I FORGOT TO UPDATE AFTER POSTING ON PATREON HAFJHSJS
Third person pov
The lizard's name was Spinner, and he was surprisingly easy to convince. Harper could tell he didn't want to be particularly bad. He was a product of society's shortcomings, which Harper could understand. Were her situation a little different, maybe she'd have ended up in his position as well. That didn't matter right now, though. His swap over made it easy to detain his companion, Magne. The woman didn't go down without a fight-- she shouted curses mercilessly as Tiger wrangled her into restraints. They tried to detain Spinner too, but Harper was sending him off to fight the Nomu in the woods before they could get to him.
"Harper, are you crazy?!" Mandalay all but shrieked at her, exhaustion and a fair amount of anger present in her voice. Harper didn't have the energy to respond, holding tight onto Kota as her mind tried to figure out what to do next. She couldn't stay here. Not with Kota in her possession, anyway. Katsuki and Izuku were still off in the woods and would probably need immediate help. Tokoyami was losing his collective shit-- or rather, his quirk was. She was sure things back at the main building weren't all sunshine and rainbows either, so there was that to concern herself with as well. Mandalay ignored her niece's blank stare and continued shouting anyway. "What if he runs into your classmates?! Just-- fuck, you have to get back to camp. It's too risky to have you and Kota both out here!"
God, Harper wanted a nap.
"It'll be fine. We don't have time to be picky about what help we do and don't accept. I made a call." Harper gave her aunt a pointed look, asking her to trust in her judgement. For all their sakes. Harper already had a headache, after all. Mandalay seemed to relax just slightly, letting out a tense breath of air and shaking her head. She was disheveled from her previous fight, but didn't seem injured.
"Let's just all calm down and think this through. I'm sure Harper wouldn't let him get away if she weren't sure he wouldn't hurt her peers." Aizawa agreed, taking her side without question. Harper let out a huff of air, squeezing a shaking Kota a bit tighter. His terror had faded a little now that they were amongst friends, but it was far from gone. Hell, Harper's heart still felt ready to race out of her chest, and just now was she managing to steady her breathing and gather her thoughts. "I trust you, Harper! That mutant ninja turtle guy didn't seem like a very good villain anyway! Definitely new at this. I'm sure your cutie-patootie self caught on to that right away!"
"Never call me that again." Harper said, her voice monotoned. She shook her head a bit. "Look, we need to go help the others. Bakugo and Midoriya-- they helped Kota and I escape, but I'm not sure they can do it on their own. And on the way here, Tokoyami was--"
Harper had already said all this, but she felt the urge to continue saying it until something was done. She was beyond worried. She acted like she didn't care, but that was far from correct. If anything happened to any of her classmates, Harper wasn't sure what she'd do. The urge to rush out and aid them was stifling. Mandalay gave her a sympathetic look that Harper honestly didn't appreciate right now. She didn't need thoughts. She needed actions. Results.
"It's okay, Harper. We'll handle it. That's what we're here for, isn't it?" Mandalay grasped her shoulder firmly. Kota buried his face deeper into his cousins shoulder, not able to look up even for his aunt. Harper could feel him trying his best to muster his courage and center himself. He wanted so badly to be brave. Didn't he realize he already was? "I want you to take Kota straight back to camp. Please. I know you want to help your friends, but it's best we get everyone back to safety. That includes you and your cousin. Okay?"
Harper grit her teeth. She hated that her aunt was right. Harper could do a lot if she went to help her friends. Though combat wasn't her strength here, there was a lot you could do with one's mind. But with her cousin shaking in her arms and refusing to let go of her, she couldn't justify leaving him just to throw herself back into danger. Aizawa was on it, already racing off into the woods with his cheerful thoughts centered on seriously maiming anyone who dared touch his students. Tiger was pretty much sitting on Magne to keep her from moving, looking ready to jump right back into the fight once they could get the villain to a point she couldn't escape from.
Kota's thoughts prodded at her, small and hesitant. He thought heading back was a good idea. They could keep an eye out for anyone who needed help, he insisted. It was a decent idea. Harper could head back and grab anyone she ran into along the way. With how many UA students were scattered through these woods right now, they were bound to run into one or two along the way. They could even cross paths with Shoto and Shoji, who's been inching back towards the road as Dark Shadow reared his head and drifted through the trees.
"...Alright. Fine." Harper let out a breath. She adjusted her grip on Kota. He was heavy, but her will to carry him the entire way back was heavier. "We'll see you back at camp, then. Be careful."
"That's what I should be telling you, not the other way around." Mandalay said, a brilliant and relieved smile forming on her face. Harper nodded, offering a weak smile of her own before turning on her heel and starting down the path at a slight run. She was really too tired to be even walking, but that wouldn't stop her right now. If there was ever any time not to take a nap, now was one. "I love you, Harper! Keep him safe!"
Harper dislodged one hand from Kota and raised it briefly before regaining her grip on him, speeding up as much as she could get herself to. The woods, previously so comforting, now seemed menacing. The trees loomed over her like a threat, twisting over the pathway and blocking out what little light the moon provided. Harper kept her eyes forward. If she looked back towards her aunt, she might break. Emotionally or physically, she really wasn't sure. She supposed it was better not to find out.
Harper let her quirk fan out as far as she thought she could without getting dizzy. She didn't want to risk wearing herself out too much to use her quirk at all. Conserving energy and keeping herself in as best working order as possible was her goal right now. Getting Kota to safety was top priority, and she wouldn't let herself ruin that by passing out or getting a migraine that prevented her from thinking straight. Her cousin needed her right now. She had to be there for him, because if she wasn't, who else would be?
Harper had never been so hyperaware before. The way the dirt and gravel crunched beneath her shoes was deafening. Loud, and a dead giveaway that they were there. The leaves rustling overhead were possible enemies, and the slightest crack of a twig in the distance had her quirk racing to figure out what caused the noise. A villain, or an overweight raccoon looking for a snack? Harper hadn't experienced fear this visceral in a long, long time. It was a strong, overwhelming feeling she never would've thought she'd feel again. But here she was anyway, her eyes darting and her mind spinning wildly out of control. She was afraid, but functionally so.
"...Do you think they're okay?" Kota asked after a moment of Harper jogging along the trail. They were terribly far from camp. A terrifying distance, actually. What would seem like a short, forty minute trek under normal circumstances had just turned into a deadly obstacle. Harper was almost tempted to ignore her aunt's wishes and instead post herself and her cousin up in the highest, sturdiest tree she could find. It wasn't the worst idea, but the possible risks outweighed the reward. "Muscular is a powerful villain. He... He killed mom and dad, what if he--"
"They're fine." Harper cut off the negative thought before it could wrap around his chest and strangle him. He was on the verge of tears again. She could not only hear it in his thoughts, but feel it in the way he gripped at her clothing and shoved his face into her shoulder. Harper gave him a comforting squeeze, trying to sound sure. "They are two of the strongest, if not the strongest, guys I've ever met. They're top of our class combat wise. If anyone can beat Muscular, it's them. Without a doubt."
Kota didn't say anything else, but Harper supposed she'd done a good job at sounding positive, because he calmed down notably after that. Harper was glad. Harper had been around his age when she'd gone through something just as traumatic as this. She could only hope he didn't lose anyone tonight. That would make it a thousand times harder, and near impossible to recover from. Harper would know.
They were about halfway there when Harper's quirk hooked its claws in something and drug a bout of thoughts back towards her. It was Bakugo, panicked and running. He had someone on his back. Midoriya? It had to be. His thoughts were faint, though, like he was on the verge of unconsciousness. There were two other people with them too. Their thoughts were pointed at something else, so it was hard to tell just who it was. One was definitely Shoto, and the second... she couldn't make them out, but she had to guess Shoji. It's who the half-and-half teen had been with before.
But if Shoto and Shoji were with them... and they'd been inching their way around Dark Shadow.
Harper's eyes widened in horror as a monstrous roar shook the trees and rocked the ground beneath them. Kota let out a sharp gasp, and Harper inhaled deep and slow in an attempt to keep calm. When she said she thought she'd run into some of her classmates along the way, she'd meant that. She hadn't thought about the actual possibility of them running into her. And certainly not with Dark Shadow on their tail. Well, maybe she'd considered it briefly, but she'd really, really hoped that shit wouldn't come to pass.
"Fuck." Harper hissed out, head snapping left and right as she tried to figure out just what to do. They were going to get here any second now. She could run into the trees and hide, or she could wait for them and join up again. Safety in numbers seemed like the best option, but how safe could those numbers be when they were the target of an out of control quirk? She guessed diving into the trees would only get them trampled. Besides, Midoriya's state of mind-- or lack thereof, rather-- was concerning enough to make her plant her feet.
The temperature in the air seemed to drop considerably as Dark Shadow moved in, crashing through the trees and wreaking havoc on the forest. Birds shot from their homes, startled by the destruction and the booming rattles that shook them from their branches. Harper could feel several animals wake up in the range of her quirk and begin to scurry away from Dark Shadow. Harper took a deep breath as the air darkened, making it harder to see. She'd have to add Dark Shadow onto her list of issues to address. She sure was regretting putting it off now.
Bakugo crashed through the bushes in front of her. She'd seen him coming and stood her ground, but he recoiled in surprise and would've gone tumbling backwards if not for Shoji reaching out and steadying him. Harper had been right. Shoto and Shoji both looked terrified, their faces dirtied, their hair disheveled, and their eyes wide as saucers. For a moment, they all just stood there and stared at one another, taking it in and letting their minds catch up. Was Shoji missing a hand? Would it grow back, or had she imagined him thinking about that?
"We beat the fuck out of that Muscle bitch." Bakugo blurted out, breaking the brief silence. A roar rang out right after, alerting them that Dark Shadow was almost upon them. Their heads all snapped in the direction. "Fuck. She made it out without getting hurt. Thank fucking god. Her brat looks okay too."
"Dark Shadow's about to be on us." Shoto butted in, voice filled with urgency and a fair bit of fear. "We've got to get going. He's going to take us any second now. I'm glad we ran into Harper. Can she predict where he's going next? Either way, it's another pair of eyes. And I'm glad she's safe."
"We have to get out of here." Shoji agreed. He reached out and plucked Izuku off Bakugo's back. The blonde, who seemed a bit out of it, jumped in surprise and whirled on him with an enraged expression on his face. Shoji didn't look phased by the anger directed at him. "You're tired. Your quirk is more offensive than mine is. You'll need your hands free."
Izuku groaned, cracking his eyes open at the disturbance. He seemed to wake up a little more when he spotted Harper. He adjusted himself, blinking a few times. One of his pupils was bigger than the other-- a sure sign of a concussion. Harper sucked in a sharp breath of air. Both his arms were a ghastly purple, and had been splinted roughly with a ripped up shirt and some branches. She was going to need to have a talk with All Might about this quirk business. He went through bones like a girl went through tampons on heavy flow days."Harper's okay, and so is Kota. I'm so glad..."
Bakugo didn't seem happy about it, but he saw Shoji's point and didn't argue. His anger was popped out of him and tossed aside briskly when Dark Shadow's head appeared over the towering trees. Harper's eyes grew wide. He was huge, and nothing more than a mass of... of black. It was all black-- like looking into nothingness. The only visible thing was a pair of wild, glowing eyes that peered down at them with malice. The three boys all whirled around to face him, backing up so they were side by side with Harper. Fear swam through them.
There was something numbing about having a giant shadow monster stare you down with full intentions of killing you. Harper gripped Kota so tight she was surprised he didn't complain about not being able to breathe. He still had his face in her shoulder, but had frozen stiff with fear. He knew something was facing them down but he was too afraid to know what it was. Harper couldn't exactly blame him. She was at a loss. They couldn't exactly hide at the moment. Not with him staring at them. They just weren't fast enough.
"Run! Run away!" Tokoyami's thoughts screamed out. He was sobbing and fighting with everything he had. "It's-- it's too dark! I... can't-"
Wait. Dark. Tokoyami's quirk was strengthened by darkness, and weakened by light. And here, right in front of her, was both Bakugo and Todoroki. One of which could produce bright explosions, and the other, blaring fire. Her jaw almost unhinged at the frantic realization. She didn't even think about it, putting one hand on Bakugo's shoulder and bumping into Shoto with her opposite shoulder. Her other arm strained with Kota's weight on it, but she didn't care.
"Light." She insisted, eyes wide. "He's weak to light."
It clicked in their minds. And just like that, it wasn't all that dark anymore.
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Kirishima had tried to leave several times now. He swore he'd developed a sixth sense that told him when Harper was in trouble. Right now, it was blaring. There was a sense of dread that was close to choking him out. Iida had a firm hand on his shoulder, keeping him in place. They'd already had to tackle him to keep him in place. Though the Iida teen was keen on following the instructions they'd been given, his face was also twisted in concern as Vlad King anxiously paced the front of the room.
When they'd first gotten the alert, they'd all wanted to go help. Even the 1-B student who was stuck in here with them, Neito Monoma. As stuck up as he was, he still wanted to help, and he'd sided with them when they tried to leave. But then Vlad King and Eraserhead had firmly told them that they were to stay here and not leave. They had been hesitant, but had reluctantly sat down. It didn't take long for Aizawa to rush off to help after that. No one else could see it, but they weren't looking for it. Aizawa had been scared. And that terrified Kirishima.
His mind had immediately flown to Harper, and his heart had sunk. At first he'd been okay. He was sure she could handle herself and that she'd be fine. That had been his state of mind for a while. Harper was strong, capable, and smart. Insanely so. She knew how to predict things using her quirk and manipulate what people who do and how they thought. She was just clever like that. He had no reason to think she wouldn't squeeze her way out of any situation she happened across out there.
He wasn't sure how long it had been when it finally hit, but boy did it hit hard. It blared through his head like a siren so loudly he was almost positive it was Harper subconsciously calling out for help. The potent feeling that she was in a life-or-death situation and needed help now more than ever had sent him running straight for the window. He'd landed a pretty good punch on Vlad King in the scuffle, leaving his cheek swollen. Iida had been the one to finally subdue him. He'd literally body slammed him into the ground, yelling in an authoritative voice that he was no use to anyone dead. It was better if he stayed here where it was safe. Kirishima didn't agree, but he knew he wasn't going to get out of here either.
"Do you think they're okay?" Mina asked, her hands rubbing together anxiously. Kirishima's jaw clenched. He was angry and scared. Where was she? Where were the rest of their classmates? Was Mr. Aizawa okay? What about Harper's cousin, Kota? He had to be out there somewhere. Probably at that hideout Harper had told him about. But if he was there, Harper had definitely gone to get him. And if she'd gone to get him... his heart clenched. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all, and he couldn't do jack shit! He'd never felt so useless.
"No." Kirishima's voice came out flatter than anyone had ever heard it. Several pairs of eyes turned to face him. His eyes were downcast. His mouth had twisted in a fearful way. He was falling into a pit he didn't know how to get out of. Tears welled in his eyes unbidden. He hadn't really cried since middle school. And never like this, with this... this grief in him. "I don't think they are."
At the time, he hadn't known just how right he was.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harper was in the front with Kota still in her arms. Behind her was Todoroki, who was helping a weakened Tokoyami walk. Shoji still had Midoriya, and Bakugo was bringing up the rear. Harper had made the right call when she'd said light was the answer. Dark Shadow had shrunk beneath it, shriveling up into a little dark ball and escaping back into Tokoyami. The avian-headed boy had gasped for air like a man dying, hacking and coughing until he threw up. Harper never wanted to hear someone sob like that again.
They'd taken just a brief moment to breathe. Harper had forced them all to keep moving when she detected the slightest hint of a Nomu in the distance. She could feel that Spinner was near it, hot on its tail. He seemed to be doing what she'd told him to. It hadn't taken much to convince him she knew Stain. She easily could've been lying. Maybe he was such a die hard fan that he just knew who she was and how she was related to him.
"I'm sorry." Tokoyami whispered for what had to be the millionth time. "I scared them. I almost killed them. What if Harper hadn't recalled Dark Shadow's weakness? What if it hadn't worked and Dark Shadow had persisted? I could've-"
"Stop apologizing. It isn't your fault." Shoto said in a monotone sort of way that shouldn't have left room for doubt in any way, shape, or form. Harper stayed silent and vigilant, her quirk scanning the area diligently for any sign of... well, any sign of anything, really. Friend, foe, wild animal. She wanted to know where everyone and everything around them way. They were almost there. They couldn't possibly stop now. Not when they were so, so close. "Besides. We'd have been eaten if not for you."
"He's right. We never could've stood up to that... cannibal." Shoji kept his voice low, his quirk also keeping a close eye-- and ear-- out. Even Izuku had woken up a little more, his head up and swiveling about. Harper was glad to see he was still alert. They really shouldn't have let him fall asleep with a concussion like that, but he seemed fully coherent and she was glad. So long as they could keep him awake from here on out, they should be okay. "Still, that was... terrifying. But Tokoyami doesn't need to hear that right now."
Tokoyami didn't respond, lowering his head with guilt and regret still drifting around him. Harper probably should've said something at least a little comforting, but she was a bit distracted and more than a little tired. If walking was a chore, you could believe she wasn't in any state to be pulling the therapist card. Kota had pulled his head out of her shoulder and was cautiously glancing around, and that was good enough for her. He seemed calmer now that the danger had seemingly passed. That, and they were now amongst friends. It wasn't just them in the dark anymore.
"We're almost there." Kota's heartrate had stilled. "We're... going to make it!"
Harper almost smiled, but something stopped her. It popped up so suddenly that her quirk actually recoiled in shock. Harper felt her throat close up faster than it ever had in her life. Her body went still. A paralyzing sort of surprise shot through her and rooted her in place. Shoto almost ran into her because of her sudden stop, and Shoji almost into him. Bakugo's thoughts vanished in a mere instant. Like he'd just been wiped off the planet entirely. Harper felt her breath leave her. Fear filled her instead, leaking into every pore and choking her.
Harper had been scared all night, really. Through this whole thing, she'd been terrified. But she'd been moving and functioning. Capable of thought. This... was nothing like that. This was constricting and overtook her with ease. There was no fighting it. It washed over her and consumed everything she was, filling her mind and leaving no room to even think of escaping it. Old feelings drudged up in the pit of her stomach and rose from the occasion, and they were far from positive by any means.
"My, my, my." A sly, painfully familiar voice spoke. Shoto and Shoji whirled around like lightning. Harper was a bit slower to turn. Her grip on Kota had to be painful with how tight it was. Her face had gone pale as a sheet. Her heart stopped. She had never been more terrified in her life. This moment was one she'd had nightmares about. But how was it possible? How could this be happening? It... it- "If it isn't Harper Rye! Look at how you've grown."
"Sako Atsuhiro." Harper breathed out with a tremble. Her entire body was quaking. Her vision blurred with tears and rage. Something new bubbled in her chest. Something red, hot, and afraid. The man before her was different. He had a mask on and a top hat, but she could almost see his eyes sneering at her from behind the cover. "I... I thought I killed you."
"Well, my dear," Harper's eyes caught something between the man's fingers. Harper's head spun. The sight of the blue marble was familiar and struck her with a fear so painful she felt she couldn't breathe. Like she couldn't move and never would again. She was so sure she'd never see this man again. She was so sure she'd done away with him for good. His thoughts pierced through her quirk, and she had to fight not to scream. "You thought wrong."
~~~
Next chapter it comes full tilt and I am afraid