Chapter 22

Bakugo burst through the double doors of Gym Gamma with the rest of the group following behind. As per request, Cementoss transformed the paved floor with several series of mountainous rocks for them to scale and destroy. Akane mentally let out a weary sigh before she gathered herself up. She couldn't help but get annoyed with this constant routine. It was just another practice session, just like every other day, which wouldn't normally be such a big deal for her if only she had made any progress. It had already been a week now and so far she could tell that she wasn't getting anywhere, at least not where the group wanted her to be.

With the new updates to her costume and support items, she was fairly confident that today would be different. Hopefully, this time she would show some results of their spent effort. She had to make today count.

The four of them took a few steps inside, but quickly stopped when they heard a noise.

"Hey, guys!"

Everyone's heads turned to see Kirishima break away from his group that was already standing in the corner of the room to approach them. When did they get in? The gym had been allowed for only their group in the last few days, so having them around was a little weird.

"What're you doing here, Dumb Hair?" Bakugo muttered casually.

"Seriously, I keep telling you my hair's not that different from yours. We're here 'cuz Aizawa gave us permission to use the gym for training today. We're trying to get Yashi to build up endurance with his dermal armor for combat. Having all these rocks around is the best place to go." He explained with a grin, showing off those pointy white teeth of his.

"You're in here too?" asked a soft-husky voice coming from behind them. They jolted at the sight of his double-sided face.

"Not you too, Icy Hot! This place is for our group!" Bakugo snarled as he narrowed his eyes at his rival and his group.

"C'mon, Dude, it's too cold for us to train outside in the snow." Kirishima pointed out. "Although, I wouldn't say no to a snowball fight."

"Tough shit!"

"Exactly, so deal with it already. We can work in our own space, so we don't have to get in everyone's way. The teachers already gave us their permission." Todoroki lectured.

"Ugh! Shut up, you damned Bastard!"

Todoroki turned away from the hot head and locked eyes with Akane. The creases of his lips curled a faint smile. She wasn't sure if it was the satisfaction of telling off Bakugo or if he was just being friendly. Either way, he didn't seem like the type to do it often.

"Hey now. Surely you 1-A students aren't assuming you'll just hog the entire building all for yourselves, right?"

All heads immediately turned to the opened front doors, where another group walked in. They were led in by a student from Class B with straight blonde hair and a sly, devious smile on his face. Akane didn't recognize him, but it was pretty apparent that he was the type of guy who liked to boast, and she didn't like those types. The very sight of him made most of them twinge with annoyance, which only clarified that assumption.

"But then again, you must need all the training you can handle if you ever hope to surpass those in Class B, now wouldn't you?! Hahahaha!"

What a jerk. His cackle made her instantly question if he was in his right mind.

"Oh geez. Not him again." Commented Kirishima.

"Monoma, go focus on your group already." Shishida stepped up to him, his eyes narrowed with contempt. It seems that even the others in Class B didn't care to tolerate his bullshit.

"Come now, Shishida. You can't possibly believe that these fools will be able to teach Class C to do as well as them. If they were to go head-to-head right now, they'd already win!"

The one called Monoma let out another sinister chuckle, which made practically everyone in the room cringe.

"Fuck off, Copycat!" Bakugo projected before turning back to his group. "We can't waste more time. Let's go."

There wasn't even a second thought when they all started to walk away.

"What's this? Are you so easily bothered that you'd submit your defeat? No wonder you're always losing. Still falling prey as the victim, I see." he beckoned again.

Bakugo stopped and let out a fierce growl in the back of his throat. He knew he shouldn't cater to any stupid bullshit that comes out of that fucker's mouth, but for fucks sake! Where he came from, if you talked shit, you got hit. And that was the end of it. He knew that all he was doing was setting the trap with insults just to spite him and his classmates, but Bakugo could only stand so much of it before it took its toll. By then, the growing tension couldn't be handled so easily, and right now, it was becoming just as apparent with the rest of the group.

"Just ignore him. The rest of Class B doesn't really follow his views. Although, it's more like a personal grudge at this point." Commented Shishida.

"Don't tell me what to do!" he yelled back at him.

"I don't understand why you still try to reason with the Hothead, Shishida. Such attempts are so incredibly useless." Monoma smart-mouthed.

"So is your Dad's pull-out game! Seriously, out of all the millions of sperm your Dad pumped out, you're the one that made it?!" Bakugo snapped, instantly capturing everyone's surprise. That was unexpectedly sexual and dark of him, but damn…

Monoma smiled even wider. "If you're gonna be a smartass and insult me with such jokes, first you gotta be smart, otherwise you're just an ass!"

No longer able to contain his rage, he stomped in his direction. After seeing Deku show off that new trick he learned from his internship, he had been looking for an excuse to really hurt someone this morning. Not only that, but this entire week had been such a drag. The long hours of training with no results, seeing that he'd gotten a small drop in his studies, and being surrounded by so many dense idiots all the time had pent up all this grief. And then this idiot decided to show up and run his fucking mouth. What he just said to Bakugo meant that he gave the green light to go ahead and do something about it.

Out of nowhere, his path was blocked when Hattori stepped in the way. The concerned emotion coming from those emerald eyes forced his feet to stop.

"What d'ya think you're doing, getting in my way?..." he snarled huskily. Dammit, he wasn't in the mood for this.

"He's not worth it, Bakugo. Your reaction is exactly what he wants… Don't take the bait." She explained quietly so only he could hear.

He only scoffed at her. Who was she to get in between him and his enemies? If he wasn't worth it, then he should do the world a favor and blow his ass up into dust! Then he'd finally shut up for good!

"Don't tell me what to do…"

He went to move around her but stopped when she caught him by the sleeve of his costume.

"What the hell, idiot?! Let go!"

"If you want to take it out on someone, take it out on me when we fight."

"?!"

Why the hell would she want him to do something like that? Was she insane?

"Oh my! What's going on here? Have you succeeded in deluding the poor girl's mind to actually care for someone like you? Don't you know, Dear, that these poor souls are the ones who aren't worth fighting for?"

Monoma seriously needed to shut the fuck up. If only she could take her own advice and not listen to him, but she had to admit, it was getting annoying real quick.

"Why don't you spare us all the grief and shut the hell up already?!" yelled Bakugo as his hands started to set off a few angry sparks.

Not good. She had to get him away before this gym turned into a minefield. Her hand released his sleeve to grab his forearm, which she pulled and walked off.

"Let go of me, dammit!"

He tried to smack and claw her to let him go, but she was unwavering.

"You can yell at me later. We need to get back to our groups."

"That's it! I'm gonna blow your fucking arm off!"

Without a word, she squeezed his arm tighter, making him grit his teeth to hold in a yelp. "You're gonna regret this, you damn idiot!"

Yea-yea… One way or another, she was going to make him stop calling her that. They made it to the back right corner of the gym, and she released him. Bakugo massaged his arm in sulking silence before he adjusted his bracers. It was humiliating enough having to be dragged off by his low-leveled protégé and he didn't even get to land a single blow on that copy-cat bastard, so now he was going to let her have it. He said he wouldn't hold back when she first asked him to train with her, but now he really meant it. He sucked a big breath in to regain his focus, and when he finally calmed down, he exhaled and approached his team.

Everyone inside gave as much distance as possible in between the groups. It wasn't just for safety purposes, but also to keep the others from letting in on their tactics. When the tournament comes, it's pretty much inevitable that they would have to fight their own classmates along with the other students from the low leveled departments. All the new tricks and strategies they learn along the way shouldn't be used against them for being careless, so it had to be private. It's a shame the school had to force this training shit on them during the winter months. Now everyone would be taking over the good gyms just to stay warm.

"Alright. Same as usual, we gotta attack her at all points. Each blow we make, we'll make it even harder than the last, so get ready!" Katsuki explained as Hattori took her place backed into the corner ready to brace herself.

"I still don't get why we're doing this. I mean, it hasn't really been effective. Shouldn't we be teaching her a few extra moves instead?" asked Shishida.

"She can't fight if her mind keeps holding her back. We already went over her triggers and how it changes her and her quirk. She needs to get past that shit, so that she can build up some self-control." Explained Bakugo while hooking his armored gauntlets more securely to his arms. When it was tightened, he shifted his gaze back to her. "Focus on what's in front of you! You're the real muscle behind your quirk! Use it! If you feel like you're about to lose it, give the signal and we'll stop! Got it?!"

She nodded and proceeded to activate her power. The red color in her hair drifted across her skin and her muscles bulked up. This would mark day eight that they've tried this method. The only reason they were continuously doing it was to try and mentally "condition" her to focus on reality. She had to pay attention to what's in front of her and take her mind off the flashbacks. The only way he could see that happening is through fighting; when your life is really on the line, that's when the true hero shows. Sadly, that method would take a significant amount of time until it became second nature in her head, but it was better than going back to therapy or seeing some stupid counselor.

Today the boys decided to go along with her idea and fight in their costumes and use all their support equipment. She meant for it to make the battle that much harder, but she could admit that seeing it altogether firsthand, it made her a little nervous. If Bakugo was able to nearly knock her out with one blow, she could only imagine what kind of damage those arm bracers would do.

"Let's go!"

Bakugo hurled himself through the air with a series of explosions with Sato and Shishida running behind him. He cupped his right hand in front of his left palm and right off the bat, he detonated a sharp red point down on her. Akane quickly caught sight of the growing light and lunged out of the way, leaving her concrete spot crumbling to bits.

While her focus was on him, Sato and Shishida went in to make their move. Sato took to her front while Shishida ran like an animal on all fours around the back. He manipulated the sugar to power-up his strength to land an incredible punch, but she ducked to the side to get out of Sato's line of fire.

Swiftly, she yanked him by the arm and forced his body to clash with Shishida on the ground. Instantly, Bakugo blared a rainfall of explosions that no matter where she went, it was guaranteed to land a hit. A powerful burn penetrated the back of her left shoulder, forcing her to let out a pained cry as she stumbled across the ground.

"That's what you get for what you did to my arm!" he smirked devilishly looking down at her.

Akane cursed in her head as she put pressure onto the wound. That fucking hurt! This was way different than the last few battles they had before. Those bracers, somehow they managed to make his attacks more concentrated, more precise, and definitely more painful. In order for her to have a fighting chance, she needed to stop Bakugo. He had all the air range with his quirk and that was at her disadvantage. She needed to get them all on the ground and take them out one at a time.

Instantly, her vision was blurred by a giant ball of brown fur with a claw jutting right for her face. She moved her arms to block it, but it was already too late. His curved nails cut right across her jawline with a spray of blood.

"Don't lose focus! You still have two enemies at close counter!" he advised her.

Instinctively, she lowered her body near the ground to move with the direction of his attack and delivered a counter punch right through his diaphragm. Shishida was forced backwards until his body was stopped by the dense concrete wall. He coughed out all the air from his lungs as he struggled to get himself up. Looks like her retaliation moves were getting faster. As he held his arms crossed over his spasming abdomen, he gave her a toothy smile.

"Good job." He said rather hoarsely.

Despite giving the compliment, she felt a little guilty, that maybe she should've held back a little. Shishida was strong though. It wouldn't take long for him to recover and get back in the fight.

Just when she thought she could have a moment to relax, a pair of strong arms snuck around from behind and clasped ahold of her neck. Hattori instantly put her chin down to her collar bone to keep his arm from completely reaching her throat, but he continued to squeeze even harder. The more she struggled for him to release, the tighter Sato's arms got. It was feeling as if her jawline was on the verge of snapping. Since he weighed almost as much as she did with the fullest density of their muscles, she couldn't simply throw him off her back.

Then an idea came to her. Using her feet, she tucked them behind the back of his knees. Not only did he have to hold her with all her muscle weight, but he'd also have to hold himself up too. Going for the weak spot on the legs, the tendons, it was the best idea she could come up with, and it was proving to be right when his stance was getting shaky. She pulled more intensely. Unable to keep his balance, he finally loosened his grip, and she was able to escape his clutches.

He quickly recovered and came back at her with full speed. After he raised his arms, he brutally sent them down, but she was able to catch him by the fists. Together they went back and forth, one against the other, fighting against each other's strength. Amidst the struggle, Sato let out a chuckle.

"Hattori, after this, we should have an arm-wrestling contest."

Her ears perked as she smiled back. "I'm down with that."

Bakugo took advantage with all her focus drawn to Sato by landing back on the floor. At this close, still range, he could give a more precise attack with the gauntlets. He'll admit that he really liked it whenever he used his quirk in the air, but the accuracy wasn't as simple as it was on solid ground. With her back facing him, he held his arms out and exploded.

The fiery concussion once again penetrated right through her skin, forcing her to hold in a scream. It still hurt like a bitch, but thanks to the new material on her costume, it absorbed most of the blow. Sadly, she didn't know how many more times it would be able to resist before it took its toll and started to damage. As much as it ached, she refused to let go of Sato's grip. She needed just a little bit of time to think of a plan and quick!

At long last, Shishida's stomach was able to relax enough for him to tag back in. He crouched back down on all fours before he sprung out running towards Akane. Using his claws, he scratched around her shoulders to get her to waiver her grip on Sato, but she stayed strong and endured. Bakugo also continued his offense by emitting a series of blows right in the center of her spine whenever Shishida moved away. Hit by hit, she dealt with it, trying her best to resist. If she let go of Sato, it needed to be when his guard was down and she could land a good hit in, but how could she possibly do that with these two constantly beating her down? If she let go now, she'd be done for. So what was she supposed to do?

The cuts then went deeper under her skin and the explosions were getting more intense, gradually turning her body into a bloody tattered mess. The ringing of the concussion began to blur her vision, which emitted a frustrating groan in the back of her throat. It was almost close. Those visions. This was the point where she was about to reach her limit. The darkness of her mind, she could feel it starting to creep in with every hit and taking over her means of self-control. As if her body acted on its own, the muscles changed their shape and engorged even bigger. Oh no! She had to give the signal!

Wait! Fuck! It was then that she realized she couldn't do it. There was no way she could move her hands right now, not while her hands were being restrained like this.

"S-Sato!"

"!"

She struggled to suppress it, but the last little bits of composure she had then faded to black. The large shadowy image appeared in her mind, and once it was there, it wouldn't leave. The color in her eyes darkened as she slowly felt herself giving in to the fear. She belted an angry snarl as her fingers squeezed around his knuckles hard. Sato grunted from the instant pain. At first, he wasn't sure if she was acting out of the frustration from the fight or what, but something changed. He knew the moment her concerned look changed when her green eyes stared daggers.

"Hattori?"

Her body jolted forward withstanding the impact of another explosion. She screamed as she compressed him tighter. Damn it! This wasn't good. If she did any more of this, his hands were sure to break. What she just did before – she was trying to tell him something.

That's it! Maybe it was to get them to stop. The signal she was supposed to give was to have both hands in the air to show that she's given up. She couldn't do that because she was defending him. It all makes sense now.

"Guys! She gave the signal! Stop!"

Unfortunately, the sound of his pleas were masked by the sound of explosions, and they continued on with what they were doing. Sato could feel his hands popping in places he didn't think they could. It's too much!

With all his might, he belted out. "STOP!"

The detonations and the beast's movement ceased. Finally, they heard him. Thank God!

Now free to have a moment to relax, Akane loosened her fingers. He went to remove himself from her clutches, but she stopped him. What the hell? Why wouldn't she let go? He pulled again and again, struggling to free himself.

Suddenly, her fingers wrapped around his wrists, and she threw him several meters away before his body slammed against the concrete wall. The stone cracked in a perfect circle all around him as he slid down to the floor. The remaining boys were starstruck as they directed their gaze back to the red amazon. Slowly, she turned her head towards them.

"Oh shit…" muttered Bakugo. "Get ready!"

CRASH!

SMASH!

The two of them went head-to-head, quaking the ground and crumbling rocks everywhere they stood. With every move he made, she came back harder, so much so that it was starting to get in the way of the other group's training. Eventually, the loud noise struck their curious minds and they all stopped what they were doing to try to see what was going on. Even Kirishima was a little apprehensive. He knew that Bakugo always went all out when it came to training, but this sounded like some crazy Boss Battle. They maneuvered around the giant boulders until they came upon the scene, and at that moment, most of them dropped their jaws.

She broke out in a sprint straight for Bakugo. With no time to waste, he threw his hands out in front and sent an AP Shot right to her core. Quickly, she ducked and leaned to the side, allowing it to pass with only a graze on her shoulder. He cursed in his head watching her body move closer towards him. Immediately, he shoved his hands to the ground and propelled himself in the air with a massive explosion.

Just when he thought he was safe, she snatched him by one of his arms and yanked him back down. There was a loud, metallic clash from the force of the impact to the ground. Bakugo ignored the immense bruising on his body to look at his arm, and that's when he saw his gauntlet completely shattered to bits. He lifted his hand to see how bad the damage was, but it only fell apart, leaving behind only his gloves. Fucking hell!

"Dammit! That's gonna take me weeks to fix!" he snapped at the red monster.

The edges of her lips curled a sinister smile as she raised an arm to the side. Bakugo huffed a breath in annoyance and stood up straight.

"Remember, you gotta focus, idiot! Don't lose control! Fight it!"

He lifted an open palm right in front of her face. Her brow creased questionably, as if she understood what he was saying, but not what he meant by it. At least it was some kind of response. He needed to keep communicating with her, but he couldn't say any of the mushy shit he said before, not with so many nosy people around.

"I wanna fight the real you." He muttered, only so that she could hear.

She hesitated for a moment, which felt like forever for Katsuki. Unfortunately, when she came to, her complexion no longer read confused. She just went back to being pissed. That wasn't what he wanted!

"C'mon! Fight it, dammit!"

Suddenly, she grasped his gloved hand so tight that he heard it crack and pop. This time, he couldn't stop himself and the cry slipped out. Bakugo tried to force his quirk to explode her hands to get her to let go, but she refused to submit to it. Now this was turning into a physical match and his explosions weren't doing enough damage anymore. Compared to her, he was outmatched when it came to actual strength. She had only lost control twice prior to this, but he was able to knock her out before she could completely transform. Even then, that was with the help of his teammates. She wasn't going to let go of him this time. He was fucked…

"Alright, I've seen enough…"

Almost like magic, the red bulky skin on her body dissolved like ashes and her hair was back to its normal color. The pressure around his hand lowered dramatically, allowing him to finally break free of her grip. Without her quirk, she was just as weak as the rest of them. The man came out of the crowd of students standing by and headed in their direction.

"Mr. Aizawa." Sato addressed out loud.

He kept his red eye on Akane to make sure her quirk completely stopped and took a moment to observe her. Her chest rose and fell rapidly from excessive breathing and her eyes were glued to the ground. It was as if she was unable to focus on anything else going on around her. Just seeing how she was, she was frozen in that one spot, practically shivering from the stress of it all. Bakugo ripped his attention away from his destroyed gauntlet when he heard the sound of her whimper and shifted his gaze back. Whoa. That look was completely different than any emotion she had ever made before. Just what the hell was going on?

"Get her somewhere where she can relax. I'll get back to you in a minute." His teacher ordered.

"But what if she-"

"When I blinked, she didn't go back to using her quirk. You should be fine, at least for now." He said before he turned back to the other groups to get them to leave.

He sighed at the unsatisfying answer to focus on Hattori. With how shook up she looked right now, he knew that there was no use talking to her. If Aizawa didn't bother to order her himself, he wouldn't have asked him to do it in the first place.

Bakugo reached his uninjured hand to her shoulder, but she instantly smacked it away.

"How… How could you?..." she whispered quietly to him.

"?"

The glow in her emerald eyes started to glisten as tears formed around the edge of her eyelids. She let out a shaky breath to suppress a sob as she ran her fingers through her hair. Sato and Shishida were just as dumbfounded. What the hell was going on with her? I mean, they knew what was happening, but not everything, not what was going on in her head.

"Why did you…?" she trailed off.

He then recalled what she said the other day and that's when he understood. She was betrayed by the person who was supposed to protect her. She was flashing back to that moment, the same moment she's visualized over and over, time and time again. And Bakugo was the spitting image of that enemy. No wonder she was talking to him like this. But what was he supposed to do about it?

His shoulders slumped the longer he looked at her suffering. Aizawa was right, she needed to go somewhere and relax. Once the other groups left the area, he took a step closer to her.

"Hey, we need to go. You're not yourself right now." He spoke softly, and slowly but surely, she ceased pulling on the strands of her hair. He immediately took that as a good sign. "What you're seeing is all in your head. It isn't real. You're just having an episode."

Her breath appeared to slow down a bit too. Communication was helping. That's good. It came a lot longer than he expected, but better late than never. He dared to reach for her shoulder again, except this time, she allowed it, which he then gestured her in the direction of the changing room. They stopped in front of the wall that divided the boy's room from the girl's, where she slid down on the floor and buried her head in her arms and knees. She didn't mutter a single word after that.

Sato and Shishida also were unsure of how to help but decided to be charitable anyways and went off to get her a bottle of water and a nice clean towel. Meanwhile, Bakugo stayed behind and leaned up against the wall beside her. He stole a couple of glances at her while they waited. There were a couple of sobs here and there, but she eventually calmed down. When they all returned, she took a few small sips of her water and draped herself in the comfort of the towel.

"I've been watching your group closely for the last few days and I understand what you're trying to do, but this matter isn't something that can be solved with just physical fitness. We gave you a choice to meet with your assigned counselor, and we understand you've decided against it. However, you can't keep putting your comrades in danger like this. You need to seek professional help, which is why I'm no longer making this a choice for you."

Her head shot up to him.

"From now on, it's gonna be a mandatory meeting every week, twice a week after training. If you don't like it, then I suggest you apply to a different school and start looking for another career."

Everyone, even Bakugo, couldn't believe he would go this far. He wasn't even her teacher, and yet he's still able to enforce it. Then again, he wouldn't do so without a concrete reason. Looks like it was more serious than they thought. Akane grit her teeth as she clenched down on her half-empty water bottle. She didn't want to fucking hear this.

"Your session with Mrs. Tokihira starts today, Hattori. Go get changed and head down to her office. Now."

Without a word, she stood up and stomped out the front door, leaving the three of them behind in awkward silence.

"Sir, don't you think you were a little forceful with her? I mean, you saw how upset she was, right?" commented Sato.

"Are you questioning my methods?" he narrowed his eyes at them coldly. "I did what needed to be done. The poor girl was too stubborn to admit she needed a different kind of help. In time, I hope she can be at peace with it."

Out of nowhere, the sound of the final period bell had rung. That was their cue to call it quits for the day and head back to their dorms. Aizawa wasted no time as he moved to the front entrance.

"I have a meeting to get to. I want each of you back in your dorms before curfew."

"Yes, sir!"

And with that, he was gone. The boys gathered up their things before they changed back into their uniforms and left the building. Not surprisingly, none of them had much to say after what happened. One thing was definitely certain, they were all thinking about her. As soon as they opened the double doors, they noticed a few of the other students had stayed behind.

"Hey, Man. Where's Hattori?" asked Kirishima. They were all in their uniforms, which probably meant they were changing and didn't get to see her leave.

"Aizawa sent her to see the counselor." Shishida replied.

"Oh geez. I didn't realize it had been that bad with her."

"Do my ears deceive me? Have you 1-A students traumatized the little girl to the point where she needs psychiatric assistance?! You're more incompetent than I've imagined!" Monoma burst forth unexpectedly from the group.

Can't this fucker just go away already?

"Go die!"

Bakugo brushed past his shoulder, not giving in to anymore of his shit. He definitely wasn't the only one who had the same idea, since the rest of them tagged along. They didn't want to deal with this dick.

"Y'know, Monoma, I'm in the same group as them, so when you talk down to them and Hattori, you're talking crap to me too." Said Shishida.

"Oh please! Why I would never-"

Their footsteps eventually became the only sound they cared to listen to. There was another long uncomfortable silence on the way back to the dorms, and Kirishima soon decided not to let it continue.

"Maybe we should talk to her about it when she gets back." He suggested.

"Dumb idea." Said Bakugo.

"Huh?"

"You can't help those who don't want it in the first place. If you ask anything personal about her, she won't give ya a straight answer."

"You think so? So you're actually trying to help her now?"

He responded with an annoyed grunt and that was it. Normally, if someone got the wrong idea about Bakugo, he'd let you know immediately and loudly. It was weird that he wasn't biting his head off right now. Kirishima curiously observed him. His focus wasn't the same determined look or the annoyed scowl he was so used to seeing on him. This time, he looked distant, like he had a lot on his mind. Was he maybe… worried? About Hattori?

Soon enough, they arrived back in their dorm with the rest of their classmates. Same as every day, they hit the showers and switched into some more comfortable casual clothes. Once that was done, they were free to do whatever they wanted until curfew. Sadly, none of them were in any spirit to do anything fun or lively, so they ended up sitting around the coffee table, maybe engaging in small talk or looking at their phones to pass the time. After a while, Kirishima once again broke the silence.

"I can't just sit around and do nothing. C'mon guys, our friend is hurting. Shouldn't we do something about this?"

"That would be up to the counselor's job, wouldn't it?" asked Todoroki.

He aggravatingly clenched his fists.

"Yea, but we're friends, and friends help each other when they're feeling down. If we can't show her that she can come to us in her time of need, how can we call ourselves men?!"

"Look, what's going on with her is something she's been fighting for a long time. It's not like she got a bad grade on a math test or something." Bakugo explained to him.

"So did she tell you about it? What's going on with her?" Icy-hot asked,

"I don't know much, but even if I did, it's not my place to talk about it."

"I guess it's not always an easy subject to talk about with people you barely know." Said Shoto.

"She looked pretty angry when Aizawa made her go to the counselor. It's like she almost hated the idea." Added Sato with his shoulders slumped down.

"I just wish there was something we could do about it. At least to take her mind off it."

Out of nowhere, his lightbulb went off.

"Wait, that's it!"

"What is?" asked Shoto.

"Remember when we got busted for sneaking to the villain's hideout for rescuing Bakugo? It wasn't just us; the rest of our classmates were punished because they couldn't stop us from getting into something so dangerous. It left our friends really upset that day. Some of us had to find the motivation to decorate our own dorms. But then the girls came up with that game to see who had the better room to try and bring us all together again." Kirishima explained, but it only left them more confused.

"What're you getting at, Dumb Hair?"

"I'm saying – that game took all our minds off of Aizawa chewing us out. It wasn't much, but it worked. We can do the same for Hattori. Let's come up with a game we can all play, something really fun that'll make her more comfortable talking to us. Maybe something that lets us get to know each other."

"That actually sounds like a good idea." Commented Todoroki.

"Yea, we can get more classmates in on it too." Added Sato.

Bakugo rolled his eyes at these idiots. "Sounds like a waste of time…"

"C'mon, Bakugo. You weren't even part of the dorm game last time, or really any game. Don't you wanna sit down on one, for once, with your friends?" Kirishima figured it would be a long shot of him actually participating, but still…

"I can't think of anything more annoying…" He said as he went back to look at his phone.

"But she's in your group." He added, which only annoyed Bakugo more.

"So? We just train together. You think I give a shit about what she does outside class?" he asked rhetorically.

"What kind of game will it be?" Shoto asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.

"Not sure yet. It's got to be something with words, something to make her talk."

"What about 'never-have-I-ever'?" Suggested Emiri, who had overheard their conversation close by.

"Oh, I remember that. That's a good one." Replied Sato.

"If you're trying to get to know her, questions won't do. She responds to simple things that don't dig too deep, things like that. It takes a while for her to get used to talking with certain people. If she tells you something personal, it may not be a big deal for others, but that's a serious step for her... Personally, I don't know a lot, but I wish I did. She would always keep to herself and doing that means that she carries all her burdens by herself. I guess it's hard for her to trust people. At some point, trying to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders will make you collapse, and I guess she did today…" she answered regrettably. "But I like your idea. Taking her mind off of those burdens might be the best solution for her."

"Alright, so it's settled. As soon as she gets back, we'll have her join us." Kirishima smiled brightly, now clenching his fists with excitement.

"But what if she says no? She doesn't always do this sort of thing." Emiri asks.

"I'm not gonna take no for an answer this time!"

"You should be careful with that. After what she's gone through today, now might not be the best time." Said Shoto.

"Now's the perfect time! We only have a few days before we leave for winter break. We can't have her feeling down, especially not before the Christmas party."

"So then what do we-"

"Wait!"

They instantly followed Kirishima's eyes over to the hall of the main entrance. Speak of the devil, there she was back in her uniform slowly dragging her feet across the floor. Her head sunk low with her red bangs covering most of her face. They thought she looked bad before, but man, this was worse. What the hell went down with the Counselor to make her come out looking like that?

"I'll be back." Kirishima jumped out of his seat and bolted to Akane.