Arisa freed the clone.
He stared at her blankly for a moment and she did the same, partially concerned that she did some serious brain damage. She had only ever tried this ability on rats after all but anyway, she didn't think it would be a problem if she did cause him brain damage — he was a clone after all. Unless the effects of his clone returned to the main body after destruction but if that were the case, Ectoplasm would have fallen apart long ago.
After a while, he finally spoke, "That's the same move you pulled during the final exams, isn't it?"
"Yes, actually," she uttered, mildly surprised, only just now realizing this fact.
He looked down briefly, "So, you can make people see what you want them to see?"
"Yes."
He fell silent again and Arisa glanced around, hearing destruction all around her as her classmates tried to either come up with a move or perfect one that they already had in mind.
"It's a dangerous ability to have," he quietly made an observation, "It suits your hero name as well. I think it could be suited as a special move."
Arisa was aware that if she could, she could have everyone at her mercy with this ability but that was the difference between a hero and a villain. A hero would never do something like that. It was an unspoken responsibility, an unspoken promise that she would never use her abilities for evil.
"What would you call it?"
She looked at him incredulously, "I have to name it?"
"Yes. Being a hero comes with publicity after all. Just like All Might, for example. We all know the names of his moves."
She shook her head, "I'm not some kid who shouts out the names of their moves. Can I not? I don't want to. That's so embarrassing."
"Hayashi," he sighed and she stared at him, practically begging with her eyes. For a while, he finally relented, "Fine. Just come up with a name but you don't have to actually say it."
"Good enough," she chuckled, "Then, I'll call it genjutsu!"
The male blinked.
"I am made aware of your tendency to incorporate everything you see from anime into real life by Aizawa so no, Hayashi, you can't name your move after something you've seen in an anime."
Aizawa you snitch.
"Why not?"
"It's not appropriate and you might get copyrighted."
She was flabbergasted. A special move but she couldn't name it whatever she wanted?
"Then, uh — wait," she narrowed her eyes at him, "How did you know that that name was from an anime? Sensei, do you watch naruto too?"
"That doesn't matter, Hayashi —"
"No, no, it does. If you're a fan of anime, I could totally give you my recommendations. I have a lot — ow!"
"Keep it in your pants, Arisa," Aizawa suddenly appeared, smacking her topside over the head. She made a face as she rubbed the back of her head, looking at him absolutely flabbergasted, "Wha — where did you even come from? Why'd you hit me?"
He, despite hitting her, caressed the spot where he had hit, his features nonchalant, "I was preventing the spread of a disease."
"Did you just call me a disease?"
He shrugged, "You said it, not me."
"Watch where you sleep tonight. Lock your doors thrice," she grumbled as she watched him leave before turning to Ectoplasm, "Fine. I'll name it 'Sorcerer's domain'."
She couldn't tell if he were smiling but he sounded like it as he nodded in approval, "That's better. I like it. Now, we need to polish it. How far is the range? How many people could you control?"
"I've never thought of it," she mumbled, hand on her chin, "Then, could I ask for more clones, sensei?"
"How many?"
She smiled, "How many can you make?"
Soon, Arisa was excused from the gym and was told to utilize the field to test her range. Her classmates were all curious but they were told to focus by the teachers present. Arisa waved at Izuku who gave a lopsided smile and returned the gesture before focusing on Ectoplasm before him. The girl was now in the centre of the field, multiple clones around her, about twenty of them, all staring at her.
"You may start, Arisa," one of them spoke, "Or have you started already?"
Arisa smiled, "What do you think? Have I? Scary, isn't it?"
"It's formidable."
"Well, sensei," the girl suddenly multiplied, "It's an illusion but how will you break through it?"
Panning out, Arisa was staring at the clones who were all frozen stiff, their eyes all glowing a bright blue.
She had no limit.
Quietly, she grew afraid of her capabilities and once more, she was reminded of her lineage, something she would often recall everytime she looked into the mirror.
All For One's child.
A child borne of evil, destined to be evil.
Suddenly, Ectoplasm ran towards her and her eyes widened, dodging and taking to the skies. His clones were all quick to grab her and he was grounded immediately, tackled to the ground, her back pressed against the grassy ground. Ectoplasm stared down at her, "It was a good move, Hayashi but you should make it harder to escape."
Arisa stared up at her teacher over the mountain of clones.
Her eyes glinted blue and the world darkened as she cackled, "This is still an illusion, sensei," she disappeared from beneath the clones, her voice echoing throughout the darkness she had created, surrounding the clones eerily, "Trippy, isn't it? I could show you your deepest fears in here but Aizawa would kill me so I'll keep you in a loop. Will you find your way out?"
In the real world, Arisa was sitting with her legs crossed and hovering above the grass, her gaze fixed on the clones. She could see everything he could see within his mind and it was quite amusing to see when he thought he had escaped. It felt cruel but the teachers did say this was their chance to polish their quirks so she was going to experiment on him until she could explore the full potential of this ability.
Aizawa watched her from a distance.
This child, one he had taken in a few years ago, had unlimited potential. She carried a much too large burden on her small shoulders and he worried that one of these days she was going to collapse under its weight. She was, despite her background, the purest child he had ever met. He adored her silly smiles and how bright she'd look when halloween came. After finding out her true lineage, regarding her father, he was shocked but her was more concerned for her well-being. She might have been smiling all the time but he could see that she was dealing with a lot.
"I should talk to her later," he mumbled as he heard a few explosions within the gym behind him.
She continued to hover, eyes observing Ectoplasm's clones.
Aizawa's eyes never left the girl.
"You care about her, huh?"
It was Yamada.
Aizawa huffed as he turned and walked away.
"That much is obvious, isn't it?"
°°°°
"Arisa."
"Shoto. Why'd you pull me into the broom closet?"
It was lunchtime and Arisa was just heading towards the cafeteria when she was suddenly yanked aside from the others and ended up inside a stuffy broom closet. Within the darkness, she could see his shifty gaze, his pink cheeks and his very shy demeanour. Arisa was so confused. She didn't understand what was going but she didn't feel threatened because it was just Shoto. She didn't try to leave and rather looked at him curiously.
"Okay, I didn't think this through."
She quirked a curious eyebrow at him, "You didn't think what through?"
"Arisa," he began again as he ran a hand through his hair, "I've been trying to understand my feelings for a while. When you were taken, I was scared. I felt like that that could be the last time I see you. I didn't understand for the longest time whay I've felt," she nodded slowly, still not understanding where he was getting at. The boy continued, leaning against the shelf, arms crossed over his chest, "I learned. I asked around. I read a few books, went on the internet and finally I understood."
Arisa felt like the dumbest person alive at that moment because she still didn't get where he was going with this.
He reached out and held her hand, "Arisa. I like you. More than a friend."
Oh.
Arisa was shocked. She didn't think he'd feel this way. They did share a few sweet moments. Seeing him smile made her feel odd.
Letting this new information sink in, the strangest thing happened.
Her heart fluttered.
"Oh," she mumbled, her eyes wide underneath her eye cover but then she remembered who she was.
Was she worthy?
Could she allow herself to bask in his affection? Could she afford to?
Blood-stained hands, lives that she took would forever stain her, haunt her until she day she drew her breath last. She was a child of evil, meant for destruction. Was she worthy of this sweet confession from Todoroki Shoto?
"Arisa?"
She bit her lip.
Could she?
"Ari —"
She suddenly pulled him into an embrace and the boy's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden action. She tightened her grip on him for a moment before pulling away, "Shoto. I'm still learning about affection and how to love. Will you be alright with that?"
His eyes seemed to shine. He was elated. He smiled. It was soft, it was the sweetest smile she had ever seen on him, "Of course. I'll be there by your side, learning with you."
She smiled.
Yes, I can afford this.
°°°°
"You sure you don't want me coming with you?"
"I'm sure. I'll be back before dinner," she assured her guardian as she headed towards the dorm's exit. The male sighed and reminded her, "Keep your phone on you at all times."
"Aizawa-san," she stared at him, "I'm going to the hospital. I won't get murdered along the way. I don't even think that's possible and besides," she held up the red feather around her neck, "Hawks is watching over me as well. I'll be fine."
"You had that feather last time but he didn't even come for you."
She paused. She frowned and looked down at the feather before taking it off and stuffed into her bag.
"Doesn't matter. I can take care of myself. What happened was a one in a million occurrence. I won't be caught off guard again," she smiled at him in the slightest and left UA. The male watched her go without a ripple in his expression before turning away, hoping that she would be okay. He knew that she had a lot going on after her abduction. He just wanted her to be okay.
The girl made her way past the gates and headed towards the Musutafu hospital where her appointment with Dr Ujiko would be.
Her mind shifted to Hawks. Aizawa was right. She didn't think about it much but he never did come to look for her when she was taken. He said he'd know because of the feather she possessed given to her by himself. She didn't need his help nor anyone's for that matter but it was still strange to her as to why he had said that he'd know whenever she was in trouble. Did he lie? Why would he lie? What was this feather for then?
Hawks was one of the most mysterious figures in her life.
The moment she deemed him a hindrance or a threat, she would have to eliminate him.
She frowned and paused her walking for a moment, vaguely seeing people moved around her to get along with their day. Arisa stared at her hands.
Why did she think that?
She wasn't a killer anymore. She was Hayashi Arisa, an aspiring hero.
She ran a hand down her face, letting out a short, bitter laugh.
Perhaps she hadn't changed after all.
"Having a crisis?"
Under this waning light of the evening sky, in the middle of Musutafu, she stumbled upon a person she least expected.
"Shigaraki Tomura."
The male stood before her, his demeanour strange. He was mellow, eyes unreadable and most of his features covered by the hood that was pulled over his head. He didn't seem unhinged nor violent. He was just silent as he observed the girl.
Arisa was slightly tense.
Why was he here?
The authorities were looking for the League of Villains after the showdown in Kamino but their efforts were fruitless.
And now their leader appeared before her.
"Why are you here?"
Civillians moved past both of them as they both stood, facing each other as if frozen in time that only they possessed.
"Just follow his orders," he uttered, voice low, "Don't die."
"His? Who?"
"You know," he observed her, "Nobody wants you to die. Just accept the offer."
"Why are you saying that I'm going to die?"
He smiled slightly but it was sardonic, "Even I can tell that you're barely keeping it together. Your body's not like before, isn't it? Even now, you're breathing a little too hard."
He was right. She had been ignoring it, choosing to believe it was nothing but even now, her breathing was elevated. She wasn't well.
"Why are you telling me this, Shigaraki? I'm sure it would benefit you if I died."
An amused smirk tugged on his lip briefly before disappearing, "That eye cover you use," he turned to leave, "It's mine."
With that he left.