Fashion had never been Kuri's strong suit. She was fascinated by those who could dress well, and she desired to do so as well, but she always failed. Well, more like she gave up. That was certainly one of her weaknesses: the inability to persevere. But Kuri's most relevant weakness at the moment was her indecisiveness.
Several weeks ago, they had been briefed on the "special investigation". Since the briefing, the four of them at Endeavor Agency had done extensive observation and analysis on the patterns of their targets using security footage. For example, Kuri and Bakugo had to memorize the typical stores the vigilantes frequented, how long they would stay in said stores, and which stores they went to most often. The four of them even went to the mall on a weekday to familiarize themselves with the layout and find potential places to arrest the pair. Also, there was one week where the vigilantes didn't show up at the mall, which, of course, caused chaos at the agency. Luckily, they showed up again the next week, so the previous week was overlooked. However, it was decided that the operation would have to occur as soon as possible.
Now, there she was, frantically scurrying around her room, trying to decide what to wear for the mission that she was going on that day. Ever since Endeavor had made that joke about a date, Kuri couldn't get it out of her mind. Should she dress up a bit? Or prioritize ease and mobility? Those were the questions that had plagued her as she tried to decide on her clothing.
She glanced at her alarm clock. It was nearly nine; she only had a few minutes left.
Despite her worrying and indecisiveness, Kuri did already have most of her outfit on. She was wearing a cropped black tank top and pleated beige skirt, which was a bit of an unflattering shade but had nice pockets. She was wearing her normal socks and planned to wear her regular sneakers.
Laying before her on her bed was a lavender-colored sweatshirt and a thin, dark blue cardigan with a star pattern on it. Kuri adored both of the articles of clothing, especially the cute cardigan. But, as much as she wanted to wear it, she knew that the sweatshirt was a better idea. Plus, Kuri had no idea if she'd have to engage in combat or not, and she didn't want to dirty the cardigan. Reluctantly, she slipped on the sweatshirt and zipped it up halfway. Then, she turned to the mirror above her dresser.
Her wavy brown hair was getting long; it had been months since she last cut it. Though that meant she had plenty of split ends, she was usually better off not cutting her hair since she always wanted to chop it all off. Maybe later, she could enlist Mina's help and get an undercut? At the moment, her hair was pulled into a ponytail—her signature look, but she wasn't happy with it.
Taking out her hair tie, she combed through her hair with her fingers, then decided to try pigtails. She didn't style her hair as such after she'd been teased about it once, but screw that kid who made fun of her! Kuri could do what she wanted, and she wanted to have pigtails. Noticing that her bangs were being particularly unruly that day, Kuri grabbed her bunny hair clip to secure them to the side.
Kuri studied her reflection, trying to decide if she was satisfied with her look. Before she could backtrack and redo her hair, there were three loud knocks on the door.
"Hop to it, Bunny!" Bakugo shouted. Kuri looked at the clock. Five after nine. "We gotta go!"
"Coming!" Kuri replied. She hurriedly grabbed her backpack and phone, then checked the mirror one last time before rushing to open the door. "Sorry for taking so long."
Bakugo was wearing a white t-shirt and black jeans. Kuri suddenly felt self-conscious about her outfit, thinking that the skirt was too dressy compared to Bakugo's clothes.
"Pigtails?" he snickered. Kuri lowered her eyes gloomily and reached to remove her hair ties. Looks like she wouldn't be wearing them after all...
"They look stupid, don't they—"
"No!" he exclaimed, grabbing her hand quickly. She looked up at him in surprise. "Sorry, it's... fine." Bakugo pulled his hand away, and Kuri felt her cheeks grow warm. They stood silently in the doorway for a few seconds, drowning in the awkwardness.
"Well," Kuri said, hitching up her backpack. "Let's get going."
-----
Damn... Nakano doesn't look bad with pigtails.
Bakugo hadn't meant to hurt her feelings, but how could he not laugh when she looked so... cute? Oh god, time to think about something else. Like the mission they were about to go on.
Downstairs, Deku and Todoroki were waiting for the two of them. Then, together, the four of them set off for Endeavor Agency. Excitement was in the air as soon as they arrived. Endeavor called them into his office for one last meeting to review the plan and give them their final tips before they headed out.
"If needed, please contact each other for reinforcements," Endeavor said. "Police will also be nearby if needed, so in the event of an emergency, they will be able to provide assistance."
Sure, because they'll totally be helpful against people who are notorious for killing the police...
"Refrain from involving citizens, and during the arrest, make sure you are at or near one of your pre-chosen spots with fewer people," Endeavor said. He handed two pairs of handcuffs to each of them. "Sakamoto will likely resist, but handcuffs should be enough to subdue her. Chiba, on the other hand, needs to be forcefully kept awake once you arrest her. I understand that may be difficult, so if you don't think you'll be able to do so, physical touch should allow you to follow her into her dream if she falls asleep. Once in the dream, you should be able to subdue her and extricate yourself."
Bakugo studied the handcuffs. Endeavor was just repeating all the information they had gone over for the past seven weeks.
"Lastly," Endeavor said. "Don't forget to act natural when you approach the two. And good luck."
That was their send-off. He and Nakano were supposed to leave for the mall earlier than Deku and Todoroki to stagger their arrivals. Bakugo exhaled and stuffed the handcuffs in the pocket of his jeans. Not that he'd need them... He was more capable than that.
The two left the room, and as soon as he shut the door behind them, Nakano sighed heavily.
"Nervous?" he asked as they headed towards the elevator. She nodded.
"Well, it is kind of my brand," Nakano replied. She continued explaining why she was so nervous and why she couldn't stop worrying the whole way to the train station.
If anything, her ability to go on tangents is her brand... Not that Bakugo really minded. He liked hearing her talk, though he didn't like to admit it.
"In fact," she said as they stepped into the, fortunately, uncrowded train car. "I was so worried that I thought of numerous ways to convince them to follow us to an exit."
"Really? Like what?" Bakugo asked. And then she went on another tangent for the duration of the train ride. Occasionally, he commented on her ideas, giving suggestions and critiques.
"Also, I came up with an excuse for why we're going to the mall," Nakano said.
"Why would we need an excuse?"
"I don't know, I just want to cover all my bases. Plus, won't it seem suspicious since they saw us together last time?"
"Nah. You're always making me hang out with you anyways..."
"Hey," Nakano said, feigning offense. "I thought you liked spending time with me." Bakugo rolled his eyes, holding back a smile.
"Sure, Bunny..."
"Whatever, I'll tell you my idea just in case: we're out looking for a birthday present for Mina. I thought of this because I actually do need to find a present for her," she said with an awkward chuckle. "Not that I plan to buy anything today."
The train gradually came to a stop, and Nakano looked out the window. It was their stop.
"I don't understand the point of birthday presents," Bakugo said as they stepped out of the train.
"I think it's still nice to get one," Nakano said. "I'll give you one on your birthday. Or just make a card or something..."
Bakugo didn't reply, having a sneaking suspicion about what she was about to say next. He'd managed to keep the information from her for as long as they'd known each other, but unfortunately, that would be the day that he would have to tell her. Nakano seemed lost in thought for a few seconds before she looked back at him.
"Wait, when is your birthday?"
"None of your business."
"Come on, just tell me," Nakano whined. He'd managed to keep it a secret for as long as they'd known each other, but unfortunately, that would be the day that he told her. Bakugo sighed, giving in very quickly. Fuck, he was getting soft.
"Fine..." he muttered. "April 20th."
"April 20th?" Nakano confirmed. After a moment, she chuckled. "Four-twenty, blaze it." Bakugo groaned and resisted flicking her forehead.
"I hate you," he said through his teeth. Nakano laughed endearingly.
"I know. Oh," Nakano suddenly exclaimed. "That means you're already 17 then?" Bakugo nodded slowly. "Hm. We're starting to get old..."
Bakugo didn't know how to respond to that, so he didn't.
Sometime later, they arrived at the mall's entrance. Nakano was getting visibly antsy, constantly adjusting her backpack and tugging on the hem of her sleeve. Bakugo chewed on the inside of his cheek, wishing he could assuage her nervousness. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him.
"Hey, we're doing this together, and no one can stop us," he said, thinking of that time during the sports festival. "So... don't worry so much." He patted her shoulder before removing his hand.
"You're being nice today, huh?" she said with a raised eyebrow, a teasing smile on her lips. "Is this part of your act for our mission?"
"You want me to be mean to you?" he raised an eyebrow, a smirk sneaking its way onto his face.
"Y'know what, forget I said anything," Nakano said. "I like when you're nice. Now, let's just go." She grabbed his arm, catching Bakugo by surprise, and pulled him along with her. He would've made her get off of him, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to do so.
The mall wasn't too crowded yet since it had just opened, but it was likely to be busy soon.
According to the plan, Deku and Todoroki were supposed to show up around ten minutes after he and Nakano and be ready near the entrance to spot the vigilantes when they arrived. Until then, the two of them were supposed to be stationed near a particular cosmetics store that the vigilantes usually went to first.
When they arrived in front of the store, Nakano retracted her arm. Bakugo tried desperately to ignore the twinge of disappointment that coursed through him when she did.
"Do you want to wait out here for me?" she asked. "I just want to take a look around inside to see if they somehow got here before us. And you can keep lookout in case they get past me."
"Sure. Good luck in there," he said. Nakano waved, then entered the store, leaving Bakugo on his own.
He leaned against the wall, arms crossed. He was tempted to kill some time on his phone, doubtful that the vigilantes were even around yet. He knew that Nakano was only doing this because they didn't have much else to do yet. He also was sure that she was trying to buy something, despite her earlier claim that she wasn't planning to. He tilted his head toward the store's entrance, keeping his promise to keep watch, but remained attentive to passersby.
A few minutes later, he heard someone approaching, and weirdly enough, this person stopped right next to him. He turned and glanced at them, annoyed.
It was a girl around his age that he didn't recognize. She was copying his stance, crossed arms and all. She looked at him with a smirk. He glared at her.
"Hey, handsome," she said.
"What the fuck do you want?"
"Damn, you're mean! I kinda like it, though..."
Bakugo turned back towards the entrance, away from whoever the hell that was. Who in their right mind flirts with strangers at the mall...
"Giving me the cold shoulder?" she asked, circling him so that she was facing him again.
Bakugo didn't respond and glanced into the store, wondering how long Nakano was going to take. He hoped she'd be out soon.
The girl noticed his stolen glance and smirked.
"Are you waiting for your girlfriend?"
"No," Bakugo answered a bit too quickly. He wasn't sure if that was the right response, but saying yes wouldn't have felt right. I mean, Nakano as his girlfriend? That was pretty unbelievable. Not to mention he didn't like her. Not like that.
"Hm, is that so?" she asked. The girl didn't seem to fully believe him. She put a finger to her lip and began creeping closer. "Then, do you want—"
"Katsuki!"
His head turned towards the direction of the voice that had called for him, relief flooding through him. Nakano approached them with a timid confusion, a small shopping bag in her grasp. Something about the way she had said his name sounded frantic, almost desperate. As if she, too, was eager to get him away from that girl.
"Liar..." the stranger scoffed before walking away. Bakugo didn't even bother to look as she retreated.
"I'm guessing that you didn't find them in there?" Bakugo asked, nodding to her bag. Nakano blushed, then tucked it into her backpack.
"Who was that girl?" she asked. Her statement wasn't accusatory but out of concern. Bakugo shrugged.
"Just some stranger."
"You looked kinda uncomfortable talking to her. Everything okay?"
"I'm fine." Nakano narrowed her eyes slightly, probably noticing that he was slightly shaken. Bakugo sighed. "No need to worry about me, Bunny. I'll take care of myself."
Nakano's mouth opened as if she was about to protest, but she was cut off by the ringing of her phone. As she took it out of her pocket to answer, Bakugo noticed that it was Todoroki calling. At that moment, it occurred to Bakugo that he didn't have Nakano's number. He'd have to do something about that later.
Though he could only hear half of the conversation, Bakugo had a good guess about what the call was for.
"They're here," Nakano announced solemnly. "Shoto said they're heading towards the other side of the mall, though."
"Then what are we waiting for?"
Nakano nodded, and the two of them speedily walked to the store they assumed the vigilantes were going to. Nakano's smile was gone, replaced by determined but anxious eyes.
Bakugo was on edge as well. He wouldn't allow them to fail.
Though the mall was more crowded than just a bit earlier, Bakugo didn't think he spotted the vigilantes anywhere outside the store. Deku even texted Nakano to say he was sure he had seen the two enter the store already.
Nakano took a deep breath and looked at Bakugo.
"Maybe both of us should go this time," she said.
"Yeah," Bakugo replied. "Let's split up to look for them."
She nodded her head and slowly walked in. He followed shortly after. Finally, it was time to face them.
-----
Kuri's heart was beating out of her chest as she crept around the product displays. She was sure she had looked weird, walking around without even looking at the merchandise, sweaty and nervous.
Every time she rounded a corner and saw a person, her stomach dropped in the second before she could register that it wasn't either of the vigilantes.
As she stalked the aisles, an eerily familiar voice came from behind her.
"Oh, it's you."
Kuri froze. She didn't breathe in that moment, but she knew she had to compose herself. Kuri swiveled around, making sure to disguise her fear with a look of confusion.
It was Nana. She was shorter than Kuri had remembered. Her hands were tucked into the pockets of her hoodie, her stance nonchalant. Behind Nana was her accomplice, Hayami, who blinked at Kuri slowly. She was wearing a long dress that complimented her tall physique. Still in a state of shock, Kuri could only think of how pretty the dress was. Coming to her senses, she finally spoke.
"Oh, hi!" Kuri said a bit loudly, hoping it was enough to alert Bakugo that she'd found them. "I met you on the train, right?"
"Yeah," Nana replied. After a beat too long, she continued speaking. "I never got to introduce myself. The name's Nana Sakamoto."
"I'm Hayami Chiba," the taller woman muttered.
"It's nice to meet you both," Kuri said.
To think that they would find me before I found them...
Kuri heard familiar footsteps behind her. She turned her head to see Bakugo, who gave her a look and came to a stop beside her. "Katsuki, these are the people we met on the train. That's Nana and behind her is Hayami."
"You and your boyfriend on a date?" Nana asked. Blush spread across Kuri's entire body.
"We're not dating," Kuri and Bakugo said in unison. Kuri wanted to cover her face with her hands in embarrassment, but she tried to compose herself more subtly. She couldn't lose herself during such a risky mission.
A few seconds of awkward silence ensued.
Ah! What should I say now?!
She was finally facing her targets. It was crucial that she be able to talk them into following her. But now, at the moment when it counted, Kuri had a huge lump in her throat. God, she really couldn't do anything, could she?
Just when Kuri felt a self-deprecating wave flood over her, threatening to bring out the tears, Hayami piped up.
"Do you two wanna get something to eat?"
Kuri couldn't believe what she'd heard. They were making it so easy for them! Hayami had practically streamlined the mission by saving Kuri the trouble of talking them into following her and Bakugo.
"You feel like eating right now?" Kuri asked Bakugo.
"Sure," he said, giving her a look indicating that he felt something was off. She felt so too, but they couldn't decline such an ample opportunity.
"Great," Nana said, grinning and swiveling around. "Follow us."
Wait, follow them? Uh oh...
Kuri knew this wasn't good, but she didn't have it in her to tell them that she actually wanted to take them somewhere else. To a secluded place, perhaps. Where no one could get in the way. Nope, there was no way she was doing that. There was something about Nana that made it difficult to speak against her. Well, more difficult than it usually was for Kuri. Maybe it was just the knowledge that she was a serial killer which unnerved Kuri, but who knew.
As Nana led them through the mall, Kuri had to resist grabbing onto Bakugo's arm. Hayami was walking behind the two of them while Nana walked in front, which only served to heighten Kuri's nerves. She knew that clinging on to Bakugo would not be good in the event of a surprise attack, but she couldn't help wanting some comfort. Neither Nana nor Hayami spoke during the whole journey.
Luckily, the two did not ambush them, and they arrived safely in front of a fast-food restaurant on the second floor. There were only a handful of other customers inside since it wasn't even 11 o'clock yet.
It felt odd, to say the least, stepping into a fast-food place alongside wanted criminals.
When Nana asked what they wanted to eat, Bakugo just asked for a drink, and Kuri said she'd just have something small, like fries and a soda. She thought that it'd be awkward to agree to eat and then not order, but she also felt like she couldn't impose on them. It was likely that their money was not obtained legally, so it didn't feel right.
"Um, I can pay for us," Kuri said, handing over the necessary amount of cash. Nana waved away Kuri's hand.
"Don't worry 'bout it." Kuri insisted, but Nana continued to decline. "Just go find us a table, okay?"
Kuri sighed but obeyed. Finding an empty table by the door, she and Bakugo sat down next to each other. Kuri immediately pulled out her phone and replied to a text from Izuku asking what the heck they were doing. After giving the most succinct answer she could, Kuri slipped her phone back into her skirt pocket and looked up at Bakugo, who had watched her send the message.
"What are we gonna do now?" Kuri whispered. "Just eat and convince them to follow us somewhere else to wrap things up?"
"Once we're done here, we should go to Exit C," Bakugo suggested, referring to one of the pre-planned spots for them to capture the vigilantes. "For now, there's not much else we can do. Just go with the flow."
"It's weird to hear you, of all people, say that phrase," she said with a smirk.
"What can I say?" he said resignedly. "Your influence is rubbing off on me."
Kuri's mind wandered, thinking about what they should talk about to convince the other two to follow them out of the mall.
All they had in common was... well, nothing. In fact, it was pretty weird that those two would invite them to eat. After all, there was nothing normal about asking to hang out with some random teenagers.
She wasn't too sure what Nana would want to talk about anyways. Especially with a stranger. Plus, she had this odd way of pausing in between sentences that made it hard to hold any sort of conversation.
Hayami, though she did have a mellow disposition, seemed easier to talk to. Like a more normal person, even if she was quiet. But what to talk about...
"Y'know," she said, shifting towards Bakugo. "I had a pretty weird dream last night." He eyed her strangely.
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"Small talk," she whispered, then continued her retelling of a strange dream she had years before. Kuri hoped that any conversation regarding dreams would interest Hayami and eventually allow them to draw the pair outside to arrest them.
Just when Kuri was getting to a good part, Nana and Hayami arrived at the table holding a tray of food. Kuri took her fries and positioned them between her and Bakugo, grabbing one and munching on it slowly. Whenever she was anxious, it made it hard for her to eat, but Kuri tried her best to swallow.
"What were you talking about just now?" Hayami asked. Kuri smiled, hopeful about her plan, then answered that she was telling Bakugo about a weird dream she'd had. Hayami asked to hear it, and Kuri began to retell it from the beginning.
When she finished, Hayami hummed. Kuri sipped her drink expectantly.
"Interesting dream," was all she said.
"Mhm." Kuri held back a frown. Looks like her idea didn't work out after all.
Beside her, Bakugo sat in silence, eating a fry once in a while. Hayami didn't speak either, as she was slowly munching on a burger. Nana was resting her chin on her hand, looking thoughtful. Kuri continued to sip her soda as she wracked her brain for more conversation topics. She had come up with so many, yet when she needed them, she couldn't remember a single one.
"Do you still cover your arm?" Nana asked out of the blue.
Kuri mentally stalled for a second. Then, she remembered that it wasn't so weird for them to know about it if they'd seen her in the sports festival. She laughed awkwardly.
"Oh, you mean this old thing..." she said, pulling up her sweatshirt sleeve a bit to reveal the covering she always wore. "Yeah, I'm a bit insecure about this weird mark..."
"Hm..." Hayami mumbled. "I'd be embarrassed too if I had that tattoo."
Kuri turned to stone. Time slowed to a crawl as soon as she uttered that sentence. The words rang in her head, deafening. She didn't know what to say.
Bakugo's knee nudged Kuri's own, but she refrained from turning her head, not that she felt that she could. They couldn't betray any concern, even though all Kuri wanted to do was run.
How does she know that it's a tattoo? How does she know?! Oh my god. What the fuck?!
Kuri could barely breathe. It was as if the only way she was still respirating was that the atmosphere was forcing its way into her lungs.
"Sorry, what?" Kuri barely squeaked out, panic obviously laden in her voice. Surely, Hayami was just talking nonsense, right?! Kuri internally pleaded that there was a perfectly innocent explanation for why they knew.
Nana glanced at Hayami, who just continued eating, and sighed. Kuri's eyes darted between the two, full of questions, but not sure if she wanted to know the answers.
"We might as well tell you," Nana said, throwing a hand up in resignation and taking a sip of her soda. Kuri grabbed her own soda, suddenly feeling light-headed. Her entire body was taut as Nana began a long-winded explanation...
Every year, Nana and Hayami would watch the UA sports festival. They enjoyed reminiscing about their own time at the school as well as seeing the abilities of the new generations of heroes-in-training. After the program was over, they'd sometimes do a background check on notable kids to see if they had any weird things going on in their past. Nana explained that this was how they would look for potential hits and that they mainly targeted child abusers and the like.
And Kuri had gotten first place in the second-years' competition, so, pretty notable. After searching through government documents—Nana didn't explain how they gained access to them—they struck gold.
They found a court case regarding the kidnapping of a certain Kuri Nakano.
Kuri bristled. She had stopped drinking her soda, but the straw remained in her mouth as she chewed it to bits. Her stomach churned, continuing to fill with uneasiness as Nana relayed the next bit of information.
They decided that Kuri's kidnapper would be their next target.
As they read up on the rest of the case, they learned about Kuri's tattoo and the finer details of what occurred while she was held captive. Thankfully, Nana refrained from describing it all. Otherwise, Kuri would have broken down. Not only from having to recall such a traumatic experience but also from the humiliation of having Bakugo hear it all.
They also learned the quirk of her kidnapper: he could imbue a tattoo with any effect. Literally anything. Fire powers? Paralysis? Vampirism? You name it. But the catch was that it only lasted for 365 days. After that, it faded away.
Kuri never found out what her tattoo did, though. Her kidnapper hadn't told her. Or anyone else, for that matter.
They also found out what prison he was locked up in and made a plan to go visit, which explained their absence from the mall that one week. The two of them flew out to California, and soon after arriving, broke into the prison where her kidnapper was locked away. She relayed this with little ceremony as if merely telling them about a fun weekend outing. Nana said it hadn't been too hard since Hayami's quirk had an unexpected teleportation aspect.
She didn't elaborate further, but Kuri guessed that meant Hayami could fall asleep in one place and wake up somewhere else by traversing within the dreamscape. It was a piece of information they hadn't come across during the investigation, and Kuri wondered why they hadn't looked through old UA records on the two of them. Surely, that would've given them important insight into the pair's quirks. But it didn't matter at this point. Everything was going wrong.
Once they found her kidnapper, they interrogated him about Kuri. Tortured him, more like.
"I—well, we both wanted to find out what was up with your tattoo. Wanted to be able to find you again and tell you about it," Nana said. "Had to bring that fucker—excuse my language—to the verge of death before he finally told us."
Kuri's veins were ice, but she was sweating all over in anticipation. These wanted vigilantes had gone to such lengths just to find this one piece of information for her. Not knowing the function of her tattoo had filled her with insurmountable dread. She'd been able to run away from that fear for a while, losing herself in the happiness she felt at UA, but now, it was coming back. It was all coming back.
"Your tattoo..." Nana said. Every muscle in Kuri's body tensed. She watched Nana's lips intently, trying to make out the words before she could even utter them. "It's a tracker."
As soon as Nana said it, everything clicked in Kuri's head.
A tracker. Of course, it's a tracker.
She remembered the haunting words of her kidnapper as he was shoved into a police van. Her memories of that day came flooding back to her. A day full of indescribable terror and pain. The only day she ever seriously considered killing. The only day that had ever driven her that far. Hot tears spilled from her eyes.
No. No, no, no, she couldn't do this.
Kuri focused on controlling her breathing: in and out, in and out, in and out. She didn't even bother to wipe away tears that rapidly began to roll down her face. She wouldn't let the memories overtake her. They were over. Over and done with.
Nana watched blankly as Kuri nearly fell apart before her.
She continued after a moment, explaining that her kidnapper had linked her tattoo's tracker to his phone so he could have a more precise way of keeping tabs on her location. His phone was apparently stored within the prison, so Hayami went to get it to confirm that he was telling the truth, which he was.
And then, they killed him.
Nana had thought that his death would cause the tattoo to disappear, along with the tracker. However, it seemed like the phone was still linked to her.
Nana stopped after that, having finished with her story. Neither Hayami nor Bakugo added anything to the conversation. Even if they had, Kuri was shutting everything out, focused only on her own racing thoughts.
Why hadn't anyone told her that her kidnapper had been murdered? Wouldn't her parents have known about it? Why didn't they tell her? Was she happy that he was dead? Killed by these strangers who supposedly did it for her sake? Why wasn't her tattoo gone yet? Would it disappear after a full year had passed as intended, or would it be there forever? Why wasn't Bakugo saying anything? Please, Bakugo, please help. Kuri needed aid desperately, and all he was doing was sitting there in silence. He couldn't even muster up some words to keep this mission from becoming even more unsalvageable. At that point, they should just attack the vigilantes. Right then and there. Just tackle them to the ground and—
"Also found out about your internship at Endeavor's place," Nana said. Kuri swore that her heart had stopped. "Having fun investigating us?"
Neither she nor Bakugo made a sound. Kuri's hand shook slightly as her body desperately attempted to dispel some of her nervous energy.
They know. Oh my god, they know everything.
"Guessing it's not so fun then?" Nana mused, chuckling. She stole one of Hayami's fries and popped it into her mouth. "Don't worry about us hurting you, Kuri. You're a good kid."
It was hopeless. They had lost any sort of upper hand they had. The mission was doomed. Kuri crushed the empty cup in her hand, dropping it onto the table. She couldn't even bring herself to steal a furtive glance at Bakugo to gauge how he was taking this all in. It's not like knowing what he was thinking would help her process this barrage of information. She sat there in contemplative silence and could only think of one thing to ask.
"Why are you doing all this?" Kuri whispered. "What's even the point?"
"We're giving people closure," Nana said, grabbing another fry.
"You haven't done anything for me," Kuri said, her voice raised slightly. Nana dismissed the complaint with a wave of her hand.
"More importantly," Nana said. "We're serving justice."
"There's nothing just about murder," Kuri shot back.
"And that's why we're on opposite sides of history," Nana said, scooping their trash onto a tray. She left the table, tossed the garbage, then quickly exited the restaurant, with Hayami following immediately behind. Kuri sprung up and ran after them, and so did Bakugo after a moment.
"Where the fuck are you going?" Bakugo shouted, causing the other two to pick up the pace.
Under any normal circumstances, Kuri would've scolded him for yelling profanities in public, but she barely even registered what he said. Her mind was set on one thing, and that was going after those two. After all, what else could she do?
Kuri sprinted after Nana and Hayami as they rushed past civilians. They were headed for the stairs. She barely dodged a small child and mother as she bounded after the vigilantes, her shoes skidding loudly against the tile as she sidestepped them.
Nana and Hayami were already at the top of the staircase, and Kuri stopped for a second. Usage of quirks in public wasn't allowed, but it would be the easiest way to catch up to them...
Screw it, I'm gonna do it.
Kuri leaned over the second-floor railing, hurriedly checking for people below. No one was currently by the foot of the stairs, but there was no way to predict how the crowds would move in the meantime.
"Bunny, what are you doing?" Bakugo asked frantically, glancing at her as he ran past. They locked eyes, but she broke away from his gaze as she hoisted herself up on the railing.
"I'm going after them," she shouted in reply.
And then, she jumped.
She plummeted towards the bottom of the stairs, glad that she had worn shorts under her skirt when she noticed civilians looking up at her. There were shouts and screams, but Kuri landed safely. She felt bad for concerning them, but she didn't have a choice.
She scanned around for the vigilantes, sure that they had been there just a moment before. Then, she spotted them running off towards a store. A store that Kuri knew had one of the exits.
She sprinted after them, completely focused on her targets. She darted around displays and civilians, optimizing her path to lessen the gap between them. She was nearly there. A ray of hope coursed through her veins.
A few meters away from the exit, just as Kuri was beginning to close in on them, Hayami turned and grabbed Nana's hand, a small smile on her face.
"We'll see you again." Her head rolled to the side, and her eyes closed. Nana smirked at Kuri.
No. No!
Kuri leaped at Hayami, arms outstretched in one last desperate attempt to at least follow them into the dream. She reached as far as she could, her fingertips so close to brushing against the skin on Hayami's wrist.
But at that moment, the pair vanished. Shocked, Kuri barely had time to brace her fall.
She dove—quite ungracefully—and hit the ground hard. Her body skidded against the floor slightly before she came to a stop. She slowly sat up, in pain from the impact. In no time, Bakugo was at her side, offering a hand to help her up. As she took it and stood, Kuri noticed a crowd forming.
"Those fucking..." Bakugo exhaled, cutting himself off. "You okay?" His tone of voice caught Kuri off guard. It was so gentle it made her want to cry.
Kuri nodded in response, but upon seeing Bakugo's disbelieving look, she shook her head. Holding back tears, she focused on dusting off her skirt.
Her one single job was to catch those two.
And she had failed.
How could she have let them get away? After what they had done? How could they say they were "giving people closure" when all they'd done was dig up all of Kuri's trauma and stuff it in her face? She shouldn't have allowed them to escape. She was better than that. And yet...
"I'm a failure," Kuri sniffled quietly. "I failed you and everyone and—"
"Stop that. Stop saying that about yourself," Bakugo said angrily. Kuri peered up at him through her eyelashes, surprised. "You weren't the only one who was supposed to catch them..."
She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and Bakugo handed Kuri her backpack, which she'd accidentally left behind at the restaurant. She took it from him wordlessly. Then, Kuri noticed a disturbance in the crowd as two people pushed through.
"Where'd they go?" Izuku asked as he approached them. Bakugo glared at him.
"Where do you think they went?" he growled. Kuri clenched her fists, her nails digging into the skin of her palms.
"We should get out of here," Shoto said, looking at the people congregating around them, who were watching and whispering. Kuri nodded, and the four of them headed towards the exit.
Izuku asked what she and Bakugo had talked about with the vigilantes. Kuri was unsure how to answer him, so she didn't.
Oh, how the silence roared.