Third person pov

Shoto barreled through the trees, desperate to find Lillian and Bakugo. He almost hoped they were together, but he knew that would only make things worse. If the villains found them, it was more likely that the pair of them would both get taken were they with one another. That being said, being separated out here was just as dangerous. Both could handle themselves, but the term 'strength in numbers' was no lie. The half-and-half teen wasn't Bakugo's biggest fan, but even he hoped he wasn't alone out there somewhere. He thought back to the man who'd cut off Hitoshi's hand, and bile threatened to rise in his throat.

Had you told Shoto Todoroki a few months ago that he'd have his mother back, his father would be in jail, and he'd have some amazing friends, he would've just stared blankly at you. Even now it felt unbelievable. He had gained so much, so fast, and now it felt as though it was all washing down the drain. He knew that wasn't the case. Mr. Aizawa would call him irrational for thinking as such. But the sensation... it was there, and it was terrifying.

He had to slow to catch his breath after sprinting for a solid five minutes or so, his chest heaving and his hands shaking. The ground was rumbling heavily beneath his feet, and he wondered how he hadn't noticed before. The teen's head whipped about in search of the source, his aching muscles tensing further. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Without him meaning it to, his left side slightly flared up to combat the abnormal chill in the air. Shoto wasn't sure when he'd last gotten goosebumps that weren't due to overuse of his ice side. When had he been this afraid for someone who wasn't himself? He couldn't recall.

There was a crashing sound not terribly far away, but not terribly close either. Shoto took a slight step back, debating whether or not he should go investigate. He wanted to call out Lillian's name, but his voice was caught in his throat. There was a high chance that was a villain. But if it was a villain, they they were almost certainly on the hunt for his freckled friend, or that they already had her. He shook his head slightly, stumbling back until he hit a tree, and allowing himself to slide around it for cover. The terrified teenager crouched down low, sweat pouring down his face and the back of his neck. 

He wanted to find Lillian. He felt useless. Hitoshi was hurt, and he was... he was perfectly fine. Nothing was wrong with him. He was tired and afraid, but he hadn't been hurt. It left a vat of guilt to bubble to life in him. He wanted to do more. He had to do more. For once, he praised the harsh training he'd gone through. His shitty childhood made this seem so much better, despite how horribly bad it was. Things would work out. They had to, for better, or for worse. 

A familiar sound cracked through the air like a whip, and Shoto was shooting to his feet just as fast as he'd hunkered down. A hulking chunk of ice not unlike the ones he often produced towered off to the left, appearing just in time to curve the path of what looked like a huge mass of shadows. The terrifying creature let out a shriek, violently shaking its head to try and get the person latched atop it to let go. Shoto squinted through the darkness at the sight. That was a quirk he'd only ever seen in a few people. One being himself, the other his mother, partially in Natsuo, and finally...

"Fuyumi?" Shoto breathed, his mismatched eyes widening in surprise when he finally realized that the figure atop what could only be a very out-of-control Dark Shadow was indeed his older sister. Her hair, which was almost completely white, contrasted greatly against the multitude of black surrounding the small woman. The startled teen's gaze rose to the sky, where another figure was clearly circling overhead. His first thought was a winged Nomu like Vlad was present, but he caught a glimpse of red and immediately knew it had to be Hawks. But why were they there? Had Chad brought them as back up? His sister... she'd have a lot of explaining to do after this. No matter how welcome the help was.

"Fucking DIE!" A voice screamed, and a huge explosion lit up the forest. Shoto felt both horrified and relieved at the same time. He flashed back to the exercises that had been done by Tokoyami over the past few days. All the times he offhandedly noted his bird-headed classmate making a comment about how the darkness fueled his quirk, and how he'd disappear into a cave to train. His eyes dropped to his left hand. His face settled into one of grim determination.

Allowing his arm to set alight, Shoto Todoroki took off running towards the source of the explosions, raising his hand towards Dark Shadow as the beast roared. He had to get to Lillian. He had to get to Bakugo. If anything happened to them... he wasn't sure what he'd do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lillian and Bakugo watched in shocked awe as Mihoko Shinso, Rei Yukiharu, and Inko Midoriya all emerged from the van with pissed off expressions on their faces. As though it couldn't get any better, they all marched over to Twice's shaking, curled-up form and began to kick him while shouting. They weren't shouting curses: just lecturing him for his bad choices in life. It caused the man to shriek in a panic. The stunned duo could do nothing more than watch on as the villain tried, and failed, to create more clones of himself. They were stomped out immediately by the enraged group of mothers. The women were clearly out for blood.

Lillian felt an immense amount of relief. The urge to burst into hysterical laughter was strong, but not overwhelming to the point of her losing it. She was terrified. She had no idea what was happening. The faces were-- thank god-- familiar and much appreciated, but not explained. This was their training camp. How had they known something was wrong? Lillian certainly hadn't called them, and they obviously hadn't shown up with Chad. Either Hitoshi or another memer had been busy, or Mihoko's sixth sense was at work once more, predicting that they were in danger. Oddly enough, it wouldn't be the first time were that the case.

"...What the literal fuck?" Bakugo breathed, adjusting his grip on Kosei. Lillian gulped, nodding in agreement to the sentiment. She knew what was going on at the moment, but she also wasn't completely following. She felt dizzy and not sure of what was happening as she watched her mother figure, and two women she considered to be somewhat of aunts, kick this man who'd been about to kill them into unconsciousness. After hitting him with an entire fucking minivan. She'd gone from the verge of a panic attack to being purley dumbfounded. She had no idea how to react to this.

"I... I-I have... I-I don't know?" Lillian's voice came out a strangled squeak. Her death grip on Bakugo's hand loosened slightly when the realization that they were no longer in immediate danger settled in. Twice was without a doubt unconscious, and even if he wasn't, Rei's quirk was a terrifying force. Todoroki was proof of such, half of his body capable of producing the same spires of ice his mother could. The freckled teenager took a few deep breaths. Things were fine. She still wasn't sure how they knew to come, but the fondly dubbed Mom Squad had arrived to aid in the ongoing battle against the villains. She was sure the police would be arriving soon as well, and hopefully some heroes along with them.

"Are you three okay?!" Mihoko fretted, leaving Rei to make sure Twice didn't get back up, and Inko to dig through the van in search of something to tie the man up with. Bakugo took a small step back due to his experiences with his own mother, but his willingness to remain holding Lillian's hand meant it didn't do much as the woman approached. Lillian shook out her head slightly to try and focus, offering a weak smile and trying to keep tears from her eyes. Truth be told, she was terrified. She didn't want to be here. Why did the villains always have to fuck something up? If anyone got seriously hurt, she'd riot.

"W-We're okay. I uh... I-I got separated from Hitoshi and Shoto, and Izuku too. We were all eating dinner when that Warp Gate villain scattered us through the forest. We uh... W-We got a message from one of the heroes here who has a one-way t-telepathic quirk." Lillian gathered her wits about her. She could freak out later, but right now wasn't the time to bottom out on everyone. She wasn't safe yet. She couldn't be relaxing, no matter how much relief seeing three familiar faces brought. Her crazed laughter could wait.

"The fuckers are after us." Bakugo said, drawing Mihoko's worried gaze. The blonde boy was grimacing, looking irritated and oddly resigned. He couldn't bring himself to look the woman in the eyes, knowing full and well how many times he'd called her son 'Turnip Bastard.' "The villains want Freckles and I."

Mihoko grit her teeth, squeezing Lillian's shoulders comfortingly. This wasn't good. Her kids were out here in this forest, no doubt facing dangers no children their age should have to face. It pissed her off to no end. She wanted nothing more to stick these two youngins in her car and send them off, but she'd die before leaving everyone else behind, and she was pretty sure they would too. Well, Bakugo may agree to jump ship, but there was something swimming in Lillian's eyes, behind all the fear and unshed tears. It told Mihoko that she was determined to help in any way she could, and that she wouldn't be stopped in her pursuit to do so. It made her amazingly proud.

"Well, let's put him in the van, dear. We've got to get moving. I'm sure everyone is probably going back to the main camp. Do you know where that is from here?" Mihoko asked. Lillian nodded, tugging Bakugo towards the van and snapping him from his train of thought. As much as the explosive blonde wanted to assume he could protect Lillian all on his own, he was still glad for the help. Even if it was from a couple of middle-aged women who showed up in rust-bucket of a vehicle. Auntie Inko always had been intimidating, and Lillian's self-proclaimed mother had an 'I kick ass' aura around her. Not to mention Icyhot's mom, who could apparently make entire fucking glaciers from what he knew.

"Are you okay, Lillian?" Rei asked as Inko expertly tied Twice up in a manner from which he would not be escaping anytime soon. The jumper cables were thick, too, and wouldn't be easily cut. It made Katsuki raise his brows, but Lillian was too used to weird shit to even bat an eye at that. She offered the white-haired woman a smile instead, taking the side hug offered to her readily despite how erratically her heart was still beating. Bakugo clicked his tongue, but didn't say anything. It would be hypocritical of him to imply they didn't need their help when they oh-so-clearly did.

"W-We're okay. Kosei here h-has a concussion. He's... H-He's from 1-B, like Neito." Lillian cleared her throat a bit as Katsuki moved to set their petrified peer in the back seat. Her eyes slid to the back left tire of the van, and her heart skipped a beat. Great. Just when this night couldn't get any worse, this shit would strike. "O-Oh no..."

Mihoko and Rei looked at each other before turning their gazes to where she was looking. They were greeted by the sight of a rather large sword-like knife sticking out of their very flat back tire. The realization made Mihoko release a hiss through her teeth, and Rei's hands curled into fists. Bakugo stalled, not quite putting Kosei down in the van, irritably waiting to see what they'd be doing. They didn't have time to be changing a tire out in the middle of the woods, and Lillian wasn't even sure they had the resources to do so.

Mihoko was going to go nuts. Lillian was pale and shaking, and she wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in a blanket, shove a cup of hot chocolate in her hands, and sit her down on a couch. Preferably her couch in her home, but she'd take anywhere that wasn't here at this point. Her dear little Hitoshi was also out there, as was Shoto and Izuku. Chad was supposedly here somewhere, which implied Hawks as well. Eri luckily wasn't. Who was watching her? Mihoko was sure she was somewhere safe, but she was still worried.

"...How far is the camp, dears?" Inko asked with a small smile. They'd have supplies to change the tire there, and then maybe they could jam some teenagers in it and send it out. Katsuki knew how to drive if need be. If he was one of the intended targets alongside Lillian, so it was best they both got off the premise as soon as possible. That being said, they were also the least likely to die. That was assuming the villains were aiming to detain them, not eliminate. Inko had no idea what the details were. She was afraid to find out, too. Where was her son, and was he okay? How many bones had he broken this time?

"N-Not far." Lillian noted. Bakugo grumbled something under his breath, all but yanking Kosei back out of the van. He was weightless, but that didn't make him any less annoying to carry. Whatever. He guessed now wasn't the time to be picky. After this, he'd never have to see the extra again.

"It's just up the road. Maybe ten fucking minutes or so." Bakugo stepped up at his friend's side, their hands still interlocked. If any of the women noticed, they chose not to comment. It wasn't the time. "We can make it there, easy. It's where us and the extras were told to haul ass, anyway." 

"Then that's where we'll go." Rei nodded, determined. Mihoko and Inko nodded as well.

"I'm sure we can solve our little tire issue there as well. Should we try bringing this young man?" Inko peered over to Twice. Lillian and Bakugo both shared a look. Calling the villain you hit with your car a 'young man' wasn't generally something you'd expect, but Inko Midoriya always had been too nice for her own good. It was actually fairly terrifying. Her pleasant and disarming smile was both comforting and concerning at the same time. Bakugo flashed back to his childhood. Maybe this was why his mother got along so well with Deku's mom...

"A-Are the police coming?" Lillian asked. Rei nodded. Lillian took a few deep breaths, gathering herself up for what felt like the millionth time. When she got to the camp, she was going to cry. Maybe. Operating under the assumption that the camp was safe, she'd most definitely be hugging her father. 'Mr. Aizawa' her ass. He was her dad, and she now heavily regretted the nerves that came with calling him that. IT was fine. He clearly didn't mind, and she'd been an idiot, and now they may never see each other again. It didn't matter how determined she was not to die. Something could still happen.

"Yes, I believe Naomasa will be here any moment now. He was acting weird before we came here, dear. He clearly knew something was going on." Rei assured. Bakugo's temper flared. He knew some shit was going on, and didn't do anything?! How the actual fuck did that make sense? Someone had gotten their hand chopped off out there. Their entire fucking hand.  This was not a 'he clearly knew something was going on' sort of deal. This was a 'the cops evacuated the entire camp and then nuked the shit when the villains showed face' kind of situation!

Lillian squeezed his hand, cutting off his rather vulgar rant. "A-Alright. Let's go there. My... My dad will be there. I... I-I think we can leave the Villain. The cops will find him." She sounded uneasy, glancing at Bakugo. He jumped to back her up. They'd been here for one another up until this point, and he hoped that wouldn't change. 

"Yeah, we don't want to haul the shit back anyway. What if the fucker woke up and killed an extra?" Bakugo scoffed, already moving forward. The women all parted for him, and Lillian let herself be dragged. "We already left one of those shitmunchers in the woods. What's one more?"

"You encountered another villain?!" Mihoko's eyes widened in a panic. Bakugo and Lillian gave her a certain sort of look that made her calm down and quiet her voice. "Right, of course. Let's head back to camp. Inko?"

"R-Right!" The woman jumped slightly, and then she... lifted up the van.

Lillian, Rei, and Bakugo all had to stop and stare as it rose far above their heads and began to hover. Inko didn't appear to be struggling either, giving them a smile as though nothing whatsoever were wrong. Mihoko only raised a brow at their bewilderment, not seeming to see an issue with this rather new development. Bakugo wondered if he even wanted to know, while Lillian was pretty much already over it despite it only having been like, three seconds. The woman who could attract small objects to her had just lifted up an entire van. This was fine! Totally fine!

"Er... Inko, I thought your quirk was the... the attraction of small objects." Rei's voice was hesitant. Inko blinked at her, appearing nearly confused by her friend's words.

"A van isn't that big." Inko said simply, as though that explained it. Lillian and Bakugo just stared, while Rei nodded slowly. 

With no warning whatsoever, because that's how their night was apparently going, two students stumbled from the bushes in a panic. Lillian immediately placed one as Awase from class 1-B, though it took her a second longer to identify the person he was with. Her eyes widened when she realized the teen was hauling an unconscious Momo along with him, tears in his eyes. The girl's head was lolling, but you could see her eyelids fluttering. It was the only sign of life she gave as the boy tumbled down on the dirt road, his eyes flying to them with sheer desperation shining in them. Lillian was horrified at the state of her friend.

"Help." His voice came out strained; nothing much more than a croak, really. Before anyone could ask how the could be of service, or something along those lines, the issue at hand came crashing loudly from beyond the trees. Everyone present had to question how they hadn't heard its approach with how horribly loud it happened to be. Rei and Lillian let out shrieks as a hulking Nomu barreled out and right at them, Mihoko releasing just a yelp. Bakugo had never felt so done in his life, preparing to blow the think to kingdom come if required. He didn't get the chance. With a cold, calm fierceness, Inko threw the van at the beast.

The resulting noise was deafening. It's how you'd imagine a car crash to sound, only ten times worse in every way. Everyone cringed at the screech of the metal. The force the van came down with was not the normal gravity type. It was crushed down at an incredibly speed, Inko's head snapping to follow along with its path. A clear sign that she'd been the culprit. After seeing her lift it without an issue, nobody should've been surprised. But they were, of course, because why wouldn't they be?

Lillian gaped for a moment, her side pressed against Bakugo's and her breath halting momentarily. Rei and Mihoko were also a bit stunned, but it didn't compare to Awase's wide-eyed expression as he looked from where the Nomu was now crushed and the sky. He clearly wanted to know where the fuck the van had fallen from, and how it had managed to come down with enough force to stop a Nomu dead in its tracks. Everyone half expected it to get up again, but it didn't. There was silence. The only sound was of their own breathing, and the rustling of the trees. 

"...So!" Inko chirped after a moment, clapping her hands together all too cheerfully. "Shall we head towards the camp?"

Nobody had the words, so all they did was nod.

They started down the road. It was too much to hope not to be interrupted again. Again, this was not a fun time, and they were all suffering, so of course every worse case scenario had to occur. That much was made clear when a guttural roar all the too close sounded, shaking the trees and causing leaves to cascade down. This only made them move faster, grimaces painted on all their faces. Inko had taken over carrying Momo and Kosei both, while Mihoko had moved onto comforting Awase. She'd ushered the teen towards Lillian and Bakugo with comforting and hushed whispers. The poor boy was terrified. Lillian didn't know him, but she offered her hand to him anyway. He gripped it, sweaty and terrified. Bakugo wanted to be irked, but he wasn't. He couldn't be.

They got closer and closer to camp. It was farther than they'd estimated. Ten minutes by car, but by foot, it took a lot longer. They weren't exactly moving as quick as they should've. Their movements were precise and careful. They stayed near the left of the road in the shadows the trees cast down, focusing more on being quiet than moving fast. Nobody spoke, though there was a sense of security that came along with being in a group. Lillian didn't know Awase. Her only real memory of him was from during the Sports Festival, but even then there really wasn't any interaction. She still squeezed his hand, eyes darting around frantically. They were all scared. She could freak out over this later.

There was another roar, and ice shot out from the trees in front of them. It earned an irritated hiss from Mihoko, and a groan from Bakugo. Rei looked startled for a moment. For a second, she'd almost thought maybe she'd been the cause, but that wasn't it. 

"You're fucking shitting me." The explosive blonde wanted to walk for more than five minutes without being stopped, please and thank you. Hawks swooped down low as a shadowy mass sent trees and dirt flying in its path, showering them in the dusty substance. They all backpedaled further into the trees, the adults putting themselves between the teens they'd decided to escort. Lillian squinted, leaning forward.

"I-Is that... T-Tokoyami?" She breathed. Fuck, this wasn't good in the least. Nothing was, but that was besides the point. His dark shadow did get out of control at night, didn't it? It's why he had to sleep with a lamp on. She wasn't sure why she knew that fact, but she used to sit with them some before Hitoshi and her had established a good and sturdy friendship. Her memory wasn't the best, but this was something she could somewhat clearly recall. "He must've lost control of Dark Shadow..."

"Is that Fuyumi?" Rei yelped, eyes widening when she spotted the jabbering figure atop the writhing black mass. The faint sound of several curse words muddled with reassurances just barely reached them where they stood. Lillian and Bakugo both looked at each other, stunned and not sure what to think. Vlad had been here, which meant Chad was definitely here, so they supposed it made sense that Brad would be following. Fuyumi was quite the surprise, though. Decked out in what looked like it could be a homemade hero costume, the goggles over her eyes did little to mask her identity with her hood down. Seeing her was welcome, but not expected.

"Shit." Mihoko didn't normally resort to cursing in front of children, but when the situation called for it, it called for it. She didn't exactly know what she was looking at right now, but she knew it wasn't anything good. She and Rei could question Fuyumi later. Right now, they were in danger here. On one hand, they couldn't let this shadowy thing kill them. On the other, them trying to go to camp could lead it there, and that wouldn't be good for anyone. There was no telling who was still up for fighting, and who was injured. It was a chance they couldn't take. 

"Light." Lillian blurted out. Awase and Bakugo both looked at her, but the freckled girl couldn't seem to pry her eyes from her out of control classmate. "Th-That's Dark Shadow. He's... H-He's really weak to light."

At this, everyone's attention went to Bakugo. He grinned maliciously at the realization. He got to be helpful and blow shit up. Though letting go of Lillian's hand and leaving her with this 1-B extra was less than ideal, getting killed was worse by far. Besides, who the fuck was he to back down from a fight? He gave Lillian's hand one last awkward squeeze before releasing it, sliding between his two unconscious classmates who were drifting midair. He would've shoved past them if he weren't so sure he'd get whacked over the head for it. Auntie Inko clearly wasn't someone you fucked with.

Lillian and Awase huddled together. Lillian was prepared to freeze Dark Shadow if need be, but it had to be a last resort. He was undoubtedly extremely strong. Trying to stop that would probably bring her close to death, if not right at its doorstep. So her and her peer watched on with wide eyes, backing up more as Mihoko and Inko took more steps back. Rei placed herself at the front of their little formation, the frosty air coming from her trembling hands a sign she was ready to create a barrier were something to happen. Everyone held their breath as Bakugo stalked towards it with confidence only he could ever possess. They were all ready to jump into action at the drop of a hat.

"Hey, fucker!" Bakugo's hands let out a boom, drawing its attention and earning a near feral hiss. He grinned wider, red eye gleaming in the light of his own explosions. "Fucking DIE!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The look on Aizawa's face got harder and harder to look at the more time that passed. Not many knew of his relationship with Lillian, though they didn't question the desolate expression on his face. There was this sort of grief present, as though he'd already lost everything. It... hurt to look at. It made 1-A and 1-B collectively afraid of what would happen next. Hushed whispers were few and far between. For the most part, they sat on the ground, watching over those who'd fallen victim to the villain's gas and staying cuddled together in a tight group of comfort. Vlad King was in the process of patching up Hitoshi in the next room. They couldn't let the other kids see that. Not right now.

Aizawa was pacing, pacing, pacing. Where was his daughter, and the rest of his students? Chad was shot and without a lot of his weapons due to Kendo and Tetsutetsu. They weren't to be blamed, but it didn't change the matter of the fact. Vlad loomed outside, not allowed inside for fear of scaring the already petrified teenagers. He kept watch, vigilant in his job and his attention never straying. Chad himself was patching himself up with a grimace, not seeming all too worried. Almost everyone had to look away as he fished the bullet out of himself.

"H-How can you do that?" Mina choked out, shielding her eyes and looking a pit pale at the squelching sounds that came from him digging around in his own torso. Many others looked sick to their stomachs, but weren't brave enough to voice it. Chad looked... terrifying. He was covered in blood, his hair was a mess, his clothes were in no better shape, and his face was twisted into a look less than welcoming. Nobody knew he was quirkless, so they all assumed the worst. While it was obvious he wasn't an enemy, everyone was on edge.

"High pain tolerance. Accidentally shot myself a few times as a kid while learning." Chad flicked the bullet on to the table and poured antiseptic mercilessly into the wound. He was pale and shaking from blood loss, but somehow managed to look entirely sturdy at the same time. It threw a lot of the present students off. Were it one of their teachers, maybe they'd be more comforted by the abnormal show of strength. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine, and so will all of you."

He didn't know if that was true, but hey, who was he not to hope for the best? Hitoshi was the one most at risk here. He'd lost an appendage, and his life was dangerously close to giving. Unlike Neito, Hitoshi wouldn't be coming back were he to die. That was the most terrifying part of this all. The idea of losing someone seemed surreal to Chad. He'd lost loved ones before. Friends, family: of course he had! In this day and age, who hadn't? But this was Hitoshi Shinso. One of his kiddos! What had he been before he met Lillian and her friends? An Uber Eats driver, wanted by the law in every way for every thing, bored out of his mind, and going to college for something he really wasn't that into? 

"How do you know?" Kirishima wheezed out tearfully. He was fighting hard to keep it together, as they all were, but it was almost futile to try. The forest was burning around them. The only thing keeping it from reaching the building as the fact that Kota had soaked the ground. He was now asleep in a chair, having used everything in him to get the surrounding area as wet as possible. It wouldn't keep the fire at bay for long. Eventually, it would evaporate. Todoroki had apparently run off, and nobody here had a water-based quirk. 

"I don't." Chad admitted, pausing in his bandaging of his wound. "But help is on the way. Pro-Hero Hawks is here, and other heroes and police are following. It's only a matter of time before they get here."

"R-Really?" A girl from 1-B Chad didn't know questioned, and he nodded.

"Your classmates are strong. So are your teachers." Chad's eyes slid over to Aizawa. Looking at him from the outside, it looked as though he were slowly going inside. He ran his hand through his hair every minute or so, never stopping in his strides. Back and forth, back and forth. He wouldn't stop. Some students had tried to tentatively call his name, but it was to no avail. He was too wrapped up in himself, stuck between staying here to protect the majority and going out to find his child, who was out there somewhere. There was just no telling where she was. Maybe if there was a location, it would make sense to go. But that was the problem. They didn't know. They didn't know anything.

"I have to go find her." Aizawa proclaimed. The sudden declaration startled many of the students, who turned to look at the pro with questioning looks in their terrified eyes. The man tugged anxiously at his capture weapon, teeth clenched so hard they might crack under the pressure, and eyebrows drawn so tautly together that it had to be giving him a headache. "I-I can't... I can't sit here and do nothing."

"We don't know where she is. She's smart. They all know to come here." Chad assured, though he too was aching to get back out there and hunt both her and Bakugo down, along with any other students he could get his grubby little hands on. They were probably terrified. It was something straight out of a horror movie. Being stuck in the woods at night. Hunted by villains, some of which were serial killers. And you were either alone or with one other person, who was just as scared as you are. Oh, and the woods happened to be on fire, just to add some icing on this shit cake. Not to mention the roaming Nomu.

"I-I can't. I have to... I-I have to go out there." Aizawa breathed quietly. It occurred to Chad right then and there that Aizawa was quite literally having a panic attack. In front of all his students, who were also either also having panic attacks or were about to. Not a vote of confidence by any means. He grit his teeth as he pushed himself to his feet, forcing a grin at the students. It probably looked more like a threat. The tang of iron told him his teeth were probably bloody, so that had to be mortifying. All aboard the PTSD train, everyone! 

"Let's step outside for a moment, Aizawa." Chad grabbed his arm, shooting a look at the students over his shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll be right outside the door, alright? Won't even be five minutes."

The air was stuffy and hot from the fire's heat. Aizawa's tears were already falling as Chad all but pushed him out of the door, pushing back panic of his own. Not all the adults could lose it here, even if Chad was barely functioning. He'd been shot and then hadn't even bothered to stitch it up. Didn't have the time for it, and that was more painful than getting the bullet out to be honest. At least the pain of digging around in your own gut was almost numbing. Sewing yourself shut, however, was not.

Aizawa felt so useless and lost. His head felt screwed on backwards, and his chest was so tight it gave the illusion of suffocation. He couldn't breathe. He was terrified for his daughter, and wanted to go out there and find her. He didn't know where she was, but he'd always prided himself on his ability to find people. The whole warp gate thing meant no trail, but he would manage. He had to manage, for her. 

"Look-" Chad started, but he was interrupted before he could get anything else out. So much for his inspiring pep talk. There was an explosion that billowed up above the trees. It was so large the light reached where they were despite the distance away it was. It was a mushroom cloud of flying tree branches and pieces of rubble. It had happened near the main road, and they both went wide eyed, looking to one another at the same time with realization dawned on their faces. Aizawa's breath shuddered, but not in a bad way. It was like something in him was coming back to life.

"If Bakugo is there..." Chad trailed off. Aizawa's dull eyes lit up anew. 

"Lillian." He breathed, his hands tightening into fists. Chad nodded in agreement. "I'm going."

"I'll watch the kids." Chad agreed. He wanted to go too, but he would only be a burden. Yeah, he'd only been shot once, but he'd lost a lot of blood. You couldn't very well balance a teenager on your shoulders and keep pressure at the same time. "Go. And tell her I said hi."

At that, Aizawa couldn't help but crack a small smile. He took off running.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The relief Lillian felt as a flaming Shoto burst through the trees was palpable. It was so intense she couldn't help but slouch against Awase. He let her, a smile blooming across his face as he moved to better support her. He knew of Todoroki's power despite not being in their class. Between the Sports Festival and state of the training field when he was done with it, that much was pretty much obvious. His shakily ran a hand down his face, letting out a shuddering breath.

The sound of sirens alerted them to the approaching police as Shoto and Bakugo both forced Dark Shadow between them. Shoto seemed disoriented somehow. He'd spotted his mother and Lillian, but he was also clearly crying. Something had happened. Was it Izuku? Nobody was sure where he was. Fuyumi and Hawks were pretty sure they'd spotted him with Shoji at some point, but they'd lost track of them in their efforts to distract Tokoyami.

"Back the fuck up!" Bakugo demanded. Dark Shadow screeched, trying to back into the trees. Inko stopped him, pulling him closer to her and forcing him to remain in the middle of the narrow road. He was shrinking, and fast, too. The sirens from the approaching emergency vehicles felt like a close to this whole thing, almost. Like it was wrapping up. Lillian still felt ready to have a panic attack, her knees buckling so much so that Awase literally had to put at arm around her to steady her. She gave him a thankful smile, too tired to be embarrassed. He seemed too glad to care. 

"Shoto!" Rei cried out. Fuyumi literally fell off the top of Dark shadow as he warped oddly, getting smaller. Hawks dove down and grabbed the plummeting woman, his eyes falling on Lillian and Awase both. He spotted something behind them, and his eyes went wide.

"Well, well, well." A coy voice behind her said. Lillian's entire body tensed. Her heart stopped. She heard the sound of static. A microphone? "It seems to be my lucky day! I've found one, Kurogiri."

"NO!" Bakugo and Shoto both screamed, but it was too late. Lillian felt something-- Awase's arm and side-- fuse against her. Her eyes met Bakugo's, and she heard her father calling her name. And then... blackness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tsukauchi pulled up to see Bakugo Katsuki blowing up trees in a blind rage, screaming incoherently and crying. To Shoto Todoroki, wailing uncontrollably while his mother, Hitoshi Shinso's mother, and Inko Midoriya all huddled around him and two other students who appeared to be unconscious, their faces blank with shock. To Hawks holding a sobbing Fuyumi Todoroki. To Tokoyami, clutching his head, on his knees with tears gushing from his eyes. But that didn't tell him what had happened. This all cried fear and shock, but the sight of Shota Aizawa sitting alone in the middle of of the road, staring emptily at an empty place by the tree line... that screamed tragedy. 

Mr. Compress they saw, but he wasn't the one to look out for. But how did you see someone who wasn't there? They'd forgotten to consider Kurogiri, and that... had quite possibly been their biggest mistake

~~~

Yes there's art but I really just want to post this so I'll put it in the next chapter yeet.

Also yes for those who like, talk to me and stuff, I did completely change my story plan on a whim. You know me hahdklashdlf originally Bakugo and Lillian were going to both get kidnapped. I clearly changed this so um yes leggo