Her sword hand was shaking uncontrollably. What was this fear that was welling up inside of her? Ylva was over it, she shouted something at her probably to try and help, but she could hardly make out the message as the whole world was a blur. How was Kikurage just getting back to her duties? How was everyone managing to stay focused? ''I-I...'' She stammered at Ylva. This was all too much. ''I don't know what to do they... They need our help.'' She took a careful step forward, ready to fight the clone of Enma only to witness it get gutted right in front of her by some villain she didn't recognize. Unsheathing her sword, she immediately ran to the copy's side and took its hand.

''You're going to be okay! Stay with me!'' She knew it wasn't Enma. She knew for sure now, but that didn't change the fact that this was still a living being. Whoever or whatever this was, it probably wasn't fighting out of its own volition. The Elementalist twisted and tormented people. She still remembered how Vox had mentioned that some if not all of the Nomu had been human once. The thought made her stomach turn. ''You're going to live, you're going to make it out of here!'' She pressed a firm hand down on the wound to stop the bleeding, staining her hand in the process. In the chaos she looked up again, Farrin had been out of his mind earlier, but he was somehow managing to fight all this too. How did he do it? How could they fight through an emotional pain that was so paralyzing she could barely breathe?

Matsu, Jinx, Ylva Riis, Farrin, 𝕐 + 𝕐, Kikurage Shimeiji, Rin, Bakiri Retsu

[attr="class","likedo"]

She was more in tune with herself than she had ever been. Emotionally, physically, she hung on his every word and action and it was as if she felt him for the first time. Felt all of him. His hands on her lower back send happy chills through her body, they were where they belonged, holding her close, safe, just like this. She was burning up too, and couldn't help but let out another little nervous laugh. ''Our tea must be getting cold.'' She joked, but truth be told she didn't care about the tea, she just wanted to be close to him. She just wanted to feel that her boyfriend was here and that there was room for him in her heart.

When he wept so did she, pulling him into a closer hug, sitting there as long as it took for them to get the happy tears out. Once they pulled away and he took off his shirt she did her absolute best not to stare like some kind of creep. ''A-Actually, I... This is different.'' She admitted with a nervous smile. Unlike the heat she felt from her forge almost every day, the sensation that was burning her up was coming from within. She could only imagine it was the same for him. ''It does feel hot in here. Would you like me to open a window?'' Her eyes wandered down to his abs but she quickly caught herself. She needed to be accommodating of her guest and stop having irrelevant thoughts!

Her eyes grew soft with sympathy as he took her hand and spoke of his darkness and eluded to his all too unpleasant past. It hurt her to know that her quirk was measly armor and nothing more. If only she could have gone back in time and found him sooner, find some kind of way to reach him, maybe she could have made his life easier if they had only met sooner. ''I...'' She looked down at their hands too, acutely aware of how nice his felt. Firm and strong, and yet he was holding hers with the utmost care. ''I love every part of you... I realized that on our second date.'' He had probably thought his darkness had scared her away, but it pulled her in closer. She loved Enma and she wanted to help heal him whatever way she could, not as a savior or anything grand, just as his partner. Being by his side, just like this, exploring his fingers with her own and feeling him there. Getting to see his smile every day and laugh with him. That was enough.

As he looked at her hand her eyes found solace in his. ''My father is a fool and my family are as traditional as they come.'' She couldn't help but smile back when he looked at her with that cute smile, making her heart burst with those unique, colorful emotions she only felt for him. ''However, with your charms I am certain they will like you sooner rather than later.'' It was starting to dawn on her that they really were dating, that she wouldn't have to worry about all that finding a suitor stuff... She had already found him. ''That's true,'' she agreed shyly, looking down at their hands again. ''I am sure that would put his mind at ease.''

She was happy, so happy her chest tensed with every little heartbeat. They had confessed to each other and it was better than she had ever dared dream. All the times she thought about him, whether it was during class, in her workshop or trying her best to hide her true feelings during their sparring matches, there was always a small part of her that feared rejection. That feared the day might come when her feelings bubbled up like soda, that he did not feel the same way about her. To experience the opposite, to have someone she loved love her back, it was pure, emotional ecstasy. And yet, much like he was feeling, something had changed about their night. She suddenly felt more shy and awkward again, and just as she was getting used to going on dates with him. She wasn't just his girlfriend anymore, she was his girlfriend, girlfriend. The added confession made it feel that much more real in her heart.

When he moved in closer her heart beat faster and her hands reached out to embrace him, wanting, needing. ''E-Enma...'' She managed a weak whisper back. Her guard was down, but she trusted him fully, feeling safe in his embrace and in his dreamy, crimson eyes. Her hands traced gentle lines over his scars. ''These scars... Do they hurt?'' It felt corny to ask at a time like this, but it had been weighing on her mind ever since she first saw him shirtless. Besides, it was good to know given what she was about to do next. She closed her eyes and leaned in to kiss him, her arms wrapped around him as she gently pulled him towards her while leaning back onto the bed. Her face was flushed red too, pulling him in closer, as close as he would like. ''Maybe we could just...'' She trailed off anxiously. ''Lay with me, please?''

enma

[attr="class","likedo"]

Rem's entire story was certainly suspicious and had she been alone, she might have suspected the worst, that he was some kind of vigilante. However, she realized she was maybe a tad too quick to judge when Enma spoke up first, bringing up the fact that it could have been life or death self-defense. Besides, this guy didn't exactly seem like the type to go all criminal on society. ''I see...'' Was all she could say to Rem's story as she processed it bit by bit. A friend that turns into a bat? A guy made of metal? Whoever Rem really was, he was certainly an enigmatic character.

''You have no way to know unless you try. Rem-san, have you taken the hero entrance exam before?'' She looked at both him and Enma. She could fix the bat, and she could make it tougher too, however, Enma also had a point. The soul of the bat wasn't going to just come back when it was already in such disrepair. ''I can. It may not be a blade, but a bat like this would be a simple matter. However, structurally this bat will never be the same again.'' She indicated the bat Rem was holding. ''I can restore it to a usable state, but it would be inferior to a brand new bat, and more suited for decoration than actual use.'' She held up a hand when he asked how much it would cost him. ''Do not worry about the price, I will cover your costs.'' She looked over at Enma, trying to get ahead of him on paying for the new bat. ''Whether that is buying a new bat, or repairing this one. All I need is to take it to my workshop.''

enma, 🆁🅴🅼

So long as no fire spread to the platform and she was able to apprehend this beast here, Kiku had created a safe area for everyone. She could feel her quirk enhanced strength slowly crumble from the pressure, but just as she was about to give in she realized it. That she wasn't alone in this fight. Kiku, Farrin... They were fighting back against this thing too. Even Ylva who had already expended much of her energy, froze over her gauntlets. Thanks to the efforts of everyone, once she saw her opening Masao threw a punch at the golem that was enhanced by Ylva's ice, just moments before the whole armor came down from the pressure of their attacks.

Taking the moment to catch her breath, she steeled herself for what came next, but nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. ''Enma?'' The sheer shock of seeing her boyfriend in such a state made her drop her armor. How could he have ended up there? They were fighting knights in the eastern wing mere moments ago. She wanted to reach out and help him, but something in her hesitated. Was this really Enma? It felt as though a knife was being twisted into her heart slowly, there was no doubt it looked like him, but it couldn't be. When the body suddenly stood up and cloned itself, that was when she was fully certain. She only managed to catch a glimpse of the tide golem in the back. She couldn't really stop it here even if she wanted to. Her eyes wandered as Kiku ran towards who she called her dad. ''Deathcap, no!-'' Masao tried to help her, but before she could the Enma clone jumped at her and wrapped its hands around her throat, trying to strangle her as it tackled her to the ground. ''Enma... Please...'' She croaked weakly as she could feel the strength draining from her body. Why was she even trying to plead with a fake?

She couldn't die here, she had to find a way. Rather than struggle to get the monster off of her, she tried to reach for the sword by her side, but could she even stab the one she loved?

Lucille Arbogast, Matsu, Jinx Ylva Riis, Farrin, 𝕐 + 𝕐, Arataki Noa