The train car rattled back and forth as it sped through the tunnel, forcing Katsuki's body to sway slightly despite his strong stance and firm grip on the handrail. He, Kuri, and the two bozos stood in a cluster near the door of the half-full compartment, heading to their first day of work since the sports festival.
That damn rigged competition...
For the second year in a row, he received fourth place overall. Shoto, who was standing next to him on the train while scrolling on his phone, got sixth place. That made him feel a little less shitty. But the worst tragedy of the day overshadowed any joy he got from being better than Shoto: Deku got first fucking place.
Katsuki had tried to make peace with this fact over the past few days, reminding himself that the sports festival was a poor measure of ability and that he was still better than Deku. Unfortunately, whatever words he used to console himself didn't stop Katsuki from feeling like shit for losing to his rival.
However, Kuri hadn't expressed discontentment at receiving fifth place. She probably would have been happy regardless of how well she scored because Kuri was the kind of person to be pleased as long as she had fun. Katsuki could stand to learn that from her because others often complained about his over-competitive tendencies.
All four of them were on their way to Endeavor Agency with renewed work study contracts, prepared to spend another year working together. The sports festival hadn't changed the status quo, but it gave Deku and Shoto the false perception that the four of them were a tight-knit friend group. Well, Kuri seemed to be going along with the friend stuff, too...
The train slowed as it reached the next stop, where they would disembark and walk the rest of the way to the agency.
Whatever, Kuri is the only one I actually care about. Maybe if we put in more effort at work, we can get a promotion and leave Deku in the dust.
The train stopped, then Katsuki took Kuri's hand, since she was distracted playing phone games, and sauntered through the open doors onto the platform with her. The other two followed as they navigated out of the station.
"So, none of you chose to find a new place?" Shoto suddenly asked from behind Katsuki.
"Well, we couldn't just leave you behind!" Deku insisted.
"And your dad is the number one hero," Katsuki added, talking over his shoulder. "Why wouldn't we stay at Endeavor's? Sure, he's a shitty person, but he'll be a good connection after graduation."
"I'm here because you three make work fun," Kuri smiled, having just stashed her phone. She squeezed Katuski's hand once before letting go to pay for the train fare. "Plus, getting a new job is a lot of work."
Katsuki and Kuri had discussed the prospect of changing agencies, but neither had any tantalizing offers. Kuri had expressed some interest in working with Mirko due to their similar quirks, but Mirko wasn't offering work studies, so that idea was a bust. Plus, since Kuri was dispassionate about heroism, she said she had no incentive to find an agency better suited to her needs. Katsuki supported her decision to stay at Endeavor's, especially because it meant they would stick together.
Little did they know that switching to a different agency might have been the better course of action for Kuri. Had she found another agency—one that took on lower-profile cases—she might have been spared a great deal of distress.
Several ordinary weeks passed, during which their team stopped robberies, apprehended escaped prisoners, and the like. Life was good; Katsuki went to school, excelled in his work study, then went on dates with Kuri on their days off. In spite of their impending graduation and no plans on how to continue their relationship, they were happy. All was moving suspiciously smoothly, so it was only inevitable that a single emergency meeting would throw a wrench into things.
It was early in the work day when an agency-wide message went out, ordering all heroes to report to the conference room on the fifth floor. Kuri and Katsuki rushed back to the building from their patrol route, discussing the unexpected summons on the way. It was rare for Endeavor to call all his employees into a meeting, so Katsuki knew that meant some shit was going down.
They arrived to a packed room and found Deku and Shoto standing against the wall with the newer recruits. The senior sidekicks sat at the table with Endeavor. Suspense and gloom filled the air to the point of suffocation. More sidekicks filed in, and within a minute of Katsuki and Kuri's arrival, the meeting commenced.
"The chief of police has informed me of a major case that must be dealt with immediately," Endeavor began. "This morning, ten kindergarteners were taken hostage for ransom, and through certain means, we have determined they are currently being held in an abandoned building in the northern part of Shizuoka prefecture."
At the word "hostage," Katsuki heard Kuri sharply inhale, and he immediately glanced at her, worried for her mental well-being. Katsuki assumed a kidnapping case out of the blue would trigger her, and he was right to be concerned. Her eyes were wide and untrained on anything in particular.
"No..." Kuri breathed, the sound barely audible above what Endeavor was saying. Her fists had curled so tight her knuckles whitened.
"The police and kidnappers have been in negotiations for the past several hours and just arranged a trade for tomorrow afternoon," Endeavor continued. "However, the police would like us to intercept the children before the trade occurs."
As a high-ranking sidekick asked Endeavor what this mission would entail, Katsuki leaned closer to his girlfriend, letting his hand graze against hers in solidarity. Her hand relaxed, and she linked her pinky finger with his. Her expression turned nonchalant, but Katsuki saw through the facade; he knew Kuri had a flashback.
"We are unsure how many kidnappers are involved, but the police estimate there to be over a dozen, so we plan to bring twelve people along for this mission," Endeavor stated. "Those best suited for this mission have already been chosen. All remaining sidekicks should expect to be assigned extra work tomorrow."
He listed off the names of those obligated to participate in the mission and dismissed everyone who wasn't called. Katsuki watched as the extras left. His inclusion in the operation was no surprise, but Katsuki wasn't necessarily happy about the implications of putting all four work study kids on this job.
"I'll wrap this up quickly because we have limited time," Endeavor said. "Firstly, we will strike at five in the morning. Experienced sidekicks will accompany me to handle direct confrontation, and the UA students will enter elsewhere to retrieve the hostages. More details will be provided on-site before the mission launches. For now, everyone, please return home to prepare for an overnight stay and report back here by six so we may depart. Lodgings have been arranged for you at a town near the abandoned building."
"Do all four of us really need to go?" Shoto asked before Katsuki could. It seemed they had the same idea to look out for Kuri. He had to commend Shoto, even if it enraged Katsuki that another guy had beaten him to the punch. "One of us should stay behind for regular patrol work."
"Shoto, I'm not sure you understand," Endeavor said condescendingly, but with the weird added element of familiarity. "This will be a difficult operation but a valuable learning experience. Be grateful that you can work on this case. It means that we've recognized your usefulness for this task. All four of you will be coming with us."
Shoto did not shrink back in the face of his father's ironic coldness, instead turning his head away from the man to offer Kuri an apologetic look.
"It's okay. I'm okay," Kuri muttered with a forced smile before diverting her gaze to the floor. Kuri's grip on Katsuki's pinky got so strong in that moment that he felt his fingertip tingle with the loss of sensation.
Shortly after, the meeting adjourned, and the four rushed back to the dorms to pack for the night. Upon returning to Endeavor Agency, they were crammed into a van and escorted deep into the mountains along with a few young sidekicks as fellow passengers. Endeavor and the other sidekicks took separate cars, for they would be in different accommodations.
Kuri was quiet for the hours-long ride to whatever random hotel Endeavor's assistants scrounged up for them, having donned her headphones before closing her eyes. The sidekicks assumed she'd drifted off to sleep, so they kept their voices down during the ride, but Katsuki knew she just didn't want to be bothered. He glanced at her periodically, desperately hoping this operation wouldn't affect Kuri like their last big mission.
Before they left Endeavor's and loaded into the van, Katsuki had asked if Kuri needed anything. He wasn't sure what he could offer to comfort her, but Katsuki knew he had to do something.
All she asked for was that he look out for her like always.
"But don't concern yourself too much over me," she added while stuffing her bag into the trunk. "Focus on saving the kids."
Katsuki couldn't help but frown when she said that. How could he stop from fretting over her when she was his world? If those kidnappers hurt her, they'd have hell to pay...
-----
Kuri was half-asleep when they finally checked into the dinky hotel in the middle of nowhere. Despite being lightweight, her duffel bag threatened to drag her down to the floor, so she plopped herself on a seat in the lobby while the adults got keys to the rooms. Her eyes closed on their own, and she felt an aching in her stomach. Kuri wasn't sure if it was hunger, anxiety, or both. She still hadn't had dinner, and it was nearing eleven o'clock. Maybe she could snack on something before bed...
"Hey, Bunny, wake up time."
Kuri lazily cracked her eyes open to peer up at her boyfriend. He stood beside the couch she rested on while dangling a set of keys.
"There's no way they've assigned us to the same room, right?" she joked.
"No, you're with the other two ladies," Katsuki laughed awkwardly. Kuri found it silly that he blushed at the idea of sharing a hotel room when she'd slept over at his place before. "The two dude sidekicks are sharing a room, and I have to be with Deku and Shoto."
Katsuki already looked exasperated by the prospect.
"Then, would you like to have dinner before bed?" Kuri offered. "I'm starving, and I'd rather hang out with you than adults I don't know."
"Sure, let's do that," Katsuki said, offering Kuri a hand to pull her up. "We should get moving so we can at least get some sleep."
Kuri took his hand and stood, then accepted the room key from him. The others had gone to their rooms already, so she and Katsuki bought vending machine snacks and dined on them right there in the lobby.
After a few minutes, they were done eating and retired to their rooms. Though Kuri couldn't bring herself to confide in Katsuki about her worries for the next day, she managed to ask for a good night hug.
His embrace was warm and strong, and Kuri lingered with her arms around his waist for as long as she could. Katsuki planted a soft kiss in her hair before he finally urged Kuri to let go so she could have more time to rest. Katsuki didn't know that being in his arms was more energizing than anything else.
Begrudgingly, she went to the room and introduced herself to the sidekicks she was rooming with before hurrying to bed.
In a bed with a mattress too stiff and a pillow too flat for a side sleeper, Kuri struggled to slip into unconsciousness. Thoughts of the upcoming mission swimming in her mind also didn't help put her to sleep. Earlier, she'd been nearly passing out while standing up, but the quiet night did not help her sleep; it only made room in her mind for distressing thoughts.
In Kuri's experience, thinking about a certain thing a lot during the day meant she was bound to dream about it at night. You would think dreamland would be a place of respite from your worldly troubles, but more likely, they reflect and dramatize your fears. That's why she often dreamt about being late to class, being forced to leave Katsuki, or being brutalized in a situation where she couldn't defend herself.
That last kind of dream wasn't typical unless something triggered Kuri when she was going about her day or if she accidentally lingered on the haunting memories of her kidnapping. After days like those, Kuri would go to sleep and encounter that man in her dreams. Sometimes it was someone else, though, like a faceless shadow or even a trusted loved one.
The dream would be on a completely unrelated plotline when suddenly, someone would start chasing Kuri. She would run like a headless chicken, but with legs heavy as lead so she couldn't bound high or far. The person would catch up easily, and Kuri's terror would surmount until her heart punched against her ribcage. Then, she would be restrained, subdued, and weak in the limbs as the monster descended upon her. She would fight pathetically against the cruel magic of a dream that saps one's strength, her body unable to fight back and free herself from this torture.
Kuri feared she would die. Kuri also feared she wouldn't die, that she might keep living through hell. She didn't know which reality she would rather have.
Who will save me?
Kuri's eyes flashed open to the complete darkness of the room, and she was immediately aware of the sweat coating her body. She flipped the covers off to cool down and laid flat on her back. Kuri rubbed at her eyes, where tears had dried at the corners. She checked the time, saw that she still had two hours until her alarm went off, and closed her eyes again.
Kuri hadn't thought about her kidnapping in months, or she at least hadn't recently relived the experience in a dream. The absence of her tattoo for nearly a year had helped her push down feelings of fear and helplessness. She rubbed at her arm as if massaging the ghost of that marking could make her trauma disappear.
Two years of periodically facing that unspeakable horror again in her nightmares had not desensitized Kuri to the happenings of that day. The event was glued in her mind, shaking her to her core every time they resurfaced. No matter how many more happy memories she shoveled atop the pile of horrible shit, the stench was still there. And, like in her current situation, something could dig through that pile and unearth feelings Kuri thought she had sealed away.
Kuri would have ditched the mission if it didn't mean losing her work study. A "valuable learning experience," Endeavor had called it... What a joke. Kuri didn't need to learn anything else about how to rescue a kidnapping victim; she did it for herself at fourteen years old.
Kuri really just wanted to go home and forget about the case. She could tackle other disturbing crimes, and some considered her among the rising stars of young heroes-to-be, but kidnappings continued to be her vice. Kuri didn't put much stake in other's opinions of her, so seeming weak by ducking out wouldn't be a concern—especially since she planned to leave hero society altogether. Rather, Kuri worried she was a burden to her friends.
When Shoto attempted to get her out of the mission during the afternoon meeting, Kuri appreciated the gesture but was embarrassed when Endeavor scolded him. Kuri didn't want her friends to get in trouble by coddling her whenever she made a spectacle out of her feelings. Even worse than that was seeing their disappointment after failing to accommodate or comfort her through her suffering. She hated when others felt guilty that they couldn't soothe her pain.
There was no time for everyone to worry about her when they had ten kids to rescue. Kuri refused to let herself have a breakdown and let the bad guys slip away again. She would tough it out and rescue abducted children to show everyone she was recovering from her own kidnapping. And, through it all, Kuri would maintain her peace of mind and successfully complete the mission. Then, maybe her loved ones would worry less.
A couple hours later, Kuri shed her jacket before exiting the van, leaving it on her seat as she stepped into the chilly early morning air. Trees obscured the recently risen sun, so all that was visible was a fraction of the pale blue sky. She hoped that the physical activity of walking nearly two kilometers to the abandoned building would warm her up quickly. It was a pain to walk the distance just after waking, but the nature of the mission necessitated it. They couldn't be caught before they arrived, and proceeding on foot was quieter than rolling up to the place in a vehicle.
No one spoke during the trek through the forest, both because they had been instructed not to and because there was nothing to say. Not when the mood was so dark and the situation so dire. Kuri scanned the trees for signs of the enemy while she tried thinking reassuring thoughts to temper her quickening pulse.
Kuri needed to get herself under control. She knew she could put up a good fight whenever danger struck, and she hadn't cracked under the pressure during any other missions in the past few months. Even when she faced off against a villain resisting arrest and shattered her radius while blocking an intense punch, Kuri pulled through (she complained like hell, though). But for some reason, things changed dramatically when it got personal.
Strangely enough, Kuri was upset about this operation when it had no connection to her. With Nana and Hayami, at least Kuri understood why she had a mental breakdown. In this case, it seemed the mere idea of kidnapping set her off. Kuri didn't want these thoughts to weaken her when there were kids to protect. She shut her eyes tight for a second and exhaled slowly.
I'll be okay. I'll be safe. No one will hurt me.
These words were kind of lies, considering there were criminals ready to hurt her if she got in their way, but sometimes the truth wasn't the best reassurance.
It seemed in no time that everyone was hiding behind trees peripheral to the abandoned building. Only one road connected to the clearing and four nondescript black vans were parked in front of the crumbling three-story structure. Kuri didn't know the former function of the building, but it sure was big for a place in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, no kidnappers were patrolling outside, and the windows were boarded up, so the likelihood of lookouts was slim.
Kuri and the other three work study kids needed to get to the roof soon. She watched intently for the all-clear signal for her to move.
A minute later, a sidekick with a flight quirk—one who had been at the hotel with them—silently floated to the edge of the flat roof. He disappeared from Kuri's view before returning to the ledge to give two thumbs up with his left hand. The left thumb up indicated no enemies, and the right one meant easy access inside. Things were going in their favor and they weren't even in yet.
At the signal, Katsuki, Izuku, and Shoto crept out from behind the trees near her, and they tiptoed to the building together. They stopped at the forest's edge, and the sidekick who gave them the signal floated down to their side. He took hold of Shoto and Katsuki, then slowly ascended into the sky with them. Kuri and Izuku linked arms and jumped up to the roof, her natural springiness and his superstrength working together to hoist them. Kuri helped them land lightly on the leaf-strewn concrete while the sidekick dropped off Katsuki and Shoto. Then, he slunk back to the forest, leaving the four alone on the roof.
They would be the first ones to enter the building to begin the search for and rescue the children. After five minutes, the adults would charge in, and the mission would enter its second act to make arrests. The police would arrive shortly after to take the criminals away, then they would all go home.
No big deal. Kuri could sneak and retrieve hostages. At least, she was trained to. She just had to flip that switch in her brain to activate her hero programming: stoic, selfless, and detached from empathy for victims until the mission concluded. "If you let your emotions take hold too early, you could lose your edge," her mom always said. Kuri needed to shut off her sensitivity, and everything would go as planned. Like her mother, nothing would shake her if she remained unimpassioned.
The clock began once they found their way in through a square hatch near the corner of the building's roof. Its wooden planks were rotten, so Izuku and Katsuki easily pulled them away to form a big enough opening for them to drop through. After peeking their heads in, they discovered an empty stairwell scattered with trash. There was a closed door a few feet away, presumably adjoining the room to a hallway.
Kuri dropped down first, landing quietly in a crouch. She couldn't hear much from downstairs and crept over to the door, pressing her ear to it. Somewhere beyond, Kuri picked up the sound of footsteps pacing further away. She signaled for the others to hop down, and they all stood together in the tiny space.
Izuku slowly opened the door, but the rusted hinges still uttered a creak. Shoto was the first to peek outside, and immediately his eyes flashed with recognition. He shot out his right hand, and Kuri squinted her eyes as a blast of cold air flew around due to his attack, chilling the space even more. Izuku let the door swing fully open, and Kuri stepped back, readying for attack now that it seemed they couldn't go for stealth.
Shoto started walking quickly down the hall, and the other three stepped out to follow. When they looked out, they finally saw what Shoto had spotted before them. A man, all alone, stood encapsulated in a block of ice in the middle of the hallway. His expression was stuck in shock. He wasn't armed, but he surely had a quirk to fight with.
Shoto busied himself with melting the guy's head out and restraining him before he suffocated. Meanwhile, Kuri, Katsuki, and Izuku began boldly opening other doors in the hall in search of the kids.
The first room Kuri entered housed two sleeping adult women slumped up in opposite corners of the room like they were waiting for duty. They stirred at the sound of the door, and Kuri cursed under her breath as she ran up to the closer one.
Kuri struck her with a kick to the face—or at least tried to, because the woman put up her arms to block. However, her attack worked because the woman's head whipped back when her arms hit her forehead, and the back of her head crashed against the concrete wall. She slumped to the floor, concussed.
Apparently, Izuku's room had no one in it because he was already beside her, taking down the other kidnapper.
While Kuri whipped out handcuffs to restrain the woman she attacked, she heard struggling down the hall, including the pop of a tiny explosion and then silence. With the women out of commission, Kuri and Izuku checked out the noise, finding Katsuki in a room choke-holding a guy until he passed out. Katsuki pulled out handcuffs just as the last door in the hall opened, and three more people emerged. Kuri caught the mewling of scared, confused children coming from the room before the three kidnappers slammed the door shut.
A big guy in the middle immediately brought a walkie-talkie to his lips, opening their mouth to start reporting the situation to whoever was connected to the radio system. Before he could say anything, however, Kuri and her friends pounced at them.
Kuri's flying kick toppled the tall man, and Shoto froze the other two people's feet in place, only to have his work immediately undone by the force of Katsuki's and Izuku's punches.
The man Kuri had knocked to the ground barely ducked her roundhouse as he scrambled to his feet. He shot a lightning-fast uppercut at her, and she didn't manage to move her head away in time, the sharp pain spreading through her jaw as she stepped back. Rage stirring in her, Kuri resolved to end the guy in just one more move. She jumped into a spinning crescent kick that struck the man's head with a devastating blow from her heel. The man collapsed; Kuri successfully knocked him out.
Backing away from her handiwork, Kuri bumped into Izuku, who had just concussed another person. The last one suffered many attacks from Katsuki but refused to faint, so Shoto had to forcefully contain their body in ice.
The only conscious kidnapper shouted to try to get the attention of their colleagues downstairs, but Katsuki threatened their life to shut them up while Izuku and Shoto handcuffed the criminals passed out on the floor.
In the meantime, Kuri started for the last closed door, behind which the children presumably were hidden. For a brief moment, she paused with her fingertips resting on the dirty metal door handle. Taking down the kidnappers was easier than she thought. It felt like business as usual to fight villains, so maybe Kuri would be alright after all. No mental breakdown this time! She would finish the mission without shutting down and crying afterward.
Or so she told herself. The greatest test of her strength still lay ahead.
Kuri pulled on the handle and swung the door open, inhaling a sharp breath as her eyes landed on the children. Their arms were bound behind their backs, and they were sitting on the foul-smelling floor covered in all kinds of filth. Their dirty, tear-stricken faces all turned to her at once, and they huddled closer together at the appearance of a new stranger. A little girl in the back yelped. A boy in front burst into a sob, leaning on another child's shoulder to let his friend's shirt soak up his tears.
Kuri just stood in the doorway, faintly hearing her three friends scrambling to get to the room, too. They brushed past her, rushing to untie ropes around the children's tiny hands, but Kuri couldn't move. A girl cried out for her parents, and Kuri's heart clenched.
They're just babies.
Needles pricked at the skin around her eyes, and an icy river ran the length of her body. Kuri watched horror after horror break from her mind and manifest into reality; her worst fears had stricken innocent children. Dark, grumbling clouds crept over her world.
They'll be fucked up like me now.
Kuri fell to her knees and slowly shuffled to that boy crying in the front. Katsuki had already ripped the rope off his hands, and the boy looked up at Kuri with squinting, red-rimmed eyes. After a second of scrutiny, deciding whether or not he still had enough faith to ever trust a stranger again, his arms flew around Kuri's waist. As the front of her shirt soaked with tears, Kuri's hands slowly moved to pat the boy's back.
Then, one by one, the other children crawled to her, putting their tiny, shivering bodies against hers for a modicum of comfort. Kuri didn't know if she had the strength to support all their suffering psyches at once.
None of us will ever be the same.
Her emotions became her, and she lost her mind in the fog.
(A/N)
hey y'all! apologies that this chapter has so much of kuri just thinking and thinking lol i did my best to get rid of rambling but maybe its still hard to read oopsie
when writing this chapter and planning the next one i kept changing my mind about what would happen so it took longer than expected to finish editing this lol (for once i'm not uploading my first draft with minor edits!)
anyway enough boring talk i'm going to college next month but i'll get the next chapter out before i start classes. after that updates may become irregular but i'll still be dedicating time to writing bunny love because i love it!!! and i hope you love it too :D
- chris 🧬