SHOTO'S POV
Watching Mei disappear through the portal made Shoto feel like the world was crumbling beneath his feet.
He had never felt so helpless in his life. His head was spiralling with thoughts and flashes of Mei's face as she was taken away.
Just after she was gone, the other villains also fled in portals, leaving the 5 remaining U.A. students behind.
Shoto rushed to untie the others, and Momo immediately fell to her knees and began to cry.
"She's gone... they took her... why did they take her... and I couldn't do anything..." she whimpered, wrapping her arms around herself.
"Yaoyorozu, please stay calm." said Iida, who's voice was trembling with fear and frustration. "We need to get back and find Mr. Aizawa and the other teachers. They will get her back."
"But-"
Before Momo could continue, she noticed Todoroki walking away from them.
"Todoroki! Where are you going?" Asked Iida. "The bus is the other way!"
"You go and alert the school." Todoroki said, facing away from the others. "I'm going after her."
"What?! How?! You don't even know where they took her!"
"I'LL FIND OUT!" he yelled, turning around to look at his classmates.
"Hey, man, I know this is really frustrating..." Kaminari rubbed his wrists, still marked by the tight ropes that were around them a few minutes ago. "... but I really don't think we can be of any help to Mei by ourselves. Going alone will probably just get you hurt or captured too."
"He's right." Added Iida. "Let's go - the longer we wait, the further away they take Shinomori."
Momo wiped her eyes and nodded, getting up from the ground to follow the class representative.
But Todoroki didn't move. He stood on the same spot, trembling slightly with anger.
When Momo noticed, her face softened and she stepped slowly towards him. She put her hand on his shoulder and sighed.
"Listen, I understand how you feel. Trust me." she whispered. "I want to get her back too, and I have a plan. But first we have to get help. And we both know Mei would never let us hear the end of it if we got hurt trying to save her on our own."
Shoto looked at Momo in the eyes and closed his fists in frustration. After a few seconds, he nodded his head slightly in agreement.
----------
SHOTO'S POV
Aizawa looked at his watch, annoyed that four of his students still hadn't made it back from the training activity.
"Alright, three of you are going to have to go after your classmates, it's getting late-"
In that moment, Yaoyorozu, Iida, Todoroki and Kaminari appeared from the tree line, running towards their teacher.
"Mr. Aizawa, sir!!" Screamed the class president.
"Iida, what's wrong?"
"The villains! They appeared out of nowhere and they took Mei!" explained Momo, panting to catch her breath.
Aizawa's face somehow looked even paler than normal, as his tired eyes widened.
"What?!" he asked.
"It was crazy, they just showed up in those purple portals, and then next thing I know Shinomori is a marble, and then--" Denki blurted, running out of breath.
"They took her, sir! We need to do something!" Momo pleated, desperately.
Aizawa pursed his lips in frustration.
"Class, get back on the bus!" he turned to face Iida. "Class rep, I'll leave it up to you to get everyone back safely."
"Where are you going, sir?" asked Uraraka, worried.
"I have to alert the police and the school."
"Wait, sir!" said Momo, running towards her teacher. "I managed to attach a tracking device to one of the villains when he restrained me. Please use this to help Mei!" she handed him a tracker.
"Thank you, Yaoyorozu. Good thinking." As he jumped off, he looked back at his students. "Go, now!"
—------——
SHOTO'S POV
On the bus, Momo made her way to sit beside Todoroki.
"Here's what we're going to do." she said, sitting down beside him.
"What?" he asked.
"I have a plan for rescuing Mei." the girl showed him a tracker much like the one she gave Aizawa. "We can use this."
Todoroki took the device from her hands. "Thank you, I promise I will get her back."
"What are you talking about? I'm coming too!" Momo protested.
"I don't think that's feasible--"
Before he could finish, Kaminari and Iida interrupted, popping out from the seats behind them.
"Are you talking about how we're getting Shinomori back?" asked Denki.
"I imagine you have another tracker." added Iida.
"What do you me 'we'? I'm going alone." Todoroki asked.
"No, you're not." Momo grabbed tightly onto the seat, her knuckled turning white. "Don't act like you care about her more then anyone - she's my sister, Todoroki, and I'm going to get her back."
"Plus, you will need all the help you can get." added Denki, putting his arm around Iida.
Shoto looked around at his class-mates, who looked attentively at him, waiting to see what he would say next.
"You guys know we will get in very serious trouble for this." he said, matter-of-factly. "If you come with me, you're taking that risk."
"You are right." said Iida. "But I can't let myself stand back without acting. You and Shinomori saved my life before, and I will return the favour."
"Are we all in accordance, then?" asked Momo, looking at the boys around her.
Todoroki and Iida nodded.
"No turning back now!" Kaminari crossed his arms and nodded with them.
--------—————
At the League of Villains hideout, Mei struggled against her binds.
"You are so unbelievably stupid if you think this sorry attempt at recruitment would have worked on me." she growled. "You are all pathetic."
"You really don't think you can be convinced, girl?" Shigaraki walked towards her and bent down to her level.
Mei then spit on the man's face, causing Twice to gasp audibly.
"Fuck off, freak." she replied.
"I thought you might say that." chuckled Shigaraki, wiping the hand covering his face. "Which is why I brought someone who might change your mind..."
He turned to face the door, which opened to reveal a tall, handsome man wearing a long jacket and expensive-looking clothes. He sported a smile so charming it could have brought the weak-of-heart to their knees, but his eyes were empty like hollow crimson gems.
When Mei saw the man, her entire body went numb. It was like she had been paralyzed, and she couldn't get her lungs to work as she struggled to breathe.
"Hello, darling." Said the man, smirking. "Did you miss your papa?"
----------————
SHOTO'S POV
Momo, Shoto, Tenya and Denki we're walking around busy streets wearing the most outrageous disguises they could find at a local discount store. According to Momo's plan, it was an essential part of the success of their mission to be unrecognizable.
"Well, we definitely look very stupid." said Denki, who was sporting a purple fedora and a bright red jacket.
"Let's stay focused everyone, this is a busy place and we want to make sure we don't get side tracked." Iida rubbed the fake moustache that sat on his top lip.
Shoto was seemed to be hardly listening to what his class mates were saying. His eyes were blank and empty, looking around for something no one else seemed to see. He wasn't wearing a disguise, and opted for his hero costume instead. Momo had managed to talk him into a mask, which he mostly kept off.
The group kept walking away from the crowd, headed toward a much darker and quieter part of the city.
After a while, they could hear nothing other than than the sound of their own steps.
"Oh, we're getting closer!" Momo exclaimed, holding the beeping tracker in her hands. "We have to turn that way!"
"You mean towards the creepy looking alley?" Denki asked. "Because of course we do."
"Wait, quiet." Todoroki held a finger to his lips. "Someone's coming. Many someones."
The group quickly hid behind a dumpster as hurried footsteps approached the alley.
The four students peaked over the edge to see who was approaching.
"That's-" Denki began.
"All Might? Beast Jeanist?" Iida whispered. "Edgeshot, Kamui Woods... they're all here."
"The heroes found this place." Momo chimed in. "They'll get her back!"
"We need to stand watch." Todoroki suggested. "Things will get ugly fast, and Shinomori will be stuck in the middle of it."
"We're about to get stuck in the middle of it." Denki gestured at the group with his arms.
"Come, let's go." Momo said, grabbing onto Shoto's arm.
"Go where?" Iida asked.
"Todoroki's right. We need to keep watch, and we can't do that from behind this dumpster." she clarified.
—————————
Mei's breathing became erratic as the man in front of her lifted the corners of his mouth into a sinister smile. Her memories of him were faint, blurry. But she knew him the moment he walked into the room.
"It's been a long time, kid." he said. "Or maybe I should say, a long time coming."
The girl wanted to speak. She wanted to scream, cry, even beg. But her body seemed like it would no longer wanted to answer her commands. She instead sat, impossibly still, feeling every hair in her body rise in a wave from her head to her feet.
Hiroji approached and lifted her chin up with his index finger.
"You know, your mother used to say you looked just like me." he commented, in hushed tones. "But I see a lot of her on your face."
The mention of her mother made a single year stream down Mei's face. The nausea building in her stomach was threatening to rise.
'Please, get it together' she kept repeating to herself. 'Stop shaking. Stop crying. Just stop'
"I have to say, kid, I thought you'd be more excited to see me." the man continued. "Especially after years of being trapped with that old hag and that tool she calls a husband. Truly insulting, if you ask me."
He began to pace around slowly, with his hands in the pockets of his impeccably tailored pants. Hiroji looked very young for his age, definitely too young to have a daughter of Mei's age.
She couldn't help but wonder if that's where the energy he stole from his victims went.
Hiroji stopped for a moment and looked at the girl from the corner of his eye. "Aren't you going to say anything? Perhaps a warm greeting for your father?"
Mei had to muster more strength than she thought she could in that moment to get some words out without stuttering. "What do you want?" she said, much more quietly than she had intended.
"What do I want?" he lifted an eyebrow. "I'm freeing you, kid. Finally. Aren't you glad?"
"Freeing me from what?" Mei asked. "Do I look free to you?" she lifted her hands, flashing her heavy shackles.
Hiroji chuckled. "From the path that was set up for you, Mei. You have endless potential. Untapped and tamed. Aren't you sick of being controlled? By your grandparents? By the system? There's no freedom they can offer you that doesn't come with binds. We can offer you something greater." He gestured to the room behind him.
"We?" Mei whispered, as she looked around to the other villains. She wondered how involved he was with them. She wondered when all of this started.
"With the way things stand now, you will become another weapon in the hands of people who use and profit off the backs of the citizens of the world." he continued. "Wouldn't you rather be a weapon for yourself?"
Mei frowned. "And I'm supposed to believe all of you work for yourselves?"
The room was quiet. Dabi, a tall man covered in burn scars, broke the silence first.
"If you want freedom, you need to break down the walls of your prison, girl." He spoke from the corner of the room. "That's a lot easier to do in a team, is it not?"
She wasn't sure what approach to take. Would going along with them increase her chances of escaping? Should she remain defiant? Quiet? Should she scream? She doubted anyone would hear.
"And what exactly are these walls you speak of?" she asked.
"Before you start asking questions, we want to know if you're with us." Shigaraki interjected.
"I could say myself that if you want me to work with you, you wouldn't have bound me to a chair, couldn't I?" Mei refuted.
Twice giggled, just to be shushed by the Warp Gate.
"There's no need for this, now, is there?" Hiroji pointed to the shackles on Mei's hands and feet. "It's my child. I can handle her."
Shigaraki leaned against the back wall of the room. "Actually, I'm not so sure you can." he commented.
Hiroji Kishimoto turned on his heels to look at the man covered in hands. There was an almost unnoticeable frown that crossed his face, and then it was gone.
"Help me out over here, will you?" Kishimoto snapped his fingers at Mr. Compress.
The villain complied, moving to release the girl from her bindings.
She flinched when he approached, feeling the pressure release from around her wrists and ankles.
When the metal clanged against the floor, Mei felt light - lighter than she had ever felt. It was as if the shackles had held her fear against her, and now it was all gone. In its place now stood a burning, seething rage that made her muscles ache and her fingers arch.
"Thank you..." she said calmly, eyes on the floor. "What's your name again?"
"I'm known as Mr. Compress." the man bowed at his waist and swung his arm up in an exaggerated gesture.
Mei stretched out her arms at her sides, and rotated her ankles, feeling the cracks that sounded with every movement. She slowly looked up to the face of the caped man beside her.
"Thank you, asshole." she added.
Mr. Compress took a step back in indignation.
She then turned her face the her father, standing before her. 'We really do look alike' she thought, shaking her head and smirking.
Mei let out a chuckle. "Let's dance, then."
-------------
SHOTO'S POV
Sirens sounded from the streets around them, and Momo held on tightly to her tracking device.
"The police is here, they'll get this place surrounded." Iida commented.
"My tracker is still activated." Momo added. "They will get to her soon." she was shaking her leg anxiously, while Denki looked over her shoulder to watch the tracker with her.
Todoroki was leaning against the alley way, eyes down. His muscles were strained with anticipation. 'Shes so close.' he thought. 'And all I can do is sit here and wait.'
He felt like a little boy again, watching his mom suffer in his father's hands and being able to do nothing about it. When he joined UA he vowed he would never do nothing again. And yet, here he was.
"Are you okay?" Momo asked him.
He nodded slightly in response.
"We just have to be ready for when she gets out, right?" Denki shrugged, sensing the tension. "She'll be glad to see some friendly faces."
Momo attempted a smile in response, but she was nervous. She completely understood how Todoroki felt.
But the heroes were in the building, and all they could do now was wait.
————————-
Mei was prepared to die in that place. She knew there would be no winning against a group of villains, but if she could go down swinging and take her dad down with her, she would go in peace.
"Don't be difficult, kid." Hiroji growled. "Don't think that we'll go easy on you."
The rest of the League began to gather around her, trapping her against the chair that had contained her in the corner of the room.
"Sit back down-" Shigaraki began to speak, but the girl didn't wait until he was done to blast him with her energy beams.
Having thrown the first blow, she was ready to receive the retribution. Her shields were up as Dabi's flames made their way toward her, blocking her vision with a flash of blue.
It was then that a loud crash sounded, and all turned to see the that door had been broken down.
Standing in its place instead was none other than the number one hero All Might, accompanied by a rescue team made up of the best of the best.
"Step away from the girl." All Might announced, while Kamui used his wooden arms to restrain some of the villains.
"Always incurably rude." Shigaraki shook his head.
Warp Gate took a silver square with a red button in the center from his pocket. "Time to go." he announced, as his purple mist began to envelop the villains around him.
Mei felt the mist get hold of her legs, so she looked up to see Warp Gate pressing the red button.
A pounding noise sounded from all four directions and the building began to shake intensely.
The girl didn't get a chance to think before she felt a force hitting her side and making her stumble out of Warp's grasp.
"Go, young Shinomori!" All Might called out as he pushed her out of the way, getting caught in the purple mist instead. "Get out of here!"
She felt the floor go out beneath her feet as she watched the world's strongest hero get warped away.
-----—-————
SHOTO'S POV
By the time the four 1-A students heard the blast, the building in front of them was already on its way down.
Iida quickly moved his friends out of the way, while Todoroki erected an ice wall to keep the rubble from falling on them.
"What the hell was that?" Denki asked, coughing up dust.
"I think the villains detonated the building." Iida suggested. "Probably to hide any evidence."
"Did they get to Mei? Where is she?" Momo looked around nervously, stepping over stones in her path.
Todoroki created an ice bridge to get across through the rubble. He couldn't see anything through the dust and dirt in the air, but he was looking for Mei.
"Shinomori!" he shouted looking around.
"Shinomori!" joined in Iida, Denki and Momo.
When the dust started to settle, a silhouette began to emerge from the rubble.
Mei was walking slowly in their direction, holding tightly to her left arm. She had likely managed to use her flight to keep from falling with the rest of the building, but she certainly didn't look unscathed. She didn't seem to notice her friends, her eyes were unfocused and empty.
"MEI!" Shoto shouted, running towards the girl. He caught her as she was about to stumble onto the ground. "...it's okay, you're safe now."
Mei looked up to Todoroki's face.
"What are you doing here, you idiot?" she whispered, smirking.
The boy couldn't help but smile. He was so relieved to have her back.
"I'm here for you." he whispered.
The girl's head then fell, and she was out.
--------—————
A few days after the rescue mission, Mei was still in the hospital. The police and her grandparents insisted on keeping her under supervision until they were sure she did not suffer any psychological trauma.
The events after her capture were mostly laid out to her by the police - the near destruction of the camino district and All Might's last stand against All For One. It was so overwhelming the doctors had to escort the captain out because of her spike in heart rate.
Her only saving grace in the endless hours of staring at blank walls were the visits.
Momo had been visiting her every day, getting her caught up with school work. Though Mei wasn't too happy about all the lecturing, it was nice to have company.
But it wasn't just Momo who kept her days from being depressing.
Mei's grandparents came to the hospital every night to bring her supper and join her for the meal. For the first time in her life, she felt like she got to spend some proper time with them.
She found herself chuckling at their stories, listening to her grandfather talk about work and her grandmother gossip about their friends. It felt... unbelievably nice.
Finally, and most surprisingly, Shoto had come by every day since she got admitted.
The first day, he came into the hospital and asked the nurses how Mei was doing. He looked into her room from afar, hoping to see a glimpse of her face. Once he heard she was well, he went home.
On the second day, he had the courage to knock on her door.
"Hi, I hope it's okay that I'm here." he said, walking into the room.
Mei had not been able to hide the surprise on her face when she say Todoroki. "Oh- Hi. Yeah, yeah it's fine."
"I wanted to see how you were doing." he took a few steps into the room, then pointed to a chair across from Mei's bed, as if asking for permission to sit, receiving a brief nod from her in return. "Yaoyorozu said they wanted to keep you for a few days."
"Yeah, seems like it." Mei had a hard time looking him in the eyes. "I feel fine, though. I wouldn't be surprised if my grandparents convinced them I should be monitored longer."
"They are just worried about you, which is very reasonable in this case." he shrugged.
Mei looked at him quizzically for a split second. "I suppose you're right." she agreed, eventually.
They stood in silence for a moment, contemplating what to say to each other. It was Shoto who spoke first.
"I'm not sure what happened or what they did to you while you were... I can imagine it wasn't pleasant, so I'm sorry."
"They didn't do anything, really." Mei shook her head lightly. "Mostly talked my ears off." she then looked up at him. "You don't have anything to be sorry for."
"I still am." he replied.
"I should be the one apologizing." she rebutted, before she could hold herself back. "To everyone. Especially to All Might. We lost the greatest hero we've ever known because of me. It wasn't even worth it, I mean- I mean what is my life compared to all the lives he could have saved? I feel like a curse."
"No one is thinking it's your fault." Todoroki stated. "None of what happened was under your control, and All Might would have faced All for One eventually."
A tight spot that had emerged the moment Shoto walked into the room started to twist in Mei's gut. It was excruciating, that despite everything that she did, everything that she was, he was still unnervingly kind.
Her firsts curled on her lap. "Why are you being so nice? Do you feel responsible for me being taken cause you were there? Because I can tell you-"
"Do I need a reason?" Todoroki raised an eyebrow.
"After the way I treated you, yes, you do."
"I like you." he shrugged. "I don't think you're as bad a person as you claim to be."
"You don't know me." Mei scrunched her eyebrows.
"I'd like to, though." Shoto refuted.
Mei looked at him attentively, looking for clues on his face. A sign that he was lying, or perhaps joking.
"If you let me, that is." he continued.
The knots in Mei's stomach twisted tighter, making her feel sick. Was it fear? Anticipation? Joy? She wasn't entirely sure.
A part of her wanted to tell him everything. Explain why he had to stay away. A part of her wanted to damn her grandparents opinions and just let the world know. If she was sent away, then it would be for the best.
Before Mei could say anything, a knock sounded on the door. A nurse walked in a few seconds later, holding a tray with bandages and sterilizing solutions. "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to check on your bandages."
"Sorry, I'll give you some privacy." Shoto stood up from his chair.
"Oh that will not be necessary, it'll be very quick." the nurse smiled kindly. "Unless the miss minds?" she turned to Mei.
Mei lifted and dropped her shoulders with indifference.
The nurse lifted Mei's shirt slightly to expose a bandage on the left side, allowing for a glimpse of the large scar on her stomach that remained from the fight with Stain.
"Ugly thing, isn't it?" Mei commented. Todoroki hadn't even realized he has been staring; he looked away quickly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" he muttered. Looking up at her, he asked softly: "Does it hurt, still?"
"Uh- no. No, it doesn't" Mei seemed surprised by his question. "Just looks hideous." she chuckled.
"It would take a lot more than that to change the fact that you are beautiful." Todoroki said plainly.
The girls face was red so fast that she had to whip her face away to avoid him noticing.
The nurse bent down closer to Mei's ear, whispering "Your boyfriend is very sweet."
Unsure what to say, Mei remained quiet and utterly still with discomfort. So still she might not have been breathing.
"Alright, all done here." collecting her tools, the nurse headed to the door. "Everything is looking good. You should be going home soon."
"Thank you." Mei nodded in gratitude, as the woman left the room.
"I should leave too." Todoroki added. "I don't want to bother you."
Mei thought about stopping him, but she realized it would be best to let him go. She didn't say anything as he made his way out of the hospital room.
But as he was about to close the door behind him, Mei blurted out his name, despite knowing she would kick herself for it later:
"Hey, Todoroki-"
He turned his head to look at her.
"Thank you for coming." she added.
The boy nodded and she swore she could see a hint of a smile on his lips.