It was by pure chance that Hina happened to see Iida sprinting wildly towards the school building from the direction of the USJ facility. Had she taken her break a few minutes earlier, that may not have been the case at all. On her way towards the teacher's lounge, she'd passed by the north side of the building's windows, and spotted a fast approaching figure from her vantage point on the second floor. She recognized the hero costume and innate speed even from this distance and frowned in confusion. Was the training over already? They'd barely arrived there not half an hour ago, based on when the bus had left.
Maybe this was some sort of punishment on Aizawa's part. It wouldn't be the first time he'd made a student leave training early and walk their way back to the school. But the fact that it was Iida made that very unlikely. He was a model student, who tended to be obedient enough not to get on even the Erasure Hero's nerves. So, why was he madly running this way with a worrying urgency?
Her confusion quickly turned into fear when he came within her quirk's range. Her consciousness latched on to his mind as soon as she could reach it. As he passed beyond the school's security gate and onto the campus itself, she stopped mid step, eyes widening in horror. He escaped her sight in an instant, now out of view from the windows as he entered the building with only a handful of long strides, but that precious few seconds had gleaned her enough information.
Villains. There'd been an attack.
Abandoning her previously slow walking pace, she ran the rest of the way to the teacher's lounge, not caring that she threw open the door with quite an excessive amount of force, surprising the two occupants inside. Nezu and Toshinori, who were faced each other on the couched inside, looked at her with concern. The small principal put his tea cup on the table.
"Hina?" The blonde hero questioned, standing in concern. "What's goi-"
"You need to change into hero form!" She interrupted in a rush, suddenly realizing that Iida intended to come straight for the teacher's lounge, and Toshinori was still in his true form. They really didn't need a second problem added on to what was going on currently. "Iida is on his way right now."
Without another moment of hesitation, his form grew bulky and taller in the blink of an eye, sporting a smile even though he had no idea something bad had happened. She still had a hard time wrapping her mind around how different he looked between in either form. "What happened?"
"I only caught a glimpse of his mind as he ran insi-" She started, but heard heavy thumps up the stairs of the school, and ducked her head outside in the hallway, watching class 1-A's representative slide to a panting halt beside her.
"Hitagawa Sensei! There's been an attack on USJ by a multitude of villains! Thirteen entrusted to me the task of returning here to ask for reinforcements!" He spilled out in a rush, a mixture of panic and determination in his expression. She felt into his mind again, also feeling a deep longing to return to the facility. He was terrified of what might be going on while he was away.
Hina stepped aside as All Might swiftly moved to grip Iida's shoulders, smile never wavering. "How are Aizawa and Thirteen handling things?"
Iida swallowed, looking up into the face of the number one hero. "They were both engaging villains in combat when I left. Aizawa Sensei was facing off against dozens of them. Even if he's a pro, I'm not sure how long he would have been able to keep up with so many."
All Might straightened, then looked at Nezu, who had left his seat on the couch and joined them near the doorway. Hina was shocked to see the smile had fallen into an intense frown, his teeth bared in potent anger. "I'm going on ahead. Send the others as soon as you can." And with that, the intimidating man took off down the hallway at inhuman speeds, sending a wind current that rustled several papers pinned to the walls of a nearby cork board, a few falling to the ground with the sheer force.
Nezu turned to his female companion. "I must get to my office to page the teachers."
The redhead nodded. "I'll meet them at the entr-"
"I ask that you remain here and keep the students calm. The last thing we need now is a crowd of panicked students with no idea of what is going on. They will surely have many concerns when the entirety of the UA faculty suddenly leave without explanation." Nezu said, smiling at her with his big eyes.
The fire was put out under her feet. It was true, they needed to keep the students calm. But hearing that Aizawa and Thirteen were currently engaged in combat with a number of villains had her extremely worried for their safety. Every fiber in her being wanted to head there now and help however she could. She didn't want anything to happen to them. And being told to stay behind out of the way of combat just added another figurative tick to the times in which her quirk was all but useless to protect the students or her friends. The small principal probably didn't mean it that way, but she definitely took it as such.
They didn't have much time. Arguing with Nezu's decision would cost them precious minutes, and he was a genius for God's sake. He could probably see things at play that she would have no chance of knowing, and perhaps having her stay behind was an important part of that. The last thing she wanted to do was get in the way because of a difference of opinion.
Closing her eyes, she nodded in resignation. "Yes, sir."
The bear-mouse creature hurried off towards his office, and Hina and started down the opposite direction. "Iida, please accompany me to the cafeteria. We need to keep the students all in one place so we can ensure their safety and composure."
He went to take a step, but then hesitated, looking stricken. "Hitagawa Sensei, I...I want to go with the teachers and return to USJ."
She turned in place, concern furrowing her brows. "There are villains there! You will be safest here at the school. I can't allow you to go back there, even with the teachers providing support."
Iida bowed quickly, body bent almost at a parallel angle to the ground. "I know it is selfish of me to ask this of you, but...my friends are there. I promised them I would return, and I want to be there for them, no matter how much risk it places myself in. I feel it deep within me...the desire to assist them as much as possible."
He raised his head to meet her gaze, fully aware that he would be placing himself back in a potentially harmful situation. "It is entirely irrational and irresponsible but...Please, let me go back to them."
Hina stared at the boy, surprised to see such fierce passion in his expression and body language. She flashed out her quirk, finding no hidden fear or second thoughts that indicated his outward facade was just a well-crafted defense to being afraid. He truly believed he needed to be there with his fellow classmates. And as someone who also wanted to be there, despite knowing she was little use in a fight, couldn't bring herself to deny him of what they both felt deep within them.
"Go." She pointed down the hall. "Tell the teachers you are there with my blessing if they ask. But do not put yourself in harm's way, Iida. Promise me this."
"Hai! Arigatou..." He muttered, before sprinting down the way he'd come and towards the school entrance. Hina turned and ran towards the direction of the cafeteria, hoping beyond hope that he would uphold his end of the bargain and return uninjured.
"What's going on?" "Why did all of the teacher's leave all of a sudden?" "Are we under attack?" "Hey, watch it, you stepped on my foot!" "Maybe this is some sort of practice drill or something..."
The students talked amongst themselves in the crowd as all of them gathered in the cafeteria. It was one of the biggest places where they could all fit without being cramped, and without being outside, which Nezu had worried would pose them greater risk. Going off the basis that the school would be left relatively unprotected once the staff left to help at USJ, he didn't want a surprise attack to befall the school.
Hina stood beside Hound Dog in front of Lunch-Rush's kitchen line. Both teachers watched quietly as the last trickle of students arrived from the top floor of the school, finding places to stand in the space available of the cafeteria.
The noise level was loud, as everyone kept asking questions between themselves and generally just speculated as to what might be going on. Hound Dog howled to get everyone's attention, and the students grew quiet, looking their way to hear what they had to say.
"Everyone...grrrr...ruff...rrrrruff...your...grr...composure...grrr...rruff...under control!" He shook his head to try to get the muzzle off of him but it was no use. The redhead sweat-dropped, watching the students watch in utmost confusion. They had no clue what he'd been trying to say. She stepped forward, clasping her hands together and smiled apologetically.
"What he means to say is...Please, remain calm and do not panic, as everything is under control. The situation is being handled." Several students up front and closest to them began raising their voices, but she held up her hands defensively. "I ask that you not talk all at once. We need to remain composed, please."
"What's going on, Hitagawa Sensei?" Awase from class 1-B asked, raising his hand nervously. "All of the teachers were called away, and now we're being told to stay in the cafeteria?"
Hina sighed, but kept her neutral composure. It wouldn't do to show the students that she too was unsettled by the events unfolding. They would find out what happened eventually, and rather than allow false rumors to spread unfettered, she thought it best to tell the truth straight out and keep it all contained in one place. "The students of class 1-A and a few of the staff who were attending a training at the USJ facility have been attacked by a number of villains. As of now, we don't have further word of the current situation, and the principal has requested the staff to assist in ensuring everyone's safety."
Immediately, the students began to turn to each other with wide eyes, mumbling and muttering their worries. Hina frowned, already feeling the widespread panic begin to set in, however Hound Dog growled and howled again to stop them from continuing to work themselves up into a frenzy.
"Quiet! Rrrruff! Grrr...strong...rrrrr...grrr...don't worry!" He shouted out.
The students turned to Hina for a translation, and she smiled her best convincing smile she could manage. "He says that the teachers of UA are strong, and they can handle the situation, so there is no need to worry about the other students or faculty."
"Is All Might helping too?" Another student called out, but Hina couldn't quite pick out who it had come from.
She nodded. "Yes, All Might left for the scene before the rest of the teachers were gathered. I imagine he arrived on sight within a few minutes."
And all at once, most of the worry seemed to melt from the students' minds. She hopped from person to person, but the very mention that All Might was there had seemed to do the trick for calming them down several notches. Most seemed entirely confident that everything would work out just fine with him taking over.
"That seemed entirely too easy...One mention of All Might and no one bats an eye." She projected to her fellow teacher, and Hound Dog huffed in agreement.
"At least the students have calmed down...we just need to make sure there is no attempt of an attack on the main campus until the faculty returns."
Hina nodded, eyes watching the students begin to mingle casually amongst themselves, topics of conversation shifting to more superficial things. Had she not known the circumstances, she would have been convinced they were all here for lunch or some sort of assembly.
Her eyes closed and she tuned out the students' noise for a moment, wondering if things were indeed ok, or if All Might had gotten there too late.
Hopefully Aizawa is ok... Hina caught herself thinking embarrassingly, blushing a little. And Thirteen too, of course.
"Hi, I'm looking for room 313?" Hina asked of the brunet nurse currently on duty. He looked up from his computer, then glanced at the clock on the wall. The bags under his gray eyes indicated he'd been on shift quite awhile.
"Oh, you're one of the UA teachers, aren't you?" He guessed, and she nodded. He scratched the back of his head reluctantly. "Visiting hours ended at 6. I'm not really supposed to let you in."
He must have noticed the disappointment wash over her face, because he watched her for another moment with a conflicted look in his eyes, before standing from his chair. She watched as he looked both ways down the hallway, searching for anyone who might be around.
"...but, you know? I'm the only one on duty right now, and I know that UA isn't up to anything funny, so I'll let you in this once." He grabbed his medical pass and rounded the desk to show her to the room.
"I'd really appreciate it." Hina smiled thankfully, bowing at the waist and gripping the boxes of food that Lunch Rush had prepared for her tighter so as not to drop them. Straightening up, she followed him down the hall and turned left down another hallway further on.
"Chances are they won't be awake yet, but you can leave your gifts on the small tables beside the beds." He instructed, stopping just outside the room she'd requested before. "I can only give you a few minutes, sorry. Any longer and I could get in serious trouble."
"I understand. Thank you again." She said. He unlocked the door and opened it just wide enough for her to enter.
The room was dimmed so the two heroes inside could sleep without too much disturbance. Thirteen's damaged suit was leaning against one of the machines in the corner, and her body was entirely wrapped in bandages. A heart rate monitor beeped a steady rhythm, indicating that at the very lest her condition was stable.
She set the small box of green tea cookies that Lunch Rush had prepared on the small table beside her bed, looking over to her injured coworker with a wince. Her own quirk had caused quite an amount of damage to her body, but the extent was hidden by the bandages helping her heal. She hoped that the damage was nothing permanent.
Turning to head towards Aizawa's side of the room, she walked over and set the dumplings on his table, knowing they were one of his favorite foods. From what the doctors were saying, he probably wouldn't wake up until at least the next day, having gone through a surgery to repair damage to his eyes. But the dumplings would keep for that long, and he'd have something to eat once he was awake.
She turned to head out the door, glancing his way as she went, but stopped when she noticed his head was directed towards her. "Aizawa?"
"Are those dumplings?" He questioned softly, voice partially muffled by the many bandages wrapping his face.
"Uh, yeah."
"Please tell me Mic didn't make them." He sighed in a mixture of fatigue and trepidation, watching her through the slits in the bandages. The situation was all too unexpected and comical that Hina let out a huff of a laugh, pulling the nearest chair a little closer and sitting for a moment. She tried to keep the noise down so as not to disturb Thirteen.
"No, Lunch Rush put them together when I told him I'd be visiting today." Her eyebrow quirked up a smidge. "Though now I'm curious as to why Mic making them would be such a bad thing."
"He's a terrible cook." Aizawa said bluntly, resting his head against the pillow at an angle to better see her without causing him pain.
"In all the years I've known him, he has yet to make something you could call edible."
"Come on, he can't be that bad...can he?" She added, finally noticing his pointed stare.
"He can."
"Maybe we should rethink a pot luck for the staff Christmas party, then." Hina smiled, cocking her head a bit. "You're not supposed to even be awake yet. How are you feeling?"
"Fine."
"Uh huh, sure." Her amusement was practically tangible. "Says the man wrapped up like a damn mummy. You had us all pretty worried, you know. Staying at the school to keep the students calm was almost too much for me. Not knowing the situation until afterwards was some sort of hell."
"From what I hear, All Might swooped in and took care of things in the end." Aizawa mentioned blandly, as if the fact it had been All Might had hurt his pride just a bit. She knew they weren't exactly close friends. "There was no need to worry."
"Well, if not for your students, that may not have been the case." She pointed out with a smile, leaning back in her chair comfortably. She hoped that the nurse wouldn't come looking for her, as she had already stayed much longer than she'd anticipated to. "They all performed wonderfully, given the circumstances. Other than Midoriya, no one was injured." He closed his eyes. "They weren't prepared to face such a threat this early on. But, yes. They did well, nonetheless."
Hina's arms crossed, remembering another thing from her conversation with Iida. "I also hear you took on dozens of villains by yourself. I hadn't pegged you as the reckless type, Mummy Man."
His eyes opened again, staring at her in response to the nickname she'd given him. "I couldn't allow them to get to the students."
The redhead smiled, knowing that Aizawa didn't do things without reason. To fight at a disadvantage like that with such high numbers stacked against him had meant he'd run out of any other options at the time, and done what he could to protect his students. She didn't blame him, instead, felt admiration for his willingness to put himself in harm's way for those he cared for.
She glanced at the clock on the way, noticing the time and that she'd exceeded her allowed 'few minutes' the nurse had mentioned before. As much as she wanted to stay and talk with him longer, Aizawa looked exhausted and probably really needed the rest.
"Well, your class is worried about you and wish you a quick recovery." She said, standing from her chair and scooting it back over to where it had originally been situated. Her gaze met his and she smiled sweetly. "Especially me. Work doesn't quite feel the same without you there, so...please recover and heal so I can see you again soon."
He didn't respond, just watched her with a curious look to his eyes. Knowing he wasn't likely to respond, she bid him a good night and left the room, shutting the door as quietly as possible.
Aizawa stared at the door even after Hina had left, unsure of what to make of their conversation.
"Work doesn't quite feel the same without you there..."
It was more than likely she'd meant it as a platonic expression of wishing him a quick recovery, but for some reason he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something...more to it. Not for the first time, he'd been struck by the sheer genuineness of her smile and the way her head cocked every so slightly to the side when she did so.
They'd never been particularly close, admittedly due mostly to his distant personality, but she'd never let that change the way she treated him. The redhead always seemed happy to see him, and was eager to converse with him when they found each other in the presence of one another. More so as of late, now that he thought about it.
Hina is kind to everyone, he told himself, closing his eyes to try getting back to sleep. For awhile, he was able to purge everything from his mind, letting the vestiges of rest begin to creep back up on him. His body was still in pain, but the painkillers were helping him to a large degree.
...maybe it hadn't been platonic after all.
Was that her attempt at coming on to me? No, I'm overthinking things, he suddenly wondered, eyes opening of their own volition. For some reason, his mind couldn't let that note go, replaying their encounter over and over until he told himself he was being highly irrational.
But even that wasn't much help this time. 422Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdylxMhQcaS
