Chapter 4

Before Dabi showed up to help Satoko, Ochako had been walking around on her own.

She liked to walk with Iida and Izuku after school before they go to their dorms, but she decided to go out alone on that day. It might be nice for her to get some time away from everything and relax before it got dark.

She heard noises coming from nearby. It caused her to be alert. (Villains...?)

Even though she was only in her first year of high school, her and her classmates had been put through multiple villain attacks. In the most recent attack, one of her classmates had even gotten kidnapped. So of course her first instinct was to think that she was about to be thrown into another life threatening situation against her will.

She spotted a girl running through an alleyway. She was being chased by a group of men. Ochako wanted to interfere, but she knew that she was supposed to find a pro hero to help.

She immediately pushed her legs to run as fast as she could in another direction. (I need to find help! That girl could be in trouble!)

A familiar face was heading in her direction. She skidded to a stop. "Bakugo! Have you seen any heroes around here? I saw trouble!"

As usual, Katsuki had a grumpy expression on his face. "Ha? Trouble?" He started angrily grinning. "Where at? I'll freaking kill them!"

Ochako smiled nervously. "You know we aren't supposed to get involved. You'll get us into trouble if you start a fight."

"So what?!" He exclaimed. "I'll show them all what it takes to be a hero! Especially idiotic Deku!! It's not the first time we've gone against villains so I don't see a problem!"

Hawks was strolling in some kind of alleyway. His eyes moved to that direction. He halted hearing Katsuki's loud, obnoxious voice. (That kid...)

Curious, he started to listen further.

"Everyone already knows you're one of the strongest in our class. Why don't we just leave this to the pro heroes so we don't risk being suspended?" Ochako was one of the few people in their class who would stand up to Katsuki and tell him no. She's also one of the few who Katsuki actually respected, even if he didn't show it at times.

"Tch." Katsuki looked away in a scowl. He could never yell as extreme at Ochako like he does with the others. "Y'know, that still didn't answer my question. Who's in trouble anyways?"

"I don't recognize her." Ochako wiggled her fingers around. "She had colorful hair and a little braid. Yellow eyes. I couldn't tell what type of quirk she has."

Hawks's interest was caught on. Surely, he was going to go anyway to save whoever it was.

Satoko came to his mind. No... it can't be her again, can it?

Katsuki grabbed Ochako's wrist. It wasn't rough, but he had that cocky grin on his face. "Take me there, pink cheeks. We can't waste time talking like this."

Katsuki never interacted with her like this before. It's strange. He knew Ochako for a while now. He noticed Ochako's face started to get redder. Oblivious, he started to ask. "What's with your face? Ya sick?"

Ochako shook her head repeatedly. "No, I'm fine! I'm guessing I won't be able to convince you though." She sighed, but still had a smile. "I'll show you, but try not to get involved too much, ok? Only if you have to."

His hand was so warm. It was covered in callouses from his quirk usage. It wasn't uncomfortable to the touch though. It somehow made her feel safe and protected.

"Then let's get going-" Katsuki felt pumped, but someone suddenly landed in front of them while they were starting to leave. They both came to a halt.

A red/orange feather scattered in front of them. It was Hawks.

"You two stay out of it." He instructed. "I'll take it from here."

"What?!" Katsuki hollered. "You idiot!! We're both capable to fight! Don't undermine us just for being students!"

Ochako clenched her free hand into a fist out of excited. "Hawks! So cool! Do you know what direction they're in?"

"I'll find out. I got more enough information I need." Hawks replied.

He wouldn't really care if they did help out, with his laid back attitude and all. But...

Since it is possibly Satoko, Dabi must be involved as well. Satoko also heard what Dabi said about him prior. So she partially knows his secret.

He tilted his head towards Katsuki. "You'd get into trouble if I tell your school. Don't want that on your record, hm?"

Katsuki felt so angry, he didn't know how to reply. He knows Hawks is right. As he saw Hawks readying to leave, Katsuki let go of Ochako's wrist and yelled out. "You do know I'm right!! There's no way I would just stand by here! That's what a hero would do!"

It's a good opportunity to keep towards his goal. He wants to take any opportunity he gets.

"Nice attitude you got there, but the answer's still no." Hawks ended up flying up and away go search. He started to use his vocal espionage to track where Satoko may be.

Cursing through his teeth, Katsuki started to attempt to follow.

Ochako reached out towards him again. She grabbed his hand this time. She looked sterner than before as she furrowed her eyebrows. "Wait! We don't want to get in any trouble. That would possibly look bad on a record if we don't have permission from a teacher or hero. We have been lucky so far that no one has been killed in a villain attack. But we shouldn't test our luck."

Katsuki felt odd. Her hand was really soft compared to her wrist. An angry blush appeared on his face.

"And we'll continue being lucky!" He replied and he looked away as he said in a calmer tone. Hard to tell if it was a mean one or not. "I want you to go too. But if you want to stay behind, then go ahead!"

Her expression softened. "I don't want you to go alone." Her thumb started to rub his hand without her even realizing at first. "If you go, then I will too."

Katsuki looked away with a frustrated flustered state. "Just don't get in my way." His hand subconsciously squeezed hers.

The two of them followed where Hawks was flying towards. Hawks noticed them subtly from below. He shook his head. (Geez....)

Thanks to his feathers to distinguish sounds, he was able to decode a conversation from somewhere. Someone was stating that there were a lot of dead, burnt corpses in an alley.

Swiftly, he headed towards that direction. Katsuki and Ochako kept up their pace to follow.

Hawks landed in the area that Dabi attacked the villains, but there wasn't any sign of Dabi. Not Satoko. He was somewhat thankful Dabi wasn't around as Katsuki and Ochako caught up. Katsuki felt Ochako squeeze his hand at the sight of dead bodies.

(But Dabi definitely was here. He most likely took her somewhere else.) He thought about going to the League of Villains hideout.

But since Katsuki and Ochako were around, he hesitated. He quickly thought of a suggestion to maneuver them. "You two. Go back and get help from other heroes."

"And why should we do that?" Katsuki furrowed his eyebrows. "We can find-"

"No." Hawks had a firm expression. "We definitely can't handle this situation alone."

"Is it the League of Villains again?" Ochako asked. She started to sweat nervously. She thought of all the previous attacks that had happened with the class as the target. She didn't want that to happen again. She was sure that deep down Katsuki didn't want them to be in danger again either. He was always strong. Always looking forward to fights. But even he got scared sometimes. She had seen that look in his eyes before.

"It seems to be so." Hawks replied.

He remembered the day he agreed to become a spy towards the League of Villains.

They asked him because they think he's someone who can ignore anything dangerous happening.

Surely, he doesn't care for prestige and fame.

'We think there's no one more suitable than you.'

Well, then there's Satoko. She was a pure mystery. She hated both heroes and villains. Something about her he can't even ignore.

He didn't mind getting his hands dirty.

Dabi was the first to contact Hawks. The first person to change his aloof behavior. He sure was doing a good dang job right now.

He has to keep up the act of befriending them. Would going after them be wise? Would that break the cycle?

"I'll leave you to it." Hawks left Katsuki and Ochako promptly.

"OI!" Katsuki yelled.

But Hawks flew so fast to make them lose track of him. He knows where the League of Villains are located.

But he hasn't told any of the heroes yet to gain more information. If the villains get arrested, it is hard to gain more information as long as they're in action.

(Befriend them.)

Thinking of Dabi that way was making him angry. He remember seeing Satoko's condition. Even so, Satoko is a huge piece of information he could need too.

...

Katsuki kept looking around for Hawks, but cursed since he got away. "Whatever! I can find them myself and kill them!!"

"You always say that, but you have never actually killed someone," Ochako pointed out. Her hand was still in his. She would forget about that and then suddenly remember at times. When she remembered, she would sometimes move her hand awkwardly to make sure that she didn't lose his grasp. Neither one of them actually knew why they continued holding hands. Both of them just felt too awkward to point it out.

They silently walked towards the dorms together. That would be their best bet with talking to the heroes to see what they can also do.

"Hey," He started without looking at her. "If you're thinking about letting go of my hand, then deal with it."

"...Huh?" Her entire face turned a deep red. "You...want me to hold your hand? That's so unlike you! Are you sure that you aren't the sick one here?!"

Within seconds she had turned into a blushing, rambling mess. It felt sort of good for Katsuki to say something like that to her. It warmed her heart a little. He was constantly acting tough and mean. The fact that he was able to soften up a bit made her feel special. (It's like a manga! But wait...it would be a romance manga for sure!)

Her heart started to thump even more. It felt hard to breathe when she tried to look at his face. It was similar to a panic attack, but it was somehow a good feeling at the same time. A flustered attack.

"Shut up!" He got embarrassed. His tone was less harsh, but more defensive. "I just like holding your hand, ok?!"

That made his face also worse. The hot feeling on his cheeks was a bit unusual for him. It wasn't annoying though. "You grabbed it first anyway!" He kept trying to make excuses to why he's still holding it. But also....

Seeing corpses was a bit unsettling. To him, even. But knowing how he felt Ochako's hand react earlier.... He had a strange sense to comfort?

Ugh! So weird! He looked at her face for a brief moment. Something about that pink hue was adorable, but he won't admit it.

"Th-that's fine, I guess." She smiled as she looked away. He wanted to look at his face. See how nice he looked when he was a bit calmer. She just couldn't get herself to look. She was far too shy and embarrassed.

She noticed that the muscles in Katsuki's hands were extremely stiff. He was either subconsciously trying to protect her or he was nervous. Either way, the thought was adorable.

Once they reached their destination, Ochako had explained to Aizawa what was going it. Obviously, Katsuki was reprimanded to not go. They were already aware of the situation.

(Hawks....!!!) That bird brain lied to them just so he wouldn't get involved. It's hard to work with the lack of information.

That annoyance came back, but it lessened by Ochako taking his hand once again.

...

Dabi wanted to move Satoko because he thought the heroes would find out people got killed. Satoko felt obliged and forced to follow, even though she was in pain.

But they didn't exactly move that far, but in a more subtle and less obvious place.

That didn't stop Hawks from finding them, thanks to his feathers.

Satoko noticed a feather falling through a ceiling of the broken building they're in. Hawks came into the picture and landed right in front of them.

She was at disbelief. She remembers what Dabi said to Hawks before. Was this hero really working with the villains?

Was he really that two-faced? Getting more confused, Hawks looked towards her. He saw the condition she was in.

"I didn't think you'd be that low to keep hurting a woman to make her join you." Hawks didn't look too happy. He didn't know why he was getting like this.

It's really hard to play fake friends like this. But...

He needs to do his job for more information.

To try to cover up what he was really feeling, he continued. "Why do you keep going after her?"

Satoko wanted to speak, but she halted to hear Dabi's response.

"I didn't go after her." Dabi's eyes were difficult to read. "She was being attacked, so I helped her out." He slowly smiled. "Judging by the fact that you went after me, you probably saw the evidence of that. Right Hawks?"

His tone was coated in smugness. It was as if he was saying 'I have her now' right to Hawks's face just to spite him.

"Yeah." Hawks's eyes narrowed. He didn't completely trust that, but let's say he does believe it.

Due to his own insight and information about Satoko.... It doesn't make any sense to him. He stepped forward as he talked. "Tell me, why would you want Takahashi working with you? She's quirkless. A bit odd to me."

(God, this is so dumb.) Satoko thought in annoyance. She hates it when people looks down on her. But she didn't want to give Dabi flex if she made a remark towards Hawks. Like she was on HIS side.

(How does he know my name- Ah. That's right.) That time at the hospital.

Even though Dabi did save her, she was on edge to leave. Now that there's a distractive presence of Hawks, she was looking for a moment to. Cramps radiated through her stomach from being kicked earlier. As much as she wanted to go now, she also wanted to listen to them more. It could be useful, but mostly because she is curious.

"She's interesting. She has all the reasons to be a villain." Dabi leaned his head to one side in a relaxed manner. "Yet she keeps refusing. That's interesting too. It's like she just hates everyone."

"I don't hate everyone." Satoko hissed. "I just don't trust you. Or him or anyone of the matter. Why would I want to be a villain?"

"See?" Hawks glared. "She doesn't want to join still. Wouldn't it be wiser for you to have someone join more willingly?"

(I didn't ask you to defend me, but whatever.) Satoko knows that Hawks seems to be working with Dabi. It's also odd with how they don't get along either.

"We have members who joined willingly, but our numbers are becoming smaller," Dabi explained. "You're the first new one in a while after losing a lot of members. We need more if we're to move forward. Well, Shigaraki needs more for his plan. I just need her. She does have something. We just don't know exactly what it is yet."

(So Hawks is part of the villains too.) She felt annoyed thinking about it. As Dabi was talking, she noticed something.

There was a warm, gushing feeling coming beneath her. She looked down and saw blood.

Great.

Of all the dang times, she got her period. Of course, she has no pads or tampons. Why would she?

She'd always have to go steal some somewhere. She would always feel guilty doing so.

And it wasn't just a little blood either. There were a lot. Getting hit in the stomach definitely worsened her state.

This sucks. She can pretty much imagine how Dabi would react. Probably no sympathy from him.

Yeah, no. She doesn't need to be gushing all over her clothes and to not be able to take care of it.

Not what she really needs right now. (I need to get out of here...) She stayed silent listening to them talk. She was waiting for a chance to sneak off.

"Something?" Hawks asked. "What would that be? Are you somehow using her as bait for your own gain? Why do that when you have me?"

Of course, he was lying through his teeth. He doesn't know why he's bothering. This is so unlike him. Just something about Satoko just reminds him of his own upbringing.

Was it pity? He couldn't tell. Whatever it was, he just felt drawn to her.

Dabi noticed Hawks's posture. There was a subtle change in his demeanor. The look on his face, especially. (So that's how it is.)

Dabi couldn't be absolutely sure that Hawks was lying about something. He was definitely trying too hard to sell whatever act it was. He was pushing himself. That amused Dabi almost as much as it made him angry.

"I don't want to use either one of you as bait," Dabi stated. "I want to use her, but not for that. Plus, she would get something out of it too. As for you...we're still 'friends', aren't we?"

Dabi waved his hand dismissively. "Oh well. Doesn't matter if we are or aren't. The other league members are still fond of you, so I guess I have to put up with you regardless. Can't have a friend of a friend getting hurt, right?"

As they were talking, they were so focused on staring at each other down.

Determined, Satoko slowly got up. Not even making the slightest of sound with her own footsteps. She kept focusing on sneaking away. Not being noticed by either, she was able to leave. Only thing she left behind was her own blood smeared where she sat.

Some parts was like a trail of blood.

Hawks folded his arms while focusing on Dabi. He suppressed his annoyance a bit.

(Yeah, right. As if I would believe that when I saw her in bad condition once again.)

He put on his own stuck up smile on his face. "If you say so. I'm sooo sorry that I injured you that one day. Hope you have no hard feelings."

His words didn't exactly sound sincere. More sarcastic. What a pure surprise that Dabi wasn't going to budge. "Right, buddy?"

"Right. Of course." He was looking at Hawks, but then his gaze suddenly shifted. He spotted the blood where Satoko was previously sitting. Satoko was nowhere to be seen though. He cursed as he stood up quickly.

Hawks took notice too. His expression went serious once again. "Wow, how could you not realize she was bleeding? You moved her in that condition?"

His wings spread out a bit. His tone sounded cocky and challenging. "Not to worry. I can find her for you. I'll take better care of her as well."

"Stop it, you bird brain." Dabi seemed more irritated. "She wasn't bleeding enough to make a trail earlier. Something else must be wrong with her. If you take her, I'll burn your wings off."

"Aw, I feel the great friendship we have." Hawks replied sarcastically. "We'll have our own race then. Remember, I'm helping you out."

The last part was a lie. Without letting him respond, Hawks flew out of there. Honestly, he didn't trust Dabi to help her out more. Since she's bleeding, he imagines he would be rough with her.

Dabi grew angrier. Hawks was known for his speed. Even though that was mostly metaphorical, he was physically strong as well. Much more so than Dabi. He started to run anyway. (He has the upper hand here. Maybe I'll get lucky.)

...

Satoko felt beyond gross. She felt it go down her legs. Her pants are stained.

Just great.

She recalled the first time she ever got her period. When she was about eleven, she actually thought she was bleeding to death.

Her grandpa had to see what was going on. She didn't have that education about how the female bodies worked. He started laughing at her in a teasing way that she wasn't dying.

This thought comes to mind every time her cycle starts now.

She knows that Dabi will notice she left, but how could she explain to him?

He'd probably wouldn't either bat an eye. Gosh, she could imagine that creepy teenage girl if she was brought back to the headquarters.

Toga, was it?

She shuddered as she took off her jacket to hide the nasty period stain from behind.

It didn't do a good job hiding it in the front. She cursed herself for having this problem. It just makes matters worse, making her feel handicapped.

The cramps didn't help either as she stumbled in the alleyway.

...

Hawks was flying overhead. He knows he needs to work with Dabi to gain his trust. Perhaps, this situation may be beneficial.

(He can thank me later.)

As if he wanted gratitude from a villain. Hawks has perks Dabi doesn't have. He can deal with arguing with him later.

He knows at this point, Satoko has no way getting away from the League of Villains. Convincing them won't work at this point. He doubts they would kill her... Maybe.

He didn't want to take that risk. Something inside him just wanted to help her. He sighed as he used his enhanced sight to spot her.

Bingo.

...

Satoko felt the dread as she felt someone land behind her.

"Good job leaving like that." It was Hawks's voice. "You're good at being stealthy, huh?"

Satoko didn't turn. Oh crap. This was so uncomfortable.

"On the other note, you're bleeding, aren't you?" He asked.

"Can you stop prying into my business!? You're so annoying!" Satoko scowled. "It's nothing!"

He felt it off that she wasn't turning around to face him. Because he's so fast, he went in front of her to check on her condition.

Oh.

That's when he noticed it. Satoko's face reddened. He couldn't tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. Something about it was so cute to him.

"Well, you can't go around looking like that." He teased.

"You-" She winced from her cramps.

He tapped his own chip. "I can give you two options. One: you can come back to my place. I can get your necessities. Or two: walk around by yourself. Dabi may catch you."

"You heroes always have some kind of ulterior motive." She remarked. "I can't really trust that... Especially since you're a man."

Hero men are such pigs anyway....

"Woah, now." He snorted. "Why would I do anything when you're a bloody mess? What an imagination you have."

She paused a moment. Oh my gosh. He's right.

"Oh, shut up." She snapped.

"And I can also give you cleaner clothes." He added. She didn't seem to budge and tried to keep moving.

"Plus, some nice hot food." He finished. That caught her attention. She was rather hungry.

She can't believe she's saying this, but... "Fine, but I'm not staying long. You'll get some blood on your clothes."

"I don't care." He shrugged. He noticed Dabi coming into view from the distance. Not aware that Dabi could see her bloodied state.

Satoko's legs were kind of shaking a little bit from the cramping.

Without asking her, he lifted Satoko up.

"Wait a second-" She growled. But they were already up on the air.

He gave an expression towards Dabi that he won the race.

Dabi skidded to a halt. He glared up at Hawks. (Of course. I'll just have to get her some other day then.)

As he watched them go, he noticed the blood on her. Girls getting their periods always drove him crazy. The only experience he really had was Toga chasing him around with a knife because he wouldn't steal food for her.

In a weird way...he was curious. What was Satoko like during that time? She didn't seem like the type to chase someone with a knife. But maybe if she was hungry enough, he shouldn't put it past her.

He had an image in his mind of Satoko begging him for chocolate. She would pull out a knife and chase him around while screaming at him that he was supposed to give a girl what she wants when she's having cravings. If it wasn't for the fact that the girl from his daydream was being carried away by a hero, he might have laughed.

It's not as if he cared for her in particular. Maybe there was just some small longing buried deep inside of him to have a normal life. If he hadn't been abused, would he have become a villain? If he hadn't become a villain, would he still have met Satoko? Would their talks be any different? Would he experience 'normal' things like being chased with a knife by a hungry lady?

Those thoughts felt strangely normal. So much so that they felt more foreign than anything else. His only sense of anything normal- something so terrifyingly abnormal- was being taken.

He wanted her back.

With the harsh wind against Satoko's cheeks, she was being carried rather gently. She can't believe it that she's going with a hero.

But what choice does she even have anyway?

...

After getting her needed necessities, Hawks swoops into his apartment's window with her. He was going to carry her to the bathroom, but she asked to be put down. He did what he was told and handed her the shopping bag.

"You better not try to peek or barge in because I swear-" She warned. "I don't care if you're a hero, I'll punch your teeth out."

"Pretty gross to do that considering being on your period." He commented. That made her glare more.

"Wow, you're hilarious." She groaned.

"I know!" He agreed. "Feel free to shower. There's towels in the bathroom." He pointed to the door.

An actual shower. Satoko's so used to cleaning herself with buckets of water and stolen soap. Sometimes, in a lake to clean herself. Hawks's sarcastic attitude was bothersome that she couldn't help but feel very annoyed.

"While you do that, I'll be warming up leftovers I have." He walked away towards his kitchen.

Satoko went into the bathroom. She was too tired to make any remarks. Locking the door, she kept checking if it was actually locked. Good.

Before she got into the shower, she rummaged through the cabinets to find some pain killers to take for her cramps.

She found some NSAIDs. Good enough.

After she had showered, she put on her new clothes. It was similar to her style. It was more like a leather vest. She noticed her shoulder in the mirror where she got shot at.

It had a scar.

It was strange to her how he gave her water. How she was saved from him. He was so hard to read.

She wonders what would have happened if she went with him instead. Would he have cared?

(Wow. What a joke.)

Why is she even thinking that? Someone actually caring.

That's so laughable. Humans are so selfish. It's hard to even find someone who has a good heart.

Satoko likes to think she has one, but she feels a bit contradictory right now. Even now, she feels powerless to stand up for what she believes in.

Sure, she has a mouth to speak her mind, but it falls on deaf ears. Talking doesn't always get her somewhere.

How much longer can she keep this up?

...

A plate of steaming food was placed in front of Satoko. The aroma smelled so good.

"I didn't make this, but it is homemade." He noted as he took a seat next to her. "Actually, from a home owned restaurant I went to the other day."

"Thanks." She responded. She couldn't help but dig in. Her eyes lit up. This definitely was so good.

To think, she would eat scraps again after this. How else would she satisfy this hunger? She kept eating like she had no table manners. Hawks started to snort.

"What?!" She looked up at him with food in her mouth.

"You're like a feral animal." He chuckled. "A bit hard to tame, but food can win you over, huh?"

"I'm not an animal!" She growled. "You're more like one here for being a half bird!"

"I'd think I'm an angel." Hawks kept going with it.

"You wish." She kept chewing her food, looking away from him.

Now's the chance to get information. Being with her, he nearly forgot. He almost forgot he has a contract to fulfill. She's just so fun to talk to despite her rude attitude.

"So," He started. "What has Dabi talked to you about so far?"

Satoko thought about the crazy idea that he told her. That she has a quirk. She stopped herself from answering him. "Why... don't you ask Dabi? Aren't you friends? A bit crooked for a 'hero' to be working with a villain."

"Something tells me you really hate heroes." He replied.

"You finally noticed. Congrats." She rolled her eyes.

"Can you tell me why?" He furrowed his eyebrows.

"And why do you need to know?" She asked defensively.

He can tell she has a lot of trust issues. He wonders why that is the case. He knows that some heroes could have a bad name to some people. But this was so deeply rooted in this woman's core.

This burning hatred, he can even tell it from her eyes when she speaks.

Do the villains have information on her that he doesn't have?

"You could say that I'm just curious." He lied. He actually was a bit concerned, but his nature doesn't let him speak that way.

Even if he said that to her, he doesn't think she'd believe him.

"Well, you can continue being curious." She huffed. (As soon as I'm done eating, I'm leaving.)

"I can dig into your past if I wanted to." He teased.

"Don't you dare!" She grumpily murmured. She was starting to feel extremely tired. Food coma was hitting her. Pretty hard.

"Wouldn't telling me be better?" He asked as he looked up at the ceiling with a smug smile. "That way-"

Tap.

"Hm?" He felt something go against his shoulder.

It was Satoko's head. She passed out.

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