The Betrayal

Elly flashed a fanged grin at the bouncer as she walked up to the club. This was one that her boyfriend worked at often and they knew her well. Oddly, the large man seemed to not want to let her in but he sighed and moved grudgingly over after a few seconds.

She frowned, wondering what was wrong. Maybe he was having a bad night. It could be anything, really, and she put it out of her mind as she searched the floor for her beloved. He wasn't in the middle of a set, so she figured he was resting and strolled along the booths near the bar.

She was right.

There he sat, firmly ensconced in one of the curling, padded booths the club had ready for larger parties and mingling. No less than five ladies were with him, two on either side and one on his lap, which explained why she hadn't seen him before. Her legs continued to carry her forward, though she couldn't feel them anymore, until she grew close enough to be heard.

"Mic?"

He looked around the woman on him and smirked. "Hey, look, it's my loser girlfriend." The girls tittered and the one in his lap smugly stuck her tongue out.

"Mikey?" Her vision darkened and she swallowed back tears. There was no way this could be happening. He wasn't like this! "No. This isn't - you're not..."

"'Course I am." He giggled wickedly. "How could you think I'd be faithful to someone like you?"

She shook her head, turned around and walked straight out in a line without seeing anyone or anything in her way. She bumped into objects, people, anything in her path, bruising her shins and not feeling it. The bouncer winced as he saw her leave. He hadn't had the heart to stop her but didn't know what to say.

Eraserhead was on patrol in the area that night. He was crouching on a rooftop resting for a moment when he saw a figure cross a road directly in front of multiple vehicles. He watched, startled, as the person did not change their pace. After several near misses he decided to intervene and swung himself down. His surprise doubled when he caught sight of the striped, split-ended tail and he hurried on as his colleague walked up the beach and along the wooden pier that ran out amid the water.

"Ches?" Aizawa frowned. Something was not right. The Insanity Hero was swaying lightly back and forth with her hands, head and tail hanging limply down. When he approached she made no sign she heard him, though normally she would have addressed him by now.

He raised his voice. "Cheshire? Are you all right?"

She tipped over and fell off the planking without a sound. Aizawa cursed loudly and caught her in his capture weapon before she hit the water. He kept her wrapped as he pulled her in for fear she might try something else.

"What a stupid thing," he raged at her, tightening his grip. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" She stared at him blankly, or rather, he saw - past him. She was still not aware of his presence and her eyes had a strange, milky cast to them. He shook her gently, his concern growing. "Ches? Ches! Shit!"

He rushed her back to campus, hoping that this odd malady was easily cured. Recovery Girl glanced up, startled, as he burst into her office.

"What the - ?!"

"Something's wrong with Cheshire." He placed her gently on a cot, his expression worried for once.

"What happened?" She rolled up her sleeve and began checking her pulse.

Aizawa told her how he had followed her to the beach. "She didn't respond at all. After she fell off the pier, her eyes kept getting discolored until the pupils were completely gone."

The older woman ran a few tests, her face growing more grim with each one. After she checked Elly's blood pressure, she picked up her phone. "I'm calling an ambulance."

He listened as she spoke with the responders. "Besides her eyes, her pulse and blood pressure are dangerously low and she's not responding to any stimuli. This looks like nothing I've seen before."

Luckily hospital wasn't as busy as it often got, and the lull in patients meant that she was seen quickly. The doctor was a small man with long, lop-like rabbit ears that he tied behind him while he worked. He stuck his head out of the door and motioned for Aizawa after examining her.

"What's wrong with her?"

"I'm afraid she's gone into what appears to be a self-inflicted coma. Completely tuned out the world around her. Quite rare and normally happens with children in extremely stressful situations - it's called "resignation syndrome". I'm not sure, but this looks like the first adult case. I understand she has some mental issues ... did something happen lately that may have pushed her over the edge?"

The dark-haired hero shuddered inwardly at the memory of her teetering off the dock. "Not that I know of. She seemed very stable, in fact. I remember her claiming that her boyfriend had something to do with her feeling better than she ever had."

"Uh huh." The doctor paused, thinking. "Isn't that Present Mic?"

Aizawa grimaced at the fact that the man knew. "Yes."

"Do you know where he is? We need to snap her out of this and it may very well be he could be the deciding factor. Patients that are in shock sometimes respond to a loved one. Although..." He tapped his tablet, shaking his head. "I don't really know what happened. I'd like to see if he could help, though."

He shrugged. "Already texted him. He hasn't replied yet so I assume he didn't get the message. Believe me, he'll be here as soon as he knows she needs him. Do you have quirk dampeners?"

"Of course..?"

"You may want one handy. He gets extremely excitable where his girlfriend is concerned."

Everything about this situation was strange, especially Mic's attitude when he finally showed up an hour later. The doctor offered him the dampener, but he eyed it suspiciously.

"No, I won't need that." He shied away from the small device. "I'm fine. So, where's she at?"

"She's in this room." The nurse held the door open and then backed away so they could have privacy.

Mic walked slowly over to the cot where she lay, pale and unconscious. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Hey, what did you do, try to off yourself?"

She said nothing. He sat down beside her and kicked a leg idly about as he spoke.

"I never thought you were this gullible! I never loved you at all. I just played you so I could fuck you a whole bunch. Was planning on dumping your dumb ass before long, anyway. It was getting boring, being able to have it whenever I wanted."

Her chest rose and fell rapidly and as her heart rate quickened the monitor began beeping faster and faster.

"In fact," he continued in a low voice only she could hear, "I hope you do croak. Serves you right for thinking you deserve me."

Elly vanished.

A nurse ran in, panicked, to check the heart monitor as it steadily climbed. She blinked when she noticed the patient wasn't there. "Doctor!"

Aizawa strode in along with the physician, his eyes immediately glowing red. "She's using her quirk. Here." He trained his gaze quickly on her and incidentally, Mic as well since he was bent over the cot. His eyes widened and he tried to get out of the way but Aizawa looked ...

... and the tall man clad all in leather dissolved into a human sized lizard with large, unblinking eyes. He was, however, actually wearing Mic's jacket, pants, speaker and boots.

"What the hell?!"

"Who is that?"

"Get him out! I need to stabilize her now!"

The lizard man leaped at the wall and desperately tried to reach the window to make his escape, but Aizawa's capture weapon lashed out and snared him. "We're going to have a little talk," he told him angrily, dragging him out. He found an empty room and slammed him down onto a chair.

"Where is Mic?"

"Why the hell should I tell you?"

"Because if you don't, I'll let her ask you." He pointed back towards the room they had just left. "When she finds out what you did and that her boyfriend's been caught, you're not going to like what will happen."

The villain scoffed. "Heroes won't hurt anybody."

"Oh, she won't hurt you," he agreed mildly. "Not physically. Don't you know what she does? Ever wonder why she's called the 'Insanity Hero'?"

The huge lizard eyes blinked once, very slowly. He had heard stories when she first began working in Japan; they all had. "Uhhh... he's safe."

"Sure he is. Where?"

"Sh - shit! In an abandoned warehouse by the red light district. I don't know anything more than that!"

-

Aizawa checked every warehouse in the area until he found his friend. He had to take out a few guards, nothing too serious, before he found the correct one.

Hizashi had been stripped of his clothing so the imposter could wear it, and since his captors hadn't replaced anything he was only wearing a white tank top, red boxer briefs and socks. He sat in an uncomfortable steel chair in the huge, empty space, tied at the ankles and wrists and gagged. His face was bruised and he had a black eye, among other abrasions and one arm that seemed to be hanging at an awkward angle.

He squinted at the sound of footsteps, unable to see without his prescription sunglasses.

"It's me." Aizawa found them on a table and picked them up. "Here, Mic." He slid them on before freeing the beaten hero. Hizashi fell forward, unable to stand right away. His friend caught him and held him.

He coughed up a small spray of blood and raised his head. "Ches?" It was all he could say. Aizawa saw his throat had been severely bruised, probably in an effort to keep him quiet.

"She's okay. I'll bring you to her."

Of course, the staff at first refused to admit him as a guest since he needed treatment himself but they got hold of the doctor working with Elly. He brought him into the room just as he was, torn, bleeding and unable to walk or speak properly. Aizawa pushed him over to her side in a wheelchair and he wheezed in pain, eyes filling with tears when he saw the state she was in.

"Babe?" His voice came out as a sibilant whisper. He shook his head and tried again. "S'me."

She twitched a little, her ears perking.

"Zashi is here to see you, Ches." Aizawa spoke out in a firm, clear voice. "The other was a fake."

Another ear flick.

"Baby?" Mic leaned over as close as he could. "Please..." He touched her cheek with trembling fingers and her eyes popped open.

The white drained slightly, her purple eyes coming into view as she focused on his beaten features. Her nose tested the air. "Shota..?"

"It really is him this time." He trained his quirk on Mic to prove it, who remained himself.

"H - Hi - Hih..." She choked, stuttered, tried again. "Hizashi!"

He grinned painfully as she threw her arms around him and used his one good arm to hug her. She held him, sobbing uncontrollably and stroking his hair, which was a tangled mess of blood mixed with the product he used to slick it up in the morning.

"We need to treat him as well," the doctor gently pointed out after several minutes.

She nodded, still weeping. "Bring him back to me," she said so intensely that the man flinched.

"Of course."

Elly was relieved when they wheeled him back into the room which was now theirs for the time being. He was cleaned up and bandaged, with one arm in a sling and his hair washed and tied back in a ponytail. Hizashi waited until the nurse was gone before getting painfully up to sit by her bedside.

"You're hurt," she said sadly. "I should sit by you. Go back and lay down!"

"M'fine. Look, roll over a little." He crawled beside her on the cot. There was barely any space but when he pulled her close they were fine. "What happened, though? I was told you tried to - to hurt yourself?"

She buried her head in his chest. "The guy was at the club you usually work at, making out with all these women. Then he told me horrible things... I don't remember everything but Shota said I fell off the pier at the beach."

"Oh, baby, I'd never do you like that. Ever." His face fell. "How could you even think that?"

"He even smelled like you, Zashi. I mean, it was crowded, so scents get mixed up and stuff. But he was wearing your clothes so he had your scent." She sniffled, remembering the pain of seeing him that way.

"I know," he soothed, holding her close and rocking her gently. "You - you were gonna hurt yourself," he whispered. "Please don't ever do that. I got so fuckin' scared when they told me you were in the hospital."

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. "You're - you're my everything, Zashi. I know it's not healthy, but I can't help it. I need you."

"But how could you think I would..."

"My family treated me badly. I love you more than anyone in the world, but my psyche is so damaged it's going to take a long time to heal. If my own mother and relatives abused me, of course anyone else could. And we're not technically family..."

He brightened all at once, his head raising as a huge smile broke out on his battered features. "Then let's change that. I'm never gonna let you go, 'kay? Here, look." He raised her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. "I promise. Marry me."

"Wait, now? Like, right now?! We - we could wait a little..."

"Nuh uh!" He shook his head, then winced as a bolt of pain shot through it. "We can do it with lots a' people around later. I'm not gonna wait one freaking minute after this."

The next time a nurse walked by the door he whistled shrilly. Elly winced, but he apologized and then pointed out towards the hall. "You got a chaplain or somethin' around? Like, you know, anybody that can marry us?"

The nurse blinked. "Um. Right now, sir?"

"Yeah, right now. We're both fit enough at least to sign for it."

He hesitated, looking from one hero to the other. "I - I don't know if the doctor..."

"Please," he asked softly. "This is very important to us."

"You know," Elly sighed, smiling, "It is. If one's not available we can ask for something to be arranged."

"Then good came of all this after all." He hugged her carefully.

Relax

Aizawa tossed his head back and forth on the pillow, eyes squeezed shut in agony. He was nude except a pair of black socks and the messy pile of clothing beside the bed showed he had been hastily undressed. His girlfriend lay beside him with her hand wrapped around his firm erection.

"I - I want to, but I can't. <i>Need</i> to, Ches! Wh - what's wrong with me?!"

"It'll be okay, baby," Elly soothed softly. "You're under a lot of stress. This happens sometimes." She stroked his thigh lightly and bent to kiss him on the nose. "Look. Don't worry about it yet - let's put on some soft music and light some of those candles we bought last week."

He thrust his lower lip out, his forehead wrinkling in a frown. "How's that going to help?"

"Trust me."

He sighed. "Yes."

She brought in a few scented candles and found music he didn't object to after a few tries. Aizawa had closed his eyes and was laying on the bed in a frustrated state where he couldn't even doze when she joined him once more. The bed dipped with her added weight and she cuddled close.

"Can't relax yet?"

"No," he said shortly.

"Keep your eyes closed, okay?" She kissed them and moved on to toy with the scruff on his face.

"Hnf."

"I dreamed about you last night," she murmured as she nibbled his chin.

"Did you."

"Yep. I missed you when you were on patrol. So after I lay down I had a dream where we were in bed, snuggling together. It wasn't very imaginative, but I was smiling when I woke up and you were really there."

He swallowed a little awkwardly. "Hmm. You really miss me that much?"

She mouthed his lips and slid to the side of his face right before he moved to kiss back. "Uh huh."

Aizawa grumbled under his breath but held back, letting her do as she liked. She flicked her tongue out and traced the contours of his ear, brushing back his dark hair to reach. "Mnn. Hey, Ches."

"Mm hmm?" She breathed warmly on the lower part of the pink shell and smiled when his breathing started to pick up.

"I know what you're doing."

"I know that, too, Shota."

His voice grew rougher as he tried to maintain a steady intake of air. It was getting increasingly difficult as she teased him with fluttering kisses that barely touched his skin. Her hands began stroking him gently below, slow and steady with pressure on his most sensitive area. "Good. Don't stop."

"I won't," she promised. "Do you want anything?"

His frown grew deeper and he fidgeted a little, moving his legs restlessly about. "Kisses."

"Oh, you and your kisses. So cute."

"Yeah, then c'mere." He pulled her on top of him and cupped the back of her neck, guiding her forward. Their mouths met and he stared into her eyes while they kissed. "It worked," he told her quietly, his breathing now coming in harsh, little pants.

"You ready to come now?"

"Yes," he panted. "Just a little more... hah!"

"There we go," she murmured.

Best of both worlds 6

Nezu was conversing with Aizawa in his office when word from the precinct came back. The principal checked the information and nodded to himself.

"All right. Like I was saying, we've set aside a room in the female dorm beside Eri. Since you keep a close eye on your ward, you can be there if an emergency of any sort arises."

"Mic is going to introduce her to the students and sit with her until lights out tonight?"

Nezu nodded. "We'll see how things work out. I don't believe she's going to be a problem but keep an eye out." He grinned a little.

"Funny," the homeroom teacher muttered.

Instead of Present Mic, Elly sat beside the skeletal form of the man that used to be the top hero in the world. Yagi waved the curious teenagers closer when they spotted the newcomer. She had been wearing a plain black t-shirt and jeans when she fell through the portal, and this had now been supplemented by a U.A hoodie as the nights were sometimes chilly.

She perked her furry ears nervously as the kids approached. "I know them, too," she told him softly. "I'll try not to act as if I do, though."

"It might be for the best," he agreed.

"Hey, who's the cat chick?" The spiky-haired blond boy sneered and propped an arm on the side of the couch near the male teacher. "She your girlfriend or something?"

All Might decided to cough up a moderate amount of blood as a reply. "Bakugo!"

"Nah, she doesn't look like it."

The green-haired young man in front of her did a double take when he heard this. "<i>No way!</i>"

"It's not true, young Midoriya," he sighed.

"Let me guess, they cracked a joke about me being your girlfriend." A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Ah... yes. I told them you weren't." He was actually blushing.

"I'm just here because of an accident that happened while testing - what was his name? -- uh, someone's quirk."

Yagi nodded and repeated as much to the students, who crowded closer.

"You don't speak Japanese?" The studious Iida tried first in his language and then in halting English.

She shook her head. "Very little, and my pronunciation is terrible. I understand a bit more if you go slow, though."

He looked dubious. "Where did she come from so quickly and not speak the language of our country?"

"She's not a tourist. She doesn't have any luggage," Momo pointed out.

"But - but, that means she doesn't have anything, right?" The usually bubbly Ochacho fretted, staring at Yagi. "She can't wear the same things every day."

He nodded. "We're providing Elly with a room here and some amenities until we figure out what's going on."

Things got a little hectic but the younger folks were eventually all introduced to the new adult, along with advice on where the bathrooms were and multiple warnings about Mineta.

An hour later when they left to get dinner she had grown extremely anxious. Yagi was about to suggest they get something to eat as well when his phone blared into his All Might voice.

"Excuse me," he murmured as the phone buzzed and yelled that he had a text. He glanced at it and typed a reply. "It seems Yamada is coming back earlier than expected," he said with a smile.

"Oh?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Yes. It took him awhile but I'm hoping he started to see that leaving you was a little more than just shirking his duties."

She fidgeted on the couch. "I told him to, though. It was okay."

"Anyway, he's bringing dinner for all of us. I suggested we eat on one of the benches on the lawn instead of being cooped up inside."

"That sounds nice."

Mic arrived a quarter of an hour later with huge sacks of takeout and an apology. Yagi started divvying up the food on a small table in front of them while the English teacher tried to make things right.

"Look, I'm sorry I bailed on ya." He pressed his two forefingers together, looking for all the world like a schoolboy himself. "I couldn't enjoy the concert without worryin', so I came back fast as I could."

"It's okay," she repeated, biting her lip and avoiding looking directly at him.

Yagi blinked, watching their interaction with a growing intuition as he pulled out several greasy, paper-wrapped burgers. She hadn't acted so jittery around him, after all, and she was blushing hard as the Voice Hero apologized, oblivious to all the signs. He hid a large smile carefully behind one hand.

Best of both worlds 5

They were taken to the station in one of the school's limousines, not a police car. It was a better start, but as soon as they entered the precinct Elly felt more like a criminal than she cared to. They carted her off to be fingerprinted and have her photo taken while Mic waited outside. He whipped out his phone and started playing a popular game.

"Present Mic?"

"Yeah, she okay?" The dog-headed man behind was genuinely baffled.

The officer shook his head. "I've never come across anything like this."

"Eh?"

"No prints." He shook his head again. "We ran her in the system and she's not coming up. It's not that she burned 'em off, or anything... they're there. But according to the computer, she doesn't exist."

"That's kinda what I thought." He paused. "Uh... can she come back out now? You've kept her for awhile, and she's kinda my responsibility."

"Chief wanted more tests run." He shrugged.

"Look," Mic said as he started to sweat, "she's not a villain or a criminal... I don't think. At worst she's a little messed up in the head."

"I'll see what I can do," he offered.

Several minutes later Elly came slowly out from the room, her eyes wide in a manner he recognized when one was struggling to hold back tears. She was shaking and extremely pale, her cat ears folded back into her hair and nearly invisible. When she saw him she jerked a little in his direction but then stopped, unsure. The female police officer escorting her nodded.

"You can go."

She darted furtively over and stood very close to him on one side, making sure he was between her and the cops. "Don't let them take me back there again," she pleaded quietly.

Wanting to give some kind of comfort, the Voice Hero patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. "S'okay. I, uh, didn't think this through." He was was relieved to notice her shaking had stopped and he sighed and turned to the cop on duty. "Awright. Let me guess, no news means it's all on us now."

The woman had retreated during her outburst and the basset hound man was the only one around. He seemed sympathetic, though that could have just been his soulful eyes. "Yes. You can go - she's been put into the system for future reference. We'll contact U.A if we hear anything else."

"Yeah. Us, too."

They walked out the door into the mid afternoon sun.

"They strip searched me," she told him softly, her eyes haunted. "I've never been - I don't get in trouble, ever, and it was... just, so embarrassing and <i>degrading</i>."

"Aw, shit. Sorry about that. I tried to get you out of there as fast as I could, but they were determined once you didn't show up in their precious database."

As they were headed back to the campus he checked his phone and groaned dramatically. "Crap."

"What's wrong?"

"I had tickets to somethin', and it's almost go time." He shook his head.

"Wait, are you saying you can't because of me?" Her ears laid back and she sounded mortified. "Couldn't you get someone to watch me while you go?"

He perked up, his eyes bright behind his shades. "Hey, yeah, I bet if I could get somebody else for a couple hours it'd be okay. It's not like you're goin' anywhere."

She smiled weakly. "Yeah. Then you can go."

He found Toshinori and dragged him there as promised, babbling the whole way about how he would "owe him one" and he'd be "back in a couple of hours".

The bigger man simply nodded. "I will get her settled into her room at the dorm. You can meet us in the common area when you're ready."

Mic blurted thanks and ran off, waving behind himself as he went.

Yagi frowned. "I would like to apologize for my colleague," he murmured. "He's a good man, he just ... lacks judgement sometimes. Not intelligence - he's clever -- but he doesn't think things through. I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

She blushed and shook her head furiously. "Oh, no! No, he didn't. It was my idea. I didn't want him to miss out because of me. I mean, I'm not worth it."

She jumped when he placed a large hand on her shoulder, sighing rather sadly. "You <i>are</i> worth it whether you know it or not. Everyone has value."

Best of both worlds 4

"I'll make you a promise," he finally offered. "I won't think you're crazy no matter <i>what</i> you tell me."

"I trust you, Mic," Elly sighed. "And I guess my holding back isn't helping, so..." Her purple-striped tail lashed several back and forth times behind her while she thought. "Your world here? It's a manga and an anime where I come from. That's how I know a lot and that's why I think this can't be real."

His sunglasses slid down the bridge if his nose as he stared at her, his eyes huge in shock.

"It's my current <i>favorite</i> series," she added unhelpfully. "I have a lot of merchandise from it." She avoided mentioning how most of it was his but did start blushing and stared down at her hands on the table top.

He recovered enough to exhale noisily out of his gaping mouth. "Holy <i>shit.</i>"

"Yeah."

"I better, uh..." He jerked a thumb backwards.

"Yeah. Go tell them."

A few doors down this conversation was happening.

"Hey, guys? Uh. She told me what's up." He still looked stunned.

"Oh? Spill it." Midnight leaned forward expectantly.

"She says she's... ahhh. From another reality. We're actually a manga in her world."

Absolutely no one expected that.

The room went silent for a full minute.

"What th' hell?" Snipe shook his head.

"Her quirk could be mind reading." Aizawa looked around the table, his expression deadpan as almost always. "Occam's Razor, people. That would easily explain how she seems to know everything about us."

"But why lie?"

"I can think of multiple reasons."

"She hasn't shown us her quirk. Until then, we <i>shouldn't</i> rule out she might be lying." Midnight frowned, thinking hard.

Mic rubbed his temple, groaning. "But if she's telling the truth, she doesn't know what her quirk is. 'Cause she's never had one."

"We need to turn her over to the authorities now anyway. They've been waiting."

"But - but she's scared!" Mic exclaimed. "And if what she says is true, completely alone in a strange place. She doesn't speak the language and has no identification."

"We have to do it. They might be able to find something out, especially when they run her prints. Anything will help. Perhaps she's legitimately forgotten who she is."

"We're sworn to protect the innocent. It looks like we dragged her into this anyway by testing Ana's quirk and that makes us responsible for her. Her safety <i>and</i> her sanity."

"Yeah, I feel bad, guys," the portal creator said.

"Well said," Yagi murmured to Hizashi.

Nezu stared thoughtfully at the tall, blond man, who was wringing his hands. "You seem to have a calming effect on her, Yamada. And that is an excellent point. We must treat her kindly, especially as she's likely to come back to us." He steepled his paws together and leaned towards the English teacher.

Mic blinked. "Uh..."

"She will require a translator, yes? I'll contact your agency so you can be free tonight. You'll be our representative and stay by her side to make certain she's treated like a guest, not a criminal."

"Why not have Yagi do it? Sorry, man," he added as an aside.

"No problem." The big guy shrugged.

"She's shown an interest in you. It's been enough to get her to open up. And it might make her feel safer if she's truly going to be our guest here."

"Aww. I was going to a concert later." He sighed, then held his hands up when the others frowned at him. "Okay, okay! I'll do it. You just better not make me your errand boy for all her shit."

Best of both worlds 3

After her ankle was better, Elly was escorted by Present Mic into the teacher's lounge. She did make sure to thank the nurse before she left, causing the older woman to smile as she pressed a candy in her palm.

Knowing what she did of the lady's talent, she popped it in her mouth right away. Still, she was feeling very tired and sat with some relief at one of the big tables when the leather-clad hero pulled one out a chair for her. Mic wandered off for a few minutes and returned from the vending machine with cans of coffee.

She gratefully accepted. "Thanks. I was going to get coffee when all of - this -- " She waved a hand around, "happened. I <i>really</i> need it now."

"No problem." He sat opposite her at the table and fiddled with his can, spinning it a little before suddenly opening it. "Awright. So, you popped out of a hole thingy in the air that we were kinda testing. Nobody knows what's on the other side of 'em, that's why the guy came to us. You show up and know us all somehow. That's where we are."

"Yes," she agreed. "On my end, I'm going about my normal day and I fall completely out of nowhere into a place that is impossible for me to believe exists."

"UA?" He looked confused.

"Everything!"

"You need to talk to me." Mic shrugged. "We can't help if you don't,  you know."

Elly groaned and dropped her head onto the table in front of her. "If this is reality, you'll think I'm crazy."

He raised an eyebrow. "You keep saying stuff like '<i>if</i> this is reality' you won't need to say anything else. Plus, why would ya care what I think?"

"I'm glad they left us alone for a little bit," she sighed, changing the subject. "I know it's because I'm more comfortable around you, but still..."

He rocked back in his chair, propping his boots up on the table in front of him. "You stopped panicking, that's all that matters. When Eraser dropped you off at Recovery Girl's office, you were all bug-eyed and passing in and out of conciousness. "

"I'm holding a lot in at the moment. This is all quite overwhelming." She sighed and drank some of her coffee. "The fact that I think I'm dreaming is helping."

"Pinch yourself." He shrugged.

"You said what?" She blinked rapidly several times, her ears perking towards him.

"Isn't that what ya do when you think you're dreaming? If it hurts, yer awake "

Elly pinched herself lightly on the arm, then blinked away a tear at the sharp pain. "Holy shit. I'm still here."

He grinned. "Welcome to reality."

"Gee, thanks. That helps."

"Look, I know I'm not the best at one on one shit like this. Yagi would've been a better choice for this."

"I'd still rather talk to you. Toshinori is nice, but he's so big! And I know Aizawa likes cats, but he's also highly suspicious. Oh, and of course there's the language barrier. I'm not that great at Japanese."

"See, that's the thing. You keep dropping hints that you know us all so well - but we've never seen you before!"

"I know. Suspicious." She looked so utterly confused that he felt a twinge of sympathy for her. "I still think this place isn't real. It just <i>can't</i> be."

"What about when you pinched yourself earlier?"

Her ears flicked. "I - I'm not sure."

"Look, Ana didn't know what his quirk did. Maybe 'this' -" He waved a gloved hand around like she had earlier, mimicking her goofily and causing her to smile, "<i>is</i> possible, no matter what you think."

"If it is, I'm not sure what my reaction will be. Could go either way: scared as hell or thrilled beyong my wildest dreams."

Best of both worlds 2

The cloth unwound from her chest and returned to the neck of a dark-clothed figure on her left.

"<i>Shota?!</i>"

The man stuck his hands in his pockets. "How's she know your given name?"

"How does she know yours?" Hizashi shrugged.

"I've never seen her before." The men she had identified both frowned, squatting down to her level.

"Do you know where you are?"

"Are you okay?"

"Where? What?" Elly's heart was beating wildly in her chest as she looked around. <i>This can't be really happening, this has to be a comic convention or something</i>. And her fingers had found not only hair on her head, but a pair of perky, furry ears! "I'm either dreaming or I've gone insane. Hizashi ... Present Mic? What the hell?"

"The fall may have stunned her."

"You think?"

"She doesn't speak our language. Maybe the portals reach across to the other side of the world!"

"Guys, shut up." The one man was definitely Mic, she saw - or someone dressed as him, which was more likely. But everything was so perfect: his leather jacket and pants, the neck gear with the cassette deck and microphone actually looked like it worked, not like a cosplay prop. His hair, his sunglasses and especially those eyes.  Sure, they made contacts that you could wear, but...

Mic nodded to the group around her. "She's scared, an' yer right, she doesn't speak Japanese." He faced her and smiled in what he hoped was a nonthreatening fashion. "You fell right in the middle of the U.A campus," he told her in English, pointing up. "From pretty far, too. And, uh, out of a portal thing this guy made." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at a wild-eyed man behind him.

"Trust me, we're just as confused as you are."

"Oh my god," she choked, shivering all over as he placed a cautious hand on her arm. "You're real. I can feel you."

"You knew my name, of course I'm real."

"I - I don't know what's going on," she stammered, her eyes wide and frightened. "Is this a movie set? A comic con?"

"Let's get her out of here," Aizawa grunted. "She's in plain sight and we're not sure what's going on. She should also see Recovery Girl if she's injured. Sounds like she hit her head."

Mic translated some of this and she nodded. When she went to stand up, however, she swayed and almost fell. "Shit!"

A strong arm caught her before she could fall again, and she heard but didn't understand all of Shota's dry comment. "Careful. Hizashi, what the hell. Pay attention."

"Yeah, well, she just fell, like, how far? So she's dizzy." He turned back to her. "You okay to walk?"

"I don't know. I couldn't balance - I have my tail?! -- and my ankle's been sore for awhile, so there's that, too."

Midnight piped up, waving a hand at them. "Oh, for the love of - Eraser, just carry her and it'll be faster. Chiyo will help."

He scooped her up. She squeaked in shock but allowed him to walk her off the field. They veered off in another direction when they got inside, heading into the nurse's office.

"Ow. Th - thank you," she told him when he set her gently down on a cot.

"All right, who's this?"

"She popped out if a portal during that test run we were doing. Think she may have hit her head, maybe twisted her ankle."

"Oh, dear."

"Oh, and she only speaks English," he called out as he left.

"Huh. Interesting. Well, leave her to me! I'll have her fixed up in a few." She smiled at Elly, who was staring around wide-eyed.

Aizawa nodded to Recovery Girl and walked a couple of halls over into the meeting room, where the rest of the staff along with the portal quirk user were seated.

"How is she, Aizawa?" Yagi appeared greatly concerned. "She seemed so upset. Was she injured from her fall?"

"There was a bone bruise on her ankle. Chiyo said it was from before this happened, however. She's resting for a few minutes while it heals."

"Good," he sighed.

"Yeah, great," Midnight drawled sarcastically. "She feels better. But what do we do with her? Who is she?"

"We could ask her some questions after she calms down."

"If she calms down. Y'all see her freaking out? Somethin' strange going on there if ya ask me." Snipe ran a finger along the rim of a can of coffee thoughtfully.

"Put her with Mic in the lounge," Aizawa suggested.

"Me? Just 'cause I speak English?"

"Because she's more comfortable around you. She might talk more."

"What's the matter, Yamada?" Midnight teased him. "Scared to be alone in a room with a strange girl?"

"Shut up."

"In the meantime, the police have been notified," Nezu added. "They will be quick and discreet, and keep us informed of any findings."

"Good. Maybe her fingerprints will uncover who she is."

"Won't that frighten her much worse?" Yagi frowned. "She's already scared."

"We really don't have that much of a choice."