' a series of failures '

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Kaede has never wanted more than to be Akihisa Yuko at this very moment.

"You must be Mizuki Kaede?" the shaved guy asks as soon as the principal finishes explaining her task, disbelief still dripping from thousands of pores on her skin. His hands, they were huge, clasp at hers which were hanging lamely on her side and shakes them furiously. "I heard we were going to team up with another expert in the field. Boy, you're just my age! Nice to finally meet you."

If Akihisa Yuko is in this situation, she would put up the biggest, brightest smile, shake his hand in return and exchange pleasantries. Hell, they could be best friends in less than an hour. Only remaining problem in this solution is the fact that Kaede is not Akihisa Yuko. She is no sunshine or anything related to shining, so she only manages a pathetic smile and nods her head in acknowledgment.

"I'm Inasa Yoarashi by the way," he says and does another ninety degree bow that makes her flinch and take one step back. "First year student at Shinketsu High."

"I'm Kaede," she says warily, a little gleeful for this distraction. At least she can avoid eye contact with four other classmates from U.A., correction, four close classmates from U.A. with this exchange of pleasantry with the super-duper energetic boy.

"I know!" He reminds her of Kirishima and Iida. And a minuscule Bakugou thrown in for good measure, although with less of the profanities and his endearing traits.

"Yo fam," another voice says and she meets face to face with the familiar girl. She's probably from Shinketsu too what with the matching cap. "Your clothes are like matching. They're so lit like they're prison clothes or whatever. The blending has me shookt. Name's Caimie by the way, second year from Shinketsu."

A nod is her only response. They're probably uninformed that she's a prisoner, a villain and that's odd, because from what she can remember, Honoka's uncle had told her that the little girl found out of her true identity, because it was in the news. Both of them, especially the girl named Caimie seems caught up in the trends and whatever is on the Web right now, so it's a miracle they're unaware.

She feels a little selfish for wanting to keep it that way. It's a chance for normalcy. Of course that's interrupted in a heartbeat by Bakugou.

"Baldy,"- he looks at Inasa- "Illusion Lady," - at Caimie this time- "we're not here to make friends so stop the cringey hand gestures and conversations." He turns to the police next, and she can't believe he's doing that defiant pose in front of adults that are leagues above him. "Some brat's been kidnapped. If we'll all be chummy here and sip tea, she's probably dead by now. Let's go."

Fists clench beneath the mundane, slightly fringed prison uniform and Kaede manages a little defiance for his statement, meeting him eye to eye for the first time in a while. "Honoka's not going to die."

Surprisingly (or was it unsurprisingly?), Bakugou does not react. Just grits his teeth and the police are quick to lead them to a van that would take them to Kamino. As they gear up, with their costumes and the standard operating procedures explained to the heroes-in-training, Kaede changes into grey sweatpants, a white halter top and a marled cardigan provided by the police.

The next thing she knows, they're already heading towards Kamino, with her being in the most awkward position possible. Maybe this was the world's revenge to her days of flashing her middle finger at it. With her seated between the two people who she felt the most guilt towards.

Todoroki Shouto on the left next to the windows and Katsuki Bakugou to the right, also next to the windows. She can swap with someone in front. Either Caimie or Kouda, but she figures if she moves an inch or even open her mouth, all Hades will break lose.

Swallowing bile, her whole body- except for the constant heaving of her chest and the shifting of her eyes- is completely immobile and earlier when the fabric of her cardigan brushed against Bakugou's bare shoulders, Kaede feels like he might blast her face off.

Outside the van, men and women pass in the street glad of the shining sapphire weather and what she would give to be like them in this situation. Once, she took a brief glance at the mirror atop the dashboard and she meets Todoroki's eyes only for him to avert them as quick as possible as if he would receive some incurable disease from her.

She feels like hope is being sucked from her body by a vacuum.

If she was Akihisa Yuko, the girl would undoubtedly ameliorate the situation with one of her sunshine smiles.

"Are you okay, Kaede-san?" she hears Kouda's warm, somehow plaintive voice for the first time today. "You look nauseous."

"You're carsick, fam?" Caimie sitting next to him asks. "Dat's cray. Bakugou, you should probably switch seats with her."

"Hell no."

"You look like you're about to puke," Sero follows, points at Kaede. "And it's probably going to land on"- his pointer finger moves from her to Bakugou's- "you."

"Good luck washing the stink fam," Caimie tells him and it's quick to rile up the ash blond beast and he looks at her, eyes to eyes again and she swallows that bile climbing up the walls of her throat.

"You want to change seats, dumbass?" Bakugou asks, and it takes a while to respond with a shake of her head.

"You sure?" he repeats.

"Yeah, Kaede-san," Kouda says, and the others next to him are back to playing Candy Smash Saga and Flappy All Might in their phones. "You don't look too well."

"I'm all right," she says, her voice so low that it's almost a whisper. She can see Bakugou watching her curiously from her peripheral vision and she tries hard not to flinch.

"I see," Kouda says and reverts to minding his own business.

"Anyway dumbass," Bakugou says, looking at her, a miniscule hint of concern in his face that shouldn't have meant that much, but makes a gargantuan impact in her mind. "You sure you're okay?"

Nodding yes, Kaede pins her gaze to the white rubber shoes she's wearing.

"You better not be lying again."

And she dies.

They depart the van after sixteen minutes and twenty-four seconds, opting to locate the base by foot and Kaede can't exactly focus if she's being paraded with a van, so the minute her shoes meets the concrete, she tells them that if she remembers correctly, it's in the east part of Kamino, one of the less damaged portions.

Traipsing to familiar streets, she takes the first chance she gets and enters the first alleyway that tugs at her memories. All alleyways look exactly the same with the smell of urine and decay so it's a feat she still remembers this one.

"Are we there yet?" one of the pro heroes ask and Kaede responds with a nod.

"If I'm correct, it should only be a couple of meters away from here."

And so it is. The door is even open and burdened by the carelessness over the awkwardness between her and the other students, Kaede falls into a trap as soon as she opens the door. It's a pitful that has gleaming spikes at the bottom, so when Bakugou manages to grab her elbow, she releases a deep breath.

Kaede stutters a, "Thanks" and she expects to be regarded by a cold look, but he merely says, "Be careful."

The lack of profanities and the crudeness in those words strike at her and she feels being all warm inside. Kaede lives.

It only takes twenty eight seconds before dozens of underlings surround them and are ultimately defeated by her companions - hell, she's taking it easy by just watching and if she's correct, she can probably leave 'cause her purpose was just to find it.

Counting twenty-eight minutes and eighteen seconds, they reach the bottom of the compound and find Kohaku standing primly at the other side of a metallic bridge, grinning.

"Kohaku," Kaede mutters underneath her breath and it may be because of their slow descent to the underground that daggers of heat have pierced through her cardigan and she removes it, ties it around her waist, all the while glaring at Kohaku whose minions are loitering all around them. Counting twenty seven and with that number, they're easily overpowered. Bakugou and Caimie paired up and were given the task of locating the hostages, while Inasa and Todoroki to destroy any sort of Noumo being manufactured here. Some pro heroes and officers went along with them, so Kaede's left with Officer Fukunaka and Anri, one professional hero named Bellady (pronounced: bell lady, she told everyone earlier, hands on her bell-shaped hips), and Sero and Kouda. The perfect trio, she remembers telling themselves last year, but now, she's actually a little anxious to what they might put on the table.

"Is Tomura Shigaraki in on this?" Officer Fukunaka asks and those azure eyes that were always calm and quick to an insult looked actually irritated.

"Of course not," he says, "I can never ever bear to be associated with that pathetic failure of a leader ever again."

"So it's true," Kaede speaks up and azure eyes are curious as they watch her. "You did leave the league."

Succinctly, an eyebrow is raised and it feels awkward to see it partnered with his bald as an egg head. "I can say the same for you. Although, your current choices are a bit more... disappointing."

"Why did you take Iwakura Honoka?" Officer Anri asks, her hands on the gun hoisted on her hips.

"Iwakura?" Kohaku tilts his head to the side as if to say curiouser and curiouser. "Ah, you renamed the child I see." His teeth gleam underneath the artificial light. "My child."

Kaede cannot believe it.

"This is some major Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back shit," Sero - who is standing next to her with his hands on his hips- says and follows up with a whistle. "Shouldn't they have trademarked this no, I am your father line by now?"

Star Wars again and she's reminded of how much Honoka loves it and she'll save the girl as soon as possible.

"You're her father?" Kaede blurts out incredulously, but her face says otherwise. She's gathering the tiniest bit of information she heard regarding Honoka's father. Big blue eyes, cold enough to leave her daughter alone, quirks belonging to the same nature and also the familiarity of the situation.

"Yes," he says. "She's my spawn. A cultivation of mental and physical strength. I'm not the one who organized the process, it was Nozoki who did most of it"- turns to Kaede- "you should know that I'm not a man of science. I tend to focus on physical capabilities, but this child"- his eyes almost look wistful, but Kaede knows better. He did abandon Honoka- "this child was supposed to be perfect. Better. A perfect blend of Nozoki's augmentation quirk and my mental one. I suppose you haven't heard of a crisis that struck the league during All For One's selection."

Kaede shakes her head no. She doesn't really care about this types of thing. Her sole focus has always been on her tasks and past matters regarding the league didn't strike her as something important. Speaking of interest, that Sister Nozoki or whatever that Honoka hated to bits was her mother?

"We were rioting back and forth. We were dubious when he chose that child, that failure of a child. So weak, so vulnerable."

"My child was our lone prayer to an empty sky. A chance for her to be the chosen one in case Shigaraki Tomura fails. The child was our final hope after repeats of"- looks at Kaede with disdain- "failure. Sad to say, I had high hopes for you. For Tomoe who I would have followed with the strongest of loyalties if he became the next All For One. But you're just like him, like Tomoe."

Azure eyes are reminiscent of clear skies and preferred weathers, but they look more like storms. A blue firestorm. "A failure."

Words are weapons meant to wound, but as unfortunate as it is for Kohaku, they do not hurt her. Gladly, she discarded that realm of evil and the glories that came with it. "Even if everyone pushes me away, I will accept myself for who I am. You cannot decide my worth."

Between his teeth, he hisses, "Sentimental bullshit."

And he lunges, wraps his hands around Kaede's neck.

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