~~~
Kira's down at the beach alongside Tokoyami. When Class 1A are finally set up, ready to start their hero work, the phone calls unexpectedly pour in, complaints such as a broken down car, or a lost pet. Most calls refer to the beach, so a few of the students decide to stay down there to deal with any issues before they're called in.
One of the reasons why Kira and Tokoyami have been summoned to the beach is because of a few missing kids. It seems to be a regular issue on Nabu Island, as most of the calls that they have taken so far includes missing family members. Kira and Tokoyami have teamed up due to their contrasting, yet diverse and powerful Quirks. She can keep Dark Shadow in check and provide a light source for them as it gets darker to help search for the missing individuals. Kira and Tokoyami leave the call centre in a rushed state, side-by-side towards the scene of the incident. It's later in the day, the sun drifting lower in the sky, casting an ominous glow across the quaint island.
Kira has already taken what felt like a dozen or so calls herself, instructing her classmates to each scene, depending on who would be best suited. Most of the time, her friends offer to go, clearly bored out of their minds with how little occurs on the island. The only person who doesn't even move from their spot all day is Bakugou, despite heavy, persistent encouragement from Kirishima and Kaminari.
Kira shoves Bakugou to the back of her mind, as she and Tokoyami approach the location. The details given to Ochaco as she received the call is that the islanders were last seen somewhere to the west of the beach.
"Where could they be?" Tokoyami whispers, as Dark Shadow surges from his chest, raising high to get a better view of the area.
"Hold on," Kira says and closes her eyes, coming to an abrupt halt.
Only a few people know about this ability of hers, so she can feel Tokoyami's confused, yet patient eyes watching her as she activates her infrared vision. She's tentative to use this skill again, as the last time she pushed herself, it nearly blinded her. However, she trusts her second Quirk to heal her like it did last time. Besides, the islanders take priority over her own wellbeing right now.
Kira scans the island, focusing on colours that could appear injured, or panicked. Many bright, fuzzy shapes fade into view, but none that show her what she's searching for. She can tell well enough that her vision is alerting her of people at the beach, either lying down in the sand, playing games, or swimming in the sea. Kira turns her head more inland and something makes her tense.
"Did you see something?" Tokoyami wonders.
Kira slowly opens her eyes, seeing spots in her vision, noticing both Tokoyami and Dark Shadow eyeing her curiously. She decides to save the explanation for later. "Yeah," she replies, pointing to where she noticed irregular shapes in her infrared vision. "This way."
Tokoyami follows her lead, trusting her, as he races to where she spotted the islanders in need of help. Kira races down a small path, the beach to the left of her. The smell of salt is intense and a warm breeze brushes her hair off her face as she takes a right down a road. The cave is located on the very far end of the island. But, Kira's surprised her Quirk's special skill is able to see this far.
A rocky cliff prevents Kira from advancing further, so she makes a left down onto the beach, her boots sinking into the sand, making her sprint ten times slower, as she slips on the surface.
"Dammit," Kira mutters under her breath, as Tokoyami and Dark Shadow fly together, catching up to her. "They're just around the corner!" She tells him. "You should see the debris if you keep going down the beach."
"Got it," Tokoyami replies, wasting no time and he shoots off across the sand, keeping close to the rocky cliff wall.
Kira glances back the way they came from, but no one seems to be around, so she also activates her Quirk, using her light to boost her across the sand. She knows that her light chars the ground behind her, but she needs to hurry to the scene. When she catches up, Dark Shadow is already clearing debris at the mouth of the cave, picking up huge boulders and placing them aside.
Their search includes a couple of curious kids, who seem to hav simply ventured too deep into an unsafe cave and touched something they shouldn't have. They're probably trapped in the dark, confused, scared, panicked. Someone may be injured - they can't waste another second, but they have limited information.
"Tokoyami," Kira announces, a little breathless at their race to rescue the islanders. "You see anyone yet?"
He shakes his head. "No, but I can hear them."
"Then they can probably hear us," she replies, before stepping towards the cave. "Hey!" She yells down, her voice bouncing off the walls. "There are two heroes here to help! Try to stay very still and we'll get you free in no time! Is anyone hurt!?"
"N-no," an uncertain voice returns her call, meek, but sounding calm. "Just hurry, please."
Kira turns back to her classmate, looking at Dark Shadow briefly. "We need to be careful. This cave-in could be unstable. We can't be too hasty."
"We've had plenty of experience in rescue operations," Tokoyami counters. "We've got this."
Kira nods, but a slither of doubt snakes into her gut. Nevertheless, she starts to gingerly remove the obstacles, testing it for its security before putting it aside. Kira's just glad that she's not alone in this rescue operation, as the last time she was on her own, she did something that she'll never let herself forget. A huge mistake that weighs down on her even still.
"I can fit through here," Kira tells Tokoyami.
She starts to shimmy her way through the slight gap, before Tokoyami can even reply. The child trapped inside said that no one in the cave is hurt, but Kira would rather see for herself. She allows her arms to glow bright white, her light dancing off the cave walls. The ceiling is low, so Kira has to stay crouched and there's debris everywhere.
"Hello?" She whisper-shouts. "Where are you?"
"Down here!" The voice returns.
Kira inches onwards, careful of what she touches in case the whole cave falls apart. She can hear the rubble being removed from behind her, as Dark Shadow and Tokoyami continue to pave a way and secure the area. It's weirdly cold in the cave, as if it's in its own separate world. How far down did these kids go?
The cave starts to descend a little, the ground slippery with moss and condensation. What did the kids see to make them go down this far? Kira raises her arms and realises that she can stand a little straighter, as she carefully climbs over a large, fallen rock.
"Hero?" A voice speaks up to Kira's left side and she stops in her tracks.
She crouches down and spots three kids huddled under an overhanging part of the interior cave, as water drips down off the rock.
"Hey," Kira says softly. "Are you three okay?"
They all nod simultaneously. The child in the front seems to be the most confident, as the others have tears in their eyes and are visibly shaking.
"Watch this," Kira adds, as she dims her Quirk in her arms to a humming green, the light flickering off the kids' faces. She allows her light to travel to her fingertips, before creating small green orbs to drift off her skin and settle in the cave in front of the islander's faces. "Follow these," she whispers. "They'll lead you out of here, okay?"
Again, the kids nod and slowly creep out of their hiding place. Kira controls her shimmering orbs, making them drift the way she came, as she brightens her arms back to their white state.
"Be careful up here," Kira speaks up again. "It's a little slippery."
Kira watches the kids climb up over the rock, scrambling up slightly. They can't be more than six or seven years old - what are they doing deep in this cave, unattended? She feels like this will probably be one of those many unanswered questions. The kids continue to follow her orbs as the cave starts to climb back up. The sounds of Tokoyami's Quirk starts getting louder and the kids hesitate.
"Don't worry," Kira reassures them. "That's just my friend. He's still clearing the way."
As Kira keeps on the kids heels, ready to protect them should the walls collapse again, daylight is starting to creep into the cave, urging them onwards. However, Tokoyami has managed to venture deeper into the cave also and Dark Shadow is looking larger than normal, the eyes slightly more enraged. His Quirk is so susceptible to darkness that Kira probably shouldn't have left his side. But, she's here now, having returned with the kids, safe and sound.
Except, the two more frightened children aren't expecting a sight such as Dark Shadow waiting for them near the top, so they scream in unison, alerting Tokoyami and his Quirk. The more confident child immediately tries to reassure the crying kids, but it's no use: Dark Shadow grows in size, its head hitting the ceiling of the low cave, causing rocks to come crashing down.
Kira curses under her breath at her lack of preparation. She wants to save the kids as quickly as possible, but didn't think her plan all the way through. She quickly envelopes the three children in a hasty light shield, keeping them trapped, but safe and confronts Dark Shadow. It isn't at its final stage of ferocity and vengeance yet, but it's much larger than normal.
She bellows to the towering shape, brightening her arms even further and waving them around, like she's trying to flag down a passing vehicle. The cramped cave explodes in a condensed pocket of pure white light. Dark Shadow roars in anguish and instantly shrinks back to its normal size, cowering behind a very alarmed Tokoyami. Kira breathes a sigh of relief and turns back to the kids as they huddle in a trembling ball.
Kira deactivates her light shield and smiles down at the kids. "Didn't I say not to worry?" She says. "He's my friend."
The ceiling above their heads groans in agony but Kira keeps her eyes on the kids, so she doesn't frighten them further. But now, time is not on their side. The shield around the kids vanishes and they slowly get to their feet, their legs trembling and eyes wide. However, they follow her previous instructions and allow her light orbs to lead them to the mouth of the cave, which is now completely clear of debris.
Tokoyami stands well back - he probably doesn't want to scare the kids any further. Dark Shadow is small and hidden behind Tokoyami's cape, a shameful tear evident in its hazy eye. The kids wipe their eyes as the step out of the cave. In the dying daylight, Kira can see them clearly: they don't appear to be injured at all, just covered in muck and a little spooked.
The confident child tentatively approaches Tokoyami and Kira watches the scene unfold. Out here, with the sun still shining down on them, she's no longer worrying about Dark Shadow's strength.
"Thank you," the kid says simply.
Dark Shadow slowly reveals itself from under the cape, but the child doesn't show any indication of being scared of the unique shape. That's something, at least. The other two children follow in their friends lead and as they too step over to Dark Shadow. They keep silent, but just the action of approaching something that was just perceived as quite terrifying is enough to comfort Tokoyami.
Kira smiles softly at the scene, as these three innocent kids surround Dark Shadow as it slowly reveals itself. Tokoyami glances at Kira and she nods slightly, offering her approval.
"Come on," Kira finally speaks up and all five of them turn to her. "Let's go find your parents."
The kids trail behind Kira, kicking up sand with every other step. Their voices are small and quiet, but at least they don't seem too rattled about what they witnessed. Kira glances back at Tokoyami, noticing his head down as he walks.
It doesn't take long to find the parents, a couple of panicked adults yelling out for their kids names close to the beach. The children also rush over at the familiar voices being heard, yelling and crying and waving their arms around. The families hug and sob as they clutch one another, followed by a swift scolding for running off on their own.
"You're the heroes who found them?" One of the mother's wonders, holding their child close to them.
"Yes." Kira nods. "They were playing in a cave that collapsed," she explains. "But, they don't appear to be injured. Just a little scared."
The mother then sighs, shaking her head in disappointment. "I'm sorry to have to bother you with this," she says, her tone slightly embarrassed too. "I'm sure you're very busy."
"Well..." Kira trails off. "This is probably the most excitement I've had all day."
Kira waves the parents goodbye, as they drag their children with them, clearly very upset and dismayed by their behaviour and choices. Before she can comment on their actions, Tokoyami speaks up.
"I must apologise for what happened," he says, his eyes cast away from Kira. "I'm... ashamed."
Kira sighs heavily and walks down the beach, her shoes tickling the edge of the sea as a gentle wave rolls in. The sun is getting lower, but it's still bright out, casting the sand in a golden shimmer. "I'm the last person who would judge you, Tokoyami," she responds, keeping her gaze directed out to see. "After everything that I've done..." She slowly turns her head to her classmate, offering a kind smile, but doesn't say anything further.
"Can I ask you about your Quirk?" Tokoyami wonders.
Kira turns fully, crossing her arms over her chest. "Depends."
"What you did earlier to locate those children," he starts. "Your actions and behaviour were similar to your fight against Class B."
Her infrared vision shouldn't really still be a secret, as during the class battles, there were cameras everywhere. The others would have seen her close her eyes and locate the opponents around the training grounds.
"That's right."
Tokoyami pauses, pondering on his choice of words. "You're able to locate people also." It doesn't seem like a question.
"I-I am," she says. "I guess. But, it's not a certainty. It's not something I can use all the time."
"I understand." Tokoyami nods.
Kira nods along with him, before tilting her head back towards the road. "Come on, it's getting late. We should head back."
"Agreed."
As Kira and Tokoyami jog side by side through the town, her phone starts to ring. She slows to a walk as she answers to Ochaco.
"Hey, I haven't heard from you for a while. How did it go with those kids?"
"Sorry, I meant to call you," Kira says. "Just got caught up in everything. Don't worry about those kids, though. They're safe."
"Good." Ochaco sighs in relief through the phone. "I know it's getting late, but I've got an urgent call."
"Another one?" Kira's brows raise. "For such an isolated island, I'm surprised with how many accidents they have."
"Akira-"
"What's wrong?" She asks.
"Someone called about there being no lights in their house," Ochaco explains. "But, I haven't heard from them since. They're not far from the beach, so you think you can check it out?"
Kira sighs heavily, her exhaustion creeping up on her peripheral vision. "Yeah, of course."
"Would you like me to accompany you?" Tokoyami wonders.
She shakes her head slightly, as Ochaco fills her in on further details, including the address. "No, Tokoyami," Kira replies. "This should be an easy fix."
"Alright." He nods. "I'll see you back at the call centre."
Kira and Tokoyami part ways as Ochaco stays on the phone, guiding her on where to go. The island and the town may be small, but this is still Kira's first day here, so she doesn't know her way around yet.
"Okay, Ochaco," Kira announces. "Lead me."
Kira stays on the phone as she resumes her jog, listening and obeying her friend's instructions. She takes several rights and lefts, venturing further into the town, but not too far from the beach. She can still hear the waves crashing against the shore.
"Kaminari is also on his way to you," Ochaco informs her. "Considering this is an electrical issue."
"Makes sense," Kira mutters, as she slows to a walk.
"The homeowner told me he lives at number forty-seven," Ochaco mentions and Kira sweeps the street briefly, skipping further down the road until she finds the appropriate house.
"I found it," Kira says. "I'll call you back when the job is done."
She hangs up the phone and pockets it, just as Kaminari arrives, out of breath as he pauses with his hands on his knees.
"I'm here!" He states between breaths. "I'm here!"
"Come on." Kira gestures towards the front door. "The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can get back."
Kaminari nods eagerly and accompanies Kira to the door. She knocks once, twice, but there's no response. An eerie feeling creeps up her spine and she looks back at her classmate, who seems to share her concerns, his brows tight together. The house is dark inside and based on Ochaco's information, that seems self-explanatory.
"I think we should force ourselves inside," Kira says, her voice quiet. "I've got a bad feeling."
Kaminari nods in the corner of her eye and Kira readies herself to break inside. She moves back and tries to shoulder her way in, but the door barely budges. She rubs her arm from her failed attempt and mutters unintelligible comments under her breath.
"I've got this." Kaminari steps in, acting smug all of a sudden.
"Be my guest," Kira says, moving aside to allow her classmate to try.
Kira instead moves away from the front door, searching for a window to pry open. She moves around the side of the house, as she hears Kaminari try to barge his way inside, followed by a stifled curse. Kira rolls her eyes at the muffled sound and finds herself coming across a set of basement doors sticking out of the ground.
"Kaminari!" She calls and a second later he jogs around the side of the house to meet her, clutching his arm. "Let's try this way."
"Okay," he says.
Kira tugs open the doors, fighting against gravity as the heavy metal fights her grip. They creak noisily, before opening all the way with a deafening clunk.
"Stay close," Kira whispers, glancing back at her classmate.
Kira activates her Quirk, her arms glowing green, as she steps down into the basement. Her movements are slow, wary, as she takes it one step at a time. It's pitch black before her, but Kaminari's company behind her offers her some kind of solace. Kira's close to the end of the steps - she can't see much despite her Quirk, but the stairs have to come to an end at some point. However, Kira pauses when her foot plunges into ice cold water and her breath escapes her.
"What is it?" Kaminari questions, his voice a mere whisper in her ear. "What's wrong?"
Kira replies by brightening her Quirk, white light reflecting off the water at her feet. "It's half-flooded," she comments.
"What?"
Kira creates a few balls of light, commanding them to float into the basement to reveal the scene and her heart nearly leaps out of her throat. The homeowner's lying in the water, his face nearly fully submerged beneath the water.
"Quick!" Kira barks and she leaps into the water, now up to her knees.
Kaminari's hot on her heels, as he holds the homeowner out of the water. Said water is still steadily rising and Kira looks around at their surroundings.
"This explains why Ochaco lost communication with him," Kira remarks. "He has a cut on his head here." She gestures to a thin, bloody line just above his left brow. She then wades through the water to examine the scene further. Kira cancels her Quirk as she spots something sparking in the corner of her eye. "Dammit, we need to get him out of the water. Right now!"
Kaminari follows her gaze to the electrical box, left open and crackling dangerously. With the water level still rising, it's now tickling the bottom of the box, seconds away from becoming something ten times worse. Kira helps Kaminari carry the homeowner out of the basement, but her classmate abruptly stops at the bottom step.
"We won't make it out the water in time," he declares and before Kira can argue, he charges into the flood, now up to their middle thighs. "I can hold off the electricity for a bit, so you and him need to leave."
"What do you mean 'hold it off'?" Kira argues.
Kaminari doesn't reply, so she heaves the homeowner towards the exit, his clothes soaked through. Kira tugs with all her strength, her grip slipping off the victims clothes, as she tries to heave him out of danger. She manages to make it to the steps, the water surging with a deafening noise, as Kira continues to drag him away. However, they're not out of the woods yet. Kaminari's Quirk glows yellow back down in the basement and Kira hesitates. What does he intend to do? She pushes her doubt aside and half-drags, half-carries the homeowner up the steps.
Kaminari's yellow, crackling Quirk intensifies, illuminating the basement in an eerie, electrical glow. She can hear him struggling as he supresses the electricity in the box, preventing it from reacting to the water and overloading. Kira pulls the homeowner free from the basement and drags him as far as she's able. She blankets his unconscious body in a light shield and rushes back to the basement doors.
"Kaminari!" Her voice echoes down into the basement.
When there's no reply, she hurries down the steps. Before she reaches the floodwater, a huge electrical surge explodes the small, confined space, so bright that it's even blinding for her. Kira waits for her vision to clear before leaning into the basement. She still doesn't know if the water is safe to touch, but her classmate isn't responding, so he takes priority over her own wellbeing. Kira's about to take one step into the water, when Kaminari's shaky voice speaks up.
"I'm okay," he says, but he sounds uncertain. "I'm okay."
Kira looks down at the water and steps inside anyway, now coming up to her hip. It's freezing, but she shoves the uncomfortableness aside and wades through the water to her classmate. He hasn't succumbed to his Quirk, but he appears pretty shaken.
"Are you okay?" She wonders, holding him steady with a hand on his shoulder.
"You're in the water," he comments.
Kira looks down at herself, as the water rises to her stomach. "You scared me, Kaminari," she whispers. "Don't do that again."
"Sorry," he replies, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
Kira shakes her head as she approaches the broken pipe, still spitting out water. She activates her Quirk in her right hand and places it on the hole. The heat melts and bends and mends the metalwork together, stopping the water from rising.
"Come on," Kira says. "We need to take him to the hospital, if this island even has one."
Kaminari nods and follows Kira up the steps and out of the basement. She deactivates her Quirk as they approach the still unconscious homeowner. Kira pulls her phone out - thank God for waterproof phones - and calls Ochaco. She picks up immediately.
"Where's the hospital, Ochaco?" Kira blurts. "Don't ask questions. I'll explain afterwards."
"Oh- Okay," Ochaco replies on the phone, her tone deeply concerned, as she explains where the medical centre is located.
Kira follows her friends instructions as Kaminari carries the homeowner on his back, arms and legs limp over his frame. The hospital isn't far, only a few minutes away and the people working there are very considerate and understanding. It's a small institution, barely larger than the call centre that they're staying at. The medical team thank Kira and Kaminari for their help and whisk the homeowner away. His injuries don't seem bad, but it could have been a lot worse had they turned up any later.
"Kaminari." She spins sharply to her classmate, grabbing onto his arm. "What were you thinking?"
"What do you mean?" He frowns at her. "I can handle an electrical charge that size, you know that."
Kira releases his arm. "I know." She sighs. "I know you can. Sorry, it just freaked me out, I guess."
"You were worried about me that much?" He teases, tilting his head to the side dramatically.
"Oh, shut up," she retorts bluntly, turning her back to him. "Let's just go back now. I'm hungry and tired."
Kaminari cackles at her reaction but follows her down the road towards the call centre. Kira's phone rings again, answering it to Ochaco's overly concerned voice. Kira explains the situation and she calms right down, informing her that they'll both be back in a few minutes.
The sun has just about set for the day, vanishing beyond the horizon, leaving behind an orange residue in the sky. Still, the atmosphere is warm and comforting, despite night approaching. The few streetlights that dot the town guide Kira and Kaminari back towards the call centre and she rolls her exhausted limbs back.
"Quite a first day, huh?" Kaminari speaks up.
Kira looks back at him as he stares up at the darkening sky. "Yeah," she whispers, as the call centre comes into view. "Quite a day."
~~~