Birds of a Feather

I guess I should say... left.

カラス

Karasu couldn't stop picking at her nails in the pro meeting. Everyone was discussing the finer details of investigating and how they would split up the areas to search, and how best to report.

Karasu could only think about Eri. Her face. Her expression of terror. Her tears. How conditioned and abused she must have been to run back to Chisaki. She had to save her. They had to save her. She turned and looked at her fellow work study students. Both of them had the same looks of devastation on their faces. Human DNA in the bullets... They had failed Eri. All three of them.

Karasu winced slightly and clenched her hands. She'd cut herself under the nails from picking at them. It doesn't matter. I deserve it. Eri... I'm so sorry. She closed her eyes tightly and took a deep, careful, terrified breath.

As the meeting let out, she walked ahead of Midoriya and Mirio quickly.

"Karasu, wait-" Midoriya hurried after her. She was in a spare meeting room, collapsed into a chair and sobbing. "Don't blame yourself. It's- it was all of us. But you heard us in there, we'll protect her. The three of us will save her."

"She was hanging on to me, Midoriya!" Karasu wiped at her eyes quickly. "If I'd just flown away with her when I had the chance... I'm a failure. I cannot let that ever happen again."

"Hey, whoa. Whoa." Uraraka caught her hand as their classmates walked in. "You're bleeding!"

"It doesn't matter." Karasu pulled her hand away and shook her head. "I nicked myself. It's nothing compared to what Eri's dealing with." She stood up and walked to the window, her wings springing out behind her angrily.

The big three walked in as well.

They all sat around the table, looking like the weight of the world was on their shoulders. It was. The weight of a little girl's world.

"Is there a funeral?" Aizawa walked into the room.

"Mr Aizawa!" Tsu sounded surprised to see him.

"Call me Eraser Head or Eraser when we're not at school." He held up a hand and shook his head. "I wanted to speak with all of you, actually. Until that meeting- I was going to request your work studies be suspended."

"What?!"

"You can't be serious!" Karasu whipped around to face him.

"You heard them say the League of Villains is involved, right?" Aizawa turned to look at her. "Your class in particular has had direct interaction with them- and of those present, Karasu and Midoriya more than the rest of you."

"It's probably worth mentioning, then." Karasu rubbed the back of her neck. "No one ever asked me why they took me, but it... Well, it was to kill me. To send a message to Hawks and all the pros about being, and I quote, 'careless with their families'."

"What did you do when they said that?" Hado turned towards her.

"Uh... I pistol whipped Shigaraki with my staff." Karasu started picking at her nails again. She was bleeding under three nails so far.

"Now that's manly." Kirishima commented.

"Tsuyu, Uraraka, and Kirishima. You three didn't sign up for this, so your involvement is completely voluntary." Aizawa explained to them carefully. "You're by no means required to be a part of this."

"I think we are, Mr- I mean Eraser Head!" Uraraka jumped to her feet again as Tsu nodded.

"Yeah! We can't just sit there and do nothing while a little girl is being abused!" Kirishima exclaimed loudly, hitting his left hand into his right.