You would think that recovering from Quirk exhaustion and seeing her favorite hero almost die would make her retreat, or perhaps reach out to friends and talk.

However, KK did neither of the two.

She did drag Todoroki off, the latter not exactly minding, having gotten used to coming over at the sisters' place when his father wouldn't be at home or when he could sneak out and he didn't notice. He didn't expressly have a problem with his own house, except for the strangely irritating atmosphere, however he couldn't deny that he felt more at ease with them.

He wouldn't admit it then, but he was growing fond of these sleepovers.

When he arrived, KK wasn't there. Axel had placed an axe near to the couch, something he was wary of. She did like axes, so he could see the family resemblance.

KK wasn't much of a stickler for rules, however she did like to make it to home in time for dinner.

However this time her plan neatly backfired.

She had been walking on the streets, when she had noticed a small kitten mewing. She watched it for a few moments before realising that the kitten had probably lost his mother.

She approached it, deciding to adopt it.

And so did a lavender haired boy at the same time.

"You like cats too?" She asked in pleasant surprise.

"Well, duh," he shot back, "Nah, I was wondering whether it was a good idea to turn the brick into a sculpture. You know, since I am the reincarnation of Michaelangelo and all that."

KK gave him a good look before starting to laugh.

He blinked and took the cat up, cradling her in his arms.

".....In all honesty, I had seen the cat first, Mr......"

"Shinso. Hitoshi Shinso. And I took it up first. Checkmate."

"Aww, then let's jointly adopt her."

"What?"

"Like. The cat stays at your home. But like, you can bring her over to mine. To play and stuff."

Shinso blinked at her.

"You are inviting a literal stranger to your home? Where is your sense of self preservation?"

"New phone, who dis?" She said before smiling, "I actually do know. Hitoshi Shinso. Quirk, Brainwash. UA General Course. Aspiring to be a hero. I did see you once when you were buying Eraserhead merchandise."

He took a long look at her, blinking slowly.

"You know so much of stuff. Especially my Quirk. Then why aren't you avoiding me?"

"Why should I?"

He gave her a blank look.

"Because???? It is a villain's Quirk??? Like???? I could control you???? Or something????"

KK's blank look matched him.

She did know about him. She knew about the torment he had to endure in his middle school. She had also saved him from a horrible case of foster parents even though he wouldn't know that.

"Villainous?" She asked, feigning confusion, "Quirks are Quirks. It's the use that matters. Besides I know for a fact that you won't abuse your Quirk upon others, Hitoshi."

He looked like she was speaking an alien tongue before the others seemed to register in his mind. Something flashed beside the perpetually dead eyes, and his posture seemed to straighten up a bit.

"So—, so you aren't scared?"

"No? Why should I be?"

Shinso looked down, peacefully ignoring the burning in his eyes.

"Hitoshi, Quirks are Quirks. It's the heart that matters. A wise man once said that. You can be a hero."

This dramatic proclamation was cut short by the lights in the alleyway beginning to flicker. Shinso straightened up with the cat in hand, in absolute confusion. KK bit her lip, as a few thugs appeared from the corners, taking out her knives. She didn't expressly want to frighten Shinso, but well, she also needed to get out of this situation. She could teleport, but her she would most likely end up with a worse fever. The nurse had adviced her to use her Quirk as less as possible.

She knew that she was shorter than most of her yearmates and looked incredibly skinny.

All in all, an easy target.

"Hitoshi, please don't tell anyone what you see here unless I tell you."

"Sure?" He sounded confused.

She nodded and pressed her hand to her shadow on the wall, silently willing it to move. The thugs charged at them and it leapt to intercept, grabbing their hands. She jumped up and knocked two of them with a kick to the neck, and threw them onto the other two.

All in all, she was safe.

She put the knives back and began dialing the police's number. Let them wonder who had beaten them up.

Meanwhile Shinso was gaping at her.

After she finished the call, and made sure that it was utterly untraceable, she was met with a look that looked like admiration.

"You are the Reaper," he began in awe, "I remember you in the school cafeteria. It's hard to recognise you in civilian clothes."

"Thanks, that was the intention," she said tartly, "Also, you might wanna run before having to answer awkward questions. What they didn't see, they cannot prove. But, I want the cat. So might as well pass by my home."

Todoroki raised an eyebrow when KK came in dragging a stiff boy, who looked like he had been born to sport dark circles.

"This is Hitoshi Shinso," she said cheerfully, "And we have yet to come to a conclusion over who should adopt this cat."

Saying this she held out the kitten. It was black with stripes across her right leg.

"Did you plan on a name?" Axel asked, looking positively delighted and going over to pat said cat.

"Edward Elric," Shinso said ominously, "That's what I am gonna name this cat."

"We," KK corrected, "Besides I did save you, so—"

"So, in conclusion you got into a fight?" Axel asked, giving her a look as she pried Edward Elric off her arms.

"In my defense, a few thugs attacked first."

"Accepted. Proceed," Axel said, hugging Edward to herself.

"Indeed, where did you happen to meet him, who looks like the secret love child of Eraserhead?" Todoroki commented, coming over to take a look at Edward.

Shinso sputtered.

KK began laughing.

Axel smacked him upside down the head.

"Don't mind Shoto-kun, he tends to get like this at times."

Todoroki rolled his eyes at her.

Shinso's eyes widened as he took stock of the situation.

This was Endeavor's youngest.

This was the Reaper.

And that was Axel, who famously threw a fireball at some blond from Class 1-B of the Hero Course.

And these three were joking and acting like total siblings.

"Yeah, I know, we are just that fabulous," Axel commented drily, "You might wanted to close your mouth before you catch flies."

Shinso snapped his mouth shut, before opening it to actually speak.

"We saw a kitten mewing and made to get her at the same moment. I took her up first, but Reaper wouldn't let go. A couple of thugs attacked and she fought them off. Without breaking a sweat."

"Makes sense. Sit down for a while then," Axel said, giving the cat to Todoroki who couldn't hide his delight.

"Uhhhhhhhhh?"

Shinso was still confused as to where this entire thing was going.

Todoroki whispered right in his ears, sounding like a soothsayer telling him to beware the Ides of March.

"Don't even try. They will befriend whoever the hell they want, and you cannot stop that. Best thing is to just peacefully accept your helplessness in the face of fate."

Shinso shivered.

The nightmares got progressively worse until she felt like she was suffocating. It was all the hand, detached hands, blood, pain and more pain. Sometimes it was fire. After what felt like the fifteenth time that night, KK swore and got up, opening the window of her room and climbing down from it. The cool night air hit her sweaty form, making her shiver slightly. She purposefully dragged the shadows back, the ones she pulled up over her entire self to hide the copious scars scattered all across her body. Her left arm looked like a burnt chicken leg, her right arm being covered in numerous lines, some jagged and deep, some shallow, crisscrossing each other, a patchwork of years of torture buried under repression.

Her face wasn't that good either, her left cheek sporting a nasty burn, courtesy of the encounter with the Flame Hero and scars snaking their way across her skin. Her hair had turned pure white from the stress, and it fell around her thin face in unruly clumps, reaching her shoulders.

On the other hand, blearily remembering how scarred you looked wasn't the best way to begin a night walk. She hoped that Axel was sleeping soundly. Rubbing at her face again, she kept her head low as she navigated the dark alleys. She had changed her form to avoid recognition. There were a fair few who might want to get at her.

If it was Kurogiri and Tomura personally, then her disguise wouldn't be of much use. However anyone else was easy to fool.

Axel did notice her sneak out but didn't comment, hoping that she would talk to her when she was ready.

Covered by hands, the boy sat, in anticipation for the biggest Sports gathering of the world, the UA Sports Festival.