[OP: "Like the Dawn"--The Oh Hellos]

Bakugo peered through the small trees Karin had directed him to...

And instead of someone dying, what he found was a girl about his age sitting on a rock and shivering because it was cold.

She also had a stack of books, notebooks, and other tools lying next to her on the rock, and a pack on the ground, so she'd been going through it.

"Not even a dang pager," she looked up at Bakugo. "So lame."

Bakugo stared at her.

Wasn't she...scared?

"I mean, Iike, what? We're in the Stone ages?" she asked, her accent like a valley girl in an American movie. "Gag me."

Bakugo narrowed his eyes. "You're definitely not a ninja...the h--- are you?"

"The h-'- am I what?" she replied. "Like bro, why are you pissed at me? I'm just minding my business."

"Aren't you freaking lost?" Bakugo was confused by her reaction.

"Oh...right...that..." she shrugged. "I mean, y'know, s--t happens, bro. What, are you like, riding to my rescue or something? Like I'm some damsel in distress? You look like a hero. At least, I hope."

"You know what that is?"

"Duh, doesn't everyone?" The girl studied her fingernails for a second.

Bakugo straightened. "You're from my world then... I don't remember you."

"For real?" she stood up. "That's so weird, I don't remember anything about how I got here...I mean like fahm, I've been doped before and not remembered it, but, I legit never left my room, so this is another level. Totes cray-cray."

"Is that supposed to be language you're speaking?" Bakugo said. "You seem pretty annoying for someone who's in a crisis."

"Hey, step off, you big jerk!" she flipped him off. "That's, like, no way to talk to anyone who's having a major crisis! Hello, it's called smiling through the pain? You should try it sometime, you're like, way less handsome when you don't."

"What?" Bakugo looked confused.

"That's better, but, like, a smile would be nicer," she held up her hands like a picture frame. "You've got real potential. Like, you could be one of those action heroes from a movie, right? But not if you're gonna yell at me. That's like, so not romantic."

"Who's trying to be romantic?" Bakugo turned beet red.

"I'm not watching this right now," Suigetsu said.

"I know, right?" Karin was weirded out. "Who flirts at a time like this?"

"Oh she's just crazy, but it's him acting like he likes it that's freaking me out." Suigetsu said. "I don't even remember him, but I'm positive he's not the flirty type."

"No kidding," Karin grimaced.

"Not you, clearly," the girl answered Bakugo's question. "Btw, I'm Camie. Camie Utsushimi." She peace signed him. "Or, MaboroCamie, if you want my hero moniker. Like, what's your label, bro?"

"Ground Zero," Bakugo said.

"That sounds lame," Camie said. "Like, you're a zero? I'd be like, 100%"

"No, you dolt, it's where they test bombs."

"So you test bombs?" Camie said, with a straight face.

"No, I explode!"

"Why wouldn't you just be 'the bomb', then? " Camie said.

"I...because...Midnight said it was too scary to go with that." Bakugo was still a little pissed at Midnight.

"Midnight? Wait, the pro hero Midnight?" Camie squealed. "You must go to UA! Bro, that's so lit! Freaking mint! I've always wanted to visit UA. We're like major rivals with them, but, I hear they got the coolest heroes teaching at that school."

"Wait...rivals...Are you from that s--t Shiketsu High? The UA wannabes."

"Check your ego, bro," Camie put a hand on her hip. "We kick major butt. My class said they even beat out a few of you for scores in the licensing exam...not that I remember that, but, y'know, I heard."

"Joke's on you, two of them failed," Bakugo said.

"Three," Camie held up her hand. "But I only failed because I was drugged. So, like, totally not my fault..."

"Wait...I heard of that..." Bakugo said. "That girl..." then he winced. "Ow...trying to remember it made my head hurt."

"You too, huh? Yeah, like I legit get a migraine when I try to think of what happened," Camie waved. "So wrong, right? I don't remember any Ground Zero going to UA, like, what's your real name?"

"Katsuki Bakugo."

"Oh...well, that does sound familiar..." Camie rubbed her forehead. "Oh, oh yeah, didn't you, like, win the sports festival?"

"I don't accept a win when---" Bakugo suddenly winced. "Ow..."

"Wow, even that, huh?" 

"I...can't remember who I fought." For Bakugo this was a real crisis. "How is that possible?"

"Idk, fahm, but it's sucky. I bet there's like a ton of friends I'm blanking on right now. This is one fricked up quirk," Camie folded her arms. "Hey, like tho, we're on the same team, right?"

"Yeah sounds like it, but why would I be working with someone from Shiketsu?" Bakugo wondered.

"No idea...hey, like, what if we're dating or something?"

"Dating?" Bakugo was flustered. 

"Yea...or like maybe I'm dating someone else you're working with, but my school doesn't allow dating, so I'd be majorly going against the rules. But like, I think rules are overrated," Camie put her hands together. "Hey, I kinda hope that's it. What if I was dating you? I mean, you're pretty hot."

"Stop freaking saying that!" Bakugo was bright red again. "The frick is wrong with you? We're kidnapped and in a forest."

"I dunno. I have the weirdest idea this isn't the first time this has happened to me," Camie shrugged. "Might as well enjoy it a little. What, you don't think I'm pretty?" She flipped her hair.

Bakugo looked away. "That frick does that have to do with it?"

"So you do? I mean obviously, because I'm super gorgeous," Camie smirked. "Hey, it could be possible. Why you gotta hate?"

"Who was...you...the frick are you even saying?" Bakugo sputtered.

"Whatevs," Camie sighed. "I guess it's not serious or anything. Just like, trying to cheer myself up. You know, like a disaster movie. Yeah, this sucks, but, it would be a little better if the hot guy and I ended up together? Right? That kind of thing...you know, silver lining?"

"My silver lining is kicking the tar out of anyone who did this to me," Bakugo tried to regain his self possession.

"I guess whatever floats your boat," Camie didn't seem that interested. "You don't have, like, a  map or something do you?"

"Well...there's a human GPS in the trees," Bakugo said.

"Can we not, though?" Suigetsu said, stepping out from the trees. "Because this seems like picking up a whole lotta crazy."

"She's still a part of our team," Bakugo said. "Don't you recognize her?"

"Yeah, she looks kinda familiar," Suigetsu said, peering at her. "But, I have this weird sense that, I should be very afraid of that fact."

"Whoa, you look like a baby shark," Camie said. "Sweet...and who's the chick?"

Karin hadn't thought Camie could see her.

She came into view. "I'm...Karin."

"Chilling," Camie waved. "So...y'all want to tell me what's going on?"

* * *

Out of everyone, only Tenten and Kankuro had actually run back out of the glade and toward the town they'd left.

Kankuro didn't even know he wasn't alone till he realized that he had someone inside his puppet.

He did this at times to help people escape, or to capture them, so when he opened it, he wasn't sure what to think when Tenten fell out.

She was still kind of loopy. The drug affected her more strongly than most of the others. But everyone has different reactions to substances, and it was to be expected.

Kankuro still felt pretty sick himself from it.

But he reasoned that if she was out, she wasn't the enemy.

He didn't remember very well. Since he'd left the glade before the bad guys fully finished, the genjutsu seemed to be incomplete in him.

He was confused, and didn't remember what was going on, but he knew he was in the Land of Lightning, and that he was near a town...

The jutsu took his memory of what happened in the glade itself, not the mission. He knew he was on a mission with...he thought it was his family...and Leaf...right?

Something must have gone wrong.

Tenten didn't regain consciousness for several minutes after he'd found her and was hiding outside of the glade by some of the hilly landscape.

He took out his map that was in his bag, and examined it. 

Where were they in the Land of Lightning? Not by Cloud Village...he thought he'd been to Cloud...but what he'd been doing there was foggy.

Tenten started to stir.

In her head, she had vague images of people running, screaming and then everything dissolved into chaos and confusion.

And she was shoved into something hard and cold...

She sat up, half thinking that she was still in it and swinging at the air--but nothing.

She blinked.

Kankuro looked up. "Oh, you're awake."

Tenten blinked at him.

Then she jumped up and drew one of her weapons. "Who the he-- are you?"

"Easy there," Kankuro didn't even get up. He could attack without getting up using his puppets. "No need to get all battle happy. I dragged your rear end out of there."

"I don't know you," Tenten said.

"I think you do...it's all foggy, but you're Leaf right?" Kankuro said.

Tenten felt around and found her headband in her belt. "Yeah..." she took it out. "Why did I take this off?"

"I don't know...I'm Sand," Kankuro shook his headband. "We're allies. So no need to attack me. Something is wrong. I've been trying to figure out where we are. Someone used some drug or something on us. I guess I pulled you out before my mind went blank. I guess I couldn't get to anyone else."

Tenten looked at him askance but then looked at the glade. She thought maybe she'd run through it..

"Well.. who else was with us?" she said.

"Not sure...My siblings maybe," Kankuro rubbed his head. "Usually we go everywhere together, but, I can't recall it. I think I got out before they finished casting their genjutsu, but, it started to work. They're somewhere around here, but I feel like it might be dangerous to go back there. Like there were enemies there."

"I don't remember that now," Tenten said.

"Maybe the genjutsu worked on you more," Kankuro said. "Some people are less resistant than others, but you probably knew that already."

Tenten kicked the ground. "That figures."

"Well, no need to feel bad...we can't help that." Kankuro shrugged. "Maybe we can undo it... do you know how?"

"Nope." Tenten shook her head. "Just the usual release thing...but that just works when you get lost in the forest, I don't know about one that's in your head already."

"I don't think it would work, I tried it already," Kankuro sighed. "But we're screwed if we go in there blindly. Whoever's behind this will know. You don't happen to have any instructions in that bag of yours?"

Tenten started to go through it.

"I have my tools, but nothing about why I'm out here," she said. "It'd be pretty far to go if not for a very big reason...so...uh, who are you?"

"Oh...Kankuro, of Sand..." Kankuro said.

He waited, but she didn't seem to know who he was. Even by reputation.

"I'm Tenten," she shrugged. "I don't suppose you saw a mop headed weirdo in green or a Hyuga out here?"

"No..." he shook his head.

"My team is either not here or they're lost then," Tenten said. "Might be nice not to listen to Lee chatter for a while, but, I can't help but be a little worried." She folded her arms. "And Guy-sensei isn't in shape to bail us out, not since his injury."

"Didn't he get healed?"

"Hmm, yeah I guess...right, Lee went back with him," Tenten said. Then she winced. "Ow...my head hurts...but why was Lee with us? Where did he go back from? I can't remember."

"I guess they weren't here then," Kankuro said wisely. "Lee went back to Leaf, I remember that. And so did...some weird guy in black." (He meant Suzushi.) "And...a family of people...but who helped them? And why did we? It's all a blur."

"We came to the Land of Lightning from Leaf?" Tenten glanced at his map. "That's a long way to go...and into hostile territory?"

"Maybe it's not so hostile," Kankuro shook his head. "It's still pretty unclear, but I think I was in Cloud Village."

"That's an achievement, no one ever goes there," Tenten snorted.

She sat down. "I feel sick still."

"There's not much I can do...maybe drink water? That's supposed to help right?"

Tenten took some out, it didn't help much. "There's more Leaf out there, probably."

"Yeah...but how do we get them without getting ourselves in trouble? Maybe we need to send a message?"

He thought hard.

Then suddenly, he remembered, Lady Tsunade was in Cloud Village right now!

And he...could send a message...he wasn't sure why he could, but he knew they wrote notes...and they just went.

It made his head hurt to remember how. So he gave that up and just took out a note and pen and wrote for her to pass it on.

He added: "No idea what happened, we can't remember, but, if you know who we were with, we need a list and back up, immediately. If they even get here in time."

He wrote the ninja equivalent of "SOS" on the outside of the note.

Then it vanished.

About 30 minutes later, a scroll fell into his lap.

It read:

"Respected Kankuro, I have already passed on your message to the Raikage. Fortunately for you, I was near his office when I got it. We had wondered when we'd get an update.

Lord Ay insists that you look for someone named Mabui, and someone else named Karui. They are Cloud and will be vulnerable to being attacked by even your own team if you truly do not remember they are your allies.

As for the others with you, I have enclosed a list of all of them. If you can't remember their faces, it will be a challenge, but I trust you will find a way.

Help will be sent once we can assemble someone.

--Tsunade of Leaf."

The list had way more people on it than Kankuro had expected.

"How the heck did we travel with this many?" he asked.

"Can you track?" Tenten asked.

"Sort of, but the desert is more of my terrain," he replied dubiously. "I don't know...we can try. We have to."

"Yeah, they're in there with who knows who?" Tenten said. "That note didn't say anything about who we were fighting."

This was because Cloud Village knew even less than they did, but they didn't realize this.

"I guess we should hurry," Kankuro said.

Unfortunately, the others had all decided to hide by the time they were searching for them, and that made it a lot harder. Tracking people who are still moving is not easy, but for Kankuro, it would have been easier than finding them when ninjas were so good at covering their tracks. At least moving would have left some trail.

But, there was nothing to do but look.

Tenten looked also, she had binoculars...but they didn't do much when ninjas had their disguises.

She and Kankuro had a feeling it was going to be a long night...and that was before it started to rain.

* * *

Before the rain started, Temari and Shoto had still been looking for more people.

The odds really were that they'd find someone, but, somehow, they managed to miss them.

Temari finally said what she'd worried about for some time:

"The genjutsu itself might be part of the problem."

"What do you mean?" Shoto asked.

"Genjutsu is usually used to deter people from the right course to begin with," Temari said, fingering her fan, and tilting her head in a serious manner. "This might be more...extensive, but, it could have a disorienting factor thrown in. Maybe it's making it harder for us to find each other. Some signal in our minds may be directing us away without our knowing it. Those kinds of deceptions are so subtle, they're hard to detect. You usually only notice after hours of wandering around, finding nothing...Iike we have been."

"Then how did we find each other?" 

"I don't know," Temari said.

And she really didn't.

But there might have been something to her theory. Aside from Sakura and Sasuke, and Gaara and Choji, every single person who'd found each other so far had either had one of the heroes (the people most resistant to genjutsu suggestions) with them, or, in Sai's case, had had something chase them till they accidentally found someone else.

Sakura and Sasuke were the exception, but then, both of them were genjutsu resistant also. At least to that kind of genjutsu, though the memory kind was still effective. Gaara and Choji might really have just gotten lucky because the sheer amount of people would make it likely to run into at least one person...

Even so, perhaps finding anyone at all had been defying the odds. If the jutsu really was misdirecting them.

Temari had some idea of this, though not all the details.

"If that's it, we might counter it if we just paid attention to any subtle feeling we're having to turn one way or the other," she said.

"I guess," Shoto didn't really understand.

They moved again.

Temari was paying closer attention now...she thought she felt a slight pull to turn.

So she deliberately ignored it and went forward.

There was a sensation of breaking or snapping in her head. Usually, once you confronted the deception, this kind of genjutsu broke.

She was pleased with her success and smiled more cheerfully.

Shoto thought she was a lot less domineering looking when she smiled. He didn't really care either way, Temari's bossiness didn't bother him as much as it would have a more outgoing person, but, he was still uneasy around people he didn't know well. It was hard to feel comfortable with her.

But, she seemed a little more human now.

"Good news?" he said more easily.

"I think so, we'll keep going this way," Temari didn't bother to make it sound like a suggestion.

Shoto didn't bother to argue with it. They just went onward.

And that was when they stepped into the trap.

Temari should have seen it coming, but it was too dark now for her to see well at all, and, it wasn't the kind of thing she expected with the enemies they'd been thinking of so far.

It wasn't a jutsu trap. They just hit one of  the nearly invisible lines that ninja used to set trip wires.

The wire snapped and a large log came swinging from one of the taller trees towards them.

"Get down!" Temari reacted faster and shoved Shoto to the ground.

The ground gave way, as it was leaves and branches covering a hole, and they fell into a pit that was about 3 meters deep, give or take.

For a ninja this was nothing, and for Shoto, it was nothing also.

The log did block part of the hole though, which was more of an issue for Temari, but not really for him

But he was hesitant to just freeze himself out of there without knowing who had done that. They might be waiting with a weapon.

But instead, the culprit came to peer down at them cautiously.

It was just one guy, with a wolf tail and a netted shirt and the vest that meant he was a chunin.

Temari frowned up at him, pushing Shoto away from her.

"What was the point of that?" She grabbed her fan. "I don't enjoy being dumped into a hole."

"Well, to be honest," the guy rubbed his neck lazily. "I was more hoping to use this to slow down whoever was looking for me...but I wasn't expecting to find two people who don't look like they're anxious for a fight."

"That was dangerous to do if you weren't sure," Shoto said.

"It's not that deep," Temari said to him. "It's not even that big a challenge, you couldn't do better?" She said the last directly to the guy.

The guy frowned. "Well, I didn't have a lot to work with. Just paper bombs, trip wire, and the log I found. It was hard to blow a hole big enough to trap anyone in with that... But I think I have you where I want you."

He put his hands together.

Temari suddenly realized she couldn't move.

Shoto found it was as if a line was tying his arms and legs tight.

"What...what's going on?" he asked.

"Shadow Possession jutsu," the guy said.

Temari frowned. "I lost a fight because of this once...well, I sort of lost... I mean, he forfeited, but..."

"What?" Shoto said.

"A fight?" the guy said. "I also won a fight using this once. Against someone from Sand Village."

"I am from Sand Village," Temari said. She frowned again. "I don't remember you, but that doesn't say much right now. So that must have been you. Or is there some other shadow user?"

"There's plenty of us in the clan, but, that does seem Iike too big a coincidence to really be a coincidence," the guy said. "The name's Shikamaru Nara."

"Does your family like deer?" Shoto said blankly.

"Yes," Shikamaru said. "And you are?"

"Shoto Todoroki," Shoto said.

"Does your family like fire?" Shikamaru said. Though he didn't really think it was like him to make jokes like that in kind.

"Too much," Shoto said.

Shikamaru couldn't tell if he was kidding or not.

"And you are?" he glanced at Temari.

That made them both turn their heads slightly too, but they could still see.

"Temari of Sand," she said. "I have a feeling I probably don't like you very much."

"I can believe that, but why say it while I'm holding you prisoner?" Shikamaru said.

"If you intended to kill us, you'd have done it by now," Temari said. "This trap wasn't lethal, it was a distraction. You intend to ask us what's going on while you have us paralyzed. But I'll have to disappoint you, we have no idea either. We also have no memory of those events."

"I was trying to find that out," Shikamaru sounded disappointed. "What a drag...well, I am a little surprised you figured it out so easily."

"It's what I would have done, if I didn't have any attack power," Temari sniffed. "I'm guessing you don't."

"Are you usually this brazen to people who have you pinned?" Shikamaru asked.

"I don't think you do," Shoto suddenly moved and ice shot him out of the pit.

Shikamaru had to jump back, which made Temari move also, but then he stopped his hold and she tumbled free onto the ground because the ice had pushed her upwards too.

Shoto stepped off the ice and help up his hand. "I don't think you're our enemy, but, I'm going to ask you to stand down."

Shikamaru put his hands up. "How did you break that so easily? Only someone with a massive amount of power could do that without me at least starting to feel them slipping away..."

"Once I focused on breaking free, I was able to," Shoto was not even sure why. "I'm not sure how your power works."

"Maybe this kid is a powerhouse," Temari pushed herself up. "So, Shadow Guy, do you have any idea who's after us? Or is that too much to hope for?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but, I haven't seen anyone but you two," Shikamaru rubbed his neck again. "This is turning into such a drag...it's been hours."

"And you didn't do anything other than that?" Temari said.

"I'm not fast enough to run or do much else but this, I know my limits," Shikamaru said, placidly.

Temari was surprised that he admitted it so openly and didn't even seem worried about it.

She calmed down. "I guess it can't be helped...We haven't found anyone else, but, we think there's a lot more of us who were working together...It makes sense, the Sand and Leaf are allies...and wherever Shoto is from. Fire, I think he said."

"I said my family had fire powers," Shoto had failed to make her understand this difference in the time they'd been walking.

"Same thing," Temari still didn't get it. "So, are you with us or not?"

"I don't know you," Shikamaru said. "But I don't like my chances alone...if we are on the same team, I guess we'll figure it out sooner or later. This genjutsu is powerful, though, nothing I tried broke it."

"We need someone who knows more about it," Temari mused. "We have to keep looking. Maybe now we'll find someone."

They agreed, though Shikamaru was still a bit wary of them.

[And that accounts for everyone except our leading power couple, Jugo, and Naruto. I'm sure you all want to get past this part, believe me, I do too.]

* * *

Wally had had the most exhausting time of anyone. He'd gone to save all the kidnapped people, and he'd headed off the bad guys in time.

He had no idea anything had gone wrong for a while, he was too busy plucking people out of the river.

They all were in some kind of trance, no one of them seemed to even know he was helping them...or that they were in danger.

It was creepy that even the cold water didn't snap them out of it.

Wally had no time to try to break the jutsu on them himself, so he dashed all of them to one of the towns they'd already visited.

He told the people there to make sure no one harmed them and he'd be back to explain, and they should check to see if they knew any of them.

The townspeople were surprised, but willing to examine them.

But it took Wally at least an hour, even at his speed, to bring all 30 or so people there without hurting them. It wasn't like it was a short trip though easy terrain.

And then when he got back, and began to look for his team, he walked into the justu trap the others had.

Toxin didn't exactly work well on him, but since he absorbed it constantly, it did have some effect.

He got very confused, and his memory was effected...

But he still knew why he was here and that it was the ninja world and he'd been here with a team.

But he no longer knew who they were or what they'd been doing exactly when he got into this mess.

Oddly, he did remember that he'd rescued all the people. For him the memory loss was highly specific even more than for the others. It was like it only did the bare minimum, it only blocked who he was with, as that was what it was designed to do...but with everyone else, it had confused them further than that just because toxin is hard to control.

For Wally, only the genjutsu aspect really seemed to make it take effect at all. And even that, he was resistant to, so, he still knew most of the relevant information.

However, forgetting his team was bad enough. He knew he had though.

"This is awful," he said to himself. 

He looked for them, but, the ninjas were good at hiding, and perhaps the jutsu misdirected him also, he just missed most of them.

It was nearing dusk when he finally managed to get a bead on someone, and, that was not because he was looking for them.

The odd thing about this misdirection jutsu was that it seemed like when you weren't looking for people deliberately, it didn't work on you.

So when he'd stopped to take a break, and eat his emergency snacks, he finally heard something.

It was singing.

That seemed out of place.

Puzzled, Wally shoved his snacks back into his pack and followed the sound.

He couldn't make out words at first, but then he heard:

"I am a foreigner, got a fire in my soul, never give it up. And I know I don't belong right here.

Fly, till I make it home, I'll keep my eyes to the skies even if I don't, and I know I don't belong right here."

https://youtu.be/1P8_VQwWEK8

[Foreigner-- Ledger]

Who would be singing at a time like this? Wally wondered.

He tripped over some tree roots, and stumbled into a slightly more open spot--though the whole area was only partially wooded, so there were a lot of those.

He found someone sitting under one of the trees, staring at him.

Wally stared back.

His first thought? Wow, she's beautiful.

She really was the prettiest girl he thought he'd ever seen, which was saying something.

But then he realized he was staring weirdly and straightened.

"Uh...hi?" he said.

She had stopped singing, but now she tilted her head. "Hello?" 

She had a nice voice too, Wally couldn't help thinking. But she sounded like she was being ironic about the "hello".

"I...didn't expect to find someone out here...uh, doing karaoke," Wally said nervously.

"I didn't expect to find anyone at all, frankly." She stood up. "I've been looking, but it's like I don't have the address anymore. And I think this has happened to me before...a long time ago." She leaned forward. "But I have the idea I should know who you are."

"Oh...well, that's good news." Wally shrugged nervously. "Because I have no clue who I was here with... Uh, do you remember anything that happened?"

She shook her head. "Last thing I remember was running from someone...and I have this foreboding feeling about it, too. And a heavy feeling, like there was dark magic in action."

"Oh..." Wally wondered if that's why he'd had such a weird, heavy feeling since he'd regained focus. He'd assumed it was just being tired and groggy, but his head had cleared and he still felt that way. "That would explain a lot. Memory loss sucks."

"It does," she agreed.

She stepped forward. "I'm Shine Likstar."

"Is that really your last name?" Wally said before he thought.

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "It really is. It's...a family joke."

"Oh...uh, well, Wally West." Wally held out a hand.

She shook it awkwardly. "This seems little old fashioned, but okay."

"So you think we just don't remember how we know each other?" Wally said.

"Probably," she said. "Again, this has happened to me before...but, uh, last time the world almost got destroyed because of it."

"I really hope it's not that serious, but with my luck...the world could always be in jeopardy," Wally joked.

But she didn't laugh. "Wally West? Hmm, this might be a weird question, but, you're not the Flash, are you?"