Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Whoa!”

“Look! He-he’s saving everyone!”

Hinata’s bike peddling paused in its tracks as he was on his way back home, seeing a bunch of people gathered by the big jumbo screen placed in front of a tall building. Each person in the crowd had a mix of both fearful and awe filled expressions, fingers pointing and mouths gaping at the video played on the large screen.

“Who is that?”

The male on the screen was on top a bridge, the stands and holds collapsing as people evacuated their vehicles. He was small, short even - just like him - and even though he looked like he was on the brink of death, his arms still held on to the stands, trying to keep the structure upright until all the civilians were safe.

“This looks bad! Isn’t he a UA student? He’s not going to make it!”

Hinata gulped as the notion carried through. Inside, he was cheering for the young hero. He had to win, because heroes couldn’t lose. They couldn’t! He knew his mother would be worried that he wasn’t home on time, especially with the risk of villains roaming loose in the city, but he couldn’t tear his eyes from the screen for a moment.

Just then, a huge monster appeared on screen, adding more chaos to the already frantic situation. He bit his lip. People gasped at the new addition to the turmoil.

But the hero on screen didn’t look deterred.

Just as the final civilian had made it safely, he abandoned the posts, and with a swiftness he wouldn’t have been able to comprehend, the hero jumped.

And Hinata could have sworn he flew.

With the pull of gravity, he landed against the heavy villain with a punch, and pummeled them to the ground.

The hero won.

The people cheered.

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“Mom! Mom!”

“Yes sweetie?”

“When I grow up, I’m gonna be just like The Little Giant!” Hinata said, hopping on the couch and pumping a fist in the air as the news displayed another of the new hero’s greatest feats once again. As always, the newest rising hero was shown on screen, soaring through the sky and taking out the villain with a single blow, saving people and protecting the public just like he always did.

“Oh, is that so?” His mother smiled, ruffling his hair with her hand as she sat down on the chair and joined him in watching the news. “You have to train really hard you know.”

“I know mom!” He grinned back, fist still raised in the air and a sparkle twinkling alight in his eyes. “I just gotta train my quirk super hard, right? Then I’d be super awesome! Just like a hero!”

“Right,” she replied, giving him a thumbs up and an encouraging beam, her smile filled with all the inspiration and support a single smile could offer. “And I know you’ll be the best hero out there Shoyou.”

Her words lit a new spark of embers within his heart, adding to the growing fire of ambition already welling up inside his very soul. A hero. He was going to be a hero.

He was going to fly like The Little Giant.

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The sun glared pleasantly from the sky, its brilliance undeterred by the coolness of the day’s weather. The day was as bright as the weather forecast had said it would be, the skies cleared and uncloudy, and just a touch of wind blowing faintly in the air, enough that he knew the weather as it was wasn’t going to change for the duration of the exam.

“Shoyou, you coming already?!”

The calls of his best friends snapped Hinata out of his daze as he stood, school uniform, signed-in gear and all right in front of the massive gates of UA high school. All around him, several students with several quirks, mutated and flashy, plain and imperceptible, walked past him, the wide bricked pathway filled with both excited and nervous chatter as examinees strolled in, most looking generally prepared for the entrance examination about to commence, while some, like Hinata, were basically trying to keep their nerves from bursting out of their bodies.

His heart was throbbing.

“Hey, Sho—”

“The Smell of Air Salonpas!” he instantly blurted, feeling the nervousness rack through his bones and stomach—God, especially his stomach—he turned his head in the direction of his two, closest friends, seeing the both of them send him concerned looks.

“He’s nervous isn’t he?” Izumi muttered to no one in particular, looking partially worried and partially amused by his friend’s jumpiness. Koji, although, grunted in reply, nodding and then sighing like a tired parent.

“Should’ve expected it.”

“What do we do?”

“Let’s just drag him,” Izumi suggested, staring at the time on his watch. “The examination briefing’s about to start anyway. I want to be excited with everyone else when the hero comes on stage.”

As his friends’ conversation carried on, he tried to get the twists and turns of his insides to come to a standstill. He didn’t need to be nervous. He’d trained. He could do this! He just needed a little motivation is all. Hinata put a hand to his chest, blowing out a breath and putting his hand against his heart in an effort to placate it. Right. The beating against his chest was just his heart getting pumped up! His jumpiness was his uncontainable excitement! He couldn’t be intimidated now. Not when he’d worked so hard. Not when he was already here, having applied at the number one hero school in Japan, having followed the first step to achieving his dream.

Not when he was so close. This close.

He could do this. He had to do this.

He could already feel the churning of his internal organs nearly mollify, his nervous nausea almost reaching a point of peaceful, placated equilibrium settling in the center of his chest, when the air within his vicinity suddenly distorted.

It was like someone had snapped their fingers, or flipped a switch, a looming shadow casting itself over him as his eyes veered over to a group of people entering through the gates on the pathway to the building’s entrance. The first thing that came to mind was: ‘Woah… scary…’, and that’s when he felt all his efforts to calm his nerves spiral down the metaphorical drain of dissuasion. It was as if every other subtle activity had come to a full stop, heads turning to stare at the group of five strolling along the pathway that had suddenly been cleared as they walked by. It was delicate, but there was obvious feeling of tension pulled taut around them.

One person in particular stood out, though their features were predominantly plain looking with dark hair and blue eyes, nothing special to his probably six-foot something height, and nothing exceptionally special on his overall person, just a small duffel bag colored the same shade of his eyes with some hints of white and yellow. He looked nearly ordinary.

But then he passed by, and he felt his entire stomach do a back-flip.

There was a way he carried himself, walked in front like he was leading the group—although the people behind him looked far more physically intimidating—like he had the superior say in everything. Like he was the commander of an undefeated army, holding himself with the confidence enough to dethrone kings and uproot lands.

A hand coming to rest on his shoulder startled him out of his thoughts.

“Sho-chan?” Izumi’s voice held every modicum of confusion as he took notice of Hinata’s intimidated expression. Upon following the direction of his gaze, Izumi rose his brows as partial understanding took root. “Oh, them.”

“Th-them?” he stuttered upon speaking. Why did he sound like he was supposed to know who they were? His nerves were more frayed than he thought. “What’s up with them? It’s not like I’m scared of them or anything!”

Koji appeared on his other side, a frown on his face as he stared at the group walking past and into the building. “Oh, those guys?” He leaned an elbow on his shoulder. “They’re from Kitagawa Daichi,” the brunet explained, folding his arms and pointing a conscious glare in their general direction. “It’s an elite school,” he enumerated, mostly having sensed Hinata’s present confusion. “They train them for a lot of stuff before they’re sent for hero training in high school. A number of them are usually called in for recommendations.”

“R-recommendations???”

“Yeah,” he nodded, nearly oblivious to Hinata’s mental state as the implications of his words hit him hard in the guts. Recommendations meant they were incredibly talented and strong right? Just how strong were they? Strong enough to have come from an elite school apparently…! “They’re gonna be a tough competition to beat.” Oh no. Hinata could feel the backflips turn into summersaults. His stomach was absolutely roiling now. Why do I feel like I haven’t trained enough?

“But no need to worry, Shoyou,” Koji’s lips stretched into a grin, expression shifting to something a little less stifling as he swung an arm to slap lightheartedly against his back. “We trained pretty hard ourselves. I’m sure—”

“I… need to use the bathroom!” He instantly blurted out, interrupting his friend as his feet took off, speeding away from his bewildered looking school mates in the direction of the building, his left arm around his stomach and the other hand cupped over his mouth. He was going to throw up. He shouldn’t have had that much Katsudon for breakfast. He skipped two steps at a time, nearly bumping into a tall, lanky dude on his rush to release the knots winding up his stomach. His yellow sneakers skidded against the tile as he ran through the wide, spacious halls, eyes searching for the signs that led towards the bathrooms.

An elite school.

Where they specialized in training young heroes…

His nerves spiked.

Finally finding the dark blue door that led to the bathrooms, he swung open the huge entrance, nearly slipping in his rush to dump the contents of his stomach into the nearest toilet when he suddenly came to an instant halt.

Right in front of the wide bathroom mirrors stood a rather familiar looking male, their distinct silver and black hair, and recognizable pale complexion stood out particularly well.

Oh no, oh no, oh no.

Dread settled into the pit of his stomach as he watched the male splash water against his face. The teen hadn’t said anything, so he was yet to sense Hinata’s presence.

Okay, he was cured now. He’d suddenly lost the urge to use the bathrooms.

All he needed to do was just walk back the same way he came and—

“What’s this? What’s this?” The silver haired male’s voice was like hot, liquid metal in his ears, halting his steps as he was just about to walk out the bathroom door. His back faced the male as he heard footsteps approach. “If it isn’t little Hinata Shoyou.”

Slowly, Hinata turned around, a cautious, apologetic look on his face as he looked up and came face to face with his middle school classmate. As always, the boy everyone called ‘Toka’ stood at a height that leered intimidatingly over him, a calm yet daunting look in his eyes that absolutely contrasted the horrid, turbulent words that would emerge from his mouth.

Hinata couldn’t help the way he stuttered as he acknowledged the other one’s unwanted attention. “T-Toka…!” He gulped, although tried his best not to look intimidated by the silver-black haired male. “What are you doing here…? I thought you were going to—”

“Shiketsu?” He interrupted, folding his arms while smiling down at him. “It wasn’t… suited to my tastes. I decided U.A. was better.”

Oh. Hinata thought back to when they’d been electing their choice high schools back at their middle school classroom. He’d seemed rather fixed on not going to U.A. then.

What changed?

“So, what school are you going to, Hinata-chan?” The girl beside him asked, beam lighting up her yellow features as she snuck a peek at his form. “Oh? U.A? Isn’t that the hardest school to get into?”

“Yeah,” the other guy that sat behind him pitched in. “Their acceptance rate is less than 1% each year. And they have like, really, really powerful quirks too! Your quirk isn’t really all that—”

“Hey I think he’s kinda brave for picking the best anyway,” she instantly retorted, defending Hinata without a say, not that he was complaining. “You didn’t even pick a hero school.”

“Whatever,” the boy rolled his eyes at her, then shifted towards the male to Hinata’s diagonal right, the boy seated at the front with a calm demeanor on his person as he looked over the sheet of paper. “Hey Toka-kun! What school are you picking? Your quirk is like, really cool. I bet you’d make into U.A.’s recommendations easy.”

“Hm?” Toka nearly seemed to startle as he heard the other guy’s words, however nothing but a subtle smile graced his countenance as he gave his reply. “Oh, I’m not going to U.A.”

“Hah?!” The male physically jolted. “Why not?! U.A.’s like, the best!”

But Toka merely shrugged, giving nothing in response and turning back to stare at the paper wielded in his hands.

No one noticed the subtle way his fingers crumpled the edges of the sheet.

“Although, I’d like to ask what you’re doing here.” Toka’s voice brought Hinata back to the present, his usual impertinent tone coming into the limelight as he looked down—both literally and metaphorically—at the shorter redhead. “Volunteering to pick up after the mess when we’re done?”

An offended spike ran through his chest, indignation at his words running like a rampant pest.

Hinata fought the urge to grit his teeth, nevertheless he couldn’t control the glare he directed towards him. “No! I came to take the exam with the rest of you!”

“Really?” Toka laughed. “You can’t really compare your quirk to everyone else’s. The ratio between the potential and intricacies of their abilities to yours aren’t even nearly compatible. I might give you the benefit of a doubt and say you’ll end up in general studies, but your intelligence is also lacking, so I really do wonder what you’re doing here.”

Embarrassment sank into his bones as his words mined their way through his head. “Th-that’s…”

“What? Anything to refute my statement?”

“That’s not true!” he instantly hollered, retorting back in an effort to regain some modicum of his confidence. He worked hard. He worked harder than he’d ever had before just for this day. He wouldn’t let him negate his efforts like that. “You’ll see. I’ll pass the exam. I’ll get into U.A. I’ll graduate as a hero.”

Nevertheless, despite the self-assured look in his eyes, or his confident stance, or the fact that there was a raging fire burning in his eyes, the taller male ended up laughing, only patting him condescendingly on the head as he stepped around him, not even turning to stare back at him as he said to Hinata his last words, “Okay, Hinata-chan. Good luck. You’ll need it~”

Hinata felt a weird mix of annoyance and determination bubble up on his insides, somewhat replacing the nervous nausea that had been threatening to turn his stomach inside out.

Toka didn’t know what he was talking about. Hinata was ready, wasn’t he? He could do this.

He was just trying to rile him up.

He didn’t know—

“Do you mind?” A sudden voice jolted Hinata out of his own head, a physical jerk to his movements as he motioned forward to get out of the way of the bathroom’s entrance. Only to turn around and come face to face with—

“E-E-Elite!!!” His heart spiked a thousand times higher than it did before as he stared right into the dark-blue eyes of the male he saw pass by on the walkway. The one with the fire in his steps and severely commanding nature severed into every niche of his features. What was he doing here?! Was he going to use the bathroom?! Do elites use bathrooms?!

“You’re still in the way,” he spoke again, this time an annoyed lilt to his tone. Hinata went rigid for a moment, his heart beating out of his ears as he nodded and moved to step out of his way.

Hinata had already put one foot over the threshold, movements awfully stiff, when the Elite’s voice rang through his ears again.

“I heard your conversation.”

He paused mid-walk. What?

Without waiting for Hinata to turn back, the Elite continued, his commanding ambiance all of a sudden feeling restrictive and impeding.

“I don’t know what you’re all about,” he said. “But whatever you do, don’t repeat what you just did here.” The black-haired male took on a darker tone as he continued on, the air around his words and presence belittling, condescending and deriding in every way possible. “Don’t get in my way.”

The door shut behind him, leaving the dark haired, blue eyed elite in the bathroom, and Hinata on the other side of the door, alone in the vast hallway with the words of both Toka and the stranger ringing within the space of his head.

Chapter Text

Since the beginning of the post-modern times, over a century after the reign of All Might, The Symbol of Peace, it wasn’t uncommon knowledge that the quirks that humanity depended and thrived so much upon, would become inherently dangerous and much more complex, much more than one would even seem to comprehend.

Quirks such as simple strength quirks, speed quirks and the likes became pushed back in favor of letting the more intricate, multifaceted supernatural abilities shine forth.

Now, this wasn’t to say the days of simple quirks were bound to be over, but even philosophers, going way back before the time of the Silver Age, had predicted that the accumulation of various quirks over the years, as humans continued to reproduce and more advances were made on laws and technology, would lead to some unprecedented phenomenon, in which the supernatural abilities of the human world would one day grow to become even more complex and overpowered, introducing higher occurrences of hybrid or even multiple quirks instilled in the body of a single person.

Now, that being said, there were also the risks of simple quirks being overshadowed by the complexities that were dominating the population of quirks as a whole. Simple quirks, such as enhanced muscles or movements requiring several complications and conditions, circumstances and situations in which the individual’s quirk would only work under these particular settings, would continue to be a recurring issue among the masses, as it prolonged the discovery, development, and training of one’s quirk.

As it is, the leaders of the world and it’s greatest minds have made inordinate progress in curbing this problem, creating facilities, making and reconstructing laws, and re-evaluating the system to prevent a breakout of a possible cessation of order and peace.

• Yorashi Kaname, The Quirk Principle I.

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 The children were gathered around a single, redheaded figure, several emotions—excitement, curiosity, concern—spread across their faces as they stared at the center of attention, who lay clutching his knee on the ground, tears gathered in his eyes.

Hurried footsteps approached as the teacher neared, upset written all across her features. “Children, what happened?”

“It’s Sho-chan!” One of the kids pointed at the redhead in the middle. “He hurt his knee.”

“Shoyou?” The teacher suddenly folded in worry, getting on her knees so she could attend to the injured child. “Are you okay?” she questioned, softly prying his hands from his knee so she could observe the injury. “What happened?”

“Well—”

“It was awesome!” The redhead suddenly burst out of his downtrodden state, interrupting the kid that had been about to speak, an excited grin splitting his face though there were still tears in his eyes. “We were playing jump rope, and then Aki-kun said it was my turn to jump, so I got really excited, and then I jumped reaaally high!” He gestured wildly with his arms, wincing when the movement stretched his injury.

“It’s true!” Another kid, a girl with pink, cotton candy hair said, starry eyes shining with an equal amount of excitement. “He even jumped higher than the swing set.” She pointed towards the rather tall swings in the direction of the playgrounds.  

The teacher turned back to him, a smile on her face as she spoke to the child, carrying him up so she rested against one of her ‘little helpers’, soft, round things the size of her head that floated around her which she used during her work for assistance. “Really high you say?”

“Yeah, yeah!” Shoyou nodded vigorously, full of energy even though he’d most likely fallen from a really tall height and hurt himself badly.

“That’s good, Sho-chan!” The teacher beamed, poking him lightly on the nose. “I think you’ve just gotten your quirk.”

“My… quirk…?” His eyes seemed to gleam even more brightly than before.

“Mhmm.” She nodded, the children who’d heard the conversation gasping and awing in admiration as they registered the meaning of their teacher’s explanation. “And it’s a really good quirk too. A really helpful quirk. It can even be a hero’s quirk.”

“A hero’s quirk?”

She nodded again, smiling as an even bigger grin stretched his lips. “Yup! There were a lot of great heroes with that sort of quirk,” she informed, and Shoyou could have sworn his whole world had been set alight by her words. “And I remembered that they helped a lot of people.”

“A lot…?” He blinked, trying to imagining himself saving a whole lot of people. His teacher only laughed lightly at his overwhelmed expression, laying him down near the first-aid kit and lightly bandaging his wounds. “You know,” she started, looking up from the injury and into the eyes of the still, spellbound child.

“I think you can become a great hero too.

“I think you can also help a lot of people.”

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When Hinata had entered the massive auditorium, he’d almost been awe-stricken by just how many middle schoolers filled the seats of the place. It had to have been over a thousand. Several students with several quirks, personalities, strengths, weaknesses. He couldn’t imagine them having to pick just less than fifty out of the hundreds upon hundreds of students for the hero course after the exam. He gulped languidly.

Just relax. He whispered to himself, looking for the row of seats they’d assigned to the members of his school. Relax, relax, relax, relax.

“Hey Shoyou!” He spotted a singular hand waving from the direction his name had been called from. “Over here!”

“Oh! Izumin!” he waved back, voice a little too loud above the small murmurs of the crowd. He tensed as he felt eyes shift to him, the unneeded attention causing him to cower beneath the scrutiny. “Uh… ha-ha… oops. Sorry…!” he meekly apologized, scampering out of sight and heading in the direction of his best friends positions on the middle row.

Koji stared tetchily at him as he squeezed his way through the rows of people seated behind him, releasing a heavy breath and pouting as he slumped downwards on his seat to Izumi’s left, with Koji seating on the brunet’s other side.

“What took you so long? Was it that bad?” his friend interrogated, obviously having noticed his downcast mood as he peered over at him. Hinata only huffed as he read over the examinee card he’d been given in hand, and jerked himself back upright upon reply. He couldn’t look upset. He couldn’t let them ruin his mood.

“No!” he retorted, fixing a determined countenance onto his expression. “I’m steaming with excitement!”

“… You mean teeming?” Izumi said, amused as he took in his unwavering appearance. Just then, the front stage of the auditorium lighted up as the rest of the hall dimmed, a spotlight appearing on the podium where the announcer for the day stood. Hinata didn’t seem to know him, but there were a few murmurs from the crowd that said he was an Underground hero called Foresight.

Essentially, the explanation for the exams seemed simple.

They were spread into different exam grounds, a group of over fifty students in each, and were required to take race each other from the meeting point to the finish line, which would be indicated by a red signal somewhere in the middle of the pseudo-city.

“Basically, it seems like a test of speed and mobility,” the Underground hero moved on to elaborate, the screen behind changing to an overview of one of the exam centers. “However,” the camera then zoomed in, zeroing in on what appeared to be a cardboard cut-out of a civilian woman dressed in office clothes leaning beside a building. “finishing the race is not what gets you the points. These,” he gestures to the cardboard cut-out with a gloved hand. “Are the points. You stack up on points by rescuing a ‘civilian’.”

A meek hand shot up from the crowd.

Eyes veered over to the cute looking blonde girl with a pony-tail on the side of her head, who seemingly squeaked from the sudden shift in attention.

“W-what… what exactly are we saving them from?”

“I was getting to that,” the hooded hero said, gesturing for the girl to sit down. He cleared his throat and carried on as she lowered herself back down to her seat. “To answer the young lady’s question, we’ll be saving them, from villains.” He waved his hand, the view on the screen then showing them the image of three, different sized robots. “You have a total of ten minutes for the exam. These villains are there to make it harder for you to rescue the civilians and return them to the ‘safe-zone’, which, in this case, is referred to as the finish line. A single civilian carries three points. Losing a civilian means losing those points. As for the faux villains, points are assigned according to their level of difficulty.”

Illustrations of the robots were shown on-screen with their assigned points in place.

Although, there was a fourth one that hadn’t been added, Hinata noticed, as he looked over the print out in Izumi’s hands. One, two, three… four. That was definitely a fourth one, and not a typo error. He wondered if it was a surprise. A trick? A test? Well, this was an exam. But before he or anyone else could question the hero on that though, Foresight was already explaining the source of his current puzzlement.

“Also, you’d notice a fourth faux villain on the print out,” he stated swiftly. “It’s called a zero pointer.” The visuals on the screen showed them the image of the huge, metallic beast that towered over all the buildings in the battle center. “It goes crazy in tight spaces. It’s best you avoid it as much as possible.”

The visuals faded out as Foresight went silent after his explanation, the screen morphing into a bright, blue color that lighted up the entire auditorium, the tutorials ending as the spotlights on stage went out

“That’s all I can say to you, regarding the exam,” he said, crossing his hands behind his back as he stared over all the students, a slight smile spreading his lips. “As you leave, I’d like to leave a word of encouragement.

“As the great hero, Napoleon Bonaparte once said: A true hero is one who overcomes life’s great misfortunes. It is the founding quote of our school’s motto.” The lights overhead then shifted as he spoke, colorful streams of it illuminating the massive expanse of the auditorium in a brief display of artistry and ingenuity. Hinata couldn’t help the wide grin, the pump of his heart, or the heightening of his resolve as the overwhelming feelings of excitement, nervousness and hope filled every nook of his being. The words of the elite and Toka echoed at the back of his mind, but he fought against it. It was like his friends said.

He could do this.

“Go beyond. Plus Ultra!”

As expected, the place before the huge gates to his assigned battle center was chocked full of examinees, and his friends, to his chagrin, weren’t there. They’d deliberately applied for the exam at the same time so they could have consecutive exam registration numbers, but apparently, they didn’t let people from the same school fight in the same arena. Probably because they didn’t want them aiding each other or working together. Not that it mattered, he was planning to pass on his own after all.

He was just glad Toka wasn’t there.

Although…

“Hey… it’s that kid from the Elite school…”

“Seriously…? No way? What’s a king like that doing taking regular exams with us?”

“Dunno. Bet he’s trying to show off.”

He was here.

The dark-haired, blue eyed male he’d met in the bathroom with the condemning words and conceited attitude.

‘Don’t get in my way’

Or basically, ‘If I see you, you’re dead you weak, pathetic waste of space.’

How the heck was he supposed to stay out of his sights when they were going to be in the same battle center???

Hinata was nearly back to freaking out. He just had to breathe. And hide. Preferably away from him.

Taking in deep, somehow calming breaths, he walked away from the teen’s general vicinity without drawing too much attention to himself, hiding behind some taller students waiting at the front of the gate as well. Mission success. The elite hadn’t seemed to have noticed him yet, although, sneaking a peek at the brunet, he didn’t seem to have noticed anyone. He currently had his eyes closed, hands in the pockets of his jacket as he breathed in, and out. In. And out.

He followed the slight puff of his cheeks, and the swell of his chest as he respired, inhaling in air through his nose, allowing it to settle for a few seconds, before expelling it through his mouth. Breathing technique. Izumin had tried to teach it to him once upon a time, but he barely remembered the specifics of the thing. Just that it helped with his nerves and overall concentration.

He looked absolutely focused inside his own head, like nothing beyond it mattered.

Hinata nearly felt jealous. He wished he could turn off his nervousness like that, like it was nothing but a switch you just needed to flick off whenever it felt like acting up. But then a loud horn sounded off, and soon the huge entrance to the battle center opened up, breaking the elite out of his head for a moment. The announcer at the top yelled through the speakers for them to start.

The time begun as soon as the gates opened.

Rushing along with the mass of students, Hinata felt the beat of his heart escalate its pace as he took in the view of the battle center. It was huge, like an actual city, complete with buildings, cars and trees besides the presence of actual humans inhibiting the massive space. Up ahead, in the distance, a large red ball of light floated above the fake-city, a bright spotlight of similar hue emanating below the ball where it pointed in the direction of the finish line. In the center of the ball, numbers blinked like that of a stopwatch, the digits continually inclining as the seconds passed by.

The clock read 9:59:50

The time was counting down.

Without deliberately wasting time, Hinata ran off in a random direction, replaying the instructions explained to them in the auditorium in his head. Okay, okay. You’ve started. Just relax and try to find—

A civilian. Up ahead, behind a tree, he spotted the cardboard-like cut out leaning against the bark of a tree right beside a fake three-story building. Yes! Lucky…! He ran towards it, feeling excitement bubble up as he approached his first three points of the minute. He collected it in his hands, holding the cut-out under his armpits as he felt the last frays of his nerves melt away, replaced with strengthening resolve. Whether it counted as luck, or not, he already had three points. It was enough to give his confidence a little boost.

If he could have just found some other civilians and stacked up on those without having to confront a villain, that would have been great.

Nevertheless, Lady Luck never really took sides.

Just as he was about rounding a corner to search for some more cardboard cut-out civilians, a huge iron beast materialized before him, the speed at which the faux villain appeared almost superstitiously sudden. Instinct kicked in, and his feet moved before the robot could land a hit on him, sending him over six feet in the air. His body flipped with the momentum of his jump, and before he could touch the ground, he sent a kick towards the faux villain’s head, striking the hunk of metal right off it’s body and sending it rolling to the floor. He nearly stumbled upon landing, managing to catch himself on his backside as he watched his first villain fall to the ground in a tumbling heap.

Two points. Hinata huffed, feeling a confident smile stretch his lips as he adjusted the civilian against his side.

He already had five points. This was going to be eas—

A quick beam of thin silver metal passed over his head, a loud explosion sounding from behind as whatever had just flown past completely wrecked a three-pointer villain that had been about to attack him, sending the rest of its decimated body down to the ground. He whipped his head in the direction from which the metallic beam had been shot, fixating on the clever blue eyes of the condescending elite as he lowered a simplistic looking bow from his hands, hanging the aid-tool over his frame as he mumbled to himself.

“Fifteen points…” Hinata heard him mutter, much to his shock and bewilderment.

What was that? Fifteen points…???

Hinata looked over to the time in the sky. 9:58:51

It hasn’t even been up to two minutes.

The elite paid no mind to the gawking Hinata as he continued muttering to himself, looking from side to side, then hopping away, most likely going to rack up more points while leaving the shorter male, and basically everyone else in the dust.

As he’d noticed before when they were outside the gates before the commencement of the exams, he was completely focused, everything else besides his goal basically non-existent and unessential to him.

What was that he said?

‘Don’t get in my way, huh?’ Didn’t he have to at least get acknowledged before he could even be in his way in the first place? Stupid elite. What was up with him, anyway? Why had he been so bothered?

Hinata huffed, annoyance and something else filling his spirits as he rose up from the ground and ran in another random direction.

“More like you don’t get in my way,” he muttered underneath his breath, running down an alleyway which lead to a completely, different street full of faux-villains and civilians to save.

Hinata had points to stack, he didn’t have time to think about kingly elites.

Nine minutes in,

A single more minute and counting till the exam was over, and so far Hinata had stacked up to about fifty-eight points.

He’d found a lose wire that must have come off of one of the broken bots, and used it to tie the civilians he’d saved in a bundle, hanging them over his back like a rucksack. So far so good, he’d only run into the elite male twice, almost been crushed beneath a robot by a freckled teen—though he’d said ‘sorry’—and had only lost a quarter of his civilians to a two-pointer robot and a bunch of other examinees. So far, so good, Hinata was doing pretty great.

All that was left of him was to heft his civilians towards the safe-zone before the time ran out, and hopefully not lose them to any remaining faux-villain he was yet see on the road.

On other streets and behind nearby buildings, the sounds of other examinees still destroying more robots was rather prominent, voices loud and flagrant as they yelled out the scores and points they racked. Sixty-one. Forty-five. Fifty-two.

So far so good, Hinata wasn’t as behind as he was worried he’d be.

The finish line was only several meters away, with barely a minute on the clock. If he used his quirk, he’d be able to get there in record time before the seconds ran out. Although it would also mean sacrificing his energy in case he ran into more faux villains.

For now, he reckoned he’d go at a normal quick pace.

He’d use his quirk to speed up his progress once there were thirty seconds on the clock and he was still too far away from the safe-zone.

With that plan in mind, he set off, dodging debris and other fragments coming off of exploding robots and rubble, breaths heavy and adrenaline pumping through his veins as he made his way closer, and closer towards his goal.

Just a few more steps.

The ground rumbled beneath his feet.

Just a few more steps and—

The ground rumbled again, heavier this time, nearly causing him to lose his balance as his feet stuttered to a stop in an effort to catch himself. What was that? He felt confusion and wariness coat his being as a sudden shadow loomed over the city, blotting out the sun like an ominous eclipse. All around, the same confusion travelled through all the exam takers, several footsteps halting to a stop and sounds of puzzlement made apparent as what had to be a Godzilla sized robot stood at a corner of the city, pushing down buildings and knocking down structures in its path.

“W-what is that?” Students voices rang out in confusion as they viewed the sudden presence of the monstrosity in their wake.

“I dunno… let’s get out of here!”

People screamed in alarm as they watched the robot pull down the tallest building in the area, trying to make its way towards the students. The examinees panicked and took to their heels.

“It’s the zero pointer!” someone yelled out, feet already taking them as far away from the robot’s direction as possible.

That’s right. The one we’re supposed to avoid! Hinata’s brain helpfully supplied, urging him to follow the direction of the rest of the students as they took off. It’s only a few more seconds till the time runs out. If he could—

The zero-pointer moved again, and brought another building down, blocking the escape route he’d planned to take to the safe-zone.

He felt panic creep up his spine as dust filled the air, the rubble nearly falling on top of some examinees. Were they trying to kill us?! He coughed into his arm, eyes frantically veering from one direction to the next to seek another escape route. He could use one of those robots as a ledge and use his quirk to propel him upwards onto the short buildings on his left. It was a bit further from his original path, but he needed to get out of there and head to the finish line in—

Crap. Fifteen seconds!

The huge, inconvenient thing shaking the grounds of the center juddered the floor once more, causing more debris to fall and dust to rise. Hinata needed to move fast. He needed to get to the finish line.

He needed to—

Someone cried out, his feet skidded to a halt, and he didn’t know why he’d stopped.

Only that he did, and turning around had to have been one of the most innate decisions he’d ever made in his life.

Right underneath a huge pile of rubble, within the interiors of a collapsing building, he saw a hand peek out from between the mound of wreckage, weak and nearly lifeless, but still moving, if only slightly. Someone was stuck in there. The voice cried out again, and though it was basically muffled and nearly inaudible, the message was clear.

Help me.

Hinata paused.

Ten seconds on the clock, he didn’t have that much time to get back, going back to rescue this person would waste even more time. He was sure that they could at least breathe… and it wasn’t like U.A. would let any of the examinees die right? Right???

He just had to turn back around, and follow the rest of the running students to the finish line.

It was all he had to do.

His feet moved, and he hopped in the direction of his choice.

This was the right thing to do, he thought to himself, safely securing the rope around his chest and shoulders.

This was the right thing to do, he repeated, activating his quirk and accelerating his speed, going forward towards his destination.

“This was the right thing to do,” he said out loud, using his hands to dig up the rubble suffocating the person underneath. Five seconds. He didn’t have anymore time. As soon as he was sure the wreckage wouldn’t collapse over his head, he reached into the space, and pulled out the hand stuck underneath.

A head of short, blonde, messy hair came into his sights, and he instantly recognized the person as the shy-looking, blonde girl that had asked the one question back at the auditorium.

She coughed as she crawled out, falling onto him as she tripped on her way, just as the horn sounded and the time ran out, the zero-pointer pausing in its motions just as it was about to knock down another towering edifice.

“Alright, time’s up!” The announcer hollered into the air, signifying the end of the practical exams.

Hinata released a heavy breath, letting random screams of excitement, joy and dejection ring in his ears as the practical exams came to a final end.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3:

“Mom! Mom!! Guess what? Guess what?” Hinata hollered, beam as bright as the sun as he ran through the living room and into the kitchen where his mother was busy stirring up dinner. She chuckled at her son’s playful antics, humoring him and asking an interested “what?” without veering away from the pot in her hands.

“I hurt my knee today!”

In an instant, the spoon left her hands and slipped into the pot of boiling broth, going to her knees and examining the bandages she only just noticed wrapped around his knee. “Oh dear… what happened? Does it hurt, Shoyou?”

“Mm-Mm.” He shook his head, still beaming, still delighted despite his mother’s sudden worry. “It was so awesome, mom! We were playing, and I jumped really high! Really, really, really high!”

“Did you fall?”

“Mmhm.” He nodded vigorously, then raised the leg with the injured knee from the ground and pointed at it with his finger. “And I landed right here! But it’s okay mom… cuz guess what?”

His mother, though less concerned at the thought he wasn’t badly hurt all but released an amused breath, releasing the tension in her shoulders. “What, Shoyou?”

“I got my quirk!” He squealed, even louder than before, his grin widening in girth. “I got my quirk, mom! And Kato-sensei said, it was a hero’s quirk. And my friends said I was soooooo cool cuz I got mine before Ita-chan cuz he said he was gonna get his first but then I got mine first and then Aki-kun told me I was just like—”

“Sh-shoyou! Deep breaths, okay?” His mother admonished, failing to minimize the equal amounts of delight, surprise, and anxiety that slowly rose up within her being. “Q-quirk? Hero? You want to be a hero, Shoyou?”

At the question, the little Hinata paused, his beam comically morphing into a contemplative pout. “Mmmm….” He hummed for a moment, then stared up at her from the ground, finger resting lightly on his chin. “Heroes are cool right mom?”

Nervously, she nodded, getting up from the floor to tend to the food.

 “Hey, mom! If you think they’re cool, then I can be one, right mom?!”

“Ah… I don’t see why not,” she replied, brows still furrowed as she tried to contemplate her next set of words, staring into those bright, brown orbs that seemed to reflect the light from the sky itself. “But… if you really, really want it, then you’d still go for it no matter what, won’t you Shoyou?”

Shoyou blinked up at her, seeming contemplative again, before he nodded, letting a smile stretch his lips.

“That’s good,” she commented, mostly to herself, certain she’d given the right reply to her son to steer him in the right direction. “We’ll go over to the quirk hospital real soon, so get ready,

“Okay, Shoyou?”

.

.

.

.

.

The subtle knocks against his door steered him out of his mind and back to the present, finally able to feel the aches throbbing his head from hanging upside down the side of his bed. He’d been staring at the wall for a particularly long time. Not that he’d noticed much, since he’d been, after all, reminiscing the events of the last forty-eight hours for some time now.

“Niichan, dinner!” his little sister’s voice called from the other side of the door, her face peeking just a little from the opening so light shed itself into the room. He all but muttered a near inaudible “okay,” in reply before watching the door shut back, her soft footsteps resonating across the short hallway as she retreated till he could no longer hear them.

Dinner…? Had time passed that quickly?

He peered over at the clock on his wall, barely illuminated by the dimming lights coming through the window by his bed, and tried reading the time upside down.

7:05PM.

He’d been locked in his room for over twelve hours. If he didn’t currently feel like burying his head into his pillows till he suffocated, he’d have actually felt amazed. Because on a normal day, he was only ever in his room when there wasn’t anything to do or anywhere to go. And that barely ever happened.

Even earlier this morning, when he’d bothered himself checking his phone, he’d seen a few invites from Koji and Izumi, asking if he was up for ice-cream and some video games at Koji’s place. But he didn’t have the courage to meet up with them, or face them. He didn’t have the courage to tell them he’d failed where they’d succeeded. He didn’t have the courage to tell them he wasn’t going to enter UA anymore.

Even when the two best friends had sent him a photo of the both of them hugging, satisfying, accomplished grins plastered on their faces as they held up their acceptance letters the day before, he’d done nothing but buried his phone underneath his pillow, then proceeded to scream into said pillow till his throat was raw and his eyes throbbed.

Hinata huffed out a sigh, swinging his body upwards and putting a hand to his temple as the rush of blood had a metaphorical knife stab through his head. Owowowowoow… Stupid. Why’d you get up too fast?

He held a hand to his temple, grouching while he attempted forcing the aches away.

Stupid.

He paused, eyes narrowed, burning at the brim with a mix of unidentified emotions— dejection, anxiety, contempt—focused on the floor beneath him but his mind furthest from the present.

What made you think it was a good idea?

What made you think it was ever a good idea?

“Alright! Time’s up!” the mechanical voice hollered into the air, alarms still blaring through the atmosphere resonating despite the echoes that had long since died down, students all in their various motions of panic or hurry halted in their steps, the faux-villains and robots alike ceased to move, even the tremors that had once racked the earth came to a stop as the cause of the earthquakes died down itself. It was as though someone had clicked a button.

Everything was silent.

Hinata, still holding the girl’s arm, still in the motion of dragging her through the debris paused, allowing the girl to climb out the rest of the way herself, using his arm as leverage.

“Th-thank you…” the girl spoke, voice light, eyes alight with gratitude. “U-um…” She stuttered, then proceeded to look around, nearly stumbling as she took a step forward. At that moment, Hinata snapped out of his pseudo trance and aided her balance, half his mind still nailed on the fact that the exam had ended.

And he hadn’t reached the finish line.

“Has the exam—? Oh—!” the blonde girl stuttered again before coming to a halt, her entire demeanor looking near panicked as she bent back down into the debris, finding someone lying slack and unmoving, half of their body sticking out of the rubble. She quickly latched onto the unconscious male’s arms, trying the pull him out of the piles of rocks he was stuck under. “S-sorry… I need your help!” She pleaded with him, Hinata not hesitating in aiding her to pull the injured teen to safety, his hands shifting away the weight of wood and other stuff piled above him while simultaneously pulling alongside the blonde girl.

Already, he could see the various scratches and bruises littered on the person’s skin, and the odd angle in which the male’s wrist bent, indicating it was either dislocated or broken.

People… they got really hurt during this…

Even looking around, he was now only noticing the amount of injuries some students sported, some worse than others.

He wondered if anyone had ever died during an exam. Would he have died during this one?

He looked down at the still unconscious male, the blonde girl fluttering over the stranger as though she were the cause of his injuries. The boy would definitely have died if he hadn’t come on time. But…

He looked over at where the finish line was, the red beam still shimmering above its location.

Was it… worth it—?

No, no. He physically shook his head. Of course it was! Human lives were a lot worth more than anything! Hinata wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he’d seen someone in need and hadn’t helped them. Even if he’d made it to the finish line, and he’d seen someone in need of his help, someone he knew he would save, then he’d have done it—He’d do it again and again—and he’d do it without a second thought.

As if summoned to cut across his mental overviews, a voice, loud and vociferous yelled through the throngs of students and leftover damage, drawing the attention of the occupants of that particular street.

“Alright, alright!” the voice called out, effectively pulling Hinata’s attention from the blonde girl and unconscious boy towards the street ahead, where a silver haired male dressed in a white lab coat walked through the crowds of remnant students that hadn’t been able to make it through, his hands clapping loudly to call attention towards him. “If you’re injured or hurt, or if you have anyone by you who is, please come over here!”

Hinata perked up, listening in at the announcement once more.

Is he a doctor? A nurse? Volunteer? Either way, he was glad, he could feel gratitude swelling within from the male’s sudden, however thankful, presence. There were a lot of people that got terribly injured. He’d only just failed to notice till the end.

“If you’re terribly injured, or anyone around you is, please reach out to me!” he repeated, this time adding an elucidation. “Lady Reverse is busy taking care of the other Battle Centers, so I’ll be assisting her in taking care of any broken bones or fatal wounds!”

Lady—“Lady Reverse!” the blonde behind him squeaked, her eyes widening in awe. “She’s actually here… amazing…” Hinata blinked. He’d heard correctly, of course. The century old pro hero was a legend that could heal basically anyone from anything in a second. She was really, as the blonde girl put it, amazing, extraordinary, in fact. “Sh-she’s actually here… in UA! Amazing!!!”

She looked absolutely excited and enthralled, her head whipping back and forth, like she was looking to see the lady herself strolling magically in her direction. Not that she’d get to see her though. Not that any of them ever would. They weren’t getting into UA, after all.

They’d failed.

“Hello,” he was seemingly drawn from the thoughts roaming through his head for the third time as a presence made itself known before him, drawing his focus back to his body’s current surroundings, and inclining his gaze upwards to meet the warm looking hazel of the silver haired male. Who was now infront of him. “You guys need help, right?”

Hinata was about to jump out of his own skin at the sudden appearance of the pale skinned figure, but instantly, was able to calm down before his jumble of nerves could be triggered, the tension in his bones receding in apprehension as he took in the assistant’s features.

Kind… he looked kind, pleasant, and so absolutely trustworthy. So trustworthy he thinks he wouldn’t blink twice before indebting to him his little sister, his house and his life’s savings in a split second—

“Ah… I hope I hadn’t startled you? This one’s unconscious, isn’t he?” the silver haired figure questioned, not wasting time in getting on his knees and tending to the unconscious male on the floor, hands moving quickly and expertly as he checked his body for wounds and injuries, skimming lightly over his head before moving quickly onto the injured wrist. “How awful… you must be in pain, right?” the male seemed to be talking to the unconscious figure on the floor, his tone as gentle as though he were caressing a wounded infant animal. In a way, Hinata thought, he kind of was. “It’ll be okay now. Just a mild concussion, broken wrist, sprained ankle and some bruises,” he recounted. “You’ll be fine,” he whispered finally, before turning over to Hinata and Yachi. “Is he your friend? Do you know him?”

“Uh, no.” Both he and the blonde girl shook their heads, causing him to hum thoughtfully in contemplation. “Well, in any case,” he began, gently wrapping bandages around the boy’s head and broken wrist, Hinata only beginning to notice how the unconscious male’s injuries were already scabbing over, scars already forming over the wounds. His Quirk… “He should be okay in a few moments. You guys are pretty brave, you know? Pretty heroic, if I do say so myself. Are the both of you sporting any incapacitating injuries of any kind? Broken legs? Shattered kneecaps?” He turned his smile towards them, overall calm, diminutive presence causing all forms of anxious thoughts to disappear despite the enquiries leaving his lips. As Hinata shook his head, and as the blonde girl only pointed to her sprained, bruised, ankle, the male only repeated his former actions, and left her with bandages and already scabbing injuries around her foot.

The only thing catching him off guard being the promise he’d said to them, being: “See you later, then.”

Because one only ever said that when they were actually going to ‘see later’.

And Hinata was sure, as he watched the silver haired assistant’s retreating form, that no matter how brave or heroic he might have looked, didn’t make up for the fact that he hadn’t passed the practical exam.

It didn’t make up for the fact that he’d failed in accomplishing his dreams.

It hadn’t been a good idea. It really hadn’t. He’d raised his hopes for nothing, gone against the best of the best…

Even though he trained his hardest.

Even though he’d done his best.

He’d failed.

He’d failed because he didn’t listen to Toka, and all the other’s who said there was no way he could beat all the other amazing quirks out there. His was only a mere 50 where others were above 100. The UA officials wouldn’t even bat an eye in his direction, would they?

They wouldn’t even look at him, would they?

And that damn elite.

That stupid… stupid elite…

As each student vacated the premises, most now dressed back into their respective middle school uniforms, he watched as various students, all in various degrees of excitement, dejection or indifference, walked past, hoping against all hope to not run into his two friends.

Their presence had a chance of cheering his spirits, but he wasn’t sure he could face them at the moment. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to stand their disappointment.

But in the middle of his wallows, he hadn’t noticed someone deliberately moving to bump into him until he was nearly skittering to the floor, only the quick movements of his feet aiding him in regaining his deliberately unsettled balance.

“What’s wrong, Hinata-chan?” the familiar, taunting voice of the one and only Toka melted into his ears like hot metal, sweltering the space within his head till he could only feel the quickly rising heat burning through his skin. Oh no. Toka. Not Toka. Anyone but him— “Why the long face friend? Oh, don’t tell me…” he released a melodramatic gasp, hovering an enthusiastic hand over his mouth, a mocking chuckle escaping his lips in uncontrolled bursts as he uttered his next set of words. “You failed?!” The chuckle then transcended into a full-blown laugh, the taller male’s hand slapping against Hinata’s shoulder as the guffaws increased in volume and intensity so much so that people were already staring, looking. Judging.

Hinata felt his face heat up some more.

Eventually, the other’s laughter died down to merely amused hums, his arm then proceeding to sling over his shoulder, bringing his head closer to his so he could whisper bitter confirmations into his ear.

“I told you, little Hinata-chan,” he purred. “You were never made to succeed~”

With that, he shoved himself off of him before Hinata could do the honors himself, walking away feeling delighted with himself while Hinata was left standing alone as if glued to the spot, his shoulders trembling, eyes stinging and brimmed with unshed, frustrated tears.

Other’s had already stopped staring. People had already moved. Groups of friends and schoolmates returning to their conversations.

He wasn’t even worth murmuring about.

They’d leave, and no one would remember him. No one would remember the failure—the one of many—that had flopped and hadn’t made it into UA. No one would remember the one kid that had nearly burst into tears before the gates of UA high, knuckles white, teeth ground so hard he was sure his jaw would break.

Nobody would give him a second glance.

However,

Only one.

And it was none other than the stupid, dark-haired, stone-faced elite, still staring at him, still judging, looking down on him even when no one else even bothered to. His unreadable, deep blue eyes trained and latched onto his soul as though he were trying to consume every inch of it. His kingly, domineering gaze pounding into his skull like a sledge hammer against glass.

Stupid elite. Stupid, useless, dumb, bungling, failure—

But before it could shatter, before it could fracture even an inch further, he took to his heels, ignoring the calls of Koji and Izumi when they’d finally found him and running faster than he’d ever had to towards his own house.

Day five after his failure at the UA exam, Hinata could feel his mind wander back to the events that occurred on that very day, playing out every instance of his performance, every mistake and hesitation that caused his nerves to fray and his limbs to waver and made every inch of himself second-guess every and all of his actions. Hinata could feel his mind rewind back to the moment the exam ended, the moment he’d met Toka and had let his dampening words resonate within the walls of his head in an echo so loud he wished he could shut everything off.

“You were never made to succeed…”

Hinata set the ball so high it bounced against the roof of his house before coming into contact with his face.

He fell flat on his behind.

The ginger haired sighed, watching the blue and yellow molten ball roll away from him. He almost felt betrayed. Even the ball was after him.

As he sat up and moved to collect the volleyball hidden within the shrub growing behind his home’s backyard, the backdoor slid open, the sound of wood sliding against the floor reaching his ears before he’d been able to fully stand. He turned to see his sister standing right at the threshold of the door, an uncanny expression gracing her features as she glanced over at his squatted form on the ground.

A half-minute of silence passed between them.

“What, Natsu?” he finally questioned after looking at her face morph between an odd mixture of annoyance and skittishness, her fingers gripping onto the edge of the door as though it were her lifeline. Finally, she opened her mouth to let out the air she seemed to have been holding.

“Mom’s calling you!” she yelled, before proceeding to run away.

Hinata let the sounds of her receding, pattering footsteps fade, his eyes lingering on the spot she’d just been standing upon. Weird. He let himself release a breath before rising up from the ground, momentarily forgetting about the ball he’d been playing with. His sister had always been odd here and there, sometimes doing things he’d never been able to guess she would do—like the time she’d ended up on the roof for no apparent reason. He however had a weird sense of foreboding the longer he thought about it now, like the niggling feeling at the back of his head he couldn’t exactly name. Then he went back to exactly what she’d said.

His mom was calling him. Crap.

Well, he’d only missed dinner—what?—two times since Monday? He definitely wasn’t in trouble was he?

Hinata stared at the darkening sky and receding clouds, watching hints of the moon peek from the dimmed hues of blue that made up the night. And he could feel himself cringe.

He was so in trouble.

Hinata paused at the door, contemplating running away to the nearest station as a countermeasure for avoiding his mom’s ever resting, ever dormant anger. She was going to rip him a new one for sure. But then his mother’s voice rang out over the hum of his own thoughts, and this time he moved his feet without thinking, all the while trying to quell the thing in his stomach telling him to turn tail and run.

“Shoyou! Come over here now!”

“O-okay, coming!!!”

Please God, he mentally clasped his hands together and prayed to the Deity above. Make my death quick.

He quickly made his way over to the sitting room, where his mother was, on the couch, his sister nowhere to be seen and an envelope donning a red, familiar seal right in her hands, the letters engraved into it sharp and real and enough to send his heart rate shooting through the roof.

Okay he changed his mind he’d rather move out of the country—

“Shoyou.” His mother’s voice was steady, and gently subdued his rising palpitations, but was also firm enough to draw him away from his nerve-fraying mind. Hinata suddenly realized he’d locked himself in a cringe position, and was quick to fix it the moment he noticed, letting his fists clench and unclench. He looked at the envelope in her hand, watching her raise it up and gesture the paper towards him. “Your letter from UA’s here.”

He swallowed down a gulp.

“Would you like to read it on your own?”

Hinata nodded, shaky limb reaching for the letter and feeling the density of his bones rise as he held it in his grasp. It felt so heavy. He felt around the envelope, feeling a round, circular disk encased inside. It was a message then. He couldn’t wait to hear about how much he didn’t pass in clear and concise video and audio. Nodding once more to his concerned-looking mother, he raced down the hall and towards his room, closing the door and then slumping against it, glaring at the thing in his hand.

He’d been waiting for this since the moment he’d screamed at the entrance of the school gates.

He felt his fingers tremble as he pried the seal away, limbs feeling as stiff as wood when he walked over to his desk and slowly dropped the envelope on top of the surface. It made a quiet clack against the hardwood, the sound heavier in his ears than it should have been. He’d never felt this scared in his life.

He used the tip of his finger to slowly push the disk out of the hard paper, intending to draw this out as much as possible, hoping his nerves would have calmed down some in due time. But then he’d heard something thump against his room door, and he’d jolted so hard he’d ended up flicking the letter off his desk and onto the floor, the disk rolling out in tandem and releasing a beep that made his heart stop.

“Ack—!” He leaped after the rolling disk and caught it in his grasp before giving it the opportunity to roll beneath his bed. He’d have sighed in potent relief at saving it so quickly, if the thing hadn’t decided to activate right at the moment he’d caught it. He squeaked as he let the disk drop to the floor, light emanating from the center of the device, and right into the space before his eyes.

Every bone in his body froze as the hood covered features of Foresight came into view, his eyes unblinking as the video played and the man in the hologram began to speak.

“Hello, Hinata Shoyou.” Hinata  couldn’t help the gulp that travelled down his throat, his teeth grit and his hands clenched on the floor from where he knelt. This was it. He was finally going to confirm the words of his greatest fears. “Due to your inability to complete the examination, the results of the assessment gives you a score of zero points—” His chest tightened. “Marking you ineligible to enter UA as a student—” I knew it. He felt his fingers dig into the skin of his palms, his eyes already fogging up with tears. I knew it. Of course I knew it… but it still hurt.

“—However!” The pro-hero continued, cadence picking up a tone that didn’t even correlate with the letter’s contents. Hinata rubbed against his eyes and stared into the almost hope-inducing gaze of Foresight, the video switching to what looked like a scoreboard displaying all the scores of the students who participated in the exam. “We wouldn’t be UA if we didn’t have a few surprises up our sleeves. The exam was built to emulate something close to real-life rescue simulation, and due to that, the points were rewarded accordingly, not to which student finished first, but to the student’s overall performance. How could we turn away from someone willing to save a human life at the risk of their own aspirations?” Hinata felt the gasp before the screen switched over to a smaller scoreboard, this time showing the scores of those who passed the exam. He was… “With an overall score of seventy-eight, you’ve placed a promising position of fifth place in the general exam—” H-he was… “Deeming you fit for a position in our very own heroics course!”

He was getting in…?

“Welcome to UA, Hinata Shoyou.”

Hinata felt the tears finally roll down. However, this time, they didn’t stem from despair or disappointment. This time, he leaped from the floor in joy, nearly bumping his head against the ceiling, his screams of excitement escaping the walls of his room, right at the time his sister and mother ran inside to celebrate with him, both hugging him and yelling about how proud they were. He’d almost forgotten the fact that they’d been eavesdropping in the first place.

This was where it started. The beginning of his path to being a hero started now.