Mission Midoriya || A RuthTheNerd MHA fanfiction||

Chapter 14: Quirks

Remember when I said my computer had been fixed? That was a complete lie, cause it broke down once again. At this point I'm just waiting for a new computer. Either way, here's a chap for you guys!

-Ruth

_____

The day dragged on.

Ryo sat on the futon, staring at the specks on the ceiling. The afternoon sun couldn't reach her from the common room, so she draped a blanket over her feet and tried to keep warm. Toshi was lounging lazily over the couch cushions she'd brought in from the earlier cleanup, writing in his red journal. How was it that he, someone who simply couldn't stand being bored, more content in this dull setting than she? 

She turned around and squinted, fatigue plaguing her insides. At this point, she was ready to find Bakugo's dorm and inflict some pain on him, just to feel the familiar pump of adrenaline rush through her body. Before she could get up, however, her brother spoke.

"Who do you think she was?" he asked, setting his pencil down for a moment.

"Who?"

"The lady?" he snorted. "Don't you remember?"

She rolled over to face him. "You might need to clarify, Toshi."

"The one who brought us here. Black hair, yellow eyes, strip club outfit, hello?"

Ryo bit her lip to force back any scornings. After the little spat they'd just had, she was not about to ignite yet another fight over someone's choice of clothing. Instead, she ignored his ridiculous remark and tried to answer his previous question. "Right, her. I'm not sure who she was. A villain, perhaps?"

"I don't know, but what reason would she have to send us here?"

"Maybe she needed to get rid of us to search for something in the house," Ryo inquired. "But what?"

"I don't think there's anything she'd want there. If she's looking for money, she wouldn't have found it. Mom and Dad take their cards wherever they go."

Ryo hummed to herself. "Yeah...she also called me a fool."

"She's not wrong."

"Shut up," Ryo groaned as Toshi snickered. She wasn't sure how long she'd be able to share a room with this fiend, though she hoped it wouldn't be too long. Somebody would rescue them, right? She hated feeling so helpless, but at least they had a place to live and food for the time being. They could have manifested anywhere that wasn't as beneficial as U.A. 

For now, all she could do was be patient. At least now she wasn't confined to this room and was able to move about. Knowing and acknowledging this, she hopped off and trailed over to the kitchen, getting herself a glass of water. She leaned against the counter, taking quick sips as she allowed herself to get lost in her thoughts. At least, that was until she heard the sound of chatter wafting in from the doors.

She downed the water in a single go before thinking about her next move. Every fiber of her body was telling her to get the hell out of there before one of the students came in, but her curiosity didn't let her budge. She wanted a closer look at all the young heroes, and she wanted so desperately to see those quirks in action. 

She tiptoed through the corridors, dark, lispy shadows hiding Ryo. The students were all lazing about, probably exhausted from training. They all wore their uniform, though some were heading out to change into something more comfortable. From her little corner, she could get a good look at them. The only thing that could possibly give her away was if somebody caught her gleaming eyes in the darkness.

Which somebody did.

She was laughing, her arms around a flustered boy's shoulders, when she did so. Her wide, chocolate-brown eyes saw Ryo's and she immediately tilted her head in confusion. She turned, said something to her companions, and then walked in Ryo's direction.

Crap.

Ryo jumped up and skittled out of that corridor, taking a detour into the kitchen and placing a hand against her chest to halt the vicious beating of her heart. She hadn't even been out there for a minute and was spotted by none other than her mother. It wasn't uncommon knowledge that a hero in training would probably have heightened senses, but eyes like a hawk? Nothing was working in Ryo's favor, apparently. 

"Are you okay?" asked a concerned voice. As sweet as Ochako's tone was, it scared the daylights out of Ryo, who jolted up with a shriek before her eyes took in the girl's worried face. 

"O-oh!" she piped up. "Sorry, I, er, thought you were someone else." she dragged herself off the ground and brushed the non-existent crumbs off of her evergreen skirt. 

Ochako grinned. "No problem! I was just wondering why you were in that hallway. Were you too shy to come out? I get how that feels, but we're all nice! Even Bakugo!"

Before she could stop herself, Ryo snorted and replied, "I'm not too sure about that one."

Ochako blinked and giggled. "You're right, but he can be nice. Even Deku-kun is becoming more comfortable around him."

"...Deku-kun?" Ryo uttered the words as if they were part of a foreign language. Her mother was keen to calling her husband by his hero name, which Ryo had brushed off as a strange habit, but she'd never known that the name was used before her father had even become a pro hero. 

Ochako nodded, her grey skirt swishing side to side as she walked a little closer to Ryo. "Yeah, that's his hero name."

"Why don't you just call him by his name when he isn't doing internships?" Ryo asked.

Ochako's face flushed pink, but the blush died down, leaving only a fleeting smile. "When I first met him, he told me that his name was a taunt. I told him that his name sounded a little like 'you can do it!,' and that's why I call him that. No matter the situation, he's always able to do it. To save the day, like a hero should. He's inspiring."

"He is," Ryo murmured. She expected Ochako to be taken aback by that comment, but the girl in question was too lost in her own ecstasy and fantasies to notice, and Ryo was glad for it. The two sat down, each busy in their thoughts. Ryo had gone to another world, a world that plugged out all outside noise in favor of silence, where she could float amongst the clouds and think deeply about anything. She was so enamoured in that world of hers that she almost didn't hear the bloodcurdling scream from the common room.