Nancy was not used to the extremely rich. She had never flown on a plane before this, and never to another country... and now she was traveling in UA's private jet. The flight was not as long as she thought it would've been, only a few hours... and she'd be arriving shortly. The pilot made the announcement, "We'll be landing in a few minutes, please fasten your seatbelts."
She did so, just as the island nation broke through the clouds. It was... different to what she imagined. After so long in the Fog, the Yamaoka estate did give her a preconception of the island nation, with Felix Richter not dissuading that notion.
However, she was jolted back to reality as the plane landed with a bump. The rapid deceleration, and depressurisation as the doors open. The pilot helped her with her suitcase, bringing it to the limousine that waited below. She thought it was a weird car at first glance, but apparently, it was a status symbol. Either way, it would get her from the airport to UA, so it didn't really matter to Nancy how she arrived.
After a long drive, they made it to the city. Mustafu. Home of UA University... and home of Izuku Midoriya, another survivor she knew, having nearly forgotten him given how long he was gone from the campfire... but then they pulled up to the school, passing through the main gate. Parking in front of the administrative building, a woman in leather and handcuffs met her. Are they a cenobite? No, wait, those don't exist here.
Besides, they didn't have any hooks or tormented patches of skin. So, she was just dressed in a similar look.
Opening the door, the woman helped her out. Speaking in accented English, she introduced herself. She winked as she spoke with a sultry... lustful voice. "Hey cutie, I'm Midnight. Pro-hero and Art teacher. I'm here to... escort you to Nezu's office. He wants to meet you personally."
Deciding to ignore the possible connotations of this, she asked, "What about my lodgings? My suitcase..."
"Don't worry, one of Ectoplasm's clones will take it to where you'll stay..." Midnight gestured next to her, where a frightening visage greeted her. It was skull-like, with a black exterior on the head, exposed teeth, and sinister grin... reminding her too much of the Trapper or the Doctor in the process...
...but he then just picked up her suitcase, and went to a different building without saying a single word. She thought, noting for the moment, That must be where I will stay...
Following the heroine, Nancy took stock of her surroundings. The administration building was a tall, glass covered building, formatted like an office building. Different to the Hawkins facility. Different to the Admin building at her previous school.
Soon, they reached a set of oaken doors. They were ornate, clearly set up intentionally to be imposing. Opening the door, they interrupted a conversation.
Based on her research on the "Internet", a system she still had trouble with every so often, the being sitting at the desk was Nezu, the white furred chimera. He was well known, but had many secrets. She was surprised by those talking to him.
The first was the one who she knew lived in this world. Izuku Midoriya. He was continuing to speak. "I still don't know how you haven't managed to pinpoint him after that little stunt. He was caught on camera."
"They are very good at hiding. It is hard to find what does not exist." The chimera stated, before switching topics. Putting on a not so creepy smile, he pointed out Nancy's presence. "Ah, it looks like our guest has arrived."
The three individuals turned to her. Izuku smiled, speaking in English, "Konichiwa, Nancy. Welcome to Japan. Did Miss Kamaya bother you too much?"
Deciding to avoid anything that might thought a lawsuit... she diplomatically ignored what she said earlier. "No...?"
Midnight pouted theatrically. Almost like a child. "Midoriya, shame on you... you know I don't bother people."
"Right..." He laughed, before Nezu spoke up.
"Thank you, Nemuri. Can you check on the new hire? We need to make sure he understands what his role is. After all, he has big shoes to fill."
Disappointed, she sighed, "And I thought I was doing well... I guess I'll go to him."
Nezu was sympathetic. It was aggrivating to work with this person, at least from that point of view. "Try not to get mad at him. We still need him to stay here. He's our only contact to the MLA at this point. We need to make sure he doesn't do anything... stupid."
"Very well." She turned to Nancy, smiling and winking, "See ya, cutie." And then left the room.
The other boy in the room was definitely a surprise. When the brunette saw his face, she gasped, the corners of her mouth going up, "Jonathan?"
He smiled, arms wide. "It's me."
She ran to him, giving him a tight hug. Izuku laughed at the sight, before she let go and faced everyone. "So, I can see that this isn't just a transfer program. What's up?"
Izuku explained the situation. "Look, I know you've been living a normal life in Australia, but now... look, we need you three to help us fight the Entity. It's making moves. You saw the fiasco of the Sports Festival?"
Nancy nodded, before honing in on the important question. "Yeah. Where were you?"
"Recovering from being stabbed and was in critical condition." She blinked. That was actually a good reason to not be there. Granted, they'd suffered through worse, but they didn't have the campfire to resurrect them here. And it seems that the Sports Festival was a sore spot for the green haired boy as well, as he was currently beating himself up about his... inability to attend. "If I was there I could've..." He shook his head before continuing, "...anyways, the invasion will happen in Japan. I need the three of you to help teach the tactics of every killer and how to counter them to the hero students. I can't do it on my own. That, and you'll be teaching the police and hero commission reps, so you'll be pivotal. We have less than a month, though, so... we have to move fast."
Something was bothering Nancy, it was his word choice. He was being vague, and the others were going along with it. "You keep saying us three. Where's the third?"
"Well, the three of you from Hawkins are all on Earth. Even Steve. Except, he's in the US, and doing... some illegal things. Nothing really bad, he joined a vigilante group. So, I'll be having the three of you go and get him, and bring him back. You'll be considered third parties, so if you get caught doing anything illegal... well... you know the risk."
"Wait, who's the third, in this case?"
Izuku merely smiled, while Nezu explained further, turning the computer towards the group. "Steve Harrington's last known location is here, in the city of Los Angeles. Which is convenient for us. You shall go there, and investigate. When you find him, call Izuku or myself, and we will arrange a flight back to Japan. You'll be safe then."
Nancy was now getting annoyed, "Who is the third person to help us find Steve?"
It was then that the screen of Nezu's computer when to static, and a ghostly hand reached from it, gripping the edge of the desk. Nancy froze, fear causing her to feel goosebumps all over her skin. However, she pulled herself together, ready to face the obvious threat... but why were Izuku, Nezu, and Jonathan not afraid?
The Onryo pulled herself out of the laptop, and stood before her, before Izuku said, "C'mon, you don't need to frighten the poor girl."
It was the first time she heard the Onryo speak, "Fine." With two gestures, she pulled back her long, black hair, and showed a rather pretty appearance. She moved next to Izuku, who wrapped an arm around her. "Sadako will help you in your search."
To her surprise, the ghostly girl didn't want to leave... but not because it involved working with survivors. "Do I have to? I want to spend time with you before it's impossible to..."
Izuku's voice was quiet, and persuasive. "It's important. I promise we will when you come back."
"We better. But first." It was then that she did what Nancy least expected, and kissed him directly on the mouth. It was an awkward few seconds as there was just kissing noises. Jonathan informed her by telling her quietly: "Yeah... they're a thing..."
"Really?" She just couldn't believe it. A killer and a survivor. But... it gave a sense of hope. If he could convince one killer, why not more?
"Alright," Nancy started, "When do we go?"
Deciding to ignore the couple in the room, the girl still latched onto him, the mammal explained, "Tomorrow. You'll need to rest first." Nezu then said, "Go to Class A's dorm building. Sadako can show you your temporary room."
The brunette looked at the Onryo without fear as she finally finished their kiss. "Alright, lead on."
With respect for her inner strength, Sadako smiled, "Right this way."
Meanwhile, Steve was having some trouble. As per usual, but this time was different. What started as another protection case turned into something horrifically familiar. He couldn't save this one. Not when he was barely able to save himself from that thing. What did they call it? Hell if he knew. It was fortunate that this thing was separated from the Upside Down. Couldn't portal away, or drag anyone away... but this thing had another advantage: the ability to disrupt electronics. So, just as it couldn't flee, he couldn't call for help in dealing with it. It was vulnerable, but so was he. Just able to run away, he continued deep into the night, hearing its loud footsteps echo behind him. It was then that a savior saved him. A person in an oversized hoodie leapt from a shadow that he passed, lunging and stabbing the creature. It roared, but before it could react, Steve took the initiative given to hit it back with his bat.
Seeing that this prey could fight back, it turned and stomped away, into the night. Its roars could be heard, but quieter and quieter.
Steve stopped, and rested against the wall. He called to the stranger, whose form was obscured by their attire. "Hey, that was reckless! Thanks, though."
The strangers voice revealed that it was a girl. There was a slight French accent, but nothing too hard to understand. "No problem. You alright?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. Can't say so for the other person."
"Hm..."
Steve squinted at her. "Do I know you? You look familiar..." It was then that he saw the mask, its outline barely shone by the overhead streetlight.
"You're one of those punks." He readied his bat, preparing for a fight.
"Wait, stop!" She held up her hands, dropping the knife. It clattered to the floor, and he glanced at it. It had a rounded blade, with green fake gemstones embedded in it. "I don't want to fight. No more. No more..." Her voice broke. All they could hear for the moment was the slight patter as rain gently hit the ground. It was hard to tell if she was crying, or if it was just the rain and her demeanor.
Steve didn't trust her. He knew what their group was capable of. "How can I trust you?"
"I... I don't want to hurt anyone else. Jules and Frank are psychos, but I... I... I don't like hurting people."
He lowered his bat. "Does... it... speak to you?"
"No. I ran through the fog to here... and I now have nobody. I don't know how I'm free, but I don't want to make the same mistake again."
Steve then realized that she wanted something that the entity couldn't give. A true purpose. "How about this, we work together, help people. Does that sound good?"
She nodded, starting to smile, and wiping away her tears. So she was crying. "Yes. That does."
He did give a weird glance to the mask she wore. "What's with the mask?"
She took it off, and looked at it. "We made them when we first became friends... but... then Frank..." She shook her head, as if to get rid of the memories. Dropping it to the floor, she stepped past it, towards him. "It's a relic of a different time."
"Alright." He nodded, accepting that what she said was genuine. "The name's Steve Harrington." He extended a hand out.
She smiled, and answered calmly, accepting the gesture. "Suzie."