Better To Be Feared

-???-

Shades had been pulled down, covering the windows to cover any sunlight from leaking into the mess of the room. A lone person sat in front of a computer screen, watching the Sports Festival. A familiar man with light messy blue hair, his arms covered in bandages, and his clothing looking a bit baggy. He watched the students fight with their Quirks, and even rewatched the previous matches when it had occasionally cut to commercial. Every now and again he would scratch at his neck when he saw a certain green haired freckled boy, and one with a paint brush style hair.

He only seemed to have calmed down a bit, when a girl with purple and aqua green hair came on the screen.

"Rei-chan…" He said to himself as he looked at the colored drawing that sat in his lap, "... What kind of friends have you been making?"

When the video came to Reina's match, he paused the video as he saw that her eyes were of silver instead of her usual odd eye'd color. He zoomed in on the girl's face, as he seemed to have noticed her expression had changed, and even her entire demeanor. He fast forwarded the video, to when her other classmates had been seen.

He sat back in his chair, as a thought came over him.

He took what looked to be a burner phone, keeping his finger elevated as he quickly dialed a number, putting the phone to his ear.

Whoever he had been calling, picked up with a click.

"Hitonari speaking." A raspy voice seemed to say.

"This is Tomura Shigaraki." He said to whoever it had been, "Find out where Miss Pitch is. Now."

***

-UA High School; Sports Festival Stadium, Outside-

Reina soon found herself sitting just outside of the stadium, near the trees. She had been slouched over on the bench provided as she had been trying her best to collect herself. The voices in her head still echoed throughout her mind, each one overlapping the other. She tried her best to block them out as she took deep breaths.

She soon jumped at the sight of three children standing in front of her. Each of them had been wearing hospital gowns, and having bandages, though to be honest, compared to Reina from when she was a child, they looked better than she did. There had been a total of two boys and one girl; all of them seemed to have glared at her.

"You're nothing but a freak!" She heard the girl say.

"You're never going to be a Pro-Hero." The first boy said.

"You're no Hero--You're a monster!" The second boy said.

The three kids, laughters and giggles echoed throughout her head, causing another ringing sound in her head, as they repeated their words. She kept hitting her head, in an attempt to get rid of it all; no matter how hard she tried the voices seemed to have gotten louder and louder by the second. The voices seemed to have stopped when she felt someone lightly tap her on the head, with something. Turns out it was a can of soda, held by Katsuki.

"Got ya an apple soda." He said, "It's still your favorite right?"

"Tha--thanks." She said, her voice shaking a little as she took the can, "I'll pay you back sometime."

"Don't even bother." Katsuki said, taking a seat beside her, "Things like this don't cost anything."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. You do enough of that already. More than Deku, and that's saying a lot."

Reina laughed a little before she started to drink from the soda, both of them staying silent as they sipped from their sodas. She didn't know why, but when she looked in his direction, her face turned a little red. She put her hand over her heart as she felt it twist a little.

"Ah… There it goes again…" She thought to herself as she took the can from her lips, "... This doesn't make sense. Katsuki-kun is one of my best friends. That's all there is. If that's the case… Why do I feel… Different when I'm around him?"

"So…" She heard Katsuki start to say, "... Mind explaining what your little freakout was earlier? I don't think I've ever seen you like that before."

Reina cleared her throat as she started to play with her ponytail a bit, "Had a… Run in with a Pro Hero I know."

"Someone other than the bed head?" He asked, "One of the teachers?"

"Well…" Reina said, "... Actually, it was… Fubuki-chan and Todoroki-san's father."

His eyes widened slightly at this, though he soon scoffed, "I'll be damned. This whole time I've known you, you actually know one of the Heroes on the top ten list."

"Correction, not counting Enji-san, I know four of them." Reina said as she sounded embarrassed.

"Seriously?!" He exclaimed.

"Surprisingly, hospitals have pretty BIG connections when they want to keep the kids happy, despite Enji-san's intimidating appearance." She replied with a shrug, "Plus, I may or may not have hung out with a couple of them when they were off duty on some summer days after Shota took me in."

"You're kidding?"

"I can't confirm or deny it."

"Then why are you so freaked out for? He's supposed to be one of your friends, isn't he?"

Reina suddenly started to look nervous at this as she looked to the floor, twiddling her thumbs a little. "He is one… Right?" Katsuki asked.

"No!" Reina said suddenly, "I mean, yes! I mean--" She heaved a sigh, "--I… Don't know…"

He soon took notice, as her expression changed slightly, as she started to run a hand through her hair. She looked more confused and uncertain at the thought of Enji. He could've sworn, he saw a bit of fear in her eyes as well.

"Guess… He made an impression on you when you were a kid, huh?" Katsuki asked.

"You… Might say that." Reina replied as she scratched her head a little. She soon sat forward in her seat a little, "Promise you won't tell anyone about this?"

All Katsuki did was give her a quizzical look, as if to say "Really?" All she did was chuckle a little, "Right. That was stupid to ask."

"Ya think, Lollipop Head?" He said, lightly punching her in the arm.

"Hey, it's not my fault that I'm nervous about telling you some… Personal matters." Reina said as her face started to turn pink again, "Than again… As long as it's you… I'm okay with it." At this Katsuki's face heated up; he quickly turned away to hide the blush on his face.

"Ju--Just tell me what's bothering you!" Katsuki said as he stammered.

"Well… If you really want to know." Reina started to say, her tone of voice changing, that Katsuki had been quick to notice, "Do you remember the time I told you and Izuku-kun, how… Some Pro-Heroes and the other kids looked at me differently?"

Katsuki nodded his head in reply.

"There's… More to it." Reina replied, "... Before… Shota adopted me… Some of the Pro-Heroes… May have wanted to… Lock me away."

Katsuki nearly choked on his soda at this; he hit himself in the chest to catch his breath. "They wanted to do what!?" He exclaimed angrily and even out of shock.

"My Quirk had gotten the attention of the Government at one point. Apparently, mental type Quirks will do that to ya." Reina started to explain, "I overheard them talking about me. They told the other Pro-Heroes that they wanted to be taken away to a place where there was absolutely no sun, no fresh air, no… Anything. To make matters worse, some of the Pro-Heroes started to agree with them. They eventually took it to court to decide what my fate would be. Hadn't it been for Nezu-chan and the others pleading my case, than… Well, I guess I never would've met you guys."

"What did the fire head have to do with that then?" He asked.

"That's the kicker." Reina said, "... He's one of the Pro Heroes that looked at me and thought that I was dangerous. At least, he started to feel that way after… After…"

He soon noticed that her body started to shake again; she took her own hand to stop but it didn't really help since it seemed to have increased. It hadn't been long before Katsuki put his hand on top of her, which seemed to make her freeze up, and her face turned a little pink again.

"Breath." He told her gently, "You're okay."

She did what she was told and took another deep breath.

"... I never told Floyd-kun, or Izuku-kun this but…" Reina started to say, "... A year before Shota took me in. I nearly caused a catastrophe at an amusement park. My Quirk almost got out of control and it's what drew the Government's attention. If it wasn't for Shota and the others, I probably would've killed a lot of people that day. Shimizu-sensei never did find out what caused me to lose control like that. Weird thing is, I don't even remember how I got there, or even the name of that park."

Katsuki's expression softened a little, which Reina didn't seem to notice. His left side started to throb a little, as he put his hand over where he felt the stabbing pain at a certain thought in his head. This time, Reina took notice of the way he acted.

"Katsuki-kun?" She said worryingly when she noticed he had been in agony, "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me." He said to her softly, "Is there more to it?"

Reina nodded her head a little before she continued, "Enji-san… Happened to be one of the Pro Heroes who was there that day, and saw what happened. Or at least, what I could've caused. That same day, when I woke up, I overheard him talking about me. He said that I was a danger to the country, and should've been destroyed when they had the opportunity. You don't want to know what else he said about me. I didn't want to hear the rest of his conversation when I realized that he made a point about me."

She soon noticed that his look changed to something she was all too familiar with. "Don't get me wrong." She said to him calmly, "I've always taken what you said seriously. But if you were to tell a five -year -old me what you did, I probably would've called you crazy."

"Probably." Katsuki said with a shrug, though he soon had a thought in his head, "Though that seems doubtful."

"I don't know if Enji-san still views me like that, or even if he said those things because he was scared but…" Reina soon said before she shrugged again, "... We haven't really been on speaking terms since than. And after what Fubuki-chan told me about what he put her and Todoroki-san through… I guess… It only made my mind set worse about… Everything… When I saw him..."

His expression softened again at the face she made at the thought of it all. He started to rub the back of his neck. "He really did scare you, huh?" He said.

Reina only nodded as she stayed silent at this.

Katsuki thought about what she had been telling him, and even thought about going back to the conversation Shoto, Izuku and Floyd had. From what he could see and from what he could tell, he had sounded ambitious and prideful. Sure, he admits that he was like that too, though… He would never let that kind of thing control him, even to the point of hurting the people he cared about, or rather… The person he cared about.

"Look Reina…" Katsuki started to say, "... I know it's really difficult to get over the hard things, especially what you had to go through but…."

She soon felt his hand on her shoulder, as she looked at him a little surprised, "Just know that you're not alone in any of this. Remember, you got me to help you through it, if you won't tell this to Deku or the Inkhead."

She turned red again, "... Thank you Katsuki-kun." She started to rub her elbow a bit, "You know… It's hard to tell anyone these kind of things. I even have a hard time telling Shimizu-sensei and Shota anything nowadays. But…" She soon gave him a smile, as the blush was still visible, "... When it's you… It just feels easy… You know what I mean?"

Katsuki gave her a rare smile as she saw he had been blushing too, "You bet your ass I do, Lollipop Head."

Reina let out a giggle at this as she felt her heart skip a beat a little. She didn't know why… But she felt happy to know that she had someone like him. Pretty soon, she noticed that he started to get nervous again.

"Reina…" He started to say, "... I--There's something I've been meaning to get off my chest, and… Something I think you should know too."

Reina looked nervous too, as she fixed her hair a little, "Okay… What is it?"

He took a deep breath before looking at her.

"Reina… I--"

"There you are!"

Reina and Katsuki both jumped when a voice came over them. They turned around fast and saw a woman with wolf ears at the top of her head; it was Reina's personal doctor. "Shimizu-sensei!" Reina said, embarrassed, while she didn't realize that Katsuki was trying real hard not to blow up right than and there, since he was pissed off.

"I've been looking for you everywhere." Shimizu said, "When you weren't in the room Chiyo, Oda and I had gotten worried."

"Oh, sorry about that." She said, as she cleared her throat, "Did you need me for something?"

"We just gotta check you over before your next match." She replied.

"Seriously? I'm not a little kid anymore you know."

"I know you're not, but you know, it's routine at this point. It'll only take a minute"

Reina gave a look of defeat, "Okay fine. As long as it's quick."

"Good." Shimizu said, "We should go now. You know how Chiyo-san can be. And I bet Oda is throwing a fit."

The young teen only nodded, as she soon stood up and went to follow Shimizu, but not before she surprised Katsuki with a hug. "That's for listening like always." She whispered as Katsuki's face heated up.

"Don't--Read too much into it…" He mumbled though he sounded embarrassed to say.

Reina soon had a nervous look on her face as she pushed herself out of the hug. He had been taken back even more, when she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Tha--that's for…" She said as she started to play with her ponytail again, "... Everything else. Kay bye!"

With that being said, she went over to Shimizu as she hid her face, while Katsuki couldn't help but just sit there, baffled by her sudden actions. He watched as they just disappeared around the corner, as Shimizu talked to the young teen wondering why she had the look on her face.

"Goddamn it…" He said, crushing the can of soda, not even caring if the drink leaked onto his hand, "... I have to go with Shitty Hair's idea after all…"

***

-Club Mirage; District (???)-

It didn't take Tadano long to find the person called Pitch. An hour after Shigaraki gave him a call, he had gotten a text, saying he had found where Pitch had stayed. Apparently she had owned a day/night club in a district they were all too familiar with; he'll give her credit, it was a good cover. After getting the precise coordinates, he had Kurogiri take them there, after Tadano informed him of what many would call "The Toll".

They appeared in the alley just across the street, in a place with mostly abandoned buildings. The only place that had been lively was the club itself. Two people stood outside of the place, both of them were women, having different appearances from each other. One wore a tux with an untied bowtie, and wore a dark green suit vest with a white collared shirt that looked to be sloppy tucked in. Upon her head, she had a black western style hat with a dark red band around it.

Her hair had been in a buzzcut on the left side of her head in the color of an ash gray, as she had a nose and lip piercing. Her skin looked to be a tan brown color and her eyes had been the color of green.

The other was an asian and caucasian, possessing black hair and white highlights that had been tied into a side ponytail and hogoe. She had on a gray-white uniform that would be worn in the summer with black belt boots and wearing socks with gaps in between showing off her scarred skin. She also had a scar underneath her chin on the left.

The two of them noticed Shigaraki, Kurogiri, and Tadano approaching.

The woman with the buzz cut said with an accent as she looked to have a cigarette between her lips, "That's far enough loves."

The three of them stopped in their tracks, just as they reached the sidewalk.

The girl with the scar had added with a grin after giving them a glance, "Now would you look at that? If it isn't Handsy, Dark Cloth and Mr. Anger issues. Nice of you to drop by."

Tomura groaned annoyingly at this before he spoke up, "We're here to talk to your boss, Miss Pitch. We were told she owns this little…" He looked up to the sign before he added sarcastically, "... Establishment."

The girl with the scar gasped dramatically as she had felt insulted, "This is how you treat us after all this time?"

"I don't even know you, crazy bitch." Shigaraki said aggressively, "Quit acting like we're friends."

The girl with the scar had added tauntingly, "Make me, Whiny Bitch."

"Now, now Vivazo." The girl with the piercings said after putting a hand on her shoulder, "You wouldn't want to get punished by Miss Pitch again, now do ya?"

The girl with the scar, named Vivazo said as her face turned scarlet as she made a pouty face, "As much as I like pain… Not really.."

"Good girl." Her partner said.

Shigaraki let out an annoyed groan. "Look…" He said, "... I'm an impatient man here, and I need her help with something. I need to see her immediately."

The girl with the piercing had given an amused smile, before she replied, "... Sorry to disappoint you loves… But she's held up with another customer at the moment. Though we can bump you up to first in line..."

Her smile soon turned into something sinister, "... So long as… You can pay the toll. If I, Crock and my partner Viv here see it's a worthy price, then we'll take you straight to our lovely Miss Pitch… But… If not we're not satisfied with what you have to offer…"

She chuckled, licking the blade like nails on the tip of her fingers, "Let's just say this will be the last day of your pathetic little lives."

Vivazo added with a giggle, "Better make your last memories count~"

Shigaraki didn't seem phased by their threat, neither did his companions. "Kurogiri." He said, "Bring him over."

"Right." Kurogiri said with a nod.

He activated his Quirk and opened a portal just a couple of inches off of the ground. A man came falling out of the portal, tied up in chains and having a gag around his mouth; he had on one of Tadano's collars around his neck. He looked terrified when he saw the two women before him.

"Now that's a fancy trick..." The girl named Crock said, as she turned to Vivazo, "Ain't it love?"

Vivazo commented, "I have to say, I'm impressed.."

"This man here..." Tadano started to say as he put his boot on his shoulder, "... Stole away 'merchandise' from you boss didn't he? He's the leader of a rival gang that she particularly doesn't like and had to deal with for the past year. From what I understand, she's been trying to track him down for a whole month. As for me…" He kicked the man over to their feet, "... It only took me 30 minutes to find him."

Crock looked at the man who started to sweat. He was saying something incoherent to her. Crock chuckled as she tossed her cigarette on his face burning his cheek, "Now that you mention it… This little wanker has been awfully tricky to find. Miss Pitch was on the verge of decapitating someone she was."

"Does this toll satisfy you?" Kurogiri asked.

She gave him a good slap on the cheek, "Oh it does. Miss Pitch will be really happy to see this one and think of a suitable punishment." She turned to her partner, "Who knows Viv… She might give him to you as your new toy, since you broke the last one."

Vivazo had gotten excited at this as she started to clap and jump up and down, "Oh boy! My new toy! I can't wait to do some experiments on him! Maybe even some other stuff on him!"

"Can you be more disgusting?" Shigaraki said.

Crock chuckled as she took the man by the neck of his shirt, "Congrats loves. You earned a VIP pass to see Miss Pitch. Follow us."

Crock and Vivazo started to make their way inside the club, with Shigaraki, Kurogiri and Tadono following them inside. When they entered they saw that most of the characters inside the club had been shady and looked rather odd. Some of them had been regular people while others looked like they were animals, or face wise anyway. Red and gray lights flashed everywhere, some people were dancing to the music that had been playing, some were talking at the table or bar, and some were playing a game of cards or arm wrestling. People that worked in the club, had either been the bartender, or pole dancing, pleasing some of the men in that establishment.

They soon approached a table just on the second floor, where they saw a man on his knees, begging someone who had been wearing what looked to be black platform boots.

When they approached the table they saw a girl who appeared to be fifteen sitting at the circular table. Her entire hair had been of gray with a couple of her tips had been dyed red, and had been tied in pigtails with black scrunchies. She had on a dark brown collared shirt that had been sleeveless and was untucked, with the middle part of it open revealing her breast line; or at least, it would've revealed it were it not for her red tie with a black button. She also had on a dark red mini-skirt and over it had been an asymmetrical open skirt that was in the color of dark gray with the inside of it being the color of wine red.

On her right arm she had on an arm sleeve in the collar of black with a silver band, while on her left she had on a metal ring near her shoulder with a sleeveless fishnet. Around her neck, she possessed a spike choker, and she had stitches on both sides of her cheek and there were a couple on her arms too. She also had two silver rings on the fingers of her right hand. Her eye had been gray, while her left had been covered in bandages.

She looked to be brushing an antique wooden doll wearing a black dress with its eyes blindfolded while the man before her dressed as a banker looked like he was about to piss himself.

"Pl--Please Miss Pitch." The man begged, "I--I need a little more time to get the money together! This time tomorrow! I promise!"

"You've made your quote on quote promises over the course of three weeks..." The girl named Pitch said in a calm yet threatening tone, and not taking her eyes off of the doll in her lap, "... Time and time again, you've given me the same excuse as to why you haven't paid your debt to me. I assume that you're aware of the fact that my patience can only go so far."

The man soon pleaded as he had been on the verge of crying, "Ple--please! I'll do anything! Anything Miss Pitch!"

Pitch finally looked at the man, who shrunk at her gaze. "... If that's the case, you can do one simple thing." Pitch said as she played with her hair a bit, "I'll forget about your debt, in exchange… For your boss's head."

The man's eyes widened, "But-- You said that you needed him too--"

"That was in the past." Pitch replied calmly, "He's nothing but a nuisance to me now. You said you would do ANYTHING… Didn't you?" The man looked nervous as Pitch soon leaned forward in her seat, "Either you give me his head by this time tomorrow… Or I give your wife to my second as to satisfy her needs."

The banker said nothing as he only nodded his head looking nervous. Though she didn't show facially she looked satisfied, "Get out of my club." Thus he left in a hurry, nearly knocking over Shigaraki on his way out.

Crock and Vivazo were the first to approach her table.

"Miss Pitch." Crock said as she and Vivazo bowed, "We've got some customers that want to see you. And… You'll never guess what they gave us as the Toll."

"What would that be pray tell?" Pitch asked, setting the antique doll beside her.

Vivazo replied as she picked up the man, "You'll be surprised!"

Vivazo threw him onto the table and made him look up to Pitch. "My, my, if it isn't Mister Anderson." She said as she looked at him before she put her boot to his face, "... I've been searching high and low for you. I didn't really appreciate you taking what was mine. I worked really hard, killed and manipulated people to get those high quality drugs. Of course, I would've let it all slide… If you didn't kill my former second."

She soon took notice of Shigaraki and his companions standing nearby.

"Now this is certainly a surprise." Pitch said, taking her boot from the man's face after giving him a good kick, "From the hand on your face… You must be Mister Tomura Shigaraki. I appreciate you bringing this man to me. It saved me the trouble of hunting him down myself."

"So you're the famous Miss Pitch." Shigaraki said, "I know Tadano said you run this place, but seeing you face to face, anyone would think you're just a brat."

"You know how the saying goes, appearances can be deceiving." Pitch told him, before she turned to Vivazo, "Put Mister Anderson to the side for now. I'll decide how he'll be punished later."

The man named Anderson looked terrified while Vivazo couldn't help but pout, "No new toy for me Miss Pitch?"

"Do you wish to play the punishment game again?" Pitch asked, only giving Vivazo one look.

Vivazo held back a giggle before she replied as she did what Pitch asked before she gave her a hug and her waist as she sat at her side, "No, not today."

Pitch only nodded before she turned to Shigaraki, "Please." She motioned him across the table just as another person who presumably worked for her, put a chair in that space, after she snapped her fingers with her other hand, "Have a seat. Make yourself at home."

Shigaraki sat down, while Kurogiri and Tadano stood at his side.

"Must be unpleasant, seeing as how you have to deal with someone with a few screws loose." Shigaraki commented as he picked up a drink that one of the men brought to the table, "Can't believe you have someone like her under your thumb."

"Despite her mental issues she is very useful when it comes to getting the job done." Pitch said as she gave her pet her head as if she had been a cat, which Vivazo herself seemed to enjoy as she giggled softly, "She didn't become my new second for nothing."

"I'll take your word for it, Miss Pitch." He said, "I have to say, your reputation precedes you, since you know who I am."

"I make it my business to know potential comrades." She replied, before she pointed to his companions, "The one who makes things or himself appear in various locations, Kurogiri, the man without Quirk, yet can take down even the most professional Pro-Heroes Tadano Hitonari, and…" She pointed towards him, "The man who turns things to dust and is now the new leader of the League of Villains… Tomura Shigaraki, or would you rather I'd call you by your real name Te--?"

At this Shigaraki put all his fingers on the glass, and it turned to sand just like that, spilling the drink, which honestly impressed two of her people, Crock and Vivazo.

"I didn't come here just so you can show off." Shigaraki told her as he started to scratch at his neck a bit after dusting off his hand, "We both know why my comrades and I took the trouble of coming here."

"Of course, I apologize." Pitch said calmly, "You've come here to ask for information. Since you're people took the trouble of finding this man for me, I assume the information you want… Is important."

"It is." Shigaraki said.

He motioned for Tadano, and he had been quick to take out what looked to be a small envelope out from his jacket pocket. He threw it onto the table and she saw it had been a series of photographs. Pitch picked up a couple of them as she looked through.

"These are students currently attending the Hero Academy UA." Tadano started to explain, "We encountered some of them when we launched an attack on the USJ."

"The attack that was meant to kill the Symbol of Peace… So I've been told at least." Pitch said handing off some of the photos to Crock and the other half to Vivazo when she finished looking through the others, "... You have an interest in them?"

"Some of them, or at least two, catch my eye." Shigaraki replied, "Some however… Could be a nuisance to people like you and me. I need everything on each of those students in the photos so I can figure that out myself."

"Any specifications?" Pitch soon asked.

"I want to know about their lives, and of course… About their Quirks." Shigaraki replied, "Can you get them?"

Pitch took a sip from her drink as she looked over the photos again, this time sitting pretzel style on the chair. "Information like what you're asking for is easy to come by." Pitch said, "However… Since they're attending UA this won't come cheap. No doubt since your fiasco at USJ, they would've most likely tightened security, especially during the Sports Festival."

"Just name your price." Kurogiri soon said, "And we'll see to it that you're paid in full Miss Pitch."

Pitch started to give it some thought on how they could pay her. At first she couldn't come up with anything, until she looked to Anderson as he had been struggling to get free.

"Alright…" Pitch began to say, "... With the resources I have, I can retrieve your information by midnight tonight. In exchange for this information, you are to bring me something. Since, they're twenty four students in total…" She soon pointed over to Anderson, "... You hunt and retrieve twenty four of his lieutenants. Call it a fair trade."

The three didn't seem phased by this kind of offer.

"Does it matter if they're given to you alive or dead?" Shigaraki asked.

"That isn't an issue. If some of them become a problem, you have my permission to kill them, so long as you bring me proof of their demise." She replied playing with the hair on her doll, "But if you are able… Bring them to me alive, so that I can give them the proper punishment."

Shigaraki looked to Tandano, and as if he knew what he had been asking, he responded to Pitch, "It'll be done Miss Pitch."

Pitch gave a small smile, "Then I'll see you back here tonight. We'll make the trade then" She turned to one of the men nearby, "Please, see to it that our guests aren't trampled on their way out."

"Yes Miss Pitch." The man said before he went to escort them out.

Shigaraki, Kurogiri and Tadano followed the man back to the way they came, as Pitch started to look at the photos again. Only one photo in particular seemed to have caught her eye as she took the photo off of the table, gazing at it.

"UA?" Crock said as she looked at Vivazo, "Isn't that where your long time crush other than Miss Pitch goes to? What was his name again? Fred Fliney? Felix?"

Vivazo's eyes sparkled as she started to pant heavily at this, "Floyd Aihara-chan~! Ah! My darling Floydie! How I've longed to make him one of my toys~!"

"Looks like that answers my question." Crock said, not at all phased, before she looked over to her boss, "Do you want me to handle it this time, Miss Pitch?"

She soon noticed the look on her face as she had her attention on the photograph, "Miss Pitch? Is everything alright?"

Pitch soon replied calmly, "Just thinking." She turned to her second, "Vivazo?"

"Yes, Miss Pitch?" Viazo asked.

"Your friend you told me about… Is she a good actress?" She soon asked.

"Come to think of it. Yeah" Vivazo said as she scratched her head.

"Give her a call." Pitch told her, "Tell her we require her assistance, and we'll make it worth her while."

"Awww…" Vivazo said with a pout, "... I don't get to go to see my Floydie-chan?"

"On the contrary…" She said, "... You'll be accompanying your friend to UA, to make sure she gets the information that our guest has requested.

Vivazo's eyes brightened as her face once again turned red at the thought of seeing Floyd, "Ahhh~! Floydie-chan~! I'll call her right now!" Just like that Vizazo took out a cell phone and dialed a number.

"Crock." Pitch said, turning to her, "I have a different assignment for you."

"Sure thing ma'am." Crock said, "What would it be this time?"

"One of the students in this photo won't be listed in the records UA provides." She replied, "This one's name should be under the records of Promise Clinic."

Crock looked at her with confusion, "That place went down and under years ago. With all due respect, they'll be long gone."

"Not necessarily." Pitch said before she pulled up a photo on her phone, pulling up a woman with wolf ears, "Shimizu Kenko is one of the doctors who used to work at Promise Clinic. All records will be in a file on her computer in her new establishment."

Pitch took out a flash drive from her skirt pocket, and handed it over to her, which Crock took without hesitation. "So I copy the file onto the drive. Simple enough. Who am I looking for?"

Pitch handed the picture over to Crock, and the photo she had been looking at, was revealed to be a girl with red and purple odd eyes, with hair in the shade of purple and aqua green. Crock's eyes widened slightly at the appearance.

"This one here?" Crock said surprised before Vivazo looked over her shoulder to see the photo, "But this girl looks awfully like--"

"I am well aware of who she resembles." Pitch said, cutting her off, "And if it is who I believe it is, she is to remain between only the three of us. If word got out… People will come and try to kill her, and of course we can't have that. It would be a disgrace if she were to be killed. Not to mention the possibility of Mister Shigaraki using her is considerably high."

Vivazo said as she looked at the photo, "The resemblance looks uncanny."

They soon heard Anderson cry out as he still struggled in the chains. "Oh right, forgot about this bloke here." Crock said, looking at Pitch, "What should we do with him?"

Pitch looked at the man as he was still covered in his sweat. She soon turned to Vivazo, "Give him to your friend when you see her. As a token of our appreciation."

Vivazo had a sinister looking grin on her face as she looked to the man, "Well looks like your in for a treat!"

***

-UA; Sports Festival-

Reina walked beside Shimizu still hiding the blush on her face. She stayed quiet the whole time, not at all trying to engage the conversations. Shimizu noticed the look on her face as she giggled, "So… Am I to assume that was another friend of yours?"

"No--I mean yes they are!" Reina stammered, "I mean he! He's a he! Not he as in they! Not even a royal they! What were we talking about?"

"Did you..." Shimizu started to say, "...Just mix up your words?"

Reina stayed silent, before she responded, "... No?"

Her ears twitched a little as she had a thought in her head, "Reina Nouki… Do you by any chance... Have a crush on that boy?"

Reina's face turned as red as a cherry, "WHAT!? ME!? A CRUSH ON MY BEST FRIEND!? NO! THAT'S--" She laughed a little, "--THAT'S RIDICULOUS! I DON'T HAVE A CRUSH ON HIM!! WE'RE JUST FRIENDS!"

"Really?" She said amused, "Than how come your face is all red?"

"It's red?" Reina said, "I mean! It's red because I--Drank too much tomato juice?"

Shimizu didn't seem impressed. On the contrary she was amused, "Oh really? You drank tomato juice? A beverage you just happen to dislike?"

"No wait! I didn't mean tomato juice!" Reina said, "I meant um--A Sprite Cranber--Wait where did that come from?"

The doctor laughed, "Reina-chan, there's nothing wrong with liking someone, you know. It's just a part of human nature."

"But he's one of my best friends!" The teen retorted, "I mean I like him as a friend, I can't have a--Well--You know!"

Shimizu shook her head as she still had a smile, "There's no shame in that either. For all you know your best friend might have the same thoughts as you."

"What!?" She said before she scoffed, "No that's dumb! He couldn't have those kind of thoughts about me!" The two of them still stayed silent, though Shimizu still had her grin while Reina looked uneasy, "... Could he?"

"I think that'll be answered in due time." Shimizu said after giving her a pat on the shoulder, "You know, if these kind of things trouble you again, you can come to me for advice, alright?"

"Oh!" Reina said surprised, "Gosh! I appreciate that Shimizu-sensei, but uh--" She cleared her throat a little, "--I don't think that'll be necessary, because I'm not dealing with that issue! At all!"

"Suit yourself." She said, "Just know that my door is always open."

Just as the two turned the corner, someone had nearly ran into them; at least, they would've if they didn't stop in their tracks. Reina saw that it had been her classmate Fubuki, who looked… Different. The silent girl jumped at the sight of her and Shimizu.

"Fubuki-chan?" She said surprised, noticing that her eyes had a bit of anger, "Are… You okay?"

Fubuki took a moment to glance back behind her, before she gave Reina a small and reassuring smile. She quickly went down the hall right before Reina could ask anymore questions. "I take it, she's a classmate of yours?" Shimizu asked, though she wasn't expecting any answer.

"I wonder why she looked so mad…?" Reina asked.

"Reina!"

Reina jumped slightly at the sound of a familiar voice. She saw that it had been Shoto approaching the two of them; she noticed that he looked distressed.

"Did you see Fubuki at all?!" He asked her.

"Yeah, she passed us just now." Reina replied, "Is everything--"

Just before she could finish, Shoto started to make a dash down the hall. "Todoroki-san wait!" Reina called out though it had been pointless seeing as how he went further down the hall. "I don't think I've ever seen him like that before." Reina said.

Shimizu looked at her surprised, "You mean… You didn't see what happened during the match?"

"The match?" She asked.

"He attacked his opponent violently." She replied, "He nearly killed the poor girl with his Quirk."

Reina's eyes widened at this, "... What!?"

***

-Recovery Girl's Office-

Chouko had immediately been brought to Recovery Girl after she had been thawed out of the ice. She had been treated and they had made certain that she didn't catch any frostbite. Her cousin, Fumikage, and her friends, Izuku, Floyd, Ochaco and Tenya waited at the side as they anxiously waited for an update for Chouko's condition.

"Alright, see if you can stretch your wings." Chiyo said to Chouko.

Chouko gave the wings a good stretch as Chiyo had told her.

"Now, can you give a good flutter?" She asked.

Chouko stood up from the bed and started to flap her wings a little; she started to hover off the ground.

"Well, I don't see any signs of permanent damage." Chiyo reassured her, as Chouko gently touched the floor, "With plenty of rest, you'll be able to make a good recovery."

"Thank you Recovery Girl." Chouko said with a smile. She soon turned to her cousin, "See Fu-kun? I told you I would be alright."

"You can't blame me for worrying." Fumikage said.

Floyd said with a relieved sigh, "Thank God… Geez I get this is a tournament and all but Shoto really gone and done it this time!"

"I don't think it was his fault." Izuku said to Floyd.

"Yeah, he looked a little off at the beginning of the fight." Ochaco added.

"They do make a good point." Tenya said.

Floyd soon said to them, "yeah but still.."

They heard the sound of footsteps coming towards the room. Reina came nearly sliding into the room catching her breath. "Chou-chan!" She exclaimed as she ran towards her, "I heard what happened, are you okay!?"

"I'm alright Reina-chan." Chouko reassured her, "Don't worry about me."

"Reina!" Izuku, Floyd, Ochaco, Tenya and Fumikage exclaimed.

Reina jumped and turned to the group, "Guys? You're here too?"

Floyd said to her, "well yeah. Where were you?"

"Who me? I was--" Reina started to say stopping in mid-sentence before she picked up again, "--Just getting some fresh air. I meant to tell you and Izuku-kun, but I guess the thought slipped."

Floyd eyed her suspiciously at this as he replied, "oh really?"

"Hehe well--" She started to say.

Floyd proceeded to pinch her cheeks as he said "You got something to share with the audience Miss Nouki?"

"Stop pinching my cheeks!" She said with her words a bit slurred, "I'm still injured you know!?"

Floyd had argued as he gave her an angry smile, "Gee, I wonder why!?"

'You're enjoying this aren't ya?" Reina asked.

"Knock it off! Both of you!" Tenya said, pushing Floyd away from her, "You're both acting like children!"

Floyd gave a pout as he said, "killjoy."

"Guys, I appreciate you worrying about me, but I'm fine." Chouko reassured them, "Really. It's alright."

Reina gave a sigh as she turned to Chouko, "No it's not. What happened just now was not alright. And… It's my fault that this happened to you. If it hadn't been for me, something even worse could've—!"

"Reina-chan, what are you talking about?" Izuku asked worryingly.

"Yeah, what do you mean by that?" Ochaco asked.

Reina stayed silent as she looked to the floor, her hand shaking a little. "Reina-san?" Fumikage said concerned.

"Reina-chan?" Chouko said as well.

Reina finally spoke up, as she turned to Chouko, "I ran into Todoroki-san when I was on my back. On the way Enji-san showed up, and he had this look--" She said as she tried to get her thoughts together and what she should say at the given moment.

"--He had the same look Katsuki-kun had during the training exercise! I should've said something to snap him out of it! But I just--" Reina groaned before she surprised everyone when she kicked the wall as she screamed as she did this.

"Reina-chan please!" Chiyo said, "Don't take your anger out on the wall."

Reina groaned as she tried her best to contain herself. Chouko stepped towards her as she placed her hand on her shoulder. "Reina-chan. It's alright. It isn't your fault."

"It feels like it is." Reina said as she turned to her, "I could've helped him… I could've said something… I SHOULD'VE said something to him. But… I only thought of myself."

Floyd soon reassured her, "hey hey. There's no need for that, man. You did what you could."

"But I wish I've done more." She said, "Some Hero I am…"

Izuku soon stepped towards her, "Don't say that Reina-chan. I'm not sure what exactly happened with Todoroki-kun and his father when you ran into him, but you're not being fair to yourself. You're the best out of all of us, because you inspire people. You inspire me."

Reina looked at him in awe, as she had been taken back by his words, "Izuku-kun…"

Floyd added with a smile, "I'll have to admit Reina-chan. You do things that even surprise me. And that's something!"

"Floyd-kun…" Reina started to say.

"We may have not known you for very long…" Fumikage began to say, "... But you're strong. Perhaps even stronger than most of us. Never doubt yourself."

"Yeah!" Ochaco said, "You are one of the strongest in our class after all!"

"You're the best there is Reina-kun!" Tenya said, "If others tell you differently, then consider it to be shameful!"

Floyd soon added, "YEAH! SCREW EM!"

None of the others realized this but as Reina took in their words, she gave only those closest to her a fake smile on her face. True, she had been thankful for what they were saying; she had been thankful by her words, however, only one thing seemed to linger in the back of her head.

"I don't want to say it aloud to hurt all of you. But… I'm not someone who is strong… I'm nothing but a coward…"

***

-Outside; UA Entrance-

Guards stood at the entrance to where the Sports Festival had been taking place. Though they were bored out of their minds, as they had been yawning.

"Man…" A guard had said, "... This has gotta be one of the most boring jobs I've ever been on. So what if a couple of Villains attacked this place?"

His friend said to him after he shushed him, "You could lose your job if you say crap like that you know!?"

The Guard told him, "Bitch, I can say whatever I damn well please!"

His friend yelled, "Chill man!"

Just before they could make an argument, they heard something peculiar coming from just around the corner. An odd peculiar voice… Singing.

"Are you, are you,

Coming to the tree?

They strung up a man

They say who murdered three

Strange things did happen here

No stranger would it be

If we met, at midnight

In the hanging tree"

The Guards looked at one another, both of them confused. "The hell do you think that is?" The first guard asked his friend.

His friend had replied, "How am I supposed to know?

"We should go check it out." The Guard said as he moved from his spot. His friend went and tried to stop him, "H-hey maybe not. W-what if some villains show up?"

"Relax. What Villains are going to come and attack today?"

The two of them moved further away from the entrance the person continued to sing

"Are you, are you

Coming to the tree?

Where a dead man called out

For his love to flee

Strange things did happen here

No stranger would it be

If we met, at midnight

In the hanging tree"

Just as they both neared the corner the singing suddenly came to a stop, which had startled them. "Why did they stop?" The Guard asked.

His friend replied timidly, "I--I don't know--Maybe we should---"

SLASH!

His friend stood frozen when blood splattered on his face. His vision had been clouded, all he saw was a person in uniform which belonged to that of a girl. He would've screamed for backup but had been prevented by someone who seemed to have appeared behind him.

"Are you coming to the tree friend~?"

Whoever had been behind him, pinned him to the ground as he struggled. The person who attacked him from behind, was revealed to be the girl with the scars.

The girl named Vivazo.

She said to the man with a giggle as she a sinister smile on her face, "Surprise~"

The person who killed the first guard, had been hovering over him, held what looked to be a knife. Before who could tell who this person had been, his vision had been clouded with red, and the last thing he heard was the sound of two girls giggling.