Third person pov
Harper knew something bad was going to happen. Do you want to know how she knew such a thing? Well, it's because she's Harper Rye, and dumb shit always happens when she's around. Luckily for her, most of the things that happen to her can be blamed not on herself, but on Nezu. She always finds a way to trace it back to him, no matter how unconventional. This is one of those things. He chose this location. He made this happen. He arranged the entire thing, and he probably knew exactly what he was doing to her.
"What's wrong?" Kirishima asked as the bus rolled to a complete stop. Harper had that expression on her face that usually indicated that things were going to go to complete and utter shit. Not a good thing, considering this was supposed to be an incident-free trip. "I've never seen that frown before. Is it new? What to I categorize it as? I really need to stop being so damn creepy all the time and just figure out what's wrong using words, like a normal person. But sometimes it's so hard to get her to talk..."
Harper grimaced. It had taken her all of ten minutes on the bus to realize exactly where they were going. Her worst fears had come to life. The exact place she had hoped they weren't going, they were going. It made her want to close her eyes and never open them again. Her thoughts were only confirmed by Aizawa's. He didn't ever specifically say the location, but his excitement as he talked about how surprised she was going to be was palpable. Her luck was truly something to behold. Harper honestly wasn't too sure how she was still alive at this point. Her life was just one big, broken roller coaster. It was only a matter of time before her cart derailed.
Don't get her wrong. She had nothing against the location they were going to. In fact, she quite liked it. She was just... tired. She didn't want to deal with it and her class at the same time. She knew there'd be questions, and Harper didn't like answering those if she didn't have to. This could also put her cover at risk. Most of her class was at least somewhat aware that her 'father' was Tsukauchi. They all assumed it or had been told it directly. This could shatter that, and then they'd start to doubt other things she didn't need them doubting right now.
"I know where we're going." Harper grumbled as the bus was put in park. Mineta was practically begging to pee. He was also hoping someone else had to pee so he could watch, which was nothing short of completely disgusting. She sniffed to herself, eyes sweeping outside the windows and coming to a stop on the dark car parked idly by. She felt her heart drop at the sight of the familiar vehicle. This wasn't good. This really, really wasn't good. Her back wasn't going to be able to take what was going to happen after this. She wanted to say there was a way to avoid getting thrown off a cliff, but she'd seen it happen to other UA students too many times before to believe it.
"You do?" Kirishima asked, startled. He started to stand as Aizawa opened the doors. Their classmates foolishly filed off, all too trusting of their teacher. If only they knew the man was trying not to burst into hysterical laughter. "She doesn't look all that happy about this predicament. What do I do? Maybe I could convince Aizawa to leave us on the bus by calling him dad..."
"Come on. Time to stretch your legs." Aizawa said to them drawly as Izuku almost tripped down the steps of the bus. Bakugo had to catch him by the back of his shirt, just barely managing to halt him before he face-planted into the dirt. Harper massaged her temples, taking a deep breath and telling herself there was no way to avoid this. She'd had worse before. She'd been kidnapped like, three times. Maybe more than that. She wasn't counting at this point. This wouldn't kill her. She'd wish she was dead, but they'd all make it through.
"I hate you." Harper said to Aizawa in the most sincere tone possible. He flashed a bright smile. Harper wished one of their classmates were still on the bus to see and expose him. She narrowed her eyes as his expression dropped back into its usual blandness. "Who's out there? Who all is in that car?"
"What car?" Aizawa asked, as though there weren't a car parked right outside the bus. Harper resisted the urge to kick him in the balls adamantly. "You look so annoyed! It's adorable. I can see why Kirishima adores you. Now go on, stretch your legs! It won't be so bad. They said you've seen this before, right? You know exactly what to expect! It'll be fine. You know I love you and won't let anything happen to you!"
Harper stood up abruptly, startling Kirishima. The redhead scooted out of the aisle so she could get out, giving their teacher a weary look. Harper shuffled out with a frown. Her eyes swept the area. All her classmates were painfully spread out, with Mineta running around like a madman looking for the bathroom Aizawa claimed there would be. He wasn't going to find one. Harper's nose crinkled as she eyed the car parked a ways away. Was it shaking? It wouldn't surprise her if it was. Whatever. Bakugo was giving her an accusing look which meant he'd picked up on something not being right, and even Iida looked uneasy. Tsu as well.
"This doesn't seem right. There's no bathrooms, ribbit." Tsu's thoughts croaked, her large eyes scanning over the area for anything she might've missed. "This is probably another one of Mr. Aizawa's logical ruses. But if it is, what's going to happen next?"
"The weather out here is disgusting! My mascara could never. I'm glad I didn't put any on before we left." Mina noted, looking around with her hands planted on her hips.
"Something is off." Izuku's eyes darted about. "But I can't figure out what. Kacchan wouldn't be sticking so close to me if something wasn't up, right? He must sense it too. Mr. Aizawa has something planned..."
Harper and Kirishima drifted as far from the bus as they dared. Aizawa was looking at them, seemingly to try and figure out when they were far away enough to be satisfactory. Harper glared back, edging away from the car and completely ready to use her redheaded friend as a human shield if needed. He seemed prepared to act as one if the scenario arose, so that was something. She shared a look with him, giving a small nod. He gave one back. This was all about to go to shit, and they both knew it. They both knew too well how Aizawa's mind worked at this point. He wouldn't just stop the bus for nothing. Especially when there wasn't even a bathroom available.
Harper was damn nervous. It was a feeling she didn't often feel. She'd felt concerned, scared, and hesitant in the past. But nervous was a rarity for her. Her quirk gave her a lot of information. There wasn't much that could catch her off guard in person. Even this she had seen from a mile away, even if it was just barely from the corner of her eye. They'd hidden it from her almost too well. The way the guarded the location had essentially confirmed her earliest suspicions.
It wasn't like this was the worst case scenario or anything, though. Harper was probably just being dramatic, but after all she'd been through, she felt like she had to right to be. At least a little. She dreaded any and all social interaction. This was no different than that. Kirishima was also giving her very concerned looks, which made her think her stress must show on her face and in her body language. She didn't mean to worry him. Harper was just tired and wishing she was at home, that was all. They'd all make it through this bullshit. When in doubt, blame Nezu. He'd probably been the one to choose this spot.
"You don't really think we stopped here just so you could stretch your legs, do you?" Aizawa's voice cut through the mild chatter, silencing everyone. All the attention shot to him, faces paling and smiles falling. Harper felt her eyebrow twitch. Did he really need to he so absolutely eerie in the way he said it? He was grinning that grin that made everyone feel like death was looming over their shoulder. Well, everyone but her, but only because she could hear his thoughts. "O.M.G. This is so exciting. They look so cute! This is going to be amazing. I can't wait. I wonder how you guys will do?! Harper, I brought my camera, so don't worry! I'm framing all of them. Every single one. Also, could you kiss Kirishima at some point? Or at least hug him? I need to put it in your scrapbook."
"God, no." Harper mumbled. As if on cue, the doors of the car flew open. A wave of exuberant, excited thoughts poured out and made Harper cringe. Nobody climbed out just get, but a few familiar voices drifted out.
"Heya, eraser!" One of the voices chimed. Harper's brows drew together, and she ducked her head. Kirishima put a hand on her shoulder, concerned. Harper caught the thoughts of the 'stranger' in the car. "Is that Harper?! Oh my god, she got so tall. I know it hasn't been that long since we've seen her, but she still looks so different already! I'm so excited! And proud! And excited!"
"Long time no see." Aizawa noted with a drawl, eyes shifting to Harper almost smugly. "Just the reunion I signed up for! This is going to be an amazing day. Absolutely stunning. I have to tell Mic all about it when we get back. Aren't you excited, Harper?! I am! Can you tell? I'm bursting with energy."
Out of the car stepped two figures. Harper brought her hand up to her temples and started to massage. Her headache was starting to grow with each passing second. She felt like crying, but also sort of like smiling, which was a little odd. Kirishima was giving her a contemplative look, like he couldn't figure out if she was annoyed or happy either. Harper wasn't sure of anything anymore, aside from the fact that she wanted a nap. That was a fact that would remain constant and never change.
"Your feline fantasies are here! Say- Harper!" Mandalay spotted her, cutting off her introduction. Pixie-bob had seen her lingering in the back of the crowd prior and was all but vibrating in place. Harper forced a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. Kirishima blinked slightly, looking between the pair. Aizawa had to hide his grin in his scarf as all the attention turned to her. Mandalay started making her way over. "Look at you! Oh my goodness, your hair got long! And you got taller! Oh my god, you're so cute! Did you really choose Manx as your hero name?!"
"Hi, Auntie." Harper greeted in a resigned fashion, allowing her mom's sister to wrap her up in a hug. Harper's quirk was essentially a reversed version of Mandalay's. While her aunt could put her own thoughts in other people's heads, Harper could hear what everyone else was thinking. Kirishima's jaw dropped as he took a step back from the pair as Pixie-bob joined into the hug, squealing. He could probably see the resemblance between Mandalay and Harper now. Cat-related hero names, brown hair, brown eyes, same nose.
"I can't believe you're here! You're going to be a hero!" Pixie-bob squealed, pinching her cheeks. Harper could feel Aizawa taking subtle photos with his phone as she was smothered. Harper still couldn't help but smile a little. She had missed them."Will you join the team when you graduate?!"
"Whoa, that's your aunt?!" Ochako exclaimed, eyes going wide. "Milk, milk, milk, milk-"
"I didn't see that coming." Jiro mused. "What're the Wild Wild Pussycats doing here anyway? Here to steal our neko-neko-kneecaps?"
"Where's Kota?" Harper asked, glancing behind them in search of her cousin. Mandalay pulled away from the hug with a grin. Harper's heart sunk.
"He's back at the camp! We didn't tell him you were coming, so it'll be a nice surprise. He's missed you." She told her, grinning down at her. Harper couldn't help but smile a bit. Dealing with her family was... hard. They were all very peppy and cheerful. Though Mandalay was the only one she was related to by blood, the rest of her team had become family as well and insisted on being her aunts and uncles too. They'd pretty much raised her alongside her parents, after all. However, Kota was the only one she could really be around for long periods of time before going insane. She and him were jaded to reality in similar ways.
"These are the pro heroes you'll be working with at the summer training camp." Aizawa announced, drawing the many shocked gazes of her classmates back to him. They blinked dumbly at him. "They haven't taken a UA class on in a while, but they made a special exception this year because we have Harper with us. As you can see, she's related to Mandalay directly."
"I had no idea! They're a four-person hero team that specializes in mountain rescues. The pussycats were founded when we were kids-- like forever ago!" Izuku exclaimed, looking at Harper like she'd just hung the moon. The brunette scooted away from her aunt and back over to Kirishima, trying to tell Izuku with her eyes alone not to say what she knew he was about to. "This marks their 12th year working as a--"
Pixie-bob all but materialized beside him, making Harper wince and turn away. Kirishima was sweating profusely for some reason, his hands twitching and his shoulders stiff. "I'm meeting Harper's blood family? Oh my god, what if they hate me? I'm scared. I want to marry her. Can I ask if it's okay to date her? Now is not a good time. That's her aunt! Her aunt is a hero. Why didn't you tell me?!"
Harper shrugged, watching Pixie-bob grab Izuku's face and pinch his cheeks. She was sensitive about her age.
Harper had grown up around the Pussycats. Her mother had always been close to her sister and very supportive, so almost every single one of her summers had been spent out on this piece of land. She could still remember being a child and helping clear it all out when they first purchased it. When she was younger, students from UA would come every summer to train, and she'd been there to witness it most of the time. After their cousins-- the Water Hose Duo-- passed away, Mandalay took Kota in. Harper had helped a lot with him in the beginning, and would watch him while they were on missions more often than not. Or she used to before this all happened.
She did love her family. Don't get her wrong, these were some of the few people she could tolerate. That being said, they were also... family. Family was pretty much made to annoy you to no end. Which meant embarrassing stories, pinched cheeks, and food stuffed down her throat because she was 'too skinny'. Despite their antics, she did look up to them. Especially Mandalay and Ragdoll for their use of mental quirks in the field. It made her think maybe she could be a hero too. Not a great one, but one nonetheless. So she'd chosen a cat hero name, like them. Sort of lame and cheesy, but it felt like it fit.
"Everyone say hello." Aizawa instructed, drawing people from their staring. "This is the cutest, sweetest, best thing I've ever seen in my life. But it'll get better from here."
"Hello! Nice to meet you!" Everyone panicked and blurted it out, drawing from their shock. Kaminari came and clapped a hand down on Harper's back, shaking his head at her.
"You've been holding out on us. A hero family? You didn't tell us that!" Kaminari clenched his fist and held it up. The Wii remix in him was still going strong. Harper's nose scrunched up. Being within three feet of him for too long was going to give her a migraine, and fast. That was the last thing she needed right now. Especially considering she was about to get thrown off a cliff.
"Yeah, what the hell! That's insane." Kirishima grinned at her, subtly grabbing her shoulder and pulling her out of Kaminari's grasp. "I'm just moving you so you don't get a migraine! No other reason! I'm not that guy. I swear I'm not. Like, I'm really not. Besides, she doesn't like blondes. Right? She said redheads. So like, half of Todoroki. But I'm not natural. What if that's the problem?!"
"This is our little niece alright! Harper, would you like to do the honors?" Pixie-bob chirped, throwing an arm over her shoulder and pulling her away from her human shield. "Do it!"
"Absolutely not." Harper answered blandly. They only laughed. Damn them for being immune to her pessimism.
"We own this whole stretch of land out here. Everything you can see. The summer camp you're staying at is there at the base of the mountain." Mandalay gestured, pointing to where the grounds were located. "This is going to be fun. They'll probably be faster, since Harper knows the way like the back of her hand."
"Damn right I do." Harper mumbled to herself. Pixie-bob snorted.
"Uh... then why did we stop all the way up here instead?" Hagakure asked. "This is where I die. Turn your face towards the sunnn. Let the shadowssss fall behinD YOUUUU-"
"We all know the answer to that." Harper stated in a bland tone she hoped conveyed her complete, utter dread.
"I love you too!" Aizawa's thoughts chirped. Harper flipped him off subtly. Kirishima swatted at her hand with a snicker.
"That can't be right." Kaminari chuckled uneasily, backing up slightly. Harper could feel that he also knew what they were all being thrown into. Shoji in particular was very much panicked about what was to come, and Momo also seemed to be having some sort of freak out. Iida was short circuiting, but at least his thoughts weren't depressing. She really needed to talk to him more. Do a check in just to make sure he was keeping all his proverbial ducks in a row and not losing it.
"Um. Back on the bus. Quick. Let's go." Mina laughed nervously, but Harper only shook her head. Now, Kirishima looked confused. "Oh my god, oh my god, what's going to happen?"
"What is it?" Kirishima asked her. Everyone zeroed in on her. "This is a new level of bad, isn't it?"
"They're going to throw us off that cliff." Harper sighed. She was pretty sure everyone stopped breathing. She didn't damn well blame them. "It's 9:30 in the morning, so if we're fast, we could make it by noon. We probably won't get lunch if we don't make it by half past then anyway. It's private property, so we can use our quirks as we please."
Her words sparked a mad dash back towards the bus, but Harper knew it was futile. Instead, she just gave Kirishima the 'please catch me and use your quirk to break our fall so my neck doesn't snap' look. He seemed to get it because he nodded. Or he could've gotten something completely different from that. Harper wasn't sure. They hadn't ever been in this situation before, so his uncanny ability to know what she meant based on her eyebrow positioning and how much her eyes were narrowed alone was probably off. By how much, it was impossibly to say.
"You all should've guessed it by now, students. The training camp..." Pixie- bob, as terrifying as ever, intercepted the students rushing for the bus. Her teeth looked extra sharp, and the claws in her gloves were gleaming and extended, "...has already begun!"
She pressed her paw-covered hands onto the ground, and the Earth immediately began to shift. Harper sighed, offering Kirishima her hand. He grimaced and took it.