Chapter 5

Mina Ashido's life was a lonely one. Everyone she ever knew kept her at arms length. It wasn't that she didn't have friends or a caring family. She had both. But, there was a reason that everyone stayed a few steps away from her when she appeared. Her quirk was a nasty one. It allowed her to secrete Acid from her skin. This acid was, by all accounts, deadly. She could use it to burn through pretty much any non organic material. She never used it on people though. No matter how many time mean girls tried to push her into it, she never gave in to the very real urges to melt their faces off. So she knew why everyone kept their distance. Why no-one dared touch her. No hugs from her mother. No kisses goodnight from her father. No high fives from her friends. She got it. It hurt, but she got it.

Opposed to the general belief of the people in her life, Mina had very good control over her quirk. She didn't need special gloves to live her life or a special uniform in school, as was the rumour. Everyone was cautious. Around such a terror to society as she was perceived as. Oh, her parents had offered to buy them but they weren't needed. But they just didn't trust her. It may have had something to do with her burning her uncles hand off when she was 5 and her quirk had barely just manifested, but to still be judged for that nearly a decade years later…

There was only one person who didn't treat her an highly infectious patient and that person was Eijiro Kirishima. His quirk allowed him to harden his skin into stone, making him less effected by her quirk than most. This allowed him to be less cautious around her than most, knowing he had a quirk that protected him. Even if she and him weren't really that close, just classmates really, it was reassuring to know that someone out there didn't think she was too hazardous to be around.

She was really bored when she came across the blog, searching random terms into a search engine on a rainy weekend to see what she was find. There was something about Venality that attracted her attention. She wasn't sure what. But, reading the story of the Quirkless runaway, Usagi, hit a nerve with her. Someone rejected, bullied and alienated because of a quirk, or lack thereof in this case. She could relate. Mina stretched, her eyes dancing over the screen to find a way to contact the author of this post. He sounded like he needed a friend. She found her opening in a small link in the corner of the site to a chat room, wasting no time signing up.

-Toxicity Has Entered The Chat-

Toxicity: Hello Yellow Fellows

Crucible: What?

Usagi: Huh?

Usagi: Oh. Sorry. Hello.

Usagi: Welcome.

Toxicity: Wow this place is pretty barren.

Usagi: Honestly, I'm surprised more than just me is here.

Usagi: I set this up only three weeks ago.

Toxicity: For a new chat room, I suppose two people in three weeks isn't too bad.

Toxicity: I don't think?

Crucible: Who even are you?

Toxicity: Huh?

Toxicity: Me?

Toxicity: Mina.

Usagi: You know your not supposed to share your real name on the internet, you know

Toxicity: Try getting a cute nickname out of Toxicity

Usagi: Tox?

Toxicity: oh

Toxicity: Meh. Mina works better.

Toxicity: I read your story. Relatable.

Usagi: Are you Quirkless too or do you just have a scary quirk?

Toxicity: The Latter. Sorry.

Usagi: No problem. We are rare specimens in this age.

Crucible: What are you? A Zoo animal?

Usagi: Some have argued that in the past.

Toxicity: Same tbh

Usagi: Sorry. Was that too much?

Toxicity: Nah. It's Cool.

Toxicity: I just have an appearance that's a bit…

Toxicity: Well, Dad has a Mutant Quirk. It rubbed off a bit on me.

Crucible: Like a lot of kids these days.

Usagi: I get it.

Usagi: Well, either way, nice to meet you Mina.

Crucible: Yeah

Toxicity: Hee hee.

Toxicity: Nice to meet you guyz too

From behind her screen, Mina grinned ear to ear. She was sure this was the start of a beautiful friendship.

A month later, Mina waved good bye to her friends at the local arcade and started to head home. She loved the old arcade. Specifically, the DDR machine. She could dance for hours, losing herself to the music and forgetting her problems. Her other friends were the same. They didn't notice it as much as Mina did, but it was the only time they actually touched her. Excited hugs. A friendly high five at the end of a heated game. It was a place filled with memories and she loved her game for it.

Didn't hurt that she was also known for being absurdly good at the game.

She was heading home, excited to tell Usagi, Crucible and the newer additions to the group, Violet and Brainstorm, all about her matches. She was swept up in her thoughts when an arm roughly was thrown over her shoulders. " Huh?!"

" Don't move or I'll kill you." Mina glanced up. Hanging over her shoulder, a wide grin on her face, was a school girl with messy blond hair.

" W-What?"

" Don't worry. I just need your shoulder for a minute, Bestie." The girl giggled. Mina panicked slightly. Who was this girl? She was distracted by sudden shouting.

" I found her! Toga! Stop where you are an put your hands up!" Mina didn't even need to look up, recognising the authoritative tone of a police officer. Mina's skin paled slightly. This girl was a criminal. A possible Villain. She was about to shout for help before the girl grabbed her wrist hard, giggling wildly before taking off at a sprint, dragging Mina behind her.

" H-Hey!" She shouted.

" Come on Bestie!" Toga laughed as she ran. Behind her, she could hear the cop speak into his radio.

" Toga's on the move with an accomplice. All local heroes, move to intercept." Accomplice?

" Hey!" She shouted back in vain. " I'm not- Woah!" Toga tugged Mina harshly into an alleyway and kept running. After a few seconds, she kicked down a door and rushed inside, closing it behind her.

" Phew. Made it." Toga looked back at Mina with crazed eyes. " You're a good runner, Bestie."

" I'm not your Bestie!"

" Aw, come on." Toga pouted.

" What do you want with me?"

" Well, those assholes were chasing me and I needed a pal." Toga shrugged. " I like your hair. It's cute. It goes well with the horns."

" Uh. Thanks?" Mina shook her head. " No. Let me go. I don't wanna be a part of this."

" I mean, you can go whenever you want. But, with those fucks outside wandering around, they might get the wrong idea, you get me? I don't wanna see my new Bestie get hurt." Mina paused, mentally cursing. The cops had said something about her being an accomplice to her kidnapper. If she left immediately, she would probably get arrested. She growled. " Come on. Let's talk. I want to know more about you." Toga grinned, sitting on some splintering stairs next to the door. Mina sighed, relenting to the demands of her kidnapper.

Mina learned that the girls name was Himiko Toga and she had some… complicated feelings about love. She seemed to idolise a serial killer who had been on the rise lately called Stain. Her talks about loving him so much she wanted to murder and become Stain was unsettling. Still, Toga never did anything to hurt Mina. She just rambled on about various things on a scale of unsettling topics, from kittens to Villain attacks to her latest victim. After an hour, Mina finally managed to get away and return home. She hoped it was the last she'd see of the girl. She was wrong.

Over the next couple of weeks, Toga tended to ambush her on the way home. It was never as bad as the first meeting anyway. Toga just appeared, talked to her about her day and asked about her day and then left, waving goodbye. Mina never knew what to think about the girl. But something was… odd. Toga was never scared to touch her. She'd throw her arm around her shoulder, jab her side playfully or force a handshake or a high five out of her. She thought that would end after she showed off her quirk to the girl on their fifth meeting. But it didn't. Toga never stopped treating Mina the same she'd seen other girls treat each other on the playground. Not like a dangerous bio weapon but like a normal girl. She knew she shouldn't, but she began looking forward to Toga's surprise appearances.

One night, she'd noticed Usagi talking about Villains. He was saying that he was studying about them. She hadn't asked why, just assuming it was for a school project or something. But he listed a few he'd known about. Some more famous ones, like All For One and Destro, to some lesser known ones, like Gigantomachia and Killer Bee, to some up and coming villains, like Stain and Magne. Mina got curious.

Toxicity: What about Himiko Toga?

Violet: Who?

Toxicity: People in my school are talking about her.

Toxicity: Says she's been giving the cops and heroes the run around.

Usagi: Uh. Let me check my notes.

Usagi: Oh right.

Usagi: She's a serial Killer with a shapeshifting quirk

Crucible: Like Stain?

Usagi: Yes and No

Usagi: She was a fairly notorious stalker with records dating around a year back.

Usagi: She probably has a higher body count than stated but it's hard to pin crimes on her.

Brainstorm: cause of her quirk

Usagi: Yeah.

Violet: That's a bit creepy.

Toxicity: She's a bit on the younger side.

Toxicity : Or so the rumours say.

Usagi: It's hard to say. After all, shapeshifter

Usagi: Though it's generally agreed that's her appearance due to it being her usual appearance.

Violet: Why the sudden interest, Mina?

Toxicity: No reason. Just heard rumours is all.

She didn't want to say the real reason. She was a bit curious about Toga's history. She knew Toga was trouble. She knew she shouldn't like the feeling of being around someone with a body count. An actual Villain, hunted by police and villains alike. And yet she was the only person who treated her like a normal person. So, she let herself indulge. Even shared her phone number with her.

Then, three weeks after they're first meeting, 4PM on a Sunday, Mina got a text from Toga. Apparently, she wanted to hang out this evening. Have some fun. Mina wondered the exact terms of this fun. She knew she shouldn't. That didn't stop her meeting up with her at the Arcade an hour later.

The two had fun at the venue Mina chose for about an hour, dancing away like there was no tomorrow. Mina learned that Toga had no sense of style when it came to dancing. Not quite two left feet, but she seemed to ignore the screen for her own manic movements. She wasn't playing to win. Just to play. That's what Mina thought at least. She'd hoped that would be all tonight would be.

Then it was time for Toga's activity.

In hindsight, perhaps Mina should have been worried when she was handed a surgical mask and gloves and told to put them on and put her hood up. The alarms didn't start ringing in her head until when she was told to wait at the end of an alley and then Toga ran off. She waited for a while for Toga to return. She started to think she'd been strung along as a fall guy or something. Then she heard struggling from further in. And Toga screamed.

Mina ran into the alleyway. She found Toga's hand in the grip of a large man in a bright costume scowling down at her. " Quit struggling, Toga. This is the end for you." He shouted. Toga scowled, desperately swinging her knife at him but kept missing. No, Mina realised, not quite missing. It was more like everytime she got close to hitting, the blade was repelled.

Toga screamed again in desperation. Mina moved instinctively. She formed acid, burning through the surgical glove on her right hand, before she threw it forwards. Toga noticed the attack in coming and spun around him, using the hero as a human shield from the acid assault. The man screamed as his flesh began burning up from Mina's acid, his grip on Toga's wrist loosening just enough for Toga to take the initiative. She stabbed him in a spot weakened by Mina's acid with her knife. Her second strike to a different part was enough to bring the hero to his knees. Toga pushed him down to the ground and started stabbing. Over and over to the parts Mina herself had weakened.

It was then recognised the Hero's costume. The Repelling Hero, Red Stone. His quirk allowed him to repel metal objects that get near his skin, allowing him to make most conventional weapons villains used, from bullets to pipes, completely useless against him. Unless, of course, his skin was injured. Or burned.

" What have I done?" Mina muttered. The hero was dead before her, Toga driving her knife into him over and over again just to make sure, growling something about him being a 'Fake Hero'. And Mina couldn't take her eyes off it, watching frozen as her friend murdered the Pro Hero. And a part of her hated herself for having done something so horrendous. It was her fault. This man was dead because of her.

Toga stood up finally, admiring her job and wiping her blade on her shirt, spitting on the man. " Just the man Stainy would hate." With a giddy smile, she walked back over to Mina. " Nice work, Bestie. You're the best."

" B-But I…"

" What? First time?" Toga giggled. " Glad I could share it with you."

" I… I…"

" It feels reeeeally good, doesn't it?" Toga said darkly. " The feeling of knowing that someone's life was in your hands and you chose they didn't deserve to walk away." Mina looked over to her friend slowly. She stared into her manic, red eyes, taking in her blood soaked form. " It's great right? Right?" How could it, her mind screamed. To have a hand in taking a life? It filled her such a strange feeling. Her heart raced. Her skin burned. Her chest felt like it was on fire. She felt so weird. And, from such an act, she couldn't accept that it was possible positive. It just couldn't be. Then she felt a warm, blood covered hand on her arm, staining Mina's own skin in the hero's blood and suddenly, Mina didn't know what she thought.

She hated to admit it, but a part of her was happy with this outcome. All her life, people had kept their distance from her. They said they were her friends or her family, but even so they refused to risk coming in contact with her in case they'd get hurt, with no thought for what that was doing to her. That hero would have been the same. But the person he was trying to hurt? Himiko Toga was the only person who, even knowing of her quirk, cared enough to treat her like a normal person. Part of her felt sick from what she did. But part of her felt pride. Pride she protected a friend slowly replacing anger that someone would dare take something so precious away.

" Don't worry." Himiko grinned. " I'll help you enjoy that feeling." Toga placed a hand on Mina's cheek and leaned in.

Usagi: You mentioned being interested in Himiko Toga, right Mina?

Toxicity: Yeah. Why?

Usagi: They she has an accomplice now.

Toxicity: Huh? Seriously?

Usagi: Yep. No-one knows who they are but apparently they're a girl who wears a lot of pink.

Usagi: And maybe a type of fire quirk.

Toxicity: I thought Villains didn't like sticking out. Why Pink?

Usagi: Who knows.

Usagi: Anyway, just thought I'd let you knows.

Toxicity: Thanks Sagi. You the best. <3

" Who're ya talking to, Bestie?" Himiko asked.

" Just a friend online." Mina answered dismissively, a drop of acid running off her little finger. The man under her foot screamed in agony. " Apparently news has gotten out you have an accomplice."

" Ooh. You got a name yet?"

" Nah. All they know is that I dress in pink."

" Maybe you should dye your hair. I'd love to do it for you, if you wanna."

" Eh. I don't care. Let 'em find me. It won't matter." Mina smirked. It had been a few weeks since the twos run in with Red Stone. Himiko was true to her word. Mina enjoyed the feeling of inflicting pain now. They met up a few nights a week now. At first, Mina tried to insist she was being strung along. That she didn't enjoy what she was being forced to do. But one bad day with a few bullies changed that mindset. She laid into a cop who tailed Himiko, using her quirk to melt him down to size. She also learned that enough of her quirk could bypass the limiters that stopped it doing to humans that it did to tables. That was a fun day. Since then, she enjoyed her work with her girlfriend. It was the perfect way to blow off steam after a bad day. Just as good as the dancing at the Arcade they did before their night's out.

" So, I got a new place I wanna try after this." Himiko hoped off her place sitting on a dumpster and drew her knife. " My turn."

" Sure." Mina took her foot off the man and traded places, watching as Himiko began her less than surgical incisions. " Where's this?"

" It's a bar a few blocks over." Himiko explained. " It's a pretty quiet place. Mister Giran told me about it."

" Your weapons dealer?" Himiko raised an eyebrow.

" Yep. Seemed like fun. Wanna come, Bestie?" Mina shrugged.

" Sure. Night's still young."

" Hee hee. Yay." Himiko giggled. " Then I guess we'd better finish up and get to our date." Mina smirked. Despite saying she'd be fast, it still took Himiko another five minutes to finish up. Mina was used to it. Himiko treated her work like an art form. After the two got cleaned up, they headed across town, keeping their heads down as police cars whizzed past them, and arrived at the bar. It was a pretty unassuming and decently well hidden place. With Himiko's weapons dealer being the informant about it, she doubted it was a simple, conveniently out of the way bar either. " Hello!" Himiko announced as she burst through the door.

" Good evening." The bartender, a man whose head seemed to consist entirely of black smoke, nodded a welcome. " What can I get you?"

" Beer!"

" Are you underaged?"

" Does it matter in this place?" The bartender laughed before pouring Himiko a drink. He glanced up at Mina.

" Nothing alcoholic for me thanks. You have Cola?"

" Coming up."

" So boring." Himiko taunted.

" Hey. I still have school in the morning. Mom and Dad barely tolerate being out so late as is."

" Excuse me." Mina and Himiko looked over to the voice. Sitting at a table just out of view of the door was four other kids who looked around Mina's age. Three boys, one with green hair and freckles, one with black and white hair and heterochromia and a tired looking purple haired boy, and a girl who looked south Asian or Indian. " Sorry. Just wanted to say hi. You two are new here, right?"

" Yep. First timers." Himiko beamed.

" Sorry to be a bother." Mina smiled.

" Not at all. I'm Izuku. Izuku Midoriya. These are my friends."

" Shoto." The multi coloured hair boy said.

" Hitoshi Shinso." The tired boy waved.

" I'm Toru Hagakure. It's nice to meet you."

" Himiko Toga." Himiko gave them a friendly wave. The group's eyes widened somewhat, recognising the name.

" She's harmless." Mina reassured them. " I'm Mina. Mina Ashido. It's a pleasure."

" Huh? Mina?" Toru looked surprised.

" Yeah?"

" Hang on a moment." Izuku looked at her. " Toxicity?" Mina's eyes widened in shock.

" Wait! Are you guys…"

" I'm Usagi." Izuku waved.

" Crucible." Shoto nodded.

" Brainstorm." Hitoshi smiled.

" Naturally, that makes me Violet." Toru nodded.

" Oh my god!" Mina laughed happily. " That's so cool. Man, you guys hang out together and didn't tell me."

" Technically, three of us live here." Shoto shrugged. " Toru comes by for quirk help."

" Cause is certainly not the lively conversations with you two I come by for." Toru snarked. Shoto simply shrugged.

" Agreed. Talking is too much effort." Hitoshi said simply

" We had our reasons. Sorry." Izuku scratched the back of his head. " But, if you're with Himiko, does that mean…" Mina flinched. Right. Of course Izuku would know what Himiko looked like. Izuku noticed, but laughed. " Hey, I won't judge. Actually, this is perfect. I know it's sudden, but how would you feel about joining our gang?" Mina looked surprised but then smiled. Behind her, Himiko just smirked before taking a gulp of her drink. Looks like their night's out just got a whole lot more interesting.