Chapter Seventeen

The next day, Midoriya, Bakugo, Shoto, and I all end up on mission together, set up by Endeavor himself, to bring in a cell of the new villain organization spotted setting up shop just outside the city. Since training began, I've been dying to work out my quirk and today, I finally get a chance to show the world what I'm made of.

"Hey, Kaida. Welcome back" Midoriya says, offering a kind smile. I smile back at him. Midoriya's been nothing but nice to me since I've been here and sure, he's awkward sometimes, but the kid's got a good heart and hanging out with him often reminds me to make better decisions.

"Thanks, Deku. Good to be back" I reply, joining the group. Aside from Deku, Bakugo kind of ignores me, and Shoto? Well, when he looks at me, I look away before my face gives away everything. That jerk, looking at me like that in public. I chance a glance at him and blush anyway. Mismatched eyes, his hair in disarray over his forehead, his lips parted just before he's about to speak... oh my god, Kaida! Get a grip! I look away again.

"We've got a bit of a lengthy trip ahead of us so be prepared. Once we get the villains subdued, we have some people from the heroes' association on standby, ready to clean up the mess" Shoto says, all business. God, he's hot when he talks like that. Jesus, Kaida. I take a breath, eyes darting away from my assumed boyfriend only to land on Bakugo. Now he's finally looking at me and it feels like his gaze alone is enough to set me on fire. I recoil away from his stare, a pit opening in my stomach. What the hell?

I recover from Bakugo's stare after a few minutes of avoiding it and pretty soon, our group is on its way to the reported sighting spot, all of us ready for anything. It takes us a little bit to get there, but once we do, I'm surprised by the state of the place. It looks like a ghost town, empty and desolate, and the address we were given is home to a forlorn looking building, windows boarded up and roof looking like a death trap. I swallow.

"Is this really the place?" I wonder. It's quiet here, not so much as the noise of stray animals or insects around. It's eerie.

"This is it..." Deku confirms, starting towards the house. I follow him, both nervous and eager to see what awaits us. With the other two guys making up the caboose, the four of us carefully enter the building, watching our steps and trying to remain as silent as possible.

"This is..." Deku breathes as we descend down a set of worn stairs. He turns back, looking up at me with startled realization.

"...a trap" he whispers, eyes wide. Fear drills through me, kicking my adrenaline into hyper drive before I hear what sounds like a spring activated trap. The house around us disintegrates as a pair of metallic, jaw-like clamps, snap shut over our heads with a loud clang. Laughter emanates from all around us as the vision of the house warps and twists and fades into a large woman with white eyes, slicked back black hair, and sallow skin.

"Clever boy" she hisses through jagged, shark-like teeth, and smiles. Anger rips through me. Damn it! I slam my fist against the bars around us, ignoring the way my knuckles protest.

"What's the big idea, huh?!" Bakugo shouts, voice clearly agitated, but not afraid. The woman looks at him with sadistic interest.

"Ooh, curious are we?" she rasps, giggling in a sort of sickly way, choking and wheezing on the sound.

"They call me, Deathtrap" she tells us, sauntering around her cage.

"I'd say I did a pretty good job... locking the lot of you up" she spits, a wicked grin on her face. I grit my teeth, angered by her confidence.

"Not for long" I growl, gaining her attention. She eyes me carefully, dancing towards the cage and reaching her hand in to snatch me by the shirt. I gasp as she yanks me up against the bars, getting close enough to my face to spit in it when she speaks.

"Careful, girl. I could eat you for dinner" she threatens, eyes wild. I hold my tongue, forcing my rage back down as she releases me and looking towards Todoroki. He's the man with the plan.

"So you've captured us... now what?" he demands, as cool as ever. Bakugo scoffs, rolling his eyes and turning away. He can't stand this banter, not when we could be busy trying to escape.

"Now I take you back" the woman sings, prancing around the cage happily.

"They knew you'd come, they knew" she mumbles to herself excitedly. Her insanity unsettles me, but I know the four of us combined can take her... just a bit longer...

"Who knew?" Midoriya asks, puzzled. Color me impressed by his performance though; I never expected him to be much of an actor. Deathtrap takes in a sucking breath and grins at him.

"The immortal villain, of course" she smiles, twirling around dreamily.

"Immortal?" Deku repeats and my blood runs cold.

"What do you mean, immortal?" Bakugo snaps, disbelief coloring his tone. Deathtrap licks her lips, gaze as wild as ever.

"Immortal, boy. Unkillable!" she cackles, rummaging around for something in the bag at her waist before we all realize it's time to go.

"There's no one else here, Shoto. We have to go" I say, a warning in my tone. He nods.

"Deku?" he says and before he responds, I can see green ribbons of lightning winding around him.

"I'm on it" he growls, a determined look on his face. I step back, keeping an eye on Deathtrap as she starts to realize what's happening.

"Don't think about it, boy!" she snarls and in an instant, I'm focused on my heart rate, taking in an enormous breath to slow it down as much as possible. In the last week I've learned that the key to controlling my quirk is in having complete control over my heart rate, forcing myself to be able to be calm in all situations for certain attacks and being able to amp it up in others. My heart rate slows drastically and along to the steady beat of it, I release an intense and consistent wave of energy. Deathtrap stumbles back, shaking her head to clear the disorientation as she tries to claw her way through the wall of energy. I take a quicker breath, increasing my heart rate just enough to push out a more solid wave of energy.

"Now, Deku!" I shout and all at once, he rears back launching his first forward and smashing through the cage effortlessly.

"No!" Deathtrap screams and in an instant I let all of my anxieties rush in, focusing on the fear from today, the exhilaration of last night, and the heart ache every time I think of my sister. My heart hammers full speed and I send out another blast, catapulting Deathtrap from her position in front of us and slamming her into the opposing building. She yelps, trying to get up, but Bakugo and Shoto have her apprehended in a matter of minutes. I take a deep breath, smiling at my team. Now that's a damn quirk. It's one of the first times I've ever felt so in control of myself and the feeling is glorious.

"Hell yeah!" I cheer, high fiving Deku. That's what I'm talking about!

"Would you two stop acting like kids and help us?!" Bakugo snaps, making both of us jump and laugh nervously.

"Oops" I say.

"Our bad" Deku adds, a guilty smile on his face. We go to help out Deku and Shoto, managing to keep Deathtrap subdued until the heroes association and police arrive with the means to take her in. Fat Gum, a hero I've seen mostly in passing, stops to talk to us for a minute afterwards, but as soon as Deathtrap is locked up and unable to use her quirk, the four of us are finally free to go, heading back to the agency with a real victory on our hands.

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When we get back to the agency, the four of us load into the elevator, excitedly talking about our day.

"The plan went off without a hitch! Kaida, your control has really improved. You were amazing!" Deku compliments honestly and I grin, feeling proud.

"You weren't bad either!" I say, happy that I finally feel like part of a team. Shoto chuckles, sharing a look with me that hopefully only I can read. I blush, the two of us stuck in a moment outside of time for a minute until the elevator suddenly screeches to a halt. The power shuts off, leaving us in complete blackness, and the sudden stop propels me forward. I catch myself against someone's chest, fingers grasping at his shirt. I'm about to apologize but I feel a hand come up and gently caress my arm, almost as if he's afraid to touch me. I bite my lip. Shoto. The smell of smoke, soap, and sugar fills my nose just as a dim light appears in the elevator.

Bakugo looks down at me, a heady look in his eyes and I leap back, realizing that it's Shoto's flames lighting the elevator now and it's not his chest I was leaning against. My face flushes.

"What the hell?" I snap. Bakugo glares at me incredulously.

"You fell into me!" he argues, but uncertainty washes over me. I can't scream at him like I want to... I can't ask him why he was touching me like that or why he looked at me so... intensely. I can't ask him and I don't want to. I look at Shoto, my heart sinking when I see the cold look on his face again. Please... he can't have thought that I...

"There's a reason the elevator's stopped now. Did any of you hear anything?" he demands, ignoring the situation at hand. It only makes me feel worse.

"N-no, Todoroki. It just stopped" Deku replies, clearly feeling awkward. I turn my face away, shame eating away at me. Why am I always screwing up right when things finally feel good? Why do I ruin everything? The elevator jolts again, sending all of us stumbling.

"Damn it, what is that?!" Bakugo shouts, irritated and I can tell he's itching to get out of here. I have to admit, I am too, and the proof is in the way my heart slams against my ribcage. Shit. I lay a hand over my chest, trying to focus on slowing my heart rate. Come on... come on... deep breaths. I take a deep breath in through my nose and release it slowly through my mouth. I can do this. My heart finally slows, falling back under my control and I start to feel a bit better.

"Can we pry open the door?" I ask, ignoring the high school romance issues at hand and focus on the more pressing ones. Deku gives me a look.

"We could... but there's no guarantee it would open up on an actual floor. We may make things worse for ourselves" he replies. I look back at the other two boys, both of them staring holes into my head.

"You got any better ideas?" I mutter. Deku shakes his head and while the other two watch us, trying not to get in the way, the two of us pry our fingers into the crack in the doors and pull with all our might. I grunt with the effort and Deku just stares.

"Listen, Hercules, just pull your side!" I snap, aware that his strength surpasses mine in pretty much every way, but as we yank the doors apart, I allow some of my pulse to travel into my hands, increasing my power. In a matter of minutes, we have the door yanked open and I choke out a laugh when I see solid ground.

"Come on! We've gotta get off!" I shout and the boys start for the door.

"What about you?" Todoroki asks both Deku and I and we look at each other. Once we let go of these doors, they'll snap back shut... and who knows what'll happen after that.

"Deku, you go" I insist and his eyes widen.

"You can't hold this by yourself!" he shouts and I shake my head.

"I won't be. I've got my quirk, remember?" I pant.

"I can make a wall" I tell him, but I know it's only a half truth. My quirk is much more powerful now that I know how to control it but I still need practice. I've only known how to properly use it for the last week or so... I don't know if it's reliable enough for something this precise. Deku hesitates to follow after Shoto and Bakugo, but I don't break my stare. The two of them... they trust me enough to do this before the whole elevator collapses, but can Deku let go? A shudder goes through the floor at our feet and the elevator makes a threatening croaking noise.

"DEKU, GO!" I shout, feeling the way the elevator seems to shift. At my urgency, Deku dives from his position at the door and I send out a blast of energy, barely able to contain the door. I gasp. The wall isn't as strong as it needs to be and I can feel the elevator slipping. Shit... I hear a cable snap and I lose control at the same time. My wall dissipates and the elevator door springs shut as the elevator drops from the ceiling, but... a hand around my waist yanks me to safety, pulling me so hard and so quickly that we crash to the floor.

I cough, trying to catch my breath, and as I sit up, Bakugo groans beneath me, eyes shut.

"Damn you're heavy" he croaks, erasing the awkwardness from the moment. I punch him in the gut and he grunts, trying not to laugh.

"What?" he demands. I glare at him, face heated and red as I stand up.

"Jerk! Don't grab me like that!" I command and he rolls his eyes.

"You're welcome" he snaps and I shut my mouth. Regardless of how I feel or he feels or even how Shoto feels, Bakugo saved my life.

"Thank you" I mumble. He waves it off but he doesn't look at me and something in my gut twists. Ugh. What's going on with me?

"Come on. It sounds like the building is under attack" Shoto says flatly and we all follow him through this seemingly abandoned floor of the agency building.

"What's going on?" I murmur. It's dark in here, without many windows, but every so often, the ground shakes beneath us and I can hear the building taking damage.

"We have to take the stairs" Shoto replies and we all agree, following him to the other side of the building and racing up the stairs after him. It takes several floors to get up to where the commotion is but none of us complain, dashing as fast as we can until we spill out into the office. Once there we can see the damage so far, the blown out windows and a few of the Sidekickers out for the count.

"Burnin'!" I see her lying against one of the cabinets, wincing as she tries to sit up.

"It was a surprise attack" she huffs, grabbing her side. Worry washes over me.

"What happened? Where's Endeavor?" I demand and her gaze flits to the window. Shoto's already there, eyes wide as he stares out into the sky, Bakugo and Deku behind him.

"Sit tight, okay?" I demand and Burnin' nods, letting me run over to the window to see what everyone else is looking at. In the sky, Endeavor faces off with another masked opponent, their mask decorated black and white this time. Chills run up my spine. What's going on?

"We have to help him" I whisper, fists clenched. Shoto looks back at me and nods.

"We will" he promises and at that moment, the masked villain shoots forward, plowing into Endeavor with all of his strength and plowing him straight through the building. The four of us dive out of the way, quick to regain our footing as the two of them rise back up to their feet.

"Tell me who you are" Endeavor growls and the masked villain paces around him. This one is much bigger and taller than the last, his shoulders so broad that even Endeavor looks slight comparatively. It's a terrifying sight.

"Who... I... am..." the villain rasps then breaks out into a laugh, the sounding of it echoing off the walls. My whole body shakes in his presence. Just who... is this guy?

"I... am Aneurysm" he booms, flashing his hands in front of him and splaying them wide. No sooner than he does it, I yelp, head screaming in pain and brain feeling like it's about to explode.

"Kaida!" I hear a few of my friends at once and I gasp as a trickle of blood runs down over my lip. The villain whips his head around then, tilting it to stare at me through his mask.

"So... ssssensitive to this kind of power... how... curious" he breathes, his voice a low and threatening rumble. I whimper as the pain stops, but only for a moment. Only long enough for the villain to take interest before he throws out his arms and sends out another dose of his quirk. I shriek, collapsing to the ground and watching my friends follow suit. I cry out, reaching for them, but it's no use. His quirk feels like it's melting my brain and it's hard to focus on anything. I try to let out any kind of pulse but my body collapses, convulsing on the ground just like it used to after an intense fight. No... please...

I look around desperately, hoping against all hope that someone's up, but even Endeavor is on the ground, fingers digging into his skull to try and stop the pain. My head throbs and I can feel the blackout coming. Someone... anyone... I lose consciousness quickly, the whole world falling into blackness before I can scream out again. I hear myself breathing... hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. I can't black out... not like this... but I don't have a choice.

I feel myself slipping farther and farther into the blackness, my body growing heavy and the throbbing in my head growing distant. It's too late now, too late to do anything, and my worst fear is that this might be the end. This might be the end of my journey to becoming a hero... the thought of it spurns a desperate rage within me but my body won't move... my eyes won't open. My chest aches, everything hurts... Shiori... Shiori, I'm sorry. My sister is the last thought I have before succumbing to the darkness around me and I can only hope that somehow... she heard me.