A/N: Trying to make a better habit of consistently crediting the pics at the top. If I ever don't do it, it means I wasn't able to find the artist, so if you guys know, please feel free to tell me. Thank you and enjoy this chapter! (As for this chap, Horikoshi drew this pic, and it's epic)
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Ari POV: ~ 2 Weeks Later~

"Get up, Little Parker! Let's go again!!" The pro hero, Miruko, boomed out from across the space of the training gym.

My lungs were burning too much to give her an immediate answer, as all I could do was hunch over in my spot and rest my hands on my shaking knees.

"Again?!" I wheezed out in a slightly higher tone, holding up one hand to signal I needed a moment to recover.

"Again!! Oh, come on, kid. Don't tell me you're tired, already! That's how the bad guys getcha!" She chuckled defiantly, already starting to stomp her incredibly powerful legs in my direction.

This bunny's trying to kill me.

Not wanting to look like a wimp, I forced down the vomit that threatened to expel all over the gym floor, stumbling to the side and barely dodging her high kick.

My eyes widened in shock when Miruko's foot slammed down on the ground so hard, it caused a hole to form on the wood of the floor.

You know, I'd just been standing there a second ago. That could have been my face, and she could have put me to sleep for days with that kick.

Guess I shouldn't have moved, huh? Just kidding....

"Man, you're really not holding back." I pointed out casually, quickly getting into my fight stance to satisfy her with another round.

She grinned ferally at my challenge, stealthily side shuffling around the room to try and get behind me.

"No way! I never hold back. Especially, now that you and I are set to do a mission together. I ain't usually one for teams, so I'm a little skeptical of the whole ordeal. I didn't show up at UA today, cause I wanted to have a tea party. I did it, cause I wanna see how much you can handle, Number Eight!" She exclaimed, quickly pushing her legs off the ground to fly full force at me.

Well, if she's not holding back, then I won't, either....

"That's fine with me! I can do this all day!" I retorted breathlessly, internally laughing at the way I was five seconds short of passing out.

Outstretching both of my hands...I activated my quirk on Miruko, mid air, landing a roundhouse kick to her immobilized body, before tactfully deactivating my quirk, a second later.

The unexpected ability to move again, combined with the momentum of my kick caused Miruko to go flying sideways-But, just like you'd expect from someone with rabbit instincts, she quickly stuck her leg out to the side, pushing her foot off the wall she would have crashed into, with pure ease-propelling herself right back at me, like a damn sling-shot.

"Ah. Well. That didn't work, like I'd hoped. Guess I'll just die then." I mumbled out softly, standing in place for a moment to try and figure out how to-

"Here I come!!" She yelled out maniacally, outstretching the bottom of her flying foot towards my face with the full intention to smush me.

"Oh shit!!" I exclaimed, quickly diving out of the way of her next kick.

A giant crash was heard a few seconds later, causing me to quickly roll back to my feet and see her foot sitting in a brand new hole of the gym wall.

Well, the UA training room people are not gonna like that....

"Oh shit is right. I bet, I got ya quaking in your boots over there, Little Parker!" Miruko cackled, trying to pry her muscular leg out of the knee-deep hole in the wall.

She's damn right about that.

"Me? No way. But, you sure showed that wall who's boss." I teased with a smirk, taking her moment of struggle to sprint at her for a counter attack.

The rabbit hero let out a chuckle of amused challenge at my comment, straining her muscles a little more to try and get her leg free.

"Heh, feisty one you are! I knew there was a reason I liked you." She grinned, gritting her teeth with exertion as her leg was almost free.

But, I was quicker this time, footsweeping the only standing leg that was helping her keep her balance.

She fell backwards, but used the momentum of her fall to kick her leg free from the wall-creating an even bigger hole than before.

I groaned in protest to her destruction, watching her roll back up to her feet, before challenging me in close hand-to-hand combat.

"Hey, hey, hey-could you be just a little nicer to the walls? I don't wanna get expelled for all of this damage." I pointed out with a huff, easily blocking and dodging the rapid fire of punches and kicks that Miruko was throwing at me.

"Thought'cha graduated?" She questioned slightly out of breath, only now just starting to get tired after this hours long sparring match from hell.

She pushed her legs off the ground, going for a flying kick that would surely knock me out if it made contact with my head.

I pursed my lips in realization to her comment, jumping myself into a back bend to avoid her kick. But, I also did it because I wanted some momentum.

"Oh yeah. You're right. Doesn't matter though. I'm sure Mr. A will still find some way to make my life a living hell." I grunted, pushing my hands off the ground from my bend to spring up and kick Miruko in the stomach.

I was surprised when my kick managed to actually connect with her core-but her rock hard abs prevented her from taking on the damage I was hoping for.

"Ah, to hell with Mr. A! If he tells you anything, you let me know and I'll give him a good kick in the pants!" Miruko smirked, coughing ever so slightly from the force of my kick.

"Now that is something I'd like to see!" I grinned, straining my muscles as I did my best to play fair in this little hand to hand combat fight with Miruko.

I could easily use my quirk to restrain her at the moment, but she's doing strict hand to hand combat, with no help from her quirk, and I wanna honor that unspoken rule, too.

Plus, I don't wanna look wimpy in front of the number five hero.....

But, the jello feeling in my legs is making that hard. A feeling I've been experiencing for quite awhile now, actually.

I think I'll need to tap out of this soon...

Just when I felt the unwanted puke creeping back up my throat, without my consent-

"Hey!! What the hell is that-and that?!" Endeavor boomed out naggingly, staring angrily at the multiple holes in the walls and floors, as he stormed into the training gym.

His voice caused me to lose my focus on Miruko and turn to him in a panic.

"H-Huh?! Oh those minor, little scuffs?!-It wasn't me!! I swear-" I started saying, before I felt a powerful kick to my stomach that sent my body flying backwards...

.....and my puke flying forward.

I crashed landed next to Endeavor into one of the holes Miruko already made-making it bigger than before.

The room went silent with nothing but my soft groans of pain, as I remained laying limp inside the wall hole. My arms and legs were sticking out from all angles, and even though my eyes were closed, I could still feel Endeavor glaring at me from the side.

"Are you done messing around now, so we can finally get down to business?" Enji asked me in annoyance, crossing his arms as he didn't bother to help me out of the wall.

"Meffin' aroun?" I muffled out inaudibly, spitting giant chunks of the wall out of my mouth so I could speak properly.

"Messing around?" I repeated weakly, scrunching up my nose as I could taste remnants of sour vomit still lingering in my mouth.

"Hah! And that's what I call a total knock out, Little Parker! Unless, of course, you're ready for more!" Miruko taunted powerfully, giving me a friendly wink to show there were no hard feelings on her side about kicking me through a wall.

Well, I'm so glad I didn't offend her with my pain.

Attempting to get up for a moment, my muscles clearly denied me the strength as I immediately fell slack back into the hole again.

"Ah, I'm sure this will come as quite a shocker....but I'm gonna have to call it quits now, if you don't mind." I rasped out with a cough, causing Miruko to nod in content agreement as she went over to the sidelines to grab some water.

The door to the training gym opened again a few moments later, allowing multiple pairs of footsteps to walk inside-before they quickly stopped in their tracks.

"Holes in the walls and floors, I see?-and puke on the ground? Parker, wherever you are in here, you're expelled." Aizawa pointed out tiredly, causing a chuckle of amusement to be heard from next to him.

"Hah! Shota! Give the girl a break. Besides, you and I did way worse to this place, during our time at UA. Or have you already forgotten about those expensive light fixtures we destroyed, five times over?" Present Mic smiled warmly, quickly walking over to give me hand out of the wall.

I took his hand gratefully, feeling a bit of my spunk coming back as I suddenly found something I wanted to say.

"Yeah, what he said, Mr. A-and besides, Miruko has a point. You can't expel me, cause I already graduated." I pointed out with a beaten grin, giving Present Mic a small "thanks" as I finally found my way to my feet.

Aizawa's unamused look remained unchanging at my words, before he slowly turned his head towards Miruko.

"Why are you teaching her such lies? You're supposed to be a good influence on her." He muttered blandly, running a hand through his black hair with ease.

Miruko let out a small laugh at Aizawa's words, strutting back over with two water bottles in hand.

"I ain't lying! You can't do shit to her, anymore, and you know it! That's the best influence there is, in my book-empowerment." Miruko pointed out firmly, tossing me one of the water bottles.

Becoming more confident from Miruko's words, I decided to open my mouth and blab a little more.

"That's right! You're no longer my teacher, Mr. A. You're my colleague, now. In fact, I don't even have to call you Mr. A, anymore....Shota." I snickered out with a defiant smirk, earning a laugh from Present Mic and Miruko.

However, my smirk immediately fell as Mr. Aizawa directed his glowing eyes at me in growing, lethal annoyance, furrowing his brows down with a lack of tolerance.

Oh shit-

"Big words, coming from someone who's still living in my dorm rooms. So, is that your final answer?" He stated in a low tone of voice that caused a shiver to run down my spine.

"Uh-uh-you know what-On second thought, I think Mr. A sounds lovely! Why change traditions, right...?" I quickly backtracked, innocently directing my gaze to the ceiling as I began nervously chugging my water.

"Weaaak!" Miruko booed teasingly, giving me a meaningless thumbs down at my lack of toughness.

"It was a good try, Ari!" Mic chuckled, softly nudging his tired friend in the side as a reminder to chill out.

And while Aizawa remained completely unamused by the antics going around the room, there was one person who was even more unamused than everyone else.

"If you three are finished with your comedy night, I'd like to get down to the business of why we're all here today." Endeavor stated in tired irritation, keeping his voice somewhat quiet as I could tell the past three and a half months were starting to take a toll on him.

There's been a lot of sleepless nights at the office for him and I lately, talking over PLF information and battle strategies for the war. And while it's no secret that I'm meeting my wit's end with this whole situation, Endeavor is on his way there, too.

Not to mention, that him and I still aren't on the best of terms, since our fight at my graduation. It's been a week and things are still noticeably tense between us.

Clearing my throat softly, I gave Enji a nod of agreement, leaning back against the unharmed wall of the gym to give myself a silent breather.

"Sure, Endeavor. Ready when you are." I stated neutrally, hiding the passive aggressive tension between us under a blanket of formality.

Not even taking a glance at me, Endeavor immediately began talking with the group to explain the reason why they were here.

"Well, to recap a few things....as of last week, you three agreed to aid Hourglass and I on a confidential mission. Even though you're currently unaware of the details of everything going on, I thank you for accepting my request without hesitation. It's very important." Endeavor started off calmly, opening the file folder he was holding to start going through some notes.

"But, you'll tell us what's going on today, right? I get the whole confidential thing, but I can't go into a mission completely blind, you know. You gotta tell me something, or I won't do it. This is why I'm not a fan of team-ups." Miruko pointed out, starting to give her legs a stretch to cool down from our workout.

"And, not to mention, I'd like to know what my student is doing, to where she'd need to be involved in something confidential so early on in her pro hero career. Anything with the word 'confidential' stamped in front of it, usually qualifies as special forces hero work. Not something a nineteen year old girl should be engaging in." Aizawa chimed in, giving me a look of discipline for whatever it is I've gotten myself into.

Knowing I wasn't allowed to say anything, I simply gave him a sheepish smile of apology, before quickly turning my attention back to Endeavor.

"I agree with your points. Ari's involvement in this mission wasn't my decision. It was approved by the higher ups. What was my decision, was creating this team to provide her back up and support. That's the reason why I asked you three to show up today..." Endeavor responded vaguely, letting out a sigh of frustration at his intentional lack of clear explanation.

"Okay, I understand that part. But, what is it that Ari will be doing, exactly? I'm with these guys. I feel a bit uneasy about this whole thing, Endeavor." Present Mic questioned, shooting a look of concern in my direction.

I let out a small, deflated sigh at everyone's lack of faith in me, puffing out my cheeks as I rested my head back against the wall.

I completely understand the doubts and hesitations these seasoned heroes have, about participating in some top secret mission with a kid straight out of high school.

But, at the same time, not every kid makes the top ten pro hero world straight out of high school, either. These guys still see me as a student hero, not a force to be reckoned with, and someone they can rely on in moments of need.

That will just come with time, I guess. I hope.

If I had it my way, I wouldn't even allow these guys to be here. I don't want them to die for me, or endanger their lives for me. But, Enji put his foot down a few days ago, and made it clear that it's going to happen, whether I want it to, or not.

Because of that, I have no choice but to go with the plan and commit to it fully. I'll do everything in my power, sacrifice whatever it takes to make sure that no one dies for me.

The room was quiet for a moment as everyone looked to Endeavor, waiting for him to explain my involvement in this mission-which basically just involves sacrificing my life.

"Well....here's the deal....I can't tell you much about Ari's exact involvement, in this mission. That was the unnecessary contract deal I was forced to sign with Miss Bitc-Diane Himura, when I requested a team-up. But, I can tell you everything you three will be doing, and how Ari will work with you." Endeavor stated firmly, before pulling out four pieces of paper from his file folder.

He handed one to Miruko, Present Mic, Eraserhead, and myself....shoving the paper into my hand with a more irritated force that caused me to groan silently.

I looked down at the sheet of paper, seeing some of the information that Endeavor and I have spent the last three and a half months collecting.

So, it's all finally coming to fruition, I see. Endeavor and I have been going a little crazy, not being able to tell anyone about the specific details of this war. But, it looks like....now, is the time.

"You three met with the hero commission yesterday, and I assume they briefed you on the news of a war that's coming, correct?" Endeavor questioned, continuing once he saw a nod of approval from the trio of seasoned heroes.

"Well, the league of villains-actually, the paranormal liberation front, are the ones behind it. Their war strategy is to catch us heroes by surprise, and strike multiple, simultaneous hits all over the city, to bring everyone into a state of chaos. So, thanks to........a.....special informant...." Endeavor started off, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the person he was thinking about.

That means, it's either me or Keigo...

"....We know that there are two main powerhouses where the paranormal liberation front gets their strength. The first powerhouse, is a remote mansion about 80 kilometers from here, known as Gunga Mountain Villa. It's the main hideout and headquarters, where the majority of the villains live and operate their plans." He explained, holding up a picture from his file folder that displayed an aerial view of the mansion.

Aerial view.

From the sky.

Could you be any more obvious that it's you who took the picture, Keigo? Dumb bird. I miss you....

"The second powerhouse, is where our team comes in. It's a hospital, where Tomura Shigaraki is being held. He's currently undergoing a quirk enhancement treatment that will make him lethally unstoppable, if he's able to finish it, completely. The ultimate plan is for the heroes to get the jump on the villains, and simultaneously hit the mansion and the hospital, to take everyone down all at once. With the amount of forces the PLF army has, a multiple attack strategy, like this one, is our only chances of success." Endeavor said, giving his cerulean orbs a quick blink to clear away his own, subtle uncertainties.

I couldn't help but feed off his nervous energy. Especially, since I saw first hand the amount of enemy soldiers that are lying at the PLF mansion. Those numbers are good enough to give the heroes a run for their money, if we have an off day.

"So, our job will be for all of us to work together and apprehend a quirk enhanced Shigaraki, at the hospital? The task sounds like a pretty dangerous one for Ari to join in on. I still say we leave her behind." Aizawa commented casually, stroking his chin in thought as he kept his tired eyes locked on his information paper.

You've got no idea how dangerous it really is, Aizawa...

Endeavor nodded in agreement to Aizawa's point, yet verbally denied his suggestion.

"As I've stated before, I can't explain all the details. But, Ari's presence at the hospital is mandatory, per commission orders." He started off, before Miruko jumped in.

"And, besides, the job doesn't sound so tough. I mean, it's a hospital for crying out loud. Not some villainous lair, with traps and lurking monsters. How tough can it be?" She shrugged cockily, giving me a small nod of comforting reassurance.

"Well, actually-" Endeavor started off, before he was quickly overspoken again.

His patience for such a thing is much better than it's been in the past though. Probably, because I interrupt him every single day, so he's built a tolerance.

"Hold on here, guys, we keep talking about how a hospital is the answer to all of our problems, but we haven't actually said which hospital it is, yet. Seems like important information we should know, don't you think?" Present Mic chuckled in proposition, scanning his information sheet once more for a name that wasn't listed.

Endeavor closed his eyes for a moment, rubbing his aching temples as he let out a deep sigh of frustration.

Seeing that the tired flaming man was nearing his wit's end with everyone, I decided to jump in and give him a bit of a breather.

"We still don't know the name of the hospital, where Shigaraki is being held." I explained in deflated truth, immediately thinking of Keigo.

Three and a half months, and there's still been absolutely no word from him. I have no doubt that he's working day and night to find the name of that hospital, but we're seriously running out of time to finish the job. The set day the villains plan to strike is in one week, and our plan can only work if we attack before that time....

It's all riding on you, Keigo. Everyone's waiting for your mark. And I'm so sorry for that.

"Then, how the hell are we supposed to complete this mission? That's the most important part, and it's still missing? We can't do anything, if we don't know where the place is." Mr. A said in slight impatience, looking from me to Endeavor for an expectant answer.

"Well....we're working on that." I reassured lightly, rubbing the back of my neck nervously in a way that caught nosy Aizawa's attention.

The moment he narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously, I knew he wasn't about to let this go-

"And, who's we, exactly?" He interrogated me further, causing a cold sweat to start forming on my face from the straight forward question that had a very straight forward answer.

Knowing I was a horrible liar, Endeavor quickly took over once more.

"That's not important-look, I wanna go back to Miruko's point earlier, about how it's just a hospital. That's the exact kinda naive thinking that we shouldn't have, going into this. While we don't know the exact name of the hospital, yet, the fact that Shigaraki is undergoing his quirk enhancing treatment there means there's probably more to the place than what it seems, at a first glance." Endeavor explained, quickly reaching into his file folder and holding up another picture.

A picture of Dabi's High End Nomu, Hood, that terrorized the city and almost killed me, Endeavor, and Hawks.

"Remember this guy?" Endeavor questioned knowingly, treating the group as if we were kids in a classroom.

"The High End Nomu attack from a year ago? Of course! Who could forget the performance you and Hawks put on in taking that bastard down?-And you, too, Ari. I remember you helping, as well." Present Mic answered, causing me to smile softly at his encouragement before Endeavor continued.

"Look, the point is, who's to say that there's not more of these guys, hiding in the hospital? Shigaraki's quirk treatment is hypothesized to be a similar one that this High End Nomu went through. From that logic, it's assumed that the doctor operating on Shigaraki is also the creator behind the High Ends, as well. So, why wouldn't he have more of those monsters, lurking around the place? Probably guarding Shigaraki's unconscious body, as we speak?" He suggested with a shake of his head, flipping the picture of the High End Nomu back in his direction to take another look at it.

Miruko let out a small groan of agreement towards Endeavor's point, easily dropping her stretching stance into the splits as if it were completely nothing.

"Alrighty, fine. That's a fair point. So, what's the plan once we get there, then?" She asked with a calming breath, lowering her forehead all the way down to her knee with her effortless stretch.

I should really do more yoga, or something-

"Well....assuming our...informant is able to deliver on their job, we'll be getting the name of the hospital, some time within these next few days. The entire plan....is depending on that..." Endeavor trailed off slightly, allowing his nerves for Hawks' radio silence to get the better of him, before he quickly came back to reality.

"But. Once we get that-and we will.....the five of us here will have a set job; set positions and formations that we'll plan out and use to execute this mission accordingly." He finished, wiping the bead of nervous sweat that threatened to expose his true feelings on the matter.

"Are we the only heroes who are going to be at the hospital, then?" Present Mic asked, raising his brows in shock as Miruko easily wrapped one of her legs behind her head, like a damn pretzel.

"No. But, we will be the first ones to encounter Shigaraki. A large number of heroes will be waiting outside and in the safe parts of the hospital, for our go ahead of when it's okay for them to grab the detained, Shigaraki. Their main plan will be evacuating the hospital patients and nearby citizens from the area." Endeavor said, before Aizawa had a question.

"And how do we plan to get to Shigaraki?" He asked in focus, no longer wasting his time, arguing over my involvement in this whole thing.

Endeavor's shoulders dropped slightly in relief at Aizawa's words, seeming as if that was the question he's been wanting to get to all day.

"Well, there's two threats to take down, once we're there-Shigaraki and the doctor who's operating on him. So, here's how it's gonna work..." He started off, before pulling out another sheet of paper with a bunch of poorly drawn stick figures written all over it.

I quickly bit down on my lip to stop myself from laughing at the sight.

Endeavor definitely drew those.

"Take a look at the formation I've drawn up: we charge into the hospital here, as fast as we can-we want the element of surprise as long as we can hold it. Once we get the name of the hospital, we can figure out the layout of the place. With the knowledge of the layout in mind, we'll immediately make a beeline for the area we think Shigaraki would be hiding in...." Endeavor began explaining, quickly pointing to a stick figure with overly gigantic ears.

"To start, Miruko will lead the way-"

"Wait, wait-hold up-Is that pencil stick with two refrigerators stickin' outta her head supposed to be me?" Miruko cackled, causing me to lose a handle on my held-in laughter slightly as my inner thoughts were suddenly addressed out loud.

Endeavor's bloodshot blue eyes burned with losing patience, as he tried to ignore the comment.

"Yes-So, as I was saying, Miruko will lead the way-"

"Her ears are rather big in that drawing, though. Why'd you make them so large?" Aizawa interrupted with legitimate curiosity, subtly tilting his head to the side so he could get a better look at the drawing.

I slapped a hand over my mouth now to conceal my laughs, watching Sunshine Enji's face becoming more sour by the second.

"I-are you-I drew them that way, so people would know it's you, Miruko!-"

"But, you could have just labeled her stick figure with an 'M,' or something. You didn't need to draw her ears that big!" Present Mic laughed, pointing at Endeavor's drawing with amusement.

I quickly slapped both hands over my face now as I could hear Endeavor growling quietly, trying my best to suppress my cackles.

The sound of paper aggressively crumpling caused me to remove my hands from my face, seeing Endeavor slowly destroying the notes he was holding out of anger.

"Alright, you know what? I ain't gonna deal with this, anymore. So, how about this: does everyone wanna spend this time, making fun of my drawing and dying later, because you don't know the plan? Or are you gonna-" He started seething, causing me to jump in with a patient chuckle.

While I find the entire situation of making fun of Endeavor's artwork completely hilarious, I do understand the flame man's frustrations, too.

These three seasoned heroes don't understand the amount of blood, sweat, and tears that Endeavor and I have gone through for the last three and a half months; suffering silently with the information of this war, resting heavily upon our shoulders. Pulling all nighters to come up with plans. Stressing about the validity of these plans. Thinking of death and responsibilities.

Everyone else's mind is fresh, because they are only just finding out about what's going on now. They never had the opportunity to let the information sit in their heads and destroy them from the inside out, the way Endeavor and I, and Keigo have.

Because of that, it's probably harder for everyone else to take it as seriously, as the three of us have.

........but, also? Yeah, take a chill pill, Enji.

"It's all in good fun, Endeavor! Let's move on. Come on-So, as you were saying, Miruko will lead the way..." I started off encouragingly, trying to get everyone back on track.

Endeavor glared at me for trying to stay positive....letting out an exasperated sigh of frustration as he tried again.

".......Yes. Miruko...will lead the way, using her rabbit strength to bust through any barriers in the hospital, that might hinder our speed, in getting to Shigaraki. Ari will follow closely behind her, covering Miruko's position for any lurking Nomus or threats that try to come at her. I'll be right behind Ari, eliminating any threats that she immobilizes with my fire. Eraserhead and Mic, you two will drop back a few feet to handle any villains that try to clip us from behind." Endeavor explained in focus, displaying his, now crumpled, drawing once again to give a visual picture.

And even though the sight of it still looked completely ridiculous, it seemed that everyone was in the mindset to get serious now.

"And you said there's two threats, right? Shigaraki and the doctor. I assume we aren't all going after the same person. Who's taking down who?" Mic asked, squinting his eyes at the drawing to decipher Endeavor's scribbles.

"Well, in a perfect world, we would all manage to stay in this formation I've drawn, and split up at the most strategic point to divide our time evenly. But, in order to stay one step ahead of the enemy, we need to prepare for the worst and assume our formation will fall apart at some point." Enji replied, before he tossed his crumpled drawing in the trash to keep the serious atmosphere in the room.

"Once that happens, I want everyone to remember their assigned target, from here on out: Miruko and Mic-you will work on taking down the doctor, and any other villains in the area. I don't know how many villains there will be, once we arrive. You may be overpowered in numbers, and for that? I'm sorry, but you'll have no backup..." The flamed man explained warily, hesitating to continue for a moment.

He looked as if he knew that what he was about to say next would strike a nerve with someone, and considering how he barely glanced in my direction before speaking again, I assume that someone would be me.

"At the same time.....Eraserhead, Hourglass, and myself will be in charge of taking down Shigaraki." Endeavor finished firmly, causing my eyes to widen at the information.

That wasn't the plan Endeavor and I talked about. The plan was for me to take down Shigaraki by myself, and have everyone else back me up, a few feet away, if I failed the task.

But, now, he's not only put his own life directly into my hands with this new plan, but also my beloved teacher's life, too.

I whipped my heated glare at Endeavor, watching him ignore me and act as if I wasn't even here.

But, trust me when I say....he knew very well that I was looking at him and that I was angry.

And, he also knew that there wasn't any disagreement I could say in front of everyone, without exposing Diane and the hero commission's original plan for me in this mission.

So, I simply clamped my teeth together in fury, letting the silent anger for Endeavor fester inside of me as I glared at the floor.

"I don't want Ari that close to Shigaraki. You should let her fight with Miruko and Mic, Endeavor. You and I can take on Shigaraki." Aizawa proposed seriously, causing my jaw to drop at the idea.

But, before I could voice my disagreements, Endeavor spoke first...giving everyone some hard truth that I already knew too well.

"It won't matter where Ari is in the hospital. It won't matter...where anyone is, if she-if we can't take down Shigaraki successfully. With his enhanced quirk....a failed mission means....everyone left in the hospital dies. He'll probably decay the entire premise in seconds. That's just how it is..." He stated seriously, keeping his blank blue gaze on the floor in thought.

"Then, Ari shouldn't be in there, period. She's barely just graduated-" Aizawa persisted in growing stress and impatience, before Endeavor cut him off firmly.

"It's commission orders. She has no choice, but to be there. But, I've thought about this-Eraserhead and Hourglass' quirks are the ones that will be most useful in the moment of apprehending Shigaraki-an immobilization quirk, and a quirk erasing quirk, combined, working together with the number one hero, have the best chance of getting the job done, and overpowering him successfully. So, that's the way we're gonna do it." Endeavor finalized, nodding in affirmation as he passed his gaze over the four of us intently.

His gaze paused once it landed on me, looking into my infuriated, glaring eyes blankly.

And even so, he didn't look angry with my attitude, he didn't seem as if he wanted to discipline me or make me understand.

He looked at me with patience. Understanding. Stubbornness and finality.

And that's when I knew, that there was no way I'd win an argument against him. I was serious, but so was he. His power tops my own, and this is the plan we will be going with, no matter what I say.

Aizawa must have realized the plan was final, too, as he let out a sigh of frustrated acceptance, shaking his head in total disagreement for the idea.

"So be it, then. I'll watch out for you, Ari. I'll try my best to protect you, so you can count on that." Aizawa tried to reassure, causing my heart to lurch in pain.

I know you will, Mr. Aizawa. And that is everything I've been trying to avoid.

I opened my mouth to speak, closing it in guilted sadness a few moments later, as I was unable to find the words to say to him.

I'm such a burden to this mission. Such a drama queen and a weak person. I truly hate myself.

"Well..." Miruko started out a little quieter, slowly standing up from her stretching poses to face the group.

"This is starting to sound more, and more like one of those 'in, but not out' missions, you know." She stated casually, still seeming relatively unbothered about the whole thing.

"You mean, a suicide mission? I was thinking the same thing." Present Mic corrected even more straight forward, taking on the same casual attitude as Miruko for everything that's just been told.

Are these guys not afraid of death? Or, have they just gotten too good at hiding it?

"I won't mince words with you all. What we're getting ourselves into...is very dangerous..." Endeavor started off calmly, turning his gaze on all of us again as he took his position as our leader.

"But, I am confident in this team. I'm confident in all of you. I trust all of you to have my back, and each other's backs. And, most of all, I believe that we have what it takes to win this. I won't butter you up with pep talks, or empty words. I'm just gonna ask you to do what you do best, so we can take these bastards down. Are you with me?" Enji asked firmly, finally choosing to turn his attention on me with his sincere question.

It's funny how he's asking me, as if I have a choice.

But, then again, it's not as if I'd back down, anyways.

"I'm with you, Endeavor." I stated firmly, giving him a genuine nod of respect.

"I could use a good fight, to kick some bastards to hell. Count me in." Miruko grinned determinedly.

"I'm with you guys." Present Mic nodded, shooting Endeavor and I a confident finger gun.

"I'll be there, too." Aizawa uttered boredly, rubbing his tired eyes at all of this bullshit.

"That's good to hear. You all have my respect." Endeavor reassured gruffly, refusing to show the fatigue that his body was obviously feeling.

He quickly pulled out his phone, lighting it up for notifications, and closing his eyes in anxious annoyance when he found nothing.

I know what he's looking for. He's waiting for the go ahead that Keigo found the name of the hospital.

The fact that he's looking so suddenly means he's probably more anxious about this, than he's letting on.

But, regardless...

Quickly shrugging it off, Endeavor jammed his phone back into his pocket, giving everyone the final order before we departed for the day.

"The moment we get the name of that damn hospital, everything will begin-the mission to take down Shigaraki, and the take down of the PLF mansion. It's the very last thing we need. Prepare yourselves and wait on standby, for further updates. That's all for now." He explained with finality, quickly walking out of the training gym first as he was obviously becoming too consumed with his own thoughts.

I don't blame him, though. I feel the same way.

Death is waiting for me. And I don't think there's any way one can be okay with that.

But, regardless of all the stress this moment has caused me for the last three and a half months....

I am ready to try. I am ready to fight for my life, and everyone else's life, too...

And, most importantly, I am prepared to sacrifice it all for the greater good of everyone else. Because, that's what heroes do.

************************************************

Once the meeting had adjourned, I found myself walking down the empty hallway of the school. Classes for the students had let out a few hours ago.

My body still ached from that intense sparring match with Miruko, and I was very much looking forward to heading off campus to go get myself some dinner. I've been looking forward to eating my feelings, all day long.

That is, until I heard a very familiar voice speaking enthusiastically around the corner I was about to pass.

"Woaaah!!! Dude. That's so cool! It must have taken you years to learn how to do that, huh?!" My little brother, Sammy, exclaimed....causing me to raise my brows in curiosity and look to my side.

There in the hallway stood a beaming Sammy and a beaming Midoriya, having the time of their life as they did whatever it is that massive fanboys do.

Per Diane's promise, Sammy's been living at the UA dorms for these past few weeks, attending classes and training lessons.

It's been nice, getting to be in the same place as him. We've been able to really reconnect and spend some quality sibling time together.

But, of course, there's more benefits to the situation than just Sammy getting to see his big sis. He can tell you that, firsthand.

"And just what are you boys up to, huh?" I smiled, crossing my arms in amusement as they both looked up at me.

"Oh-hey, Ari! Did training let out early, today?" Sammy started off happily, before he quickly caught sight of my beaten appearance.

"Wait-what happened to your face-and is that puke on your shirt?!-eww, you should really stay away from Thai food." He called out in oblivious concern, quickly leaving Midoriya in the hallway to come check up on me.

Thanks for the ass kicking, Miruko.

I raised my brows in disbelief, at the revelation that there was puke on my shirt, quickly looking down at it in unpleasant surprise.

"Ah, damn, I had that on my shirt the entire time I was talking with the heroes? How uncool is that..." I huffed out quietly, too grossed out with myself to even attempt to wipe it off.

I'll definitely be changing after this.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Ari! I've thrown up in front of the pros, hundreds of times. They don't even blink an eye to that sort of stuff, anymore." Midoriya reassured happily, quickly catching up to Sammy's side.

I looked up from my dirty shirt in concern for Midoriya's well being, definitely not expecting an answer like that.

"Ohhh...kay, then-uh, good, I guess....cause...that definitely....makes me feel better..." I muttered in fake comfort, rubbing the back of my neck tiredly as I curiously assessed Midoriya's grin of pure glee.

It's a genuine smile, so as long as he's happy about his whole puking situation, I guess....

Clearing my throat softly, I decided to change the subject.

"Anyways, how's your day been, guys? Sammy, I hope you're not giving Midoriya too much trouble." I suggested lightly, watching both of them immediately shake their heads "no."

It helps that they're so close in age. Sammy's only a year or two behind Midoriya, after all.

"Of course not, Ari! Sammy's really awesome-and, he's been a great roommate, these past few weeks. I've just been showing him some of the new moves we learned in combat class today." Midoriya explained, causing Sammy's excitement to intensify.

"Ah, yeah, yeah!! Ari, you've gotta see this guy's moves! Midoriya is so cool! He's definitely gonna be an amazing pro hero, for sure!" My little brother encouraged, causing Midoriya's eyes to brighten at the compliment.

If either one of them gets any brighter, someone's going to explode from happy.

"Y-You really mean that, Sammy?" Midoriya asked, with his voice slightly cracking at the end to show how much Sammy's question touched him.

"Of course! Who wouldn't believe that-watch, show Ari that move you just did!" Sammy coached out, nodding at Midoriya with anticipation.

I opened my mouth to speak, and tell Midoriya he doesn't have to do such a thing...

But, before I could say anything, the broccoli boy was already running sideways up the wall, pushing his feet off it for a backflip and landing back on the ground perfectly.

"How was that?" Midoriya asked genuinely, looking down at the positioning of his feet.

"That was flawless, Midoriya! Perfect form." I stated in honest encouragement, giving my hands small claps to cheer him on.

"Hah-oh, t-thanks, Ari. I'm still working on it. I'm hoping I'll get a chance to practice it more on the school trip, in a few days." The broccoli boy reasoned, patting down his hero suit for invisible specks of dirt.

I tilted my head to the side at his words, furrowing my brows in curiosity.

"School trip? Sounds fun. Where are you guys going?" I asked, internally cringing as I saw a group of UA students about to walk by us.

I don't want them to see my puke shirt.

Puffing out my cheeks softly, I subtly crossed my arm over my chest, leaning deeper against the wall.

"Oh, we don't know where we're going, yet! I guess, it's supposed to be a secret." Midoriya explained casually, as the group of UA students caught site of me.

I couldn't really focus on his words as the small group of students crowded around me with recognition for Hourglass, shoving papers and pens in my face, and taking selfies with me, without my permission.

"A secret, huh? Sounds fun." I repeated through a grit-toothed smile, too held up with signing autographs to give Midoriya a proper answer.

But, he didn't seem to mind.

"It does, right?! I wonder what we'll be doing. I heard that we'll be helping out a bunch of pro heroes with something important." He thought out loud, the words of that sentence finally managing to perk my attention.

Helping pro heroes. Something important. Secret trip. In a few days.

Quickly signing the last autograph and sending the group of excited fans on their way, I turned back to Midoriya and Sam to get more information.

"Uhhh.....what?-so, wait, you don't know anything about this school trip? Don't know where you're going, or anything like that?" I questioned not-so-casually, resisting the urge to twiddle my thumbs so that Sammy wouldn't know I'm nervous.

"Nope! We were just told to make sure we're in our hero gear, and ready to fight and follow orders! Must be some training drill. It was even set up by the hero commission, apparently, so it's gotta be big!" Midoriya explained, causing a wave of internal anger to wash over my body.

Diane's sending kids to the front lines for this war? And, then, not even telling them about it?!

That's a new low. Even for her.

And, it also makes me wonder....just how low and powerless are the hero forces, to where we have to resort to using kids to help back us up?

The answer is very low. Which means, the odds for a victory against the villains may not be as advantageous as we think-

"Man, I'm so jealous, Midoriya. Mr. A said I'm not allowed to go on that school trip, cause I wouldn't be able to keep up." Sammy said with a groan, causing me to let out an internal sigh of relief at what he just said.

Sure, it's not as if I expected anyone to allow Sammy to attend a literal heroes vs. villains blood war. But, I guess just hearing him affirm that made me feel better.

Smiling softly, I gave his messy hair a ruffle with my hand, forcing my distracted mind to stay present in the conversation.

"Sorry to hear that, bud. But, don't worry. There'll be plenty of other things for you to help out with, around the school, while the class trip is going on." I reassured kindly.

And, while Sammy seemed disappointed, he was still a pretty good sport about this whole thing.

"Oh, yeah, it's totally fine! As much as I'd like to attend the school trip, I understand that I can't. I mean, I am still quirkless. The last thing I'd ever wanna do, is hold anyone back. I'm just grateful to Diane for letting me visit this place!" Sammy beamed, with his infectious smile causing Midoriya and I to smile as well.

"That's the spirit, Sam! Besides, I doubt we'll be gone for more than a few days. You're free to check out my newest All Might comic collection, if you'd like." Midoriya suggested.

"Ohh yeah, I saw in your room that you have copies, all the way up to the third edition. I'm always down to re-read those guys." Sammy said innocently, causing Midoriya's eyes to widen ever so slightly from the words.

He looked utterly appalled.

"Huh-oh, hah. Umm, no-so, I actually have copies up to the sixth edition, which is, in fact, the most recent edition. You won't need to re-read anything because it's all new." Midoriya corrected politely, causing Sammy's brows to furrow in confusion.

"Uhh, sixth edition? No way, man. All Might stopped making comics after edition five, because he thought the publishing fee was too overpriced." Sammy corrected back matter of factly, causing Midoriya's eye to twitch ever so subtly.

Oh great. Its a battle of the fanboys.

Pressing my lips together in amusement, I slowly looked between Sam and Midoriya to watch this progress.

Chuckling softly to hide his All Might obsessions, Midoriya quickly chimed back in.

Did his eyes just become darker? Or is it just me-

"Well, fun fact, All Might's cancellation of his comics actually had nothing to do with the publishing fee. Basic fans think this, so it's not your fault-He actually stopped because he didn't like the way the illustration company portrayed him-and there is a sixth edition to the comics, but you only know about it, if you buy the All Might's greatest achievements DVD, five times in a row, like I did." He explained casually, causing me to snort out a silent laugh at that piece of information.

'Five times in a row,' he said...

"No, no, no. It's not called 'All Might's Greatest Achievements,' it's called 'The Greatest Achievements of All Might!'" Sammy stated naively, actually thinking he stood a chance in this battle.

Midoriya's green eyes flashed even darker with pure determination at Sammy's claim, causing his mouth to form words, faster than Sammy or I could process.

"Incorrect. There's two different DVDs. One is called 'All Might's Greatest Achievments' and the other is called 'The Greatest Achievements of All Might,' but one is a rare collector's item, that isn'tsoldinstoresanywhere-" Midoriya raced out at an incoherent speed, yet it seemed that Sammy could keep up just fine.

"Ah, but, if you purchased the first DVD, then you would know that the second one alsoisntsoldinstoresanywhere-" Sammy blabbered out at a word pace that matched Midoriya's causing me to roll my eyes at this conversation, and pat his head goodbye.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sam." I sang out over my shoulder as I began my walk towards the door.

My leave of absence caused Sammy and Midoriya to pause their fanboy war for just a second.

"Where are you going?" Sammy called out curiously.

"To get food. Wanna come?" I asked, not even stopping my walk.

"Ah, man, I'd love to, Ari. But, I'm actually pretty busy with Midoriya at the moment. Can you please bring me something back?" He pleaded hopefully, causing me to roll my eyes in mock annoyance.

I'm the number eight pro hero of Japan, and my fourteen year old brother has more of a social life than I do.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'll bring you some yakitori, since that's what I'm in the mood for today." I uttered to him dismissively, waving my hand at him and Midoriya so they could resume their fanboy war.

And they did. Oh, did they ever....

I'd only just walked outside into the crisp, evening air, when I heard someone desperately calling my name from behind.

Immediately recognizing the voice, I stopped cold in my tracks.

Especially, since Endeavor is never one to sound desperate like that...

I turned around to see the flame hero throw open the doors to the school, quickly slowing his run once he caught up to me.

His blue eyes were wide with a look of anticipated surprise, causing my heart to stop beating at whatever it was that he was about to say.

And, then he said it.

"Hawks-apparently, he sent it in. He did it. He finally got the name. It's Jaku General Hospital, and we now leave to strike in two days."

Well, it seems that Keigo finally got the name of the hospital, which means, it's official.

The hospital raid plan is a go.

And the minutes of my life are now officially ticking away.

************************************************

Next Chapter Title: Thank You For Your Service.