuffed animal into Ochako’s arms, she almost dropped it. It already looked big in All Might’s arms, but in hers it was positively ginormous, covering her whole body. “N-no way! This is too much…”

She knew it was too much. She knew when she walked into any store not to look at the biggest item on display. Her parents loved her, and she loved them enough to make her requests in the clearance section. She didn’t need this much.

“No need to be coy,” All Might insisted, refusing to take it back, “I bought it just for you. Don’t worry, it’s only natural that I show my appreciation to a lovely young woman willing to indulge me on a little trip.”

“It's still too much,” Ochako knew that dream deals were more often than not scams underneath, “I couldn’t…”

“Shh, I do this sort of thing all the time for Himiko. You know, it’s been such a joy to have you living with me, I sometimes think of you as my daughter as well.”

That comment was so strange, Ochako buried her face into the cougar’s fur to hide her reddening face. Her voice was muffled through it. “I’m sure you’re exaggerating. You’re very kind.”

Ochako tried to remember her parents. It had been so long since she had seen them. Did they ever make her feel like this? Strangely flustered and uncertain, spoiled in a way she couldn’t reject?

He laughed. “So shy. Come, we should get that into the car, you look like you’ll collapse under the weight.”

The cougar plushie ended up in the backseat, which it easily filled. Ochako hoped it wouldn’t fall out of the car—there were no seatbelts to secure it.

They got into the car, but he didn’t start it up just yet. All Might stretched in his seat and hummed, unhurried.

“Hmm, all that walking around really worked up my appetite…” All Might looked at her out of the corner of his eye, like he was expecting something from her.

She wasn’t sure. It was near lunchtime. “If we hurry back after the florist, there’s some curry in the fridge I think…?”

All Might shook his head. “That’ll take ages, I’m hungry now. Surely you’re hungry now too, right? It would be terribly rude of me to take you out without considering your needs.”

He was still waiting. Ochako felt like a student desperately looking for the right answer so the teacher could move on with the lesson. “Oh, um… I guess maybe we could stop somewhere?”

His smile went so wide that it was obvious that had been the correct idea. “Great idea!”

The menu didn’t have prices. Ochako squinted at it, but there was no indication as to what was cheapest, so she was already sweating. Her ordering technique required a delicate balance between potential volume of food versus the cost, but now she couldn’t make any calculation.

It didn’t help that she didn’t recognize half the dishes listed. Were some of them in another language? French? Italian? She couldn’t tell.

“Order whatever you want,” All Might assured her.

She swallowed hard. “I… I don’t know…”

The restaurant, despite being made cozy by various columns that helped block the view of other patrons and created a sense of privacy, felt huge. Or perhaps Ochako just felt small. A child who had never been at a restaurant this fancy and wanted to be thankful but mostly just felt a hot flush of embarrassment building up at her neck.

The waiter came over. “Are we ready to order?”

Ochako tried to smile. She wanted a glass of water. “Um, just a water to start–”

“I’ll have the scallop pasta, and she’ll have the filet mignon,” All Might said, “And I’ll have a glass of merlot. Please give her some pomegranate juice.”

When the waiter turned to leave, Ochako let out a sigh of relief. It was done, All Might had taken care of it.

She had never had pomegranates, nor its juice. She wasn’t sure if she would like it or not. She wished she had a glass of water with how much she was sweating.

“You’ll enjoy it,” All Might assured her.

She forced on a smile. He was being nice. “I’m sure.” She scrambled to remember any manners she’d ever learned. “Thank you.”

He waved a hand. “It’s nothing, really. Especially not for such a good girl.”

“You exaggerate.”

“Not at all.” He leaned forward. “After all, you’re so kind to my daughter. Even when she’s…”

Ochako blinked at him. “When she’s…?”

Did he know about the dueling games?

He continued, “Well I’m sure she gives you a little trouble, on occasion.”

“She’s no trouble at all.”

His eyes crinkled. “You don’t need to lie to me.”

By then the waiter returned with their drinks. Ochako stared at the magenta liquid in front of her, uncertain. Another thing All Might bought her, that she and even her parents would never have bought. The convertible outside still had that huge plushie. 

All Might lifted his glass and motioned towards her. She recognized the invitation, so she picked hers up.

The glass was heavy. She clinked it against All Might’s, as anyone would do, and brought it up to her lips.

Her lips hesitated against the edge. The liquid brushed up against her mouth, so close she could smell the fruity flavor. For some reason, her heart was pounding, like once she took a sip she would be accepting it all. The gifts, the attention, the spoiling like she had never known.

Across the table, All Might had already drunk some of his glass, and was now staring at her with an expectant smile.

Ultimately, he had the best intentions. He just wanted to be kind to his daughter’s friend, right? Himiko would understand this? He was the principal of the school; he wouldn’t do anything that wasn’t normal or acceptable. It was Ochako who wasn’t used to the behavior of the rich and was assigning way too much meaning to this all, wasn’t she? If she dropped the drink and ran out of the restaurant now, he would be disappointed. Himiko would probably laugh that something so small had turned her so strangely nervous. All Might was still watching her. She didn’t want to insult Himiko’s father.

Under his watchful gaze, she forced herself to take a sip.

The juice was tart, a bit strong for her tastes. It slid down her parched throat and coated her esophagus. It was inside her now.

She put the glass down.

“How is it?” All Might asked.

She swallowed. It had tainted her mouth, and now every swallow tasted like the juice. “Delicious.”

They finally made it to the flower shop. Ochako’s stomach was full, and she didn’t even overthink when All Might reached over and pulled her shoulder so she would walk closer to him when a car sped past a bit too close to the curb. She understood now he was just a giving guy. All she had to do was accept it, and eventually she would get back home to Himiko.

Once they were inside the shop, Ochako asked, “What kind of flowers does Himiko like?”

“All of them.”

She laughed, looking around the shop. There was a much larger variety than Himiko’s rose garden, and she needed to narrow down her options. “But what kinds of preferences does she have?”

All Might chuckled. “She doesn’t have preferences.”

They ended up getting the most expensive bouquet.

They didn’t say anything while getting back to the car. Ochako carried the bouquet, a mass of colorful flowers and filler plants that she couldn’t decipher. Wasn’t there a language of flowers? Did Himiko know it? What was this bouquet trying to say?

Sorry?

The engine revved, and they were off. Ochako could only hope they were going back to campus.

“I hope Himiko likes the flowers,” Ochako said.

“It’s sweet of you to worry,” All Might said.

“We’re friends, after all.”

“Do you think you’ll be friends forever?”

Ochako stared down at the bright, colorful flowers that would wilt eventually. Was there a way to capture eternity? One could press or dry petals, but they would still inevitably die. “I hope so.”

The sounds of traffic around them allowed for a break, and Ochako wondered if he would drop it and let them to go home without any more conversation. She was starting to get drowsy, comfortably sinking into the leather chair.

But as the traffic cleared, All Might said, “You were a wonderful companion today.”

She shivered as wind passed over the car. Manners, what was polite? “Thank you for taking me out,” she tried, “I know I’m just your daughter’s friend, but it was… nice of you.”

He was smiling. “Nonsense, in fact, can I tell you a secret?”

“...What?”

“I had such fun with you I kept forgetting about Himiko. You must stop thinking of yourself as just her friend to me, I like you as an individual, Ochako. You’re a blossoming young woman, with a maturity beyond your age. Have more confidence.”

Ochako brushed back some hair that had blown out of place. There was probably still a cowlick from when he ruffled it before too. “...You think so?”

“You’re growing beautifully. I’m sure you’ve enjoyed girlish games with Himiko, but I can tell that you’re no longer a child, are you?”

She swallowed hard. She wasn’t sure what she was anymore. She didn’t feel like a child, but she felt much too uncertain and unstable to be an adult. “I’m not sure.”

“You didn’t want to ride the carousel.”

Ochako’s cheeks flushed at the memory. “That’s little kid stuff.”

“Himiko is a carousel, Ochako. She’s happy to play as a kid forever. Your next step may be beyond her.”

She didn’t know what to say to that, so she didn’t say anything and let the sound of the engine wash over her.

By the time they got back to campus, the sun was setting. Ochako was exhausted, but satisfied. It was as though she had been transported to another world and became a princess for a day. She was more used to All Might now. She knew to wait in the car for him to come around and open the door for her.

When he did, he said, “Good, you’re learning.”

The certainty in his tone for some reason made her flush, somewhere halfway between embarrassment and pleased satisfaction.

“I’ll take the bouquet, you bring your new stuffed animal,” he told her.

They made their way together to the principal’s estate. Ochako could barely see beyond the faux fur against her face, but she followed All Might’s footsteps. He wouldn’t lead her astray.

They got close to the gate, a little movement from the free corner of Ochako’s eye made her shift enough to see properly in front of her, and she saw Himiko waving.

Himiko was standing beside the gate, waving with her whole arm, and Ochako immediately broke out into a cold sweat.

“Pumpkin,” All MIght called out, “we bought you a gift.”

“Aww,” Himiko cooed, “you didn’t have to.”

The enthusiasm in her voice eased Ochako’s a bit. Maybe it all was normal. Himiko seemed happy to accept the bouquet into her arms.

All Might brought out his key and unlocked the gate. Suddenly, Ochako wondered if Himiko had thought to bring a spare key with her when she had gone out gardening.

“...Did you wait out there long?” Ochako asked, afraid.

Himiko grinned, face red. “I would wait a lifetime for you.”

It wasn’t a real answer, but she wasn’t sure if she really wanted the truth.

They eventually got inside, once again All Might unlocking the front door. He locked it behind them, too. 

“I’m gonna go put this away,” Ochako told them, excusing herself.

Maybe All Might would apologize for making Himiko wait, if he needed to. Ochako still didn’t understand the rules here, or how their family dynamic worked, even though All Might seemed determined to insert her in there. With Himiko’s gaze heavy on her, she just needed a moment. A moment alone.

She got to her room and immediately dropped the plushie on the floor. Why had she even gotten it? She didn’t particularly like stuffed animals in the first place. The cougar looked up at her from the floor, as though asking her what she was doing.

Even Ochako wasn’t sure. She just needed a minute, a second to really think things over…

The door opened behind her.

She jumped, eliciting a giggle from the intruder. “It’s just me,” Himiko said.

Ochako willed herself to calm down. This was their shared room after all. Himiko coming in wasn’t strange. “Hi!” Her voice squeaked.

“Daddy got you a huge stuffie.”

Ochako looked around the room. Himiko’s plushies were everywhere around them, on shelves and piled in the edges of the room. “Did All Might buy you all of yours too?”

“Yes. He does.”

The cougar was bigger than any of the others. Much bigger.

“He just got carried away,” Ochako tried to excuse him, “I thought we were just going to the florist, but he was really excited for the zoo, I guess, so… I think he felt bad, since I didn’t want to go at first, he was trying to make up for it.”

“It’s okay.”

She swallowed. Himiko was smiling, so she wanted to believe it was okay, but there was a slimy wriggling in her gut that wouldn’t let up. “...Is it?”

Himiko came close and slowly, deliberately, wrapped her arms around Ochako. “Daddy loves us both. That’s okay.”

Ochako flushed again, and that feeling in her stomach got worse. “But he’s your dad, not mine, it’s… it’s a lot.”

“He’ll be happier if you accept it.”

Ochako brought up her arms to hug Himiko back. “What about you?”

She didn’t respond for a minute.

Himiko let go of her and escaped the embrace. “I love you, I love Daddy, of course I love if you love each other too.”

Was it normal? All Might thought so. Himiko thought so. Ochako couldn’t make any sense of it, but these two were pressing and pulling her into something she didn’t understand. Was it normal?

It had to be.

There were swords. Hundreds of ghosts surrounded the girl, each wielding a sword of their own. It was going to hurt. She was going to be impaled in every single part of her body. They pointed their swords at her, standing in the center of it all, and–

Ochako woke up sweating and disoriented. She forced her eyes open to look at the glow in the dark stickers on the ceiling, but since the light had been out for so long, their glow had faded and she was blanketed in darkness. 

She reached out, seeking Himiko’s hand, but there was nothing reaching out to her. By then, her eyes adjusted enough to scan Himiko’s bed, and she discovered it was empty. It wasn’t the first time Himiko had left her in the night. Every time, Ochako had just gone back to sleep. Even when Himiko said she had to go out to see her father in the dead of night.

Well Himiko and her father lived together, so did they really need to see each other so late at night still?

Ochako got up. Maybe Himiko was in the bathroom. For some reason, Ochako didn’t think she could sleep until she was certain Himiko was okay.

So she stepped out into her slippers. Soft, plush pink that All Might had already prepared for her even before she moved into this building. After confirming there was no one in the bathroom on their floor, she shuffled out of the room and took the stairs down to the kitchen. Perhaps Himiko just couldn’t sleep, and had decided to prepare herself some warm milk.

There was no one in the kitchen.

So Ochako ascended the steps again. This building was like a tower, round and tight, so the stairs were a spiral. She went around in circles over and over, but got higher with each revolution. Her calves started to burn—though she went up stairs to the roof every duel, somehow these steps felt more treacherous. They were smaller, and exposed so if her foot slipped she could lose her whole leg in the vertical space between the steps. The constant spin around the central pole also didn’t help, leaving her dizzy by the time she reached the room just above her and Himiko’s.

The comic room.

Perhaps Himiko had been bored when she woke up, and felt like reading some comics to lull herself back to sleep. Ochako could join her, and they could go back to bed together. Like friends.

Like family.

There was a dull light coming from underneath the door to the comic room. Quietly, slowly, Ochako opened it, not wanting to startle Himiko.

At first she didn’t see Himiko, though. Instead, she saw the back of All Might’s head, from above the back cushion of the couch. His dress shirt was opened, so casually wide that his whole neck and shoulder were exposed.

It made sense he would be here, he loved comics after all. Wearing his formal clothes was a little weird; she could see a black suit jacket slung over the back of the couch, but maybe he hadn’t changed into pajamas yet. Ochako opened her mouth, hoping to ask him if he’d seen Himiko, or if he had any clue where she would go in the middle of the night.

Then long blonde hair came into view, hidden previously by All Might’s head but tilting now into Ochako’s line of sight. Ochako took another hesitant step and got an even better angle, which allowed her to see Himiko sitting on All Might’s lap, wearing nothing but her flimsy nightgown. Her legs were braced on either side of him, so she had him in between her bare legs, and she had hands firmly on the top of his neck and on a shoulder. Between those hands, All Might’s naked skin, his neck, was exposed, and Himiko brought her face up close to the space. Her hair was down, creating a curtain that covered All Might’s face from view.

Himiko’s eyes flicked up and met Ochako’s.

Ochako held her breath, staring, heart pounding. This wasn’t the sweet and energetic Himiko who called Ochako pet names and laughed at her jokes. It wasn’t even the oddly cooperative, passive Himiko who never expressed her preferences.

This was a predator who opened her mouth to reveal her sharp canines in the corners, and whose sharp yellow eyes raged like a caution sign abandoned on the highway for years.

Himiko bit down, still looking at Ochako.

Ochako flinched on instinct, but was too terrified to make a sound. All Might flinched as well, and let out a pained noise she never would have imagined coming from a man like him. He didn’t push Himiko off, even though his head leaned away from her as though he couldn’t bear to be too close. No wonder, with how Himiko had thoroughly surrounded him.

Himiko opened her mouth slowly, giving Ochako a long hard look at the damage she had done. Down near the base of All Might’s neck, where his shirt collar normally covered, were two dots of red slowly growing bigger. 

Her mouth clamped down, surrounding the wells of blood, and Himiko’s cheeks suctioned, sucking up the blood. All Might shook occasionally, but the only sound came when Himiko adjusted her latch on occasion, leading to the soft sound of a kiss with every shift against his neck.

Inside of Ochako, her own blood pounded and went right up to her cheeks. The sound of it pulsing filled her ears. Himiko still had her eyes locked onto Ochako’s.

What did Himiko want from her?

Ochako turned and fled. She closed the door as quietly as she could bear, and ran down the stairs in such haste she almost fell.

She dove into bed and brought up her covers over herself.

What had she gotten herself into?

Chapter Text

Ochako was getting warm on the couch in the comic room.

“This is one of my favorite arcs,” Himiko said from her left.

“I’m done with this page, go on,” All Might said from her right.

They were both squished up against her sides, reading over her shoulder as she read these issues for the first time. “Guys!” Ochako whined, “let me concentrate!”

Nothing had changed from last night. Himiko hadn’t said anything. Ochako hadn’t asked anything. And when All Might had suggested at breakfast they all read comics together, Ochako had agreed with the desperate hope that things would start to feel normal again and that nightmare would somehow fade.

They almost did. It helped when they stopped bugging her and she was able to actually absorb herself in the story. All Might’s chuckle and Himiko’s giggle melded together as she tried to focus on the comic.

“Oh no!” Ochako cried out, “He’s lost his power… so he can’t be a hero anymore, right?”

Her companions both laughed. “Aww… are you really worried?”

Ochako guffawed. “Um, of course? He was tricked, and his power is gone… how is he supposed to get out of this?”

“He will,” Himiko said.

“But how can you guarantee it?”

All Might put a hand on her shoulder. “Ochako.”

She turned to him.

“People buy the comic to see what will happen next, so the writer must end on a cliffhanger. The threat of change, the threat of a true disruption, means everyone will be desperate to buy the next issue. That’s what makes the comic publishers their money, the desperation of all those people to see what happens next, but in the end…”

All Might waved his arm out around the room, where comic books lined up and down all the walls. An infinity of stories.

“...They must return to status quo, so they can tell the story we all expect. They will repeat over and over again, so the publishers can keep making more and more money. Even if one writer tries to change the whole thing for a shocking twist ending, the next writer will find a way to reset so they can tell the same story we all want to hear again and again. In the end, it must adhere to the formula. The story will repeat forever.”

Ochako stared at the Hero on the final page of the book, exhausted, twisted in despair. “So they’ll never be able to rest? They’re doomed to repeat the cycle forever?”

“That is their role. The Hero must save, the Villain must threaten, and the Victim must suffer.”

Once again, she stared out around the room. She had been reading comics every day since break started, and yet there was so much still left to read. How many volumes were spent with these characters in the depths of despair? Or granted a fleeting happiness, the promise of a happy ending, only to have the story end with a big To Be Continued… and a threat of yet another disaster? How many times did they imagine a step forward only to find themselves running in place?

Himiko nudged her. “Aww, are you sad, Ochako?”

She was frowning. “Nobody ever truly wins, do they? The Hero saves the day, but the Villain always escapes just enough to cause trouble another day, so things never stay saved. And the Villain might get close to winning, but is always thwarted by the Hero at the last minute. And through it all… the Victim is just meant to suffer?”

“Don’t be sad,” Himiko said, leaning against her, “they belong in those roles. They’re used to it. They might even be happy.”

All Might pulled out another book. “It’s the nature of the genre, dear. Accept it, so you can enjoy the story. Here, this arc gets even more exciting in the next volume…”

Himiko got into His car. Shiny convertible painted a red that matched the Rose Bride’s dress she was wearing. Of course she sat on the passenger side.

He slammed his driver side door and revved the engine. It always started like this, a stubborn silence. He hated talking to her.

But He had no choice.

She knew better than to start talking. No matter what topic she chose, He wouldn’t enjoy it.

When they got out of the parking lot, He began, “Why do you torture me like this?”

Himiko didn’t respond. She didn’t need to.

“It’s inside you, my beautiful shining thing… you taunt me with it. No, not just taunt… you use me.”

He revved the engine again. They got onto an on-ramp. The wind blew open the collar of His shirt, and she could see the two circular scars on His neck.

“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”

She took in a breath. Tried to imagine herself anywhere else. “I’m sorry.”

They were on the highway now. Himiko’s hair was down, and it whipped around her, slapping her face, like a hundred tiny knives.

She had felt worse.

His foot pressed down on the gas pedal. The highway was empty save for the lights and the markings on the road speeding by,

“Sorry?” He guffawed. “Sorry doesn’t cut it. Sorry doesn’t bring it back to me, where it belongs. You say you’re sorry, but you turn me into your blood bag, you demand my love, you… you’re a parasite.”

They continued to accelerate, so steadily that Himiko was pressed to the back of her seat. His hands were clenched so tight on the steering wheel Himiko could see the veins popping out. It made her hungry.

Himiko said, “I’m just trying to survive.”

They were going so fast the world around them was blurring. The wind, his fury, all of it brought a familiar thrumming in her chest, her back, all throughout her body. As they got faster and faster, the sensations increased.

She didn’t ask Him to stop or slow down. He wouldn’t, no matter how much she begged.

He snarled, “If I could tear it out of you, and possess it without you as a vessel, I want you to know that I would.”

“I know.”

She knew the only thing keeping her at His side, preciously spoiled, that kept her inside that comforting coffin of a school, was that power inside her which she had stolen. It was the only thing that made her worth loving in any way.

The ghosts, demands, prayers, hatred, swords banged at her chest. She tried not to move, but the car kept going faster.

“This pain was your choice!” He shouted to be heard over the wind rushing by.

The swords pierced her. Hundreds into her soft flesh, the ghosts of all those who needed and wanted One for All. The hundreds who needed to be saved. The hundreds who wanted her dead.

“You took it, and all that pain which comes with it! So stop acting so sad and sorry about it! You chose it! You stole it! You are not the victim here!”

She screamed at the sharp blades sliding in and through her. Every single one screeched inside of her body, reminding her the heavy burden she had taken on. Each of these could have pierced Him, if she hadn’t taken One for All.

Her back was arching off the back of the seat, her body was writhing in pain, but He never slowed down. Why would He? She was the villain here. She had chosen her own survival over everything else. She would take every hateful blade going into her so long as she could demand one person love her forever.

He was her love. No matter what, He could never leave her. She was His, He was hers, forever. That was her only comfort.

Ochako was drinking a mug of hot chocolate when Himiko returned from the drive with All Might wearing her usual smile. Ochako watched warily from a kitchen counter as Himiko clung to his arm.

She only released him when they entered the kitchen. “Alright Daddy, I’m going to go make dinner now!”

All Might smiled at her. The buttons on his dress shirt were done up all the way up to his collar. “Sounds delicious.”

He left then, heading up the stairs, and Ochako was alone with Himiko. She kept her eyes on her half-full mug. GIRLBOSS, it said on the side. If she were brave, she would ask what had happened on the drive.

Instead, Ochako asked, “What are you going to make?”

“I’m feeling like stew tonight.”

She pulled out a cutting board and some vegetables. 

Ochako watched her. “Can I help?”

Himiko pulled out a knife. She held it up as she responded, “You can do whatever you want.”

It wasn’t a yes or no. Ochako put down her mug. She grabbed another cutting board and a paring knife, and took a potato from the pile of vegetables.

Himiko didn’t try to stop her outright, but she said, “Careful for my knife. My hand slips sometimes.”

She held that knife in her hand so naturally it seemed like it was a part of herself.

Ochako and her stared at each other. It was as though Himiko were waiting for Ochako to turn and leave her to handle the stew herself. To retreat to safety, as she had last night. Ochako could put down the potato at any moment. She could leave Himiko alone to her fate.

She began to peel the potato. Eventually, Himiko stopped staring and began to cut some broccoli.

“What were you two up to?” Ochako finally asked.

“We just went for a drive.”

“What did you talk about?”

“We reminisced.”

Himiko sliced the broccoli as if she could turn it into cubes, with perfectly even horizontal and vertical slices. The little round bits at the crown went everywhere, and in the end there were large cubes of thick, tough stem.

“How long have you known each other?” Ochako asked.

“A long, long time.”

Suddenly, Ochako nicked her finger on the paring knife. It didn’t hurt much, but as soon as it sliced into her, Himiko’s gaze shot up from the cutting board to her thumb.

Ochako lifted her thumb, and watched Himiko’s eyes follow it. Red bled out and reflected in her eyes.

Did she truly want it?

Slowly, Ochako brought the thumb to her own lips. She licked at the injury, still staring at Himiko, whose face had gone as red as the tomatoes between them. It felt as though at any moment, Himiko might pounce and devour her.

She looked thirsty. Starving.

Ochako sucked on her thumbs. She released it with a pop. As soon as she let go, she saw Himiko’s throat bob with a hard swallow. She knew the coppery taste that now coated Ochako’s tongue. Even more, she probably liked it.

“What do you think of your father?” Ochako asked suddenly.

Her eyes flicked up. “He’s my dearest Daddy.”

The hatred in Himiko’s eyes last night was seared into Ochako’s brain. Even looking at her now, she couldn’t escape the vision of her chomping down with a firm, vicious angle.

She pressed further. “How do you feel about him, really?”

“How does a daughter normally feel about her father?”

“I didn’t ask about normal—I asked about you.”

“Well I’m just a normal girl.”

Ochako clenched her jaw. Himiko didn’t look concerned at all, as if what Ochako saw last night wasn’t even worth mentioning.

Up in a cabinet were bandaids. Ochako pulled one out and slapped it onto the cut on her thumb. Once it was properly covered up, Ochako looked up. “You really think it’s normal?”

Himiko’s expression had calmed with the blood gone. Her nostrils were still flared, but her smile was serene. “It’s normal for us.”

Ochako approached. “Are you happy with that?”

“I can’t be happier.”

Himiko pulled an onion towards herself. 

Ochako put her hand over Himiko’s, pressing her bandaged thumb against her skin, and slid the onion out from her grip. “Here, let me cut that. I don’t want to make you cry.”

For a minute, neither of them said anything at all. Ochako chopped off the ends and slowly peeled the outermost layer.

Eventually, Himiko said, “There’s a technique to prevent tears, you know. You can freeze the onion for a bit before cutting, and it won’t make you cry.”

She frowned. “Numb it, so it loses all its strength?”

“It will still cook fine in the food.”

Ochako began chopping the proper core of the onion. It was raw, pungent, and was already starting to sting her eyes. “This feeling is the onion’s normal, isn’t it? I want to feel it.”

She didn’t respond. Ochako was afraid to look up, but she heard shuffling. In the corner of her eye there was the orange of a carrot bunch. She wasn’t sure how long she could stay in this ambiguous place. Everything felt like it would teeter off to the side at some point, somehow, but she couldn’t predict the moment it would all fall apart.

She couldn’t guess what was going to happen next.

“What do you want to do in the future, Himiko?”

“I don’t know,” she said softly, “It depends on what Daddy wants to do.”

“What about when you grow up?” Ochako dared to ask. “You’ll have to leave him one day, won’t you?”

“Don’t be silly. I’m his daughter. No matter what I do, the supporting characters’ fates will always have to be dependent on the main character. It will keep going on for eternity. Daddy and me…” She stabbed her knife into a carrot, an ineffective way of cutting. “...and now, you.”

Himiko stabbed the carrot a few more times, and eventually it split in half. She repeated the action on one of the halves. Ochako was entranced, even pausing her own cutting to watch. Eventually those pieces would make decent soup chunks.

“What about you, Ochako?” she asked.

“Hmm?”

“Are you going to try to leave in the future?” She looked up. “If you graduate, where would you go? What do you think a girl can do by herself?”

Ochako focused back in on her own cutting board. She had barely cut the onions. “I guess I don’t know either. I’d like to do something that makes a lot of money, so I can send back money to my parents.”

Himiko kept stabbing. Stab stab stab. The carrots were a mess.

“But…” Ochako smiled, and smoothly sliced through the layers of the onion. “...when we graduate, Himiko, I think it’d be nice to still cook with you like this. Can we promise to stay friends? The kind who can gossip, share their worries, and maybe even talk about love together?”

Across the table, Himiko froze, staring down at the carrots. It was a mangled mess, but it would all probably still work out in the big stew. Messy didn’t have to mean inedible. 

Himiko finally looked up with a flushed smile. “I’d like to talk about love with you too.”

The onions hit, and tears started to roll down Ochako’s face. She laughed. “It’s a promise, then.”

“Yes… it’s a promise.”

The stew was just about done. Ochako and Himiko had formed a fond rhythm, and now were sitting in the diner booth. On top of the table their fingers interlaced. Himiko’s fingers rubbed against Ochako’s bandaid, but didn’t pull it off.

The door opened, and Himiko brought their hands down under the table.

All Might entered. “Well ladies, what’s on the menu?”

Himiko smiled. “I’m so glad you asked, Daddy. We made stew… your favorite.”

He stayed smiling.

She stayed smiling.

They smiled at each other.

All Might marched over. “Ochako, get up.”

Not entirely sure about what was going to happen, Ochako stood.

He looped his arm around hers and pulled. “Let’s go out for a drive.”

Before she could process what he was intending, she was steered out of the kitchen, and even out of the building entirely. Unlocking and then locking all the doors. Himiko locked inside. All Might kept pulling Ochako along, through the parking lot. It wasn’t completely empty anymore. Break would be over soon, and there were already faculty and students coming back.

All Might ignored all of that, though. He pulled Ochako to his car. She was glad he opened the passenger car door for her, as her hands were shaking. She had just been making stew with Himiko, so why was he acting like this?

She sat down. There was no “no” when it came to All Might.

When he turned the car on, Ochako gained the courage to ask, “Where are we going?”

He turned towards her. He started driving, but wasn’t even looking at the road. “We’re going to go out for dinner.”

“Without Himiko?” She frowned. “After she made that stew?”

His hands clenched the steering wheel, but he released one hand to reach across to Ochako. She stayed completely still until he pressed his palm on top of her hair, mussing up her hair. “It’s sweet of you to worry… but Himiko doesn’t need that concern.”

They went down roads as Ochako readjusted her hair. Ochako didn’t know the area around the school well at all—she only ever left when All Might would take her on drives like this, so he always navigated. She couldn’t guess the restaurant they were going to, or even if they were truly going to a restaurant. He could take her anywhere, and she was stuck in the passenger seat.

Ochako insisted, “I can’t stop worrying about her.”

He chuckled. “I was like you, once.”

They turned onto a ramp, to the highway.

He said, “Have you heard of the cowbird?”

The wind started to blow through Ochako’s hair, and it was messed up once again. “No?”

“It’s a bird that lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. Other birds are dedicated parents who give up resources and energy to protect and raise their eggs. The cowbird, instead of learning to support its progenitors on its own, slips its eggs into the nest of those loving parents to take advantage of their kindness. Sometimes they will even destroy the precious eggs the host bird originally laid.”

The wind over her body made Ochako shiver. “How scary.”

“Indeed.” The car went faster. “The host bird will hatch and feed and raise the cowbird as if it’s its own chick. The ultimate parasite, not only stealing resources, but becoming the host parent’s precious child and demanding its love. How do you think the host bird feels, being taken advantage of?”

“Does it know?” Ochako didn’t know how they even got on this topic.

“Perhaps it knows very well. But it’s hard to let go of your only child… unless…”

Once again, All Might took his eyes off the road to look at Ochako. His black suit rippled from the air passing over it, the shock-white of his hair emphasized his age, and his red eyes bore into her. She held her breath, scared of crashing, but unable to look away.

Finally, he looked back at the highway. The markings on the road had become a vague blur at their speed. “Sometimes a situation that looks simple has much more going on under the surface. A parasite can take the guise of a child. And that ‘child’ can take their own parent hostage. It can taunt its parent for eternity… while the poor parent is helpless to change things on their own.”

Though Ochako had never driven, she was sure they had surpassed the speed limit. “Is stew really your favorite?” She asked,

“No.” He grimaced. “It most decidedly is not.”

The world around them was a blur. Ochako felt weightless, like they’d entered a state beyond gravity.

“Stories aren’t as simple as they appear,” he continued, his voice smooth and hypnotic, “Someone might try to look like a hero to hide that he’s the victim. A villain might find it advantageous to make herself look like the victim.” He looked at her again. “Only a True Hero can unveil the layers of deception and save him.”

Terror bolted through Ochako. They were going so fast, and he kept looking away from the road; they would have to crash at some point. They couldn’t keep hurtling towards eternity forever. She’d rather be at dinner. She’d rather be at home. She’d rather be in the greenhouse.

“Get on my lap,” he demanded, “you should see how the driver’s side feels.”

“It’s dangerous,” Ochako tried to reason, though she knew by now that he was unafraid of danger.

“That’s what makes it feel so good.” He patted his lap. “I’m so lonesome in this seat all on my own. If there’s no pretty child to come keep me warm, who knows what I may do in the throes of grief?”

At this speed, anything could kill them. A streetlamp, rolling over the shoulder, or even an abrupt stop could fling both of them into or over the front windshield at breakneck speed.

So with shaking hands, Ochako braced herself on the dashboard and shifted her body. She carefully settled herself onto him, her back against his chest, and stared forward onto the road at his angle. Her legs tangled between his, getting close to the brakes. 

He just wanted to show her what it felt like to be in the driver’s seat. He was always showing her new things, giving her new experiences, this was just another one of those. Even if her heart was vibrating so fast she thought she might have a heart attack, she wanted to embrace this next step with the bravery of a True Hero. She took a bracing breath, and placed her hands on the steering wheel.

He grabbed both her wrists, and for a moment there was no one steering. He didn’t lift his foot off the gas, didn’t give the mercy of slowing down. Instead, he crossed her hands over, jerked in his seat to bounce her body just a bit, and maneuvered her around. She spun, terrified and helpless, until she was facing him directly. His red eyes stared into hers as he grinned. His arms lowered, hopefully to grab the steering wheel, and he leaned forward, their faces almost meeting before he angled to place his chin on her shoulder in a strange embrace.

“I didn’t mean like that, sweetie,” he purred into her ear, “isn’t this much more comfortable?”

Her knees were on the edges of the seat, on either side of his thighs. Her arms had lowered to surround him, bracing herself. All she could stare at was the road they left behind. Somewhere way back there was Himiko, who he was driving away from at desperate speeds. She couldn’t see ahead of them; she could only trust and hope that he was taking her somewhere nice. If she was good, stayed on his lap, and let him rest his chin on her shoulder, and rested her chin on his shoulder, she could just enjoy the ride and be kept safe and warm forever.

If she opened her mouth, she could take a bite out of his neck.

“Doesn’t it feel good? Being in the driver’s seat? Embracing the speed?”

She wished she could admit that she was terrified and wanted it to stop. But his hands were on the wheel, his foot was on the accelerator, and she was clinging to him with no guarantee of safety if she let go.

“It’s wild,” she muttered, careful to not let her teeth brush his skin in anything that could resemble a threat.

He pet her hair again with one hand. Like all he had ever wanted was a sweet child to sit with him like this.

“Good girl,” he said.

Himiko said her father took her on plenty of drives. Did he do this to her, too? Did he terrify her? Did he call her a good girl?

Or was Himiko a bad girl?

“So good for me,” he continued, still petting her, “I’m going to take you to dinner and feed you all sorts of nice food and drink. And then I’ll take you on another drive like this, excite you, then take you home where Himiko will already be in bed, asleep, so we don’t have to look at her. Alright?”

Even staring at the highway they’d passed behind them, Ochako felt blind. Everything was a blurry mess, obscured and warped from their dangerous speed.

“Say, ‘Yes, Daddy,’ if you understand,” he said.

Ochako was dizzy, she didn’t understand, and she didn’t dare say the words. She was scared at how many times she had heard Himiko say them. What did it really mean? What had Himiko done to him that made him want to hear the words from someone else?

The engine rumbled. How was it they could still go faster? She didn’t know what they were hurtling towards. She couldn’t see anything. She didn’t understand what she would be agreeing to.

He grabbed her hair. “Say it.”

She gasped. “Yes, Daddy.”

Ochako came home exhausted, her belly full, and her hair a mess. She entered her room like she was in a daze, desperately hoping that Himiko was asleep and wouldn’t see her like this.

The universe must have hated her, as Himiko was sitting up in her bed with the light on. Waiting for her.

Ochako didn’t say anything. What could she say after what she’d done? She turned away and focused on taking off her clothes to change. She could feel Himiko’s gaze boring into her, scanning every centimeter of exposed flesh, but she didn’t look back to see what Himiko might think of it. She just slipped on her own pajamas and turned off the light before getting under the covers of her own bed. Almost next to Himiko, but turned the opposite direction.

Though it was dark now, Ochako didn’t turn her face towards Himiko. She dreaded the thought of looking towards her, even without being able to see.

Instead of having mercy, Himiko said, “I see Daddy took you for a drive.”

Ochako pursed her lips. “Yes.”

“Did you have fun?”

How did Himiko have the audacity to lie there and pretend this all was normal? Even in the darkness, Ochako could hear the smile in her voice, the taunting nature of it all. Like she knew the answer and just wanted to twist the knife deeper to watch her bleed. Ochako felt ragged, like a bloody towel that had soaked up the evidence of a crime scene, which was only now being wrung out.

So Ochako snapped, “Yes, we had lots of fun and did all sorts of exciting things without you. He said he wished I was his daughter instead of you. Does that make you happy?”

That finally rendered Himiko silent, and Ochako was able to drift off into an exhausted sleep.

Chapter Text

Ochako laid in the coffin. She was so, so tired. She was starting to get hungry, and she hated herself for it. She knew Mom and Dad had left some rice in the fridge for her—she was supposed to eat it, along with the last egg of the carton, but there was nothing else in the fridge for them.

If she stayed here, they would get to eat the rice and egg eventually.

The lid of the coffin shifted, but she didn’t look up.

The man said, “Are you embarrassed at being caught? Stealing is quite villainous, you know, but you’re a child. I’m giving you a second chance to live a virtuous life.”

Since her classmate told her snacks were served at funerals, she had been sneaking in and trying to blend in. This man had caught her though, and warned the funeral director about her, so she could never sneak in here during a funeral again.

She didn’t look up at the man who had ruined her plot. “I’m not hiding. I’m never leaving this coffin.”

“Never?”

“Never. I’m going to die here. Then I’ll free my parents from one of their burdens, and save them.”

“...You want to save people?”

She didn’t respond. It sounded stupid saying it when she had just stolen food from grievers.

The man said, “I’d like to show you something.”

He started to walk away, but left the coffin open. Ochako considered staying, but curiosity won out and she got up. She would follow him, see whatever he thought would change her mind, and then go back. She had plenty of time to die.

For a long while, they walked. Ochako couldn’t describe anything they passed, things turned into a blur.

Eventually, the world was dark. It felt as though they had entered the pit of the earth.

In the center there was a platform. Around it were ravines, but the width of them wasn’t too huge. On the platform, something writhed, held up by hundreds of shards coming from all directions. There was something heavy down here, oppressive, that weighed down on every centimeter. The air shimmered with the intensity of it. They got closer. Once they were near the ledge, Ochako finally saw what was at the center.

There was a little girl like her, impaled by hundreds of swords. She was sweating, eyes glazed, in too much pain to understand anything except how deep each blade had penetrated.

Perhaps if Ochako stayed in her coffin, she could save her parents a little, but across from her was someone going through much worse. Another little girl who was suffering. Ochako wasn’t the only one.

She wanted to save her.

Ochako jumped across the ravine separating her from the world. She reached out, hoping to remove at least one sword and ease some of the pain this girl was going through.

There was a sharp shock, and Ochako was flung back, all the way across the ravine again. It hurt, but the girl had to be hurting worse. Ochako got up, legs shaking.

The man put a hand on Ochako’s shoulder. “She became a villain. She chose this.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. “But… but she’s hurting.”

“This is her fate as the Rose Bride.”

“But why?”

Himiko was so thirsty. She kept drinking from the stream, but it wasn’t enough. It was so cold, so thin, like nothing at all. Her stomach rumbled.

She stared at her haggard reflection in the surface of the water. The red shirt she had stolen was dirty from having run through the woods. Thankfully it was an adult’s shirt, so it hung low enough to be a dress on her.

She smiled widely at herself. Her fangs were large, sharp, desperate for another bite.

In the distance, someone shouted, “This way!”

They were onto her. She forced herself up. She had to get away, out before their swords could reach her. 

“Come on, the vampire can’t have gotten far!”

Himiko scurried, trying not to stumble, trying not to make any sort of sound as she evaded her pursuers. These woods gave her plenty of cover, but somehow they had stayed close enough on her tail that she couldn’t rest long.

All she had done was try to love that boy. Her parents had been right, she had been disgusting all along, and now she was facing the consequences. After the villagers had seen the blood everywhere, and her smile as she sucked on his neck, they had formed the mob that had chased her out of town.

Going back had been her mistake. She had torn her dress in the woods and grown hungry. So she had snuck back in through someone’s window, stolen a shirt and some bread. The bread filled her stomach, at least, but for some reason she was still starving.

That time, she hadn’t even bitten anyone, but the moment someone saw her slipping out of the window they had roused the mob again to track her down. The crowd’s fervor had grown in the time she’d been gone. Now everyone had procured their sword, and she knew exactly who they hoped to hoist on the tips of their blades.

Her legs were aching. Her throat was dry. No matter how much she tried, her body couldn’t keep up forever. She needed to rest.

There was still shouting, anger in the distance. They would catch up.

All she could do was move forward, one step at a time. Her legs were pure movement, pain turned into bone deep ache. There was no stopping. She passed tree after tree, praying for salvation.

In front of her was a clearing. In the clearing, a cottage stood.

She didn’t know whose it was. All she knew was that she was far from the village, and perhaps whoever was there hadn’t heard of her yet. Maybe there was something left in her that someone could still pity.

The door was unlocked. Himiko opened and closed it behind her, desperate for the protection of any walls separating her from the mob, but she called out, “Hello?”

A man with golden blond hair, a wide chest like a barrel, muscles bulging, sat at a kitchen table with a spoonful of porridge halfway to his mouth. He stared at her a moment, and the porridge fell into the bowl.

She caught her breath enough to stammer, “P-please, help.”

Suddenly he jumped up, and Himiko flinched, afraid. Her back pressed up against the door as he approached her. She was shaking like a leaf with cuts and bruises all over her from her run through the woods.

But he had no sword; he simply wrapped her up in those huge, warm arms, and said:

“No need to fear, for I am here.”

For the first time in days, Himiko felt safe, and she collapsed entirely.

She sobbed into him. His blood pounded against his skin, strong, warm, delicious. She could smell it through his muscles. Even in her relief though, she knew not to bite. Not after what had happened last time. She just wanted to rest, even if only for a few moments.

Shouts echoed outside. The mob was approaching.

“Please,” she murmured, “can I stay in here?”

“Of course,” her hero said, letting go of her, “but just a moment, I should check what those people outside need.”

As soon as he let her go, she scurried deeper into the cottage, and found a large chest she could hide behind without being seen from the front door.

There was knocking.

Her hero opened the door.

A villager gasped. “A-All Might! It’s an honor to speak with you!”

All Might, her hero, laughed. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“There is a vampire on the loose in these woods, we are on the hunt for it! Won’t you join us?”

“A vampire? That is serious indeed. Of course I will help! What kind of hero would I be if I did not?”

And he left.

Himiko sat behind the chest, shivering for another hour or so. All the pain in her legs had caught up with her, and it felt impossible to move. At some point, when she heard absolutely nothing outside, she burst into tears again. She finally could, now that she didn’t have to run.

Eventually, she recovered enough to push herself up and go to the table. The porridge was still on the table. Starved as she was, she couldn’t resist shoving it into her mouth. By then, it had gone cold, but it was still sustenance.

Still, she was hungry. Or was she thirsty? She chugged a mug of water All Might had left out, but the feeling didn’t dissipate.

Another hour passed without his turn, and so she searched the cottage. She found his bed, and let herself fall onto it.

It was so soft.

She let out a sigh, and went into a deep sleep.

She woke to an arm around her.

Himiko screamed at first, convinced they had finally gotten to her and she was about to be stabbed. Slowly though, she registered a gentle hushing sound, and nobody hurt her.

She calmed long enough to realize All Might had simply gone to bed next to her, and he was gentle telling her, “Shh, it’s alright child…”

Himiko cried on instinct. There was such a kindness in his eyes that she couldn’t help but cry again, clinging onto him.

Eventually, he carried her to the kitchen. He prepared a meal, and she gulped it down. Still starving for something else.

“It’s a good thing you came to my cottage,” All Might told her as they ate, “there’s a vampire roaming those woods, it’s dangerous out there. I tried to track it down last night, but was unable to.”

Himiko didn’t respond. She was so thirsty. Her fangs pressed against the inside of her upper lip. She didn’t dare to smile in front of him.

“I have to go out again today to track it down,” he explained, “but you are welcome to stay here as long as you want.”

He left soon after that, and didn’t come back until long after the sun had gone down. He stumbled into the house, dark shadows under his eyes, and fell face-first into his bed. They shared a bed, so she could stare at his exhausted face and how messily his blond hair spilled over the pillow with none of the villagers to impress.

All Might was a True Hero.

Himiko did her best to cook. She realized All Might only sometimes ate while he was out when thankful villagers offered a meal, so sometimes his only meal all day would be the breakfast they ate together.

First she learned to wake up earlier than him and prepare breakfast. Then, eventually she figured out perpetual stew, keeping a pot constantly on a fire that he could scoop from whenever he got back. She also learned baking to make bread, which she would slice up and tuck into his pockets as he ran out the door.

He seemed slightly less exhausted with more food in him, but he was still out constantly running to and from every disaster. A mudslide in some southern path meant he came back covered in mud after clearing the way for everyone. Himiko carried pails of water from the river up to the cottage and heated each one on the fire to fill his bath. A widow’s untilled field meant he came home with all his muscles aching from farm work. Himiko massaged the pain out of them the best she could at night. No matter what he did, there was always something or someone new he had to rescue.

And Himiko was always starving.

She ate three meals a day, and yet that pang in her stomach never went away. And no matter how much she tried to remind herself it was wrong, she kept loving All Might more and more.

Himiko loved him so much. So so so much. Much more than any of the villagers demanding his time and power all the time every single day.

Tonight, All Might stumbled into the cottage with a stench so strong Himiko froze entirely, pupils going wide, as soon as he entered.

“Himiko,” All Might mumbled, “can you get the bandages?”

She forced herself to move away from that overpowering scent. To the chest that had the few medical supplies he kept. She carried the bandages to him, and grabbed a washcloth and a pail of water along the way. He had taken a seat, and she got on her knees beside him with all the supplies.

“What happened?” She said, breathing out so she wouldn’t breathe it in.

He chuckled. “I was patrolling for that vampire, and discovered some villagers being attacked by a bear.”

She took in a sharp breath of fear, and her head went dizzy.

“Don’t worry,” he said with a laugh, “the villagers are okay.”

There were slashes all over his body, through his clothes and into his flesh. Blood was dripping, clotting in some places, but horribly fresh.

Himiko forced herself to focus on him. “What about you?” she whispered, terrified at the thought of losing him.

He put out a hand. Ruffled her hair fondly. “I’ll heal eventually. This is my role, Himiko. I saved them.”

“Who’s going to save you?” Himiko asked, tears building in her eyes.

His laughter made his blood pump, and it flowed out of him even more. Himiko’s mouth watered.

“I’m a Hero,” All Might explained, “I can’t be saved.”

She held her breath as she wiped down the wounds with her wash cloth. He was stronger than others, and even now she could see that he was already starting to heal since he had a chance to sit down and rest, but the way he winced as she went over each slash told her that he wasn’t any less capable of feeling pain.

He had died hundreds of times, taking the place of others, placing their burdens upon his wide back.

He had spent an eternity suffering. He would spend another eternity suffering.

“You have to stop,” she choked out, “it’s hurting you.”

He shook his head. “So long as people need me, I must answer their call.”

She loved him.

“You’ll do anything for anyone?” she asked.

“If they need it, yes.”

She wrapped the wounds around his chest. The bleeding had mostly stopped there, at least. “What about me? Would you do anything for me?”

“Of course.” Because of course he would say that, of course he would never withhold anything from anyone so long as he could breathe.

She got on his lap so she could reach above his chest. With the washcloth, she wiped his neck clean, but she could still see the slash where the bear had drawn blood. The skin there was still weak. “Can I take anything I want from you?”

“Anything you want, I’ll give to you.”

She needed him. His love. His power. She was so hungry, she needed…

Himiko bit his neck.

All Might was in bed now. She had drained him, and he was so weak he hadn’t even been able to resist when she shoved him into the mattress. She had stayed by his bedside and slipped water and food into his mouth, but he struggled to swallow it down.

This morning, when he finally gained the strength to speak, he whispered, “Give it back.”

She looked down at him. Since his mouth had opened, she shoveled another spoonful of stew into his mouth. “No.”

He almost coughed the food back up, but she put her hand over his mouth to force him to swallow. He would live. With this new power that flowed through her veins, she would guarantee it.

There was banging at the door. Yet another person who wanted to drain All Might.

Well they couldn’t anymore. He was hers.

“Hello?” The villager called out, “All Might, we need you! A chicken fell into a well, it’s struggling to get out…”

She got up and went to the door. She opened it up and smiled wide at the villager, as All Might would always do.

He gaped at her, eyes going wide, and then he screamed. “Vampire!”

He sprinted away, and Himiko closed the door behind herself.

She knew where he would go. Right back to town, where the mob would build again. They would bring out their swords and make their way through the woods to the cottage of their precious hero. They would come for her, and she needed to leave before they did.

All Might was still laying in his bed. He struggled to get upright, but failed. He wasn’t going to go anywhere like this. She imagined what the villagers might do if they found their hero weak and pathetic like this. Their inevitable disappointment and unfulfilled demands were bound to stoke the anger in their hearts, and she could envision their swords pointing towards the failed hero who had been unable to fight off the fearsome vampire.

So Himiko stayed inside. She prepared lunch. Made sure All Might was comfortable. Forced more stew down his throat, even when he protested. And she waited.

The racket outside made it obvious when she had to go out. Anger laced every shout.

She opened the front door and closed it behind herself. Briefly, the crowd went quiet, afraid of her presence.

But then one gained the courage to shout, “What have you done to All Might?”

Her eyes roved over the crowd. She recognized some of them, had been raised with them, and she even saw the man and woman who had raised her, but each and every one was armed with a sword. They stood with their stances ready. What was going to happen was obvious.

She shouted, “I have stolen All Might’s power, so stop coming around here! He will never help any of you ever again!”

A sword pierced her gut, and it was the worst pain she had ever felt in her life. Another sword pierced her, and then that was the worst pain. Each time she thought she knew the depths of despair, another one of humanity’s swords lodged itself deep into her body, laced with hatred.

Himiko became sheathe to a hundred swords.

This was her new eternity.

There was the girl, the Rose Bride, shifting slightly as the swords dug into her.

Ochako turned to the man. “Please. You… you have to save her!”

He shook his head. “I cannot. I lost the power of a True Hero, and so she will be tormented for eternity.”

Fury swelled in her chest at the injustice. “Then… then I will become a True Hero! And then I’ll save her!”

The man was tall, so tall she didn’t even reach up to his knees, but he bent down, blond hair flopping over, to speak with her. “It’s unlikely you will ever succeed. But if you would like to one day be a True Hero…”

He held up her hand, and slipped a ring on it. A rose decorated the top.

“...this will guide you back one day. To her, the villain, the victim, the one who has the hero’s power hostage.”

Ochako nodded seriously, tears still rolling down her face. She would do it. Whatever it took.

He smiled down at her. “You will most likely forget this.”

Ochako snapped awake. It was still dark outside, dawn hadn’t struck yet.

Himiko was not in bed, and Ochako had the abrupt fear she’d lost everything.

Adrenaline pumping, she got up. Checked the kitchen. The bathrooms. She slowly opened the door of the comic room… but found no one.

The last room was All Might’s room. She went up the stairs, calves screaming at the effort, and she stared at his door. Would she disturb him? Would she want to know what Himiko might be doing in there?

She looked up instead. The stairs continued upwards, to the roof. One more place she hadn’t checked.

Ochako went up those stairs to the final stage.

Chapter Text

Aizawa lectured on right to the final bell. Even though it was the first day back from break, he had no mercy. Back to the grindstone. Learn, test, repeat. The same thing they did every semester.

How many semesters had Ochako been through? She couldn’t pin down a number.

When today’s classes finally ended, Ochako jumped from her seat. She had been restless all day, and wanted to get her energy out.

At the desks in front of her, Kyouka reached out to Momo and put a hand on her shoulder. “Want to study together?”

Momo pulled away so subtly most would miss it. She reached towards her other side to tap Tenya’s shoulder. “Sure! Tenya, you want to study with us too, right?”

Before Ochako could think too hard about their interactions, Izuku and Mina flanked her.

“How were your breaks?” Mina asked.

“...It was fine,” Ochako said.

“I was really happy to see my mom,” Izuku said, “but Katsuki and I are neighbors, so our moms insisted on having a dinner together, and it was… awkward. I wish we could go back to when we were kids, when it was all simple. Now he basically refuses to talk to me.”

Mina scoffed. “He’s such a jerk, you ought to punch him back!”

Izuku laughed lightly, awkward. “It’s not like I’m capable of that.”

They walked together towards their lockers, but they paused at the kendo rooms. A small crowd was already forming around the door.

Through the door, it was obvious Shouto was still practicing. There was no coach, but he kept swinging that sword over and over again.

“You go ahead, I’m going to watch for a bit,” Mina said.

“Mina…” Ochako sighed. “Don’t tell me you still like him.”

Mina gave a sheepish laugh. “I mean…” 

“He clearly doesn’t care about you. There’s got to be better people to crush on. Or even no one at all would be preferable to him.”

Mina blinked at her a few times. She laughed again. “Maybe. But right now… I want to chase him a little longer. Just in case.”

Izuku butted in before they could have a real fight. “I’ll watch with you, Mina. Kendo is pretty cool.”

So Ochako split off from them to approach her locker alone. She opened it, and discovered a letter.

So the mastermind was finally declaring himself. She took a deep breath and closed her locker.

As soon as her locker door shut, Katsuki was revealed to be waiting behind it, leaning against her neighbor’s locker. “Katsuki!” she exclaimed, surprised.

His red-headed friend laughed. “Sorry, I don’t think he meant to scare you.”

“Eijirou,” Katsuki said to him, “you go on ahead, I need to talk to her. Alone.”

Ochako frowned. Hadn’t she heard that name before?

Before she could jog her memory, the boy went off with a wave and a smile. It probably wasn’t important.

Katsuki glared at her. “Is that a letter from All for One?”

She narrowed her eyes. “So what if it is?”

“Don’t respond to it.”

She could tear it up and throw it into the trash, and just never go up to the roof. “What does it matter to you?”

“I’ve met him, All for One.” He crossed his arms. “You won’t like what you discover when you meet him.”

“I’ll decide for myself when I defeat him.”

He shook his head. “You can’t… he’s too strong. Not just in physical strength… there are all sorts of power, and he’s consolidated every type.”

She raised an eyebrow. “How about the power of friendship?”

Katsuki stared a moment, then broke out into laughter. “Really? You think that will save you?” Eventually, he calmed enough to say seriously, “Only a fool believes in friendship.”

Ochako looked at him, the boy who had pushed Izuku away every chance he got under the assumption that his attempts at friendship were some sort of condescension. She stared at a boy who just dismissed his friend like some sort of side character. She saw the boy who was so terrified of being hurt that he never willingly allowed anyone beneath the surface.

She clenched a fist and steeled herself. “I am a fool, then.”

He didn’t laugh. “It’s your funeral.”

Katsuki left then, and it was Ochako alone in the hallway with the letter of challenge.

She went for the stairs. Up and up, climbing just like she had last night.

Ochako opened the door to the roof of the principal’s building. The sky was still dark, but in the light of the stars, Ochako could see a girl standing on the edge. Her hair was down, whipping around her with the wind along with her nightdress. She didn’t turn back upon the sound of the door opening.

“Himiko!” Ochako called out.

Instead of responding, Himiko spread her arms and fell.

These stairs seemed to last forever. She left the first-years floor, and ended up at the second-years level. She had met a few of them before, they were around, but she didn’t have much excuse to talk to them.

Ochako ran, snatching Himiko’s wrist just in time. Ochako had to cling onto the fence of the rooftop to avoid falling herself as Himiko went limp, still trying to lean her way off of the roof.

“I’m sorry, Darling!” Himiko cried out.

“No!” Ochako shouted, “Didn’t we promise to talk about love together?”

Ochako reached the third-years floor. Had she ever met a third-year? They were the ones on the cusp of graduation, yet she couldn’t recall meeting any. When was graduation anyway? How far away were they from leaving this school?

“Please, Ochako,” Himiko pleaded, “Let go of me.”

Ochako pulled her off the ledge and back onto the roof, where both of them collapsed.

Ochako reached the top of the stairs. In front of the door to the roof, Himiko stood in her Rose Bride dress, staring at her.

Himiko said, “You don’t have to do this, you know. We can stay the way we are. Ignorance is bliss, Ochako. Once you learn the truth, you may lose this.”

“Still, I want to face All for One.”

“I’ll behave,” she bargained, “I won’t do what I did last night again.”

“Himiko.” Ochako smiled at her. “I can’t pretend I didn’t see you crying.”

Himiko’s face flushed. Ochako took another step forward, and Himiko stepped aside, allowing her access to the door. She grasped the handle with her ringed hand, and opened it.

The roof was almost empty. The battlefield above them shone down, putting a spotlight onto a solitary figure at the center. He smiled, spreading his arms out generously as though welcoming them. He had on an inky black suit and was horribly familiar.

Ochako and Himiko closed the door behind them, and faced All Might… no, All for One.

So this was the truth of it. All for One behind all of these games, playing with them all like toys.

She marched up to him, shaking. She had been unable to say no to him before, but now justice strengthened her heart. “So you’re the mastermind behind all of this! Why did you create this weird system? To hurt Himiko and everyone?”

All for One simply smiled at her… No, past her.

“Come here, sweetheart,” All for One said.

Ochako glanced back, wondering if Himiko would move, but instead Himiko’s eyes rolled back, and she collapsed. Ochako gasped, reaching out, but suddenly Himiko was gone, and only that red dress was left on the floor. Like a puppet with its strings cut.

“What did you–?”

She turned back and discovered he was right in front of her now. “Congratulations,” he said, “You won the duels, and have proven your heroic heart.”

He grabbed her hand, and lifted up her hand. “Do you remember, long ago, the hero who gave you this ring? The one who inspired you to become a True Hero?”

Ochako had distant memories. Dreams, even, of that fateful day.

“I am the hero who gave you this ring. I inspired your heroism, and now you have come back to me.”

His hand moved from hers, sliding towards her chest, and Ochako was so used to him touching her, she didn’t know when to tell him to stop. He placed his palm against the center of her chest.

“I lost my power, One for All, a long time ago. With it, I lost my heroism. But you have brought me something new.”

A glow emanated from her chest. Her eyes fluttered closed and she instinctually leaned back. This is how the story went. This is how it was meant to happen. The hand on her chest, pushed away by something bursting from her. The hand on her back, supporting her ever so gently as she fell back. 

The sword was pulled from her, and her entire body tingled. Her eyes opened slowly as she stood back up, and when she looked down she discovered she was in a dress now. It was shaped like the Rose Bride, but the color was pure lily-white.

Beside her, still holding onto her back, All for One smiled and felt the weightlessness of the sword in his hand. “You did well, Ochako, to save the Hero. But now that you have returned to me my heroism, you can relax and be a normal girl again. I will protect you.”

Ochako was so tired of all the games. Not just the duels, but everything. She wanted to lie down in a flowery coffin and sleep comfortably forever. Even as she forcibly kept her eyes open, they felt heavy. “You will?”

“Yes,” he reassured, voice kind and low, “You are my precious thing now, and I shall keep you safe. We will make each other happy together.”

Happiness. Safety. It all sounded so sweet.

But before Ochako could close her eyes and rest, she had to ask, “And what happens to Himiko?”

His expression did not change, but his eyes glanced to the side, and Ochako followed his gaze to see Himiko across the roof. She was leaning on the ground, sprawled out with her hair down and scattered around her face in a mess, wearing a red t-shirt that was much too large on her. More like a body than a person.

“She is a villain,” All for One explained, “so she will receive her comeuppance. Her role is to suffer forevermore.”

Though Ochako continued to look at Himiko, hoping to see her move and prove she wasn’t dead, or even to see an ounce of resistance against her fate, she stayed down.

Once Ochako dragged Himiko off the edge, the two of them ended up lying down, panting on the roof.

Himiko sat up. “I’m sorry, Ochako. I’ve been the Rose Bride for so long, I thought I could live like this forever, a happy mask of a normal girl who loved to be abused… But you… I dragged you into this, I made you my plaything, my unwitting victim. I’m an ugly parasite who latched onto you and pulled you into these horrible games. I took advantage of that heroic heart of yours… and I betrayed you.”

“No, Himiko… I’m the one who didn’t realize how much you were hurting. Your mask was convenient for me, so I never tried to look underneath. I just wanted to act like a hero regardless of how you felt. And when I saw what you did to All Might, and what All Might did to you…”

Himiko flinched.

“...I didn’t even try to understand. I treated you like a monster, even though I claimed to be your friend… I made you fit what I wanted you to be so I could feel like a hero. And when you didn’t fit that, when I didn’t fit what I wanted to be, I lashed out. I’m the one who said all that stuff about friendship and saving you, and yet… I’m the one who betrayed you, Himiko!”

She looked up, and saw tears rolling down Himiko’s face. She reached out, and Himiko grasped her hands tightly. They fell into each other, almost embracing, but mostly sitting together as they cried. They had broken something.

And something new was in its place.

Ochako snatched the sword out of All for One’s hands, and forced herself out of his arms. She raised up the sword, and faced him.

This was the final duel. A True Hero wouldn’t give up now.

“No.” She declared. “You’re the one who set up this twisted game and hurt everyone. And Himiko… you hurt her the most. I’ll defeat you, and free everyone.”

He frowned, but only slightly. “You’ve read my comics, haven’t you? The heroes are men. Give that sword to someone who knows how to use it.”

She shook her head. “I will use this to be Himiko’s hero.”

“I see. You have a truly heroic heart… I didn’t expect you to go so far.”

She clenched her sword tighter. Why wasn’t he fighting back?

“Since it has come down to this… Let me show you reality.”

He snapped his fingers.

The roof went dark. The battleground above them, the sky and city around them, and even Himiko and All for One… all were shrouded in darkness.

Then there were two pinpricks of light, and a room appeared. The light was incense, lit on either side of a paper door decorated with red spider lilies.

All for One’s voice echoed from nowhere, “Do you really believe you can be a True Hero? It is a burden greater than you know.”

Ochako opened the door. The next stage was a blue fire. With no other choice but to go forward, she walked through the flames.

His voice continued, “You have been playing games of pretend, but ultimately that is all you can do. When true evil exists, a True Hero must battle it, and you are not suited for the task. You are a girl, the supporting character, the love interest. You are not the main character, and so you will not win, no matter how hard you try. There are limits you cannot surpass.”

The fire hurt, hot and fierce, but ultimately it did not penetrate her skin. It simply burned away the dress that All for One had put her in. The pure lily-white turned to blackened ash as she continued to the next sliding paper door.

All for One didn’t shut up. “I’ve seen into your heart. You enjoy selfish things—power and money. Being spoiled felt good, didn’t it? You understand how good it feels to give up useless ideals. You are too practical to sacrifice yourself needlessly.”

She opened the door, and she was in a shrine room. Instead of any picture to memorialize, she found her old boy’s uniform laid out. Funeral attire now, she supposed. She put it on.

Once it was on, she turned around, and found herself back in the comic room. All for One sat on the couch, and Himiko laid her head on his lap while wearing the dress of the Rose Bride. He was running his hands through her hair, petting her as she stared blankly into the distance.

New fury rose in Ochako’s chest at his audacity, treating Himiko so tenderly while signing off on her torment. “How could you?” she cried out, “She’s your daughter, and yet you’ll doom her to be tortured forever?”

He looked up. “She took One for All from me. She stole away my heroism, and turned me into this. Like you, I used to pity her, but now…”

All for One got up, and looked down at Himiko, still lying on the couch. Suddenly, a dozen blades burst from her, pointing in all directions. Himiko twitched, mouth open, but didn’t make a sound. She sweat, staying obediently on the couch while All for One stared dispassionately at her impaled body.

“She likes it, you know,” he explained, “she knows her fate is to be tortured, but she stubbornly clings on to this role. So long as she can haunt me, she loves to be crushed over and over again. A villain—constantly attempting to succeed while fated to inevitable failure—is a masochist by nature.”

“You forced her to be like this!”

“It was not my choice, but hers. Do you see a single chain on her? She stays because of the love we both share for each other.”

All for One reached down between the swords and touched Himiko’s chest. From it, another sword was pulled by the handle. Ochako knew One for All well by now, and could tell this sword was not it. Just one of the many that tortured Himiko. Still, All for One was now armed.

Now began the final duel.

Ochako launched at him, eager to strike him down. He maneuvered his sword smoothly though, easily parrying and blocking her as she tried to get a hit in.

“This is no longer child’s play,” All for One told her, “all this time, you had been playing games on the playground, not truly battling anyone. But now you shall see the pain of adulthood. It’s not something you can just play around with.”