Beyond (Plus Ultra)

The Orphan

Kaide stared into the flames with a smile on her face, fingers running through Pup's hair as she tried to focus on Kaz's arm around her and the sensation of her fingers sliding through her friend's soft blonde hair. She huffed softly, Shigeo had scared her a bit, but he had pedaled back quickly, so he hadn't meant to. She didn't like to think that anyone knew where she came from, she didn't know herself where she came from. The first thing she remembered was being found by her father. No. that wasn't right. She remembered something before that. Flames, licking at her skin, it felt, wonderful, she could feel her powers awakening, she could hear a woman singing, a voice that sounded a great deal like Ochaco Midoriya, she remember a hand reaching and pulling her from her home, from the flames that had come to be so much like her mother's breast and into somewhere, much scarier. A dark, damp place, where the people were cruel. They professed to worship her, but they made her drink from a bowl, they made her eat what she later learned was dog food. She slept on hay with shackles on her wrists. What kind of monster was she? That even at the age of four, she had to sleep in chains?

No. Her first pleasant memory was the day her father came to her, he had broken her chains, smelling of the blood of her captors. He had taken her into his arms, and never let go. She remembered when he took her home, meeting her papa, meeting Deku and Ochaco, and meeting Kaz. The people who would become her family. Kirishima was, ironically, the softer of her two dads. He taught her about chivalry, and courtesies. He felt so much like home. His grip was firm, but gentle, made her feel safe. Katsuki was her protector, and he continued to be so even to this day, even when she wished he would back up a step, or five. Her fathers loved her, she never felt unwanted, or like she threw a wrench in their plans like she was sure she had. She always felt welcome, and at home with them.  She even had something of a mom as, she had taken to Ochaco immediately, she wondered if, in another world, Ochaco was her mom. She remembered her voice so vividly, singing a language long dead. She liked to call Ochaco mom, and Ochaco didn't seem to mind. Kaide had two dads, three if she was to count Deku, which she did. And she had two moms, Mina Ashido and Ochaco Midoriya. She had spent so much of her childhood terrified of being put back into those chains, but now, at sixteen, those fears seemed so silly. The words her dad had said every time she would ask rang in her head 'I'd like to see them try.'

Her conversation with Shigeo had scared her a little, but he seemed to have a secret similar to her own, and he seemed to be trying to make friends, he certainly didn't seem like he was trying to threaten her. Pup said he smelled like her, maybe they were both from other realms, maybe even the same one. Maybe he could tell her about where she came from. She didn't want to get her hopes up, and she knew asking Shigeo anything would likely just make him shut down so she would leave him alone for a while. She also didn't want to use him, that would be cruel.

She looked at Kaz with a sigh as she rested her head on his shoulder, he rubbed her arm and sighed

"Do you want my hoodie?"
"No. I'm actually very comfortable."

He smiled and nodded "good, because I am cold." he slipped his hoodie on.

She laughed "It's your  hoodie. You don't have to lend it out if you want to wear it."

"I'm going to school to be a hero. Have to be selfless to be a hero."

Kaide shrugged her shoulders but smiled softly.

Pup smiled at Kaz "You are selfless Kazuku. You will make a great rescue hero one day."
Kaz laughed "My quirk is actually good for-" He shook his head "thank you Pup."

"I haven't seen much of your quirk in action."

"That's true." Kaz often forgot that Pup wasn't stupid, she just didn't have much of a filter.

Kaide sighed as she looked at the fire

"Why is it changing colors?"

"I think Theo is putting chemicals in it. I saw him putting weird powders up his sleeves."

Kaide laughed "That guy's a freaking nerd." 

Kaz laughed "He kind of had to be. Quirkless kid in UA's hero program."
"I mean, he's Melissa Shield's son it was probably easier for him than some."

"This coming from the number one hero's daughter."

"point taken."
Pup smiled "I think Theodore is Kaz's brother."

Kaz groaned "Well, he's not."
"I'm going to ask Deku."
"Don't! I swear to God he will be so upset."

Kaide frowned "why? Everyone knows he was in Japan fighting Necrokitty."

"I guess it's actually something that swirled around the media for a while. He was at war, and Mom had just had me, but there were so much miscommunication, a lot of people heard a lot of things and most of them weren't true."

"dad said there were rumors you and your mom died, that Deku was a mess."

"Yeah, so you can imagine how he felt when he heard the rumors that he had cheated on my pregnant mother with his friend in America."

"I will refrain from asking your father about Theodore."

"I appreciate it. He's already been acting strange I really don't want anything else to upset him." 

"My dad too." Kaide admitted "I don't know, it's probably because of all the stuff that happened to them while they were going to this school. They're worried."

"I do not think I have seen Dynamite smile." Pup said "Are you sure he's not behaving normally?"

"Yes. I am sure. H-he hasn't been irritable, he's been.. distant, like he's always thinking about something else."

Kaz frowned "That is out of character for him. He's usually very alert."

"Have you not noticed?"
"No. Whenever we're training, he's his typical hard ass self."

Kaide wondered if she was overanalyzing her father's behavior, she could usually tell how Kirishima  was feeling, but Katsuki was very hard to read. She knew that he worried about her, and having her in the UA dorms was probably torture for him. She knew that her dad probably felt the same way about all of this that Deku did, he was just less inclined to cry about it.

"I don't know. Dad didn't want me to come here, especially after principal Nezu released that Nomu.. H-he begged me to reconsider, but I just, I needed to go here. I wanted it to be as close as the courses he took. I-I don't think he understands how badly I want to be like him. How badly I always have. I could do so much more if he would just let me try! But he doesn't believe in me."

Kaide frowned, she wondered if he really believed that.

"My mother was very proud I got into UA." Puppy said with a grin

"Of course she was." Kaz murmured "You worked so hard, and when you're a pro hero, it will all be worth it." Toga and Ochaco had both worked very hard to get Puppy into UA, and he was proud of her. He couldn't imagine going to UA without her. There was nothing clouding Puppy's morality, she was just steadfast, and pure. She didn't want to be a hero to prove something, she wanted to be a hero so that she could help people. Put all of her physical strength to good use.

"Do you want to break away? Just go look at the stars?" Kaz was getting a bit overstimulated and he kind of wanted to be alone with his friends for a little bit before returning to his dorm. Kaide nodded her head with a small smile

"What do you think, Pup? You ready to go somewhere more quietly?"

Pup grinned " could be fun to climb some trees." She stood up with a soft sigh

Kaide smiled at Shigeo "Would you like to come with?" Shigeo nodded, standing up and smiling weakly, he hadn't really made friends since he moved on campus, people were scared of him because of his quirk, it would be nice to have someone to hang out with. He looked at Kaz, cocking his head to the side. Kaz nodded once for him and huffed, getting to his feet and wandering towards the woods.