I Never Said I Was Good

How Did I End Up In This Situation?

It was bad enough to be expected to train with All Might, but with an entire class of students too? Although they were definitely all in my year, their names escaped me. None of them looked familiar, and even the teacher, a pro hero, was someone who I didn't know. 

All Might was stretching beside me, probably waiting to make a grand entrance, but I was more confused with the training we were expected to do. Mostly me. My quirk was totally useless in a place like this, except for maybe turning off the lights and becoming a ninja. But I couldn't do that without years of training. High columns of rock filled the room, but every person was definitely waiting for the teacher to give instructions. 

I flexed my fingers in my glove, my eyes trained on the group of students who could certainly beat me in whatever was planned today. All Might ran to the future heros, causing a gust of wind to blow my skirt up for a brief moment before I forced it back in place. When I lifted my eyes to everyone, no one seemed to notice. Class 1-B was enamored with All Might, so of course I was practically hidden at the entrance while he asked if I could join them. 

Lucky me, they said yes. Notice the heavy sarcasm. Before I knew it, I was in the UA gym uniform, back in the rocky field, surrounded by aspiring heros who assumed I would soon join their class as a permanent ficture. Not one of them would shut up about how brave or stupid I was for turning down the hero course in class 1-A only to join their class now. Even though that's not what was happening, I wasted no energy to correct them. 

Shigaraki flicked into my mind. If he were here, he would somehow know I wasn't being honest. He would tell me to stop acting and to foscus on All Might. My quirk wasn't useful to him, but being here was. But... why think of him now? 

Almost no time passed before I was forced back into my pathetic reality, faced with more pain than anything. I had to tough it out. Whatever happened, I wouldn't stop fighting. 

~ ~ ~

Walking back to the League's base after that lesson was pure torture. They tried sending me to Recovery Girl so many times, but each time I refused. 

"You've got gumption," their teacher nodded approvingly. 

Still, that didn't stop the bruises, welts, or throbbing on practically every part of my body. I was almost out of energy, but I was also almost to the base. My feet were dragging on the gravel in the alleyway, making too much noise to not be noticed, yet no one so much as looked my way as I ventured further into the darkness and to the hidden door. 

Stairs leading down were the first thing I saw, and I cursed my bad memory. Sore limbs wouldn't make it that far, but I still tried. Somehow, not even Kurogiri has yet to hear me stumbling down the steps. Not until the last step where I tripped, falling into someone oddly familiar. It was all I could do to use them as support as they led my to a couch in the bar. 

There was an odd silence for a brief moment, Shigaraki's eyes tracing every part of me critically like he was ready to start another fight. The anger in his eyes definitely made me think he was going to insult me, but his seething tone held unexpected words. "Who did this to you?"

"W-what?" 

"Don't make me repeat myself," Shigaraki growled. "Who did this to you?"

A coarse laugh was the first noise I made before I could string together events. "I was training with All Might and class 1-B at UA. I was going to get healed... but you needed to know. Nothing is proceeding until-" 

"-Until you get better and those jerks pay." Shigaraki was glaring. "You're mine, and those heroes have no right to touch you like that. You'll stay here." 

"But, don't you want to know what I found out about All Might? It's not much, but I'm supposed to train with him every morning at 6 and apparently he has another apprentice." 

He rested a hand on my shoulder, only two of his fingers resting on me. "You can tell me when you feel better. For now, you'll rest." I resisted smiling at his concern, but his act brought warmth throughout my body, making me feel so much better already.

My eyes were drifting shut and I leaned over on the couch, ready to fall asleep, but not before Shigaraki placed a blanket on top of me, muttering, "Don't get hurt again, you idiot."