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[She'd been shocked the moment the bubble burst. It had happened so suddenly and she had reached out blindly as the darkness closed around them to grab back onto the oxygen around them, or grab her friends, but she couldn't reach them and then she was being dragged away--

And she can't be sure how long it had been between that and waking up in this cave but it was definitely more than ten minutes because the timer on her Limiter had already run down and she was back to whatever amount of power she can draw up with it on. And you know, she was barely aware of that, or of the water still around them because the first thing she's doing is looking around for the others.]

Midoriya-kun! [But where are the other two?]

[Izuku wakes up with a gasp, one hand immediately flying to his throat as he remembers the cold water closing in around them after Kaoru's bubble had popped--they have to get back to the surface or they're going to drown!!

Except...they're not? Once the initial spike of panic fades, Izuku realizes that, somehow, he's breathing under water. How?]

Akashi-san...? [There's confusion in his eyes when he turns to her.] What happened?

I...don't know. [She reaches out to grab his forearm just to reassure herself that, yes, he was there. Yes, they were both fine (somehow), and she was absolutely not going to let them be separated again.]

That's...never happened before. I think, something grabbed us...but I couldn't see what.

[Her grip tightened for a moment.] I don't see Shiho or Ei-chan.

[Which was worrying to the point of almost being panic inducing, but she had to keep it together right now.]

[The bubble bursting had been a surprise, something Shiho hadn’t been able to prepare for even as she’d nonchalantly kept one hand on the side of the bubble, monitoring structural integrity, depth, and the status of its inhabitants.

She’d still felt ill-prepared without any kind of back-up but she trusted in Kaoru and in her own powers, in everyone they’d chosen to take along with them. Not as much though when the bubble burst and dark water rushed in all around them. Have to get to Kaoru is her first thought, followed simply by the desire to just get to anyone before darkness closed in and something drags her away.

One thing that sucks about the darkness is that she doesn’t know how much time has passed when she jerks back awake, half-expecting to be throwing up water but instead all she gets is.... air?

At least the person here with her is more vibrant even in the darkness.]

Hey! Are you okay? [He better be awake. He better be alive, she thinks as she grabs onto his arm.]

[Kirishima snores one more time and then turns over, his mind going on a five more minutes track of haziness before he blinks awake and regards Shiho with calm, amused eyes.]

Hey. You're awake too this time?

[When they had been dragged down by force he had been snarling and fighting, but right now his energy seems to be focused elsewhere. Kirishima had already woken up once before and gotten all that panicking out of his system so he is now ready to focus on the important tasks at hand. Task 1: make sure Shiho is well since she is the one friend where he knows where she is and can thus actually do something to help. Task 2 will be working together to gather more intelligence.]

[This time?

THIS TIME?! She had been so worried and he had been napping?!]

What do you mean “this time”?! And why are you this calm?!

[Sighing, Kirishima pushes himself up into a sitting position and rubs the back of his neck.]

I woke up a a bit ago and took a first look around before I got so exhausted that I ended up curling up and passing out for a little longer. That's why I know that there's nothing to fight here.

[An awkward shrug, although the tension in his shoulders betrays that he is ready to jump into action anytime. He isn't going to tell her that he is trying hard to preserve his energy reserves in case they'll need them. At full blast his quirk burns through them fast!]

I couldn't wake you so I figured waiting to see if you'd wake by yourself would be the best bet. Do you know what happened to the others?

[It's like Kaoru's words draw the memories back out in a rush, and Izuku inhales sharply.] Y-you're right. I remember now. After your bubble popped, something dragged us deeper into the water....

[His expression grows grim.] Whatever those things were, it's possible they separated us from the other two. Let's go take a look around.

[Part of him doesn't believe that they've been left to their own devices when they're essentially captives of some sort, but it would be stupid to just stay put, too.]

[Now that she’s calmed down a bit, she can definitely still see that tension if not with her eyes then with her psychometry. With a guilty frown, she realizes that she’s still touching him and takes her hand back.

There really is nothing here, he’s telling the truth.]

...No, I don’t. [And she doesn’t have the Queen Sense to tell her if anything happens to Kaoru.]

Why are we here anyway? Something... must have brought us here and they must have taken Kaoru-chan and Midoriya-san too. [Or done something else to them. If they did, she’s pouring oil into the sea.]

Or is this another one of those fairytale things?

[She nods. Her expression similarly grim.] Right. And if we find whoever brought us here we can interrogate them.

[The interrogation is likely to involve force given the way she said it.

She's reluctant to let go of him but unlike Aoi and Shiho, he couldn't fight well without being free to move so she does release her hold on his arm. But she's sticking close.]

[Similarly, Izuku keeps glancing over at her to make sure she's still with him as they walk--well, swim-walk, if we want to get technical here--through the cavern. The place looks lived in, at least.

And it's after the second room they've checked that they finally see some signs of life. Izuku shifts into a defense stance when a handful of nixies drift into the room. Immediately, he knows that this might not end well for them if they're forced to fight. He's never fought underwater before, and besides that, the water's buoyancy makes it difficult to feel...grounded at all.]

Webbed hands.. [He mutters, half to himself, half to Kaoru.] They're probably the ones that Jackson-kun ran into before. Try not to let them grab you directly. He got some nasty burns when they touched him. [A beat.] We should try negotiating with them first, though.

Stay away from their hands. Got it.

[On the other hand, Kaoru is 100% sure she could throttle them even underwater. So it was lucky that he suggested negotiating first because that would not have been her first choice.]

Okay. Hopefully they can understand us. [And now that she's considering this option she realizes she's not really feeling any hostility from them.] Where are you keeping our friends you bootleg mermaids?

[...is not negotiating, probably. Normal negotiations are left to Minamoto. She's who you call in when negotiations have broken down.]

I have no clue.

[His fingers flex a little at her ending the touch, but he doesn't even notice it. His mind is too preoccupied wondering what they can do and being relieved that it's not just him on his own anymore.]

I remember some hands that somehow reminded me of Tsuyu's grabbing me and then- Nothing. Either they somehow knocked me out without me even noticing or it was the lack of air. In any case it's not very helpful, sorry.

[He tilts his head at her and nods in agreement before he absentmindedly brushes some stray strands of hair out of his eyes. They sudden bath has washed most of his gel out of his hair - again.]

I haven't heard of a fairytale that includes being pulled into pitch black water. Do you know one?

[It's a near thing, but Izuku manages not to choke when Kaoru calls them "bootleg mermaids". (It's true, though. Kinda.)]

U-um, what she means is, we'd like to see our friends! Could you please take us to them? Or vice versa? We're not picky about that. [Izuku jumps in hurriedly, hands raised placatingly as he faces them.] And after that, I have a lot of questions I'd like to ask you guys about the town up there, and maybe anything you've noticed down here in the water, too!

[Despite his best efforts to be friendly, the Bootleg Mermaids don't look too impressed. They cross their arms, silent in their refusal.]

[Can't she just hit them? But then she could just imagine Minamoto scolding her for it. Besides, Izuku was trying so hard to be polite...she probably shouldn't ruin his efforts. She leans closer to him.]

Do you think they can talk at all? [It's a whisper, because it's entirely possible they can't speak, right? Then far more loudly (and definitely more demanding than Izuku was being) to the Bootleg Mermaids.] Why did you bring us here anyway?

[...is it to eat them? She's almost worried about that when they gesture to a pile of silver. Were those eating utensils and dishes? Were they seriously going to be eaten!?]

If they can, they're choosing not to. [Izuku's reply is also a whisper, though he straightens up once the Bootleg Mermaids actually try to...communicate? In a way. He's communicated with Dextera like this before, just hand gestures and motions, but it's harder to understand what their captors are trying to tell them when their expressions reveal nothing.]

S-sorry, I think you'll have to be more specific than that. [The Not! Mermaids gesture at the pile of silver again, this time accompanied with a scrubbing kind of motion that makes Izuku wonder if he's interpreting this all wrong.] You...want us to clean them?

[Okay, this is officially getting weird.]

Tsuyu? [She doesn’t know a Tsuyu but she does remember weirdly cold hands.]

...It’s fine. I don’t know either so it’s fine. [She does try not to stare too hard at his hair though. Kaoru has told her before that he’s sensitive about it.]

There are fairytales about falling into wells. Or maybe this is a Little Mermaid kind of thing. Maybe we’ve been kidnapped. [That’s a fairytale thing.]

[Kaoru wasn't sure what to say about that. Because there's a limit to how weird a situation can be even for her and this was quickly approaching that point.

When the bootleg mermaids actually make a gesture like, ah yes, they got it. And then they gestured towards a pile of...were those clothes? Why did they have clothes? They were naked right now weren't they? Did they wait until they had run out of things to wear before deciding to do laundry!?

Kaoru had to cover her face with her hand. She's honestly three seconds away from shouting at someone so it's probably better if she doesn't try to engage in this conversation.

She's still muttering to Izuku though,] Why can't they clean their own damn stuff?

[And if it were just loud enough to carry well. Then the nixies were rude eavesdroppers as well as slobs.]

[Honestly, he's thinking the same thing, too, but...optimism! Surely there's a reason for all of this?

He mutters right back to Kaoru.] Maybe... it's a test of some kind? Like if we help them with the cleaning, they'll answer our questions.

[Hope springs eternal and all that.]

Okay, we'll help you. But you'll take us to our friends first, right? [Given the situation, Izuku wonders if Kirishima and Shiho are being subjected to the same test somewhere else. The bootleg mermaids, seeing that Izuku and Kaoru are agreeable to their request, just make another vague gesture in their direction before leaving without another word. So to speak.]

Oooor not? I guess they're still not planning on explaining anything more to us.

[Your optimism is so bright it's almost blinding. Kaoru watches them leave with a glare.]

What jerks...they're as rude as they are ugly! How are we even supposed to clean all this by ourselves!?

[Don't mind her, she just needs to vent.]

No idea. [Izuku swims over to the pile of silverware, looking perplexed. How does he end up in situations like these?]

This is a lot of silverware, though. It'll take us a while to clean these. And there's the laundry, too...

[Finally, he sets the fork down and sighs.] Well, we'd better get started if we want to talk to them again. Let's find some cloth we can use for this. [Thankfully, there's a few rags lying just to the side of the silverware when he goes looking--it's almost as if they were set there for this purpose! How convenient.]

Asui Tsuyu. She's a friend from our class who has a frog quirk. [With whom he is obviously on first name bases.

He smiles at her before he self-consciously brushes a lock of hair behind his ear and gives a small cough. His roots aren't showing, right??]

It reminds me a bit about the tale of the Dragon Princess, but there aren't enough turtles around for that. Should we see if we can find some clues or a door? I didn't want to walk too far while you were still out.

Someone should tell them that doing housework regularly is easier than putting it off and having to do it all at once!

[She follows after him though she pokes at the laundry instead. They're underwater. Were they supposed to just fill all this water with soap? She's not sure she wants soapy water up her nose.

Still, that was a problem for another time. She pulls a couple of the rags to her hand with her power, is annoyed at how the water offers more drag than air.] Well, I can clean more than one thing at once. But I have no idea how to clean silver. Am I just supposed to wipe it until it's clean?

...So the hands had webbed fingers? [Though she won’t comment on him using people’s first names. If anything, he seems like the kind of person who would do that without much thought given to it??

And now it’s time to look away from his hair and around the room.

That’s a Japanese fairy tale though. Who knows if these guys are Japanese or if they’re using some other story. Let’s go.

[There does seem to be a door at one end, though Shiho isn’t about to open it until she’s read it with psychometry. Before she does though...]

...Thanks, by the way. [For not leaving her here by herself.]

I'm not sure? Sorry, I wasn't paying much attention to it, so all I really registered was that they felt clammy, sorta female and I dunno... mutant quirk type? That's probably not telling you much, huh...

[He offers her an apologetic smile to show that he is not trying to be haughty. Just stumbling over how to convey things that always seemed really normal to him to somebody who isn't used to them at all.]

I doubt they are Japanese. But they seem to have collected fairy tales from all over the world. [At least he is pretty sure that harpies, shadow monsters and banshees don't all belong to the same fairytale group.

Kirishima stops next to the door and gives her a curious look.]

Anytime. For what, though?

[Shiho doesn’t mind. For one, she didn’t have anything else to contribute to this either. He wasn’t alone.]

Thanks for not leaving me here.

[And with that she’s opening the door. Straight onto a fishy face staring right at them.

Right.

She’s closing the door again.]

...That isn’t Tsuyu, is it?

I think just wiping it should work. [Izuku picks up a spoon and begins polishing it diligently, though he's still frowning a bit.]

This doesn't make sense. Why keep us here just to do all the chores? Wouldn't it be easier to send us away instead?

[and yet he's still doing the work.]

[The hardened edge of Kirishima's hand clangs against the already closed again door and he is glaring at it.]

No. It's not.

[Her first reaction is to close the door on them. Kirishima's gut instinct is to stab them first and ask questions later. They're already off to a good start.]

[Shiho’s first reaction had been to keep them all safe, and she’s pretty sure attacking anything doesn’t keep them safe. (Though she does one hundred percent condone taking one of these things as hostages.)]

......We can’t attack them. [yet]

They could know where Kaoru-chan and Midoriya-san are. [But after that they’re having sashimi for lunch.]

[Generally Kirishima would agree that starting a fight unprovoked is a bad idea, but those girls? guys? people?? just grabbed them up and brought them who knows where without asking first. Worse, they took them by force and split them up for no discernible reason, he isn't going to take any chances with that.]

Yet. [He raises an eyebrow at her that turns his sarcastic remark half into a question, but he does lower his hand and shake his fingers out, although they are still hardened.]

Well, I definitely want some good explanations from them! Starting with where the others are and why they knocked us out like that!

[She huffs but she's following his example. She not using her own hands just because she needs to focus on the other ones she was cleaning using her powers. Picking stuff up when they were going in the same direction was easy this was...a bit different than that and it's not like she does this often.]

I have no idea. [At least if they tried to kick them out or anything like that she could just fight back.

This? This is annoying.

But she's doing the work too.]

Maybe they just don't want us to go any further? [Getting them stuck here doing housework would make them stop here...]

[And normally she would agree but someone has to be the level-headed on here.]

We’ll get them whether they want to give them or not. But for now you need to not attack them. Okay?

[Giving him a pointed look (which is her equivalent of “Kirishima, stay”) she turns back to the door, her hand on the doorknob telling her that it’s... definitely still there. Waiting patiently for some reason.

Okay, they can do this. She eases it back open with a charming smile.]

Sorry about that, I think we got a little bit too excited about meeting you. [The mermaid gestures for them to follow and Shiho does, smile still pasted on her face as she thinks of all the horrible things she’ll visit on these creatures if they’ve so much as bruised Kaoru.]

[Izuku pauses in the middle of cleaning a fork, brows drawn together in concern.]

But we'll have to leave eventually... [It's a bad thought, realizing that they might intend to keep them here with no intention of letting them go.]

Let's finish these chores. If they don't let us go after that, then... we'll have to fight our way out of here, I think. [He doesn't want to fight, if things could be resolved peacefully. But he and the others can't afford to stay down here when their friends are waiting for them back in town.]

[It was an unsettling thought certainly. But she was sure, between the two of them, that they'd be able to get out of here.

She nods.]

We'll make them sorry they ever tried to keep us here! [She's actually more than ready to throw down with their captors. But she'll stick to polishing the silver for now.]

I'm sure Shiho and Ei-chan are probably planning to do the same.

Yeah, I don't doubt it. Kirishima-kun's been in difficult situations before--he'll know what to do. And Sannomiya-san... she seems like she has a good head on her shoulders.

[It is reassuring to know that the other two can take care of themselves, if it comes down to it. For now, they have a lot more silver to polish.

As Izuku reaches for another fork, he stares down at the huge pile that they have left and makes a bit of a face.] Maybe we should find something to talk about, since we're going to be here for a while. Anything exciting happen to you lately, Akashi-san?

[You know, aside from getting kidnapped by bootleg mermaids.]

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Kaoru and Izuku

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Shiho and Kirishima

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