Mission Midoriya || A RuthTheNerd MHA fanfiction||

Chapter 26: Ready, Set, Go!

Ochako's nerves hummed with unspent energy. Outside the sleeping chambers, she waited for Deku and Satashi to fully dress themselves, while she and Meiying stood in the hallway. There were plenty more corridors and little nooks that Ochako had yet to see, but at the moment she couldn't have cared less. If only time could move faster.

In an attempt to distract herself, she turned to Meiying. "Hey, Meiying?"

"Hm?" she muttered, fingering with her locks. "What is it?"

"I was just wondering...why did Madame call you Hourglass? What's your connection with them?"

Meiying sighed, and Ochako realized she'd gone into rocky territory. "I used to be one of their top consumers. I would never speak to them because, as you know, I didn't understand Japanese. Hourglass is what they called me, because they were aware of my quirk."

Ochako nodded. That made much more sense.  "Do you know more about their operations?"

"Well, yes. It's a bit like...what were the words? Human trafficking, yes. They kidnap people and use special technology to steal their quirks, then make drugs out of them to sell. I assume the future is rather violent due to this development, or at least more violent than it is in present times."

Ochako shivered, images of mutilated bodies flashing in her vision. "I can't imagine it. Anyone could have a stolen quirk, and you would never know. Scary."

"Scary, but profitable." Meiying shrugged, unnervingly nonchalant. "People will do anything for money, despite how little value it actually holds."

"What do you mean? Money is the foundation of a lot of things. It's essential."

"Yet it can't buy the things that truly matter."

Silence filled the hallway except for the muted shuffling from Deku and Satashi's room. Ochako admitted that Meiying had a point, and that brought up another thought.

"Won't things have changed?"

Meiying did a double take. "What?"

"Toshi, my son, has the notebook you need to go back home. And what if things have changed in your time period? It's been years."

A shadow crossed over her face. "I know it has. I'm ashamed it's taken me so long to find it, but now that I have...I can't just not go home."

"Will you be afraid of what you might find there?"

"I'm not afraid of change. I've seen so much of it...I've been nearly everywhere. Each place has its beauty and its carnage, but home is the one place where I can deal with the trauma with someone I trust and love."

"Trauma?"

"Yes. I left at a young age. I didn't understand what was going on with me, and I spent most nights in a hazy nightmare. Even to this day, I still have flashbacks."

Ochako put a hand on her chin. "That could be PTSD, Meiying."

"PTSD? What's-"

Deku and Satashi emerged from the room, both fully clothed. Deku patted the doorframe. "Alright, are we ready to go?"

A look passed between Ochako and Mieying, and the princess nodded - their discussion would have to wait. The group made their way to the center of the warehouse, where the dust-coated dome shined thin beams of light into their faces and provided plenty of legroom for Meiying to power up her quirk. A bright white portal opened up between her outstretched palms, and Ochako felt a strong, howling wind pull her in.