Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Himiko stumbled through the alleyway, her mind wrapped in a foggy haze.

Monster! Demon!

She'd lost track of how long she'd been wandering through back alleys and streets, she just knew she had to keep going, to get away from the voices.

Why can't you just be normal?

It had been hours since she stopped to take a break, to scavenge for something to eat or drink. She hoped with every step that she took that she would finally be far enough away for the voices to stop. That she would finally be free.

And yet, the voices of her parents continued to torment her.

If you just controlled your urges, we wouldn't have to do this to you.

Eventually, her attention was drawn to a commotion in the distance, the smell of blood in the air catching her attention. Its wonderful scent reminded her of the hunger she felt, and was enough to distract her from her dark thoughts.

She stumbled her way towards it, filled with a deep need to find the source of the blood. As she got closer, she heard the sounds of fighting and the words 'hero' and 'villain.'

But it was not meant to be.

She was so caught up by the smell in the air that she missed the debris littering the alleyway until her foot snagged on a loose pipe. She tried to catch herself, but she was too weak. She hit the ground with a loud thud. As she lay there, Himiko felt her strength leaving her and things fading to black.

The last thing she saw was a small kid with a mop of green hair walking toward her. She could barely pick out his question "are you alright?"

As she stared at him, she locked eyes with him, her eyes begging him.

Please don't take me back to my parents.

Inko looked around frantically for Izuku. While walking to the shopping district with her son, they ran into a robbery that went wrong. Now, a villain whose quirk allowed him to create razor blades from his body was holding a young boy hostage demanding safe passage. Heroes responded quickly, but she knew Izuku. He had definitely rushed off to watch the heroes in action, and now she couldn't find him in the crowd that was forming.

"Mom!" After a few tense moments, Inko breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Izuku coming out of an alleyway. "There's a girl back here, she needs help!"

Filled with concern, Inko followed him to the alleyway and gasped at what she saw. A girl with disheveled ash-blonde hair was laying there, passed out on the ground. She was pale and thin, wearing a set of dirty, torn clothes. On top of that, there was a worrying amount of dried blood on her clothes.

"We have to help her!"

"I-" Inko looked at her son with worry. "EMS should be coming soon. We need to tell them about her. In the meantime, we need to try and find her parents." Although Inko suspected she wasn't going to find them.

Izuku knelt next to the girl before he turned his head. "I'm going to stay here and wait with her!"

Inko sighed and gave her son a soft smile. Always the hero. "Ok, but if there's any trouble you come running, alright?"

Izuku nodded vigorously. "You bet!"

Inko left the alleyway and asked around, trying to find the parents of the girl. With every shake of the head, the weight in her stomach grew as she was forced to acknowledge the fact that her parents weren't there.

It only took a few minutes for EMS to arrive, and with practiced ease they began their job in the wake of the attack. Fortunately, most of the wounds were simple cuts and bruises, nothing too serious. Inko waited impatiently until someone was free, before she waved toward one of the paramedics, getting his attention. "There is a girl in the alleyway with my son. She's in horrible condition and needs help."

"Lead the way!" The paramedic followed Inko to the alley where Izuku was, then took one look at the scene and ran off to get more help.

Izuku sat down and adjusted the girl so that her head was resting in his lap. After the paramedic left, Inko gave her son a concerned look, and he at least had the good sense to look embarrassed by his actions. "She just looked so uncomfortable, the way she was laying there."

Soon after, the paramedic returned with his partner and a stretcher and they began to carefully load the girl onto it. As the paramedic began to secure her down and prepared her for movement, his partner turned toward Inko.

"What happened here?"

Izuku spoke up. "I was trying to get a better view of things and making my way around the crowd, and I happened to hear my friend in the alley. I don't know what happened to her, but I couldn't just leave her!"

The paramedic looked at Izuku, and then back at Inko with skepticism in his eyes while she looked down at her son. "Yes, that's what happened. She's a friend of his, but we haven't been able to get ahold of her parents. If we can come with you, we can try again at the hospital?"

The paramedic just sighed. "Ok, come with us. Whatever happened to her is completely unrelated to this incident, and she's going to need medical attention." Without another word they turned back to their partner and helped them finish strapping the girl down.

Izuku gave his mom a guilty look before they followed the medics to the ambulance and climbed into the passenger side.

As Himiko woke up, the first thing she noticed was that her head felt less foggy than it had been in months. The second thing she noticed was that she was lying in a hospital bed, her clothes replaced with a gown and a couple of IVs pumping fluid into her arms.

Oh no, they found me!

"Mom, she's waking up!"

Himiko was startled by the voice coming from seemingly next to her as she reflexively pushed herself up. She was surprised to see that it wasn't her parents, nor the police in the room with her. Rather, it was a green-haired boy and a homely-looking woman with matching green hair.

"Wait… what's going on?" Himiko asked, confused.

"I saw you collapse in an alleyway!" the boy said. "We thought you were a victim of a villain attack, but when the doctors looked at you they said you actually had other problems?"

The woman stood up and walked over, placing a hand on her excitable son's shoulder. "They said you were delirious from malnutrition. Between that and numerous injuries, they admitted you to the hospital. We asked around where we found you, but nobody knew who you were." She turned from Himiko to look at her son. "My son didn't want to let you out of his sight, so we came with you to the hospital."

Himiko let out a long breath, her eyes filled with panic. "Please- don't- my parents-"

Inko's expression immediately morphed into one of concern. She began to speak but was interrupted as the door opened, the doctor and nurse entering the room.

The doctor turned toward Inko. "Mrs. Midoryia? Can you and your son step into the hallway for a moment while the nurse examines our patient?"

A look of terror flashed across Himiko's face as Inko followed the doctor out. On impulse - or maybe because the boy reminded her of Saito - she reached out to the boy. "Don't leave me!"

She saw the concern on the faces of both the boy and the nurse. The green-haired boy looked at her with concern, before looking at the nurse. Having come to a decision, the boy looked at Himiko with a smile on his face. "I promise, I'll be right back!"

She couldn't help but worry that he was lying to her.

In the hallway, the Doctor ushered the two down the hallway toward the nurse's station. "Mrs. Midorya, it took some effort but we were able to identify our mysterious patient. Her name is Himiko Toga." His lips pressed into a thin line before he continued. "Unfortunately, her situation is complicated. First off - when we tried to contact her family they claimed she wasn't their daughter and hung up on us. And second, there's an active warrant for her arrest."

Inko gasped, her hand gripping tightly onto Izuku's shoulder. She couldn't reconcile the image of that scared girl with that of a wanted criminal. "What could possibly have happened to cause that?"

"According to the report, she attacked another student and… drank his blood. It caused quite the scene." The doctor said, a look of concern on his face. "She's apparently been on the run ever since, with police looking for her."

"Something's wrong," Izuku spoke up, startling both adults. "Mom! You saw her!"

"What's your son talking about?"

Izuku looked up at the doctor with a determined face. "She was trying to tell us something about her parents. I think they scare her?" Izuku sounded confused, like that was a foreign concept. "And it got worse when you asked us to follow you! She- she made me promise that I wouldn't leave her alone. I think something is wrong with her."

The doctor looked at Inko, who simply nodded to confirm. "My son is many things, but he's not a liar. I think she may be abused at home."

The doctor had a sympathetic look on his face as he looked at the mother and daughter. "That may be the case, but rules are rules. I can't just let this go - we'll be contacting the authorities and alerting them that she's here."

The doctor waited for the boy to protest, but instead he stood there, his face scrunched up as he wracked his brain for a solution. Inspiration seemed to hit as he pulled out his phone and began looking up something. "You said you need to contact the authorities, right? Instead of the police, could you contact a specific hero about her?"

Inko couldn't help but smile as she saw the surprise on the doctor's face, feeling a surge of pride in her son.

"If you think that would help, I could call in a hero before contacting the police, yes," The doctor said cautiously.

The boy nodded enthusiastically before he held up his phone. "Can you guys contact Vlad King about her?"

"The blood hero? Why him?" The doctor asked, his curiosity piqued.

"While I was with her in the alleyway, she was mumbling in her sleep. She was saying the word 'blood' a lot. On top of that, I saw the nurse giving her additional blood through her IV. Finally, you said she's wanted for assault because she drank someone's blood. All of those signs indicate she has a blood-based quirk, which is rare. Vlad King he- maybe he can relate to her?" He bowed his head as his surge of confidence seemed to leave him. "I'm sorry I couldn't think of anyone else, but could you please call him instead of the police?"

The doctor slowly knelt down to reach eye level with Izuku. "You're quite the observant one, aren't you? Just for that, I'll try getting ahold of Vlad King, but I can't make any promises."

"Yes!" the kid pumped his fist into the air. "Thank you, mister! I'm sure he can sort this out! He's a hero after all!"

Izuku then sheepishly turns towards his mom. "Umm, I also promised her that I'd go back and stay with her. Can I go back into the room now?"

Inko looked at the doctor questioningly. "I don't mind. She doesn't seem like someone who'd attack us, but what you said…"

"You can stay with her for now, at least until the police or Vlad King arrives," The doctor said. "Be careful, though. If she starts acting out, hit the button to call a nurse immediately."

"You heard that Izu?" Inko waited for Izuku to nod enthusiastically. "You go keep her company, I'll be back in a few minutes."

He dashed back off to the room.

After the nurse finished her checkup and left. Himiko was left alone with her thoughts, staring at the door and trying to fight the pit forming in her stomach.

They're not coming back.

They're going to leave you and then you're going to be taken away.

You are going to jail and there is nothing you can do about it.

She was broken out of her spiral by the sound of the door opening, the green-haired boy peeking timidly around it. "Umm, hi again. Do you mind if I come in?"

Himiko felt a smile forming on her lips. "Of course!"

She watched as he carefully pushed the door open and entered the room. "Do you mind if I sit next to you?" He waited until she shook her head, then carefully crossed the room before sitting down in the chair next to her bed. "I'm Izuku Midoriya. What's your name?"

Himiko blinked in surprise before responding. "My name is Himiko Toga."

"Nice to meet you Toga!" Izuku said, a bright smile on her face.

Himiko couldn't help but wince as she heard her family name. "Please, call me Himiko. I-" She let out a pained sigh. "-don't really like who I am right now."

"Oh… Is that why we found you all by yourself?"

Himiko looked into his earnest eyes, full of caring and no judgment. She felt her nerves calming simply by looking into them. It was such a different look from what she had grown accustomed to over the years. "It's.. a long story."

"Hey," Izuku reached out, before realizing what he was doing and pulling his hand back. Himiko couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment as he did so. "Don't push yourself if you don't want to. I promised you I'm not going anywhere!"

Himiko sat there silently, examining the boy in front of her. How can someone be so- so- friendly to a complete stranger?

Especially her.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Himiko finally blurted out

"Because it's what heroes are supposed to do!" Izuku pumped his hand into the air, as if to emphasize his point.

Himiko's mouth formed a small o as she sat there dumbfounded.

Was he being serious?

"I- sorry," Izuku ducked his head and began to rub the back of it. "I'm kind of obsessed with heroes."

"That's not silly!" Himiko insisted. "I just-" It was her turn to look away.

As Himiko tried to gather her thoughts, they heard another knock on the door only to see Izuku's mother enter the room. She shot a piercing look at Himiko as she sat next to Izuku, but after a moment's inspection she seemed satisfied as she visibly relaxed.

"I hope my son hasn't been bothering you too much?"

"N-no! Not at all!" Himiko insisted. "So you're his mother?"

She gave a single nod. "Yes, I'm Inko Midoriya, Izuku's mother."

"I'm Himiko To-" She paused for a moment. "Just Himiko."

Inko looked like she was upset by Himiko's answer, but didn't say anything. Instead, she crossed the room and returned to the chair she sat in previously, looking at the two children. "I hope you don't mind my intrusion, you two sounded like you were having a lovely conversation."

"Ehehehe," Izuku rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"So you really like heroes?" Himiko asked curiously.

"Yeah!" Izuku nodded vigorously. "They're so cool!"

"I wouldn't know," Himiko admitted. "My parents - they didn't really like heroes." Izuku's eyes went wide, as if she had just told him Santa wasn't real. She found a smile tugging at her lips again, seeing his reaction.

"Why don't they like heroes? They help keep us safe and they save people!" Izuku began as he launched into a speech about them.

Himiko was content to let him talk, listening as he tried to extoll the wonders of heroes and heroism onto her. It was a lesson her parents had drilled into her - if she let others do the talking, then it was easier to blend in, to let them think she was normal.

She knew she was being selfish, but she wanted these two to think she was normal for as long as she could.

Himiko lost track of the time until the three of them heard a knock on the door. It opened, revealing a tall man wearing a red jumpsuit with white gauntlets. Despite Izuku's long-winded explanation trying to sell her on heroes, she felt fear grip her heart.

"Nonono! Don't take me back! I don't want to go back to them!"

Inko watched in horror as a look of betrayal filled Himiko's face. The girl was panicking, pulling at the needles in her arm trying to pull them out, while her head darted around, looking for some way to escape.

Izuku jumped into action and grabbed Himiko's shoulder. "It's ok! This is Vlad King. I-" He swallowed the lump in his throat. "-asked the doctors to call him before they called the police. I think he can help you!"

Vlad King knew better than to approach the girl. It would only exacerbate the problem. He subtly folded his arms and observed, holding his wrists in such a way that he could use a blood construct if he needed to.

Himiko whipped around to face Izuku. "You don't know them! They'll pay them off, make excuses, do whatever it takes to get me back! And then- and then-"

"Himiko," Izuku said softly. "I won't let them do that."

Himiko's eyes seemed to regain focus as she looked desperately at Izuku, looking for some sort of anchor. "Promise?"

Izuku gave her a reassuring smile. "Mhm. Yeah! Whatever your parents do, if you just explain it- he'll help you!"

Time seemed to stretch on as Himiko looked at Izuku, desperately trying to convince herself that this time things would be different. Finally, she dared to look at the hero, who simply stood by the door, unmoving.

Despite that, she could see the look of concern on his face.

Taking a deep breath, she gave one final look at Izuku before giving him a single nod. "Ok, please - I'll do anything to not go back."

Feeling the tension leaving the room, Kan finally stepped forward to introduce himself. "Based on your reaction, I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you from going back to your parents as well! I am Sekijiro Kan, better known as the blood hero Vlad King. But you can just call me Kan."

Himiko perked up at the mention of blood. "You're a blood hero? But blood quirks are cursed and villainous."

"Who told you that?"

"My… parents." Himiko bit her lip, her face filled with shame. As if she committed some act of betrayal against them.

"I see," Kan quietly mused to himself. "It appears these two were right after all." Kan directed his attention to Himiko. "How would you feel if I told you that you will never have to go back to your parents?"

"You really mean it?" Himiko perked up at that offer.

Vlad King found himself taken off guard by her enthusiasm. On the other side of the room, he heard Mrs. Midoriya's gasp, and he swore he also heard her heart breaking at the girl's response. He pressed his lips into a thin line. More evidence to support the boy's theory.

"I do, but I can't promise it will be easy for you."

Himiko bit her lip and glanced toward Izuku hesitantly. Despite knowing what had happened, he wasn't afraid of her, nor was he scared of her parents.

I wish I could be as strong as him.

She turned back toward the hero. "Ok! I'll do anything, as long as I don't have to go back."

The hero turned toward Inko. "You may want to take your son and leave. You two don't have to stay for this part."

Inko looked at the girl on the bed. "It's up to you. If you don't want us here we'll leave. But I don't think either Izu or I will judge you for anything that happened."

Himiko looked at the woman and felt torn. On one hand, she didn't want either of them out of her sight, afraid she'd never see them again if they left. On the other hand, she felt a deep sense of shame and didn't want to reveal her true nature to them.

If they are going to leave because you're a monster, better to do it quickly and get it over with. They're too nice to associate with the likes of me.

"You can stay." She swallowed and looked back at Kan. "I- they should know."

With a satisfied nod, Kan unfolded his arms and continued. "On my way over I reviewed the police report to get an idea of what happened two weeks ago. However, that's only one side of the story. Can you tell me what happened from your perspective?"

Himiko's eyes darkened as she looked down at the blanket covering her.

This is it, I'm going away forever.

"There was a boy - Saito - at my school. He was always so strong and confident. I- I always admired him from afar. Then one day… one day he got in a fight and was covered in blood," She felt her cheeks burning as she grabbed the blanket and pulled it up, trying to hide her face. "Seeing him like that I... I fell in love with him. I wanted to be close to him. I wanted to be him, to be popular, with a cool quirk and not my curse." She swallowed, gathering her courage before she looked at the hero. "A few weeks later - after classes I found a box cutter and I... stabbed him."

She heard Inko gasp, but she didn't dare risk looking at either her or Izuku. Instead, she remained focused on the impassive face of Vlad King. "He bled such a beautiful color of blood, and I drank as much as I could. It felt amazing! I wanted to keep going but the teachers caught me and I ran," She broke eye contact and looked down at her lap again. "I can't remember much after that. I just knew I needed to run, and keep moving. I tried to find what food I could but…" She dared a glance at Izuku and was shocked to find him staring wide-eyed, but there was no judgment in his eyes, only concern. "The last thing I remember is smelling blood in the air, hearing people fighting. I tried to find it but I was too weak. I tripped and fell. The last thing I saw was Midoriya rushing toward me."

Kan had a serious look on his face. "You're right, that sounds troublesome. But it may not be in the way you fear. Your quirk, what is it? I assume it is blood-based?"

"Yes," Himiko felt her face heating up as she looked down at her lap again. "If- If I drink somebody's blood, I can become them."

"Why did your parents tell you this is a curse?"

"Because… I wasn't normal, I was cursed, they were supposed to have a normal girl with a nice normal quirk and instead, they got me." Himiko tried to curl in on herself, her voice small. "They- they had me registered as having a minor cat mutation and made me pretend that was all my quirk was. But blood- I can't stop thinking about it. No matter how hard I try!" She felt tears of frustration stinging her eyes.

"Didn't you have a quirk counselor to help you?"

Himiko shook her head. "No, I- my parents found a counselor for me. Someone who tried to teach me how I could suppress my quirk so that they could have a normal daughter."

"There were other incidents when you drank blood, weren't there?"

"Yes. When I was younger I would drink the blood from birds and small animals," She felt her face heat up in embarrassment. She always felt so free in those moments, like she was truly herself for a moment. Until her parents found out. "Every time I was caught my parents would ground me and lock me in my room as punishment."

Kan saw the horrified looks on both Inko and Izuku's faces, but Himiko continued to look down, afraid to face them. Rubbing his chin with his hand, he began assembling a disturbing image in his mind. "After you drank this blood, how did you feel?"

"I- my head felt clearer, and I felt stronger! It was a great feeling! But the headaches and fog would eventually come back. It always came back."

"How do you feel right now?"

"My head still is a little foggy," Himiko admitted, "But I feel like I did after I drank blood. It-" Once again she felt her face heating up. "Feels like all of those times when I drank blood."

Kan rubbed his chin as he thought. "That explains a lot." Very carefully, he pushed the call button near the door and spoke to the nurse on the other line.

A few moments later, a nurse arrived, carrying a blood bag. Kan took the bag and slowly walked to the sink, wrapping the bag in a towel. Keeping his movements slow and obvious, he turned toward the bed and approached Himiko, before kneeling beside her. "I am going to give this to you, but first I need you to promise me something ok? First, drink this slowly. And second, don't use your quirk while drinking it."

Himiko's eyes went from Kan to the bag, her eyes going wide. She could already feel an urge deep inside of her, begging her to grab the bag and devour it. With a mighty effort she tore her eyes away from the bag and looked at Kan. "It's ok if I… drink this?" The words sounded almost foreign to her. "I promise I won't change!"

Kan offered her the bag and she carefully took it, cradling it as if it was a precious object. Lifting it to her mouth, she bit the bag, her fangs easily piercing the thin plastic and allowing the blood to flow into her mouth. She quickly sucked the bag dry and was so happy that she even began to lick the towel, trying to gather any of the precious liquid that spilled out.

When she was done she looked up and remembered that there were four people still in the room. Her face fell as she registered that the doctor, the hero, and the two Midoriyas were staring at her. Dropping the towel, she couldn't help but begin to curl in on herself.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

She felt a weighty hand come to rest on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, little Toga. You shouldn't have to feel this way just because you're hungry. How are you feeling now?"

Himiko blinked at the words, her mind taking a moment to register what he said. She peeked up and saw the hero staring down at her, no judgment on his face. "I feel… better. The fog lifted, like after I drank Saito's blood. And I don't feel as tired anymore?"

Kan gave a satisfied grunt before he turned toward the doctor. "I see. Her parents must have been starving her."

Himiko snapped her head up. "Starving me?"

The doctor began to speak. "Specialized quirks frequently have additional dietary requirements, usually due to the secondary mutations associated with the quirk. In your case: your quirk, which is based on ingesting blood, requires you to ingest blood regularly as well. Your elongated canines should have clued your counselor in."

Kan continued. "Given your parents' horrific treatment of you, I'm honestly surprised you managed to hold off as long as you did. You are very strong."

Himiko looked down, feeling tears beginning to fall. "No, my parents were right, it's a curse! Nobody Normal needs to drink blood!"

The doctor gave her a sympathetic look, but she missed it. "Normal has been subjective for almost two hundred years now, ever since quirks appeared. To be perfectly honest, what your parents did is downright abusive. If you were regularly getting a small amount of blood in your diet, you wouldn't have been living a life of borderline starvation for over a decade. Now that we understand your condition we can begin to correct it. With a proper diet and counseling, you could easily be the one in charge of your quirk, rather than being enslaved by the needs of your quirk. Although, due to the extreme conditions you have been forced to endure, you may still have to deal with old habits for a while."

Himiko looked at the doctor, disbelief written across her face. "What about everything I've done? Aren't you going to throw me in jail? Or send me back to my parents?"

Kan tried to give the girl a reassuring look. "I can't promise you the next few weeks will be easy, nor can I promise you will be able to escape the consequences of your actions. But if you are willing to be strong and trust me, I will do everything in my power to ensure you stay out of jail." He saw her crestfallen look and continued. "I can promise you, however, that no matter what, you will be free of your parents by the time I am done."

Himiko brightened at the news and pushed herself up, smiling at the hero. "Yes! I don't care how hard it will be, I'll do it!"

"I'm sorry you had to endure so much, but if you can hold on for a little longer we will make sure you're taken care of." He then turned to the doctor, and as if a switch was flipped, suddenly he was in 'hero mode.' "I'm using my authority as a hero to put her under my care. She isn't allowed to leave the hospital until I finish my investigation and work with the police to solve this case." He turned back to Himiko. "If your parents show up, inform a doctor immediately and either they or the police will escort them out."

"Can I still have guests?" Himiko asked, her eyes making it obvious who she was asking about.

Kan chuckled. "Yes! Under normal circumstances, I would only approve visitation by fellow heroes and individuals working on the case with me. However," Kan turned toward Inko. "If Mrs. Midoriya wishes to bring her son and visit you, I can make an exception." His face returned to a serious expression. "If there's anything else I can do to make this easier let me know. I know the process can be scary since you'll have to speak to a lawyer and the police. You'll have to tell them the same things you told me, and they will have even more questions for you. But as long as you tell us the truth, we can help you."

Himiko felt a warmth blossoming in her chest. Dealing with questions and scary people was easy. But for the promise of freedom from her parents?

There's almost no length she wouldn't go.

"I can do that!" Himiko said enthusiastically.

Satisfied, Kan turned toward the doctor. "Can you come with me? I need to make some phone calls, and I believe you have paperwork I need to fill out?"

Sensing an opportunity, Inko stood up from her chair and broke her silence. "Mr. Kan? Can I speak to you as well?"

"Of course, Mrs. Midoriya. Would you like your son to accompany us?"

"No," Inko looked at Izuku. "I think it's better for both of them if he stayed here."

Kan looked at the two teenagers and nodded. "So be it. Let's go, I have a lot of work to do."

—-

After everyone left, Himiko found herself alone with Izuku. Feeling self-conscious, she kept looking down at the blanket in her lap, her hands fiddling with it until she saw his hand reach out and gently grab her arm.

"Are you ok?"

Himiko looked at him with a confused look on her face. "Shouldn't I be asking you that question? You- you know what I am. What I did-"

"I do," Izuku cut her off. "But it's not your fault! I-I'm sure other people will see that, too!"

"How can you know that? I'm sure you have an amazing quirk," Himiko looked away. He didn't deserve to see the frustration on her face. "and never had to deal with people judging you because of it."

"Actually… I'm quirkless," Himiko whipped her head around to stare at Izuku, unsure if she heard him right. Izuku winced from the sudden movement but quickly regained eye contact. "I know what it's like to be looked down upon. I'm- just a useless Deku."

Himiko's surprise morphed into a frown. "You're not useless! You saved me! That counts for something!"

Izuku brightened at her compliment. "Maybe…" He looked at the door, quickly attempting to change the topic. "I'm glad the doctor was able to reach Vlad King, I knew he could help!"

"He seems really nice. Can you tell me more about him?"

Izuku's face lit up as he entered familiar territory and he began to tell Himiko everything he knew about the blood Hero. Occasionally he had to pause to look something up on his phone and show her, but this time Himiko made a conscious effort to talk back and participate in the conversation.

They lost track of the time, but eventually Inko returned and quietly sat down, letting the two continue their conversation as she pulled out her phone, content to simply supervise her son. This was the happiest she had seen him in a long time - normally whenever he tried to help people they either ignored him or told him they didn't want his help.

But this young girl was different - she was the first person to genuinely appreciate Izuku's help. She wasn't about to take that away from him.

As time passed, Inko couldn't help but wonder about the girl's parents. Given her own struggles with Izuku's quirklessness, she couldn't help but wonder what possessed them to treat her so horribly.

After all, she didn't have to deal with society telling her that she couldn't amount to anything.

Hours later, a nurse appeared with a plate of food, reminding them of how much time had passed. As if on cue, Izuku's stomach responded to the smell of food by rumbling, causing the teen to become embarrassed. "S-sorry. I didn't know how long I was going."

"I don't mind," Himiko admitted. If she was being honest, she never wanted them to leave.

"I'm sorry Himiko, but we really must be going. It's getting late - and the hospital will force us to leave soon anyways," Inko said as she stood up.

Himiko's face fell. "Can- will you come back tomorrow?"

Inko looked at her son, his eyes already pleading to come back. He had taken a liking to the girl - to someone who knew what it was like to be looked down on due to an accident of genetics - and wanted to support her as much as he could.

"I think we can, yes. It's the least we can do."

"Thank you!" Himiko said as she felt herself tearing up.

It was a strange feeling, thinking that someone genuinely cared about her.

Chapter Text

"Good morning Himichan!" The warm voice of a green-haired woman called out as Himiko left her bedroom.

"Morning mom!" Himiko called back, a fanged smile on her face.

The woman set a plate of food out for Himiko, along with a glassful of blood. It looked vaguely like hospital food, but Himiko didn't care. "What are your plans today?"

"I'm going to meet up with my friends!" Himiko replied happily.

She had been so scared of revealing who she really was to them, but it turned out it was ok! Her friends accepted her immediately and even chided her for waiting for so long to tell them about her real nature.

Friends…

Family…

As Himiko sat there looking at her food, she felt an emptiness filling her chest. A longing that she didn't understand…

Himiko woke up in the hospital, feeling wet stains on her face. Gently reaching up, she touched her cheek.

Tears…?

She sighed and prepared herself to reassert her mask and act Normal, just like her parents wanted, until she froze, the sound of a heart rate monitor reminding her where she was.

"Right," Himiko let out a long sigh as she relaxed back into her bed. "Of course, it's just a dream."

At least I'm not with the Togas anymore. I wonder what will happen to me.

Does it even matter? As long as I'm not with them.

Even then, Himiko knew she was lying to herself.

Ever since she saw the way Inko treated Izuku, she selfishly wanted a life like that for herself.

Eventually, a nurse came in, handing her a menu. But she had more important things on her mind.

"The Midoriyas - do you know if they're coming today?"

The nurse gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, but I don't know if you'll be receiving guests today."

Himiko swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. "Thanks," She picked up the menu and began looking it over while the nurse changed the bags on her IVs. "I hope they do."

After ordering her breakfast, Himiko once again found herself alone in the room. With nothing better to do, she turned on cartoons. They were mindless, but they reminded her of the few happy moments she had, watching cartoons with her little sister.

After all, she didn't have anything else to distract her.

When she got her breakfast, she was disappointed when she didn't have a glass of blood on her tray. Rather, the nurse handed her a small tube of blood with a rubber stopper.

"As the doctor explained yesterday, we need to start getting you used to drinking a regular dose of blood with your meals. It may take some time for you to get used to this, so make sure to drink it slowly."

Himiko simply nodded and cradled the vial in her hands. She felt her cheeks heat up as she realized the nurse was waiting patiently for her to drink the blood and found tears once again threatening to spill.

To them, my need for blood is just a normal thing.

Where were these people all of my life?

Why did they have to wait until now to show up?

Taking a deep breath, Himiko unstopped the tube and slowly raised it to her lips, taking a sip of the precious liquid. It tasted just as wonderful as the blood from the day before.

"How are you feeling?" The nurse asked.

Himiko looked up and smiled. "This is… nice."

"Excellent," The nurse smiled back before writing down a note on her chart. "I'll let the doctor know." After finishing, the nurse turned toward Himiko. "Do you need anything else?"

"No," Himiko said, looking up at the nurse." Thank you."

"If you need anything, you can use the call button," The nurse reminded her before leaving.

Once the nurse left Himiko turned the television back on and busied herself with her breakfast while a random cartoon played in the background.

After a time, Himiko heard a gentle knock on the door before the door to her room opened revealing an elderly woman with a snake head.

"Good morning Miss Toga. I am Mrs. Mamushi, and I'm here to act as your temporary quirk counselor," She crossed the room and grabbed the edge of a chair, dragging it along the room so it sat next to the bed. "I know you won't be with us long, but part of your recovery process involves starting a new file for you." The woman frowned. "After all, your old one is completely worthless."

"Good morning Mrs. Mamushi," Himiko pushed the cart containing her empty breakfast away. "Please, call me Himiko. I don't like my other name right now." She admitted.

With a sad look on her face, the woman gave a single nod, before she sat down and pulled out a notebook.

"Now then Himiko, please tell me about your quirk."

Himiko's brow furrowed as she looked down at her lap. "I- my quirk makes me want to drink blood."

The woman began taking notes. "And what happens when you drink someone's blood?"

"I… become them."

"Oh?"

Himiko looked up at the counselor. Her face was filled with curiosity, not fear or disdain, and Himiko felt the knot in her stomach easing ever so slightly. She nodded in affirmation. "I look and sound just like them."

"How does your body do that?"

The back and forth continued as Mamushi continued to ask Himiko basic questions about her quirk as she tried to build up a basic profile. Himiko felt frustrated at how inadequate so many of her answers turned out to be, but the woman didn't blame her. Rather, she laid the blame squarely on her parents and her old counselor, frequently commenting about how they should be ashamed of themselves.

Once they were through the basic questions, Mamushi began asking harder ones - how her parents viewed her quirk, what they told her previous quirk counselor. Finally, she began asking the worst questions - the activities and recommendations her previous counselor gave to help her suppress her quirk. As she was being questioned, Himiko didn't even realize she was crying until Mamushi handed her some tissues, which she gratefully accepted.

As she blew her nose, she saw the woman scowling as harsh pen strokes hit the paper.

Was my life really that bad?

When they were finally done, Mamushi reviewed her notes. "This is even worse than I could possibly imagine. No wonder you suffered a quirk backlash." She looked up at Himiko and gave her a sympathetic smile. "I know I won't be able to undo ten years of damage in the short time we're together, but I'll certainly try. From what you've told me, there's nothing wrong with your quirk. While it may be a rare combination of traits, that doesn't make it inherently bad. It's simply a part of you - no different than your eye or skin color."

"But what about the fact that it's not harmless? What about the fact that someone needs to bleed for me to use it? Doesn't that make it bad?"

Please, tell me why it's not a curse. Himiko silently begged.

The woman sighed, setting her pen down as her brows furrowed deep in thought. Himiko fidgeted anxiously while waiting until the woman spoke again. "Do you know much about the flame hero, Endeavor?"

"No. My parents don't really like heroes. Unless it was a major story in the news, we didn't hear much about them."

"I see," Mamushi had a thoughtful look as she gathered her thoughts. "Well, his quirk allows him to produce and control fire. And, while there are many things said about him, he has managed to become the number two hero in Japan and has held that position for over two decades, unchallenged by any number of heroes. Now Himiko, tell me: when he shows up to a villain attack, do you think people are scared of him?"

"No…" Himiko responded carefully, wondering where Mamushi was going with this.

"Now then, let me tell you about another man. Around twenty-three years ago, there was an A-Rank villain who went by the name 'Matchbook.' He had a contact-based quirk that allowed him to ignite anything he touched, lighting it on fire. He used his quirk to terrorize, abusing it for money and power. Over six months, he gathered together like-minded individuals and formed a powerful gang that stretched across much of northern Japan. They traveled around and forced people to pay them 'protection fees.'"

"And if they didn't pay?"

"Then their property would burn. Or, if Matchbook was in a particularly bad mood that day, sometimes the unfortunate souls were lit on fire."

Himiko swallowed the lump in her throat. "He sounds scary."

"He was indeed terrifying. Ironically, it was Endeavor who took him down. It was one of his earliest successes, and helped propel him to the number two spot, which he has held ever since." The woman returned her focus to Himiko. "Now tell me. What makes Endeavor's quirk different from Matchbook's quirk?"

The woman patiently sat there as Himiko thought about the two, turning their quirks over in her head and trying to think about why Endeavors was good while Matchbook's was evil. Finally, her face lit up as if she had made some great revelation.

"There isn't any?"

"That's correct." The woman smiled warmly. "The real difference is the people themselves - If Matchbook wanted to, he could have easily become a hero with his quirk, and Endeavor could have used his strength to become a terrifying villain just as easily."

Himiko's eyes went wide as she began to understand the lesson. "And because I've spent so long associating my quirk with negative things, that's why I see it as villainous?"

"Yes, exactly."

"I-" Himiko felt tears threatening to fall. "-don't want to see myself as a villain. They always sound mean and scary and I just- I just want to be me."

"Well," Mamushi placed her hand on top of Himiko's, trying to comfort her. "That's a very important first step. Now then, I have an assignment for you."

"What's that?" Himiko asked, using her free hand to wipe her eyes.

Mamushi wrapped her hand around Himiko's wrist and lifted it. "Every time those intrusive thoughts come into your head, I want you to stop, and look at your hand."

Himiko looked at her hand, then back to Mamushi in confusion. "Then what?"

"Then I want you to ask yourself 'is my hand bad?'"

"Why would my hand be bad?"

"An excellent question!" Mamushi laughed. "The answer is it isn't. Your hand is simply a tool - a part of you. It doesn't control you, and it doesn't act without your guidance. It's up to you to decide if your hands do good things or bad. And you know what? Your quirk isn't any different."

Himiko continued to look between her hand and the lady with confusion. "My hand isn't any different than my quirk…"

Mamushi let go of her hand and patted her on the knee. "Precisely. If you keep repeating it, you'll eventually start to believe it. And then you can start thinking of yourself in a better light."

Himiko looked at her hand again.

My hand isn't villainous. Because that would make me a villain.

But what about Saito? You attacked him.

That- the doctors told me that wasn't my fault!

Do you believe them?

I- I want to!

The counselor spoke up, interrupting her internal debate. "It's okay if you need time and practice. I don't expect you to change overnight."

"Thanks," Himiko said softly as she felt herself blushing. "I- it's hard."

"I know it's hard dear," Mamushi held up her notes. "But now that I'm here, we'll put together a plan - a good one, not whatever horrible nonsense your last so-called counselor had you do. And we'll make sure you get better."

"Thank you," Himiko said gratefully.

Mamushi looked at the clock on the wall. "Now, I must get going. You keep working on what we talked about, and tomorrow we'll start working on a more detailed plan, one tailored specifically to you and your unique quirk."

Himiko quietly nodded and watched as the woman stood up and quietly left the room before she collapsed back on her bed. She raised her hand so that it was covering a light and looked at it, watching as the light seeped out through her fingers.

You're not evil, are you, Ms. Hand?

She closed her eyes and dropped her hand to the bed with a groan. She felt exhausted, and everything they talked about was jumbled up in her mind.

Maybe a short nap will help…

As the afternoon stretched on, Himiko found herself filled with anxiety. She wanted to do something, anything besides sit here in bed and stare at the TV.

Fortunately, her wishes were answered when she heard a gentle knock on her door. It began to open and Izuku's head appeared.

"Can we come in?"

"Yes!" She grinned at the boy. "Thanks for coming again!"

"It's nothing," Inko assured the girl as she followed her son into the room. "We can't stay long today, but Izu insisted that we come and see how you were doing."

"We also got you this!" Izuku pulled his hands out from behind his back to reveal a stuffed green rabbit. "I saw this at the department store this morning!" He offered it to her. "That way you'll always have company, even when we're not here!"

Himiko broke into a genuine smile as she took the offered plushie. Cute stuffed animals were normal, but something about this one felt different from the ones her parents bought her.

She carefully examined it before she hugged it to her chest. "I love it!"

"Are you feeling better today?" Inko asked as she took the chair previously occupied by her counselor.

"Yeah," Himiko admitted, burying her face in the plush rabbit to hide her spreading blush. "Drinking blood feels so good. And they haven't locked me in a room for doing it."

She didn't realize she spoke the last part out loud, nor did she see the horrified look on Izuku and Inko's faces as they registered what she said. It wasn't until she felt Inko's hand on her shoulder that she dared to look up. "It must be hard, after everything you've been through."

Himiko nodded. "I- yeah. I don't even know who I am anymore, or what normal is supposed to look like…"

Inko sighed and Himiko winced, afraid that she disappointed the woman. "I'll let you in on a secret - most people don't know what's normal."

Himiko gasped and looked up, just in time to see Inko staring fondly at her son before she returned her attention to the blonde-haired girl. "It's all about what you want, what makes you happy."

Himiko sat there and mouthed the words 'what I want,' the words feeling foreign to her after the last ten years. She looked down at her hands, curling and uncurling as she tried to find an answer.

After what felt like an eternity, she looked up. "I just want to be myself. I want to surround myself with cute things, and be happy! And I- I don't want to hide who I am."

Inko gave her a warm smile. "That sounds like a wonderful goal."

Inko lifted her hand and Himiko felt a pang of disappointment as her shoulder grew cold, the warmth retreating as the woman sat down in her chair, only for Izuku to appear next to her bed.

"I did a bunch of research on Vlad King last night, just like you wanted!" Izuku said proudly as he held up a notebook.

"Really?" Himiko asked in surprise.

"Mhm! He hasn't been active as much since he began teaching at UA, but I read up on what he did before then!"

"Tell me!"

Izuku opened the notebook to a page with a sketch of Vlad King, which he proudly showed off before he began rattling off stats and information.

The next few hours just flew by as Himiko talked with the Midoriyas, the two offering her a brief glimpse into their world. As she sat there, she found herself grateful for the family, going out of their way to spend time with her. At the same time, she felt a familiar pair of emotions growing inside of her - jealousy and envy.

Even though Izuku was crippled and quirkless, it was easy to see how much his mom loved him, and was trying her best to make him happy.

She selfishly wanted to know what it was like, to be loved like that.

Once again the nurse brought Himiko dinner, and once again the family had to leave. After Inko managed to convince Izuku that they had to go, she stood up and turned toward Himiko.

"Since tomorrow is a Sunday, we can come by earlier and stay for longer. Although we won't be the only ones here," She frowned. "Vlad King has already warned us that he'll be visiting as well. Izuku goes back to school on Monday, so next week we won't be able to visit as much."

Himiko felt her face fall when she heard that. "I understand. Thanks for telling me."

"Don't worry!" Izuku tried to assure her. "I'll visit as much as I can!"

She forced herself to smile as she nodded at Izuku. As she looked at him, she realized one thing that would make her happy, and she opened her arms, silently asking him for a hug.

Without hesitation Izuku, and then Inko, both gently hugged her. It felt warm… nice… genuine.

It definitely didn't help her growing sense of longing at all.

After the two left, she saw the green rabbit sitting there on the table. Pushing her dinner tray aside, she walked over to it and grabbed it, pulling it into a hug.

It didn't quite match the warmth of the Midoriyas, but deep down, she felt a spark of warmth.

It's almost like how I felt about Saito, but it's different somehow.

The next morning Izuku was filled with excited energy to go back to the hospital, and Inko couldn't blame him.

After being ignored for so long, he found a certain kinship with the poor girl he found on the street. Someone who was abused simply because her quirks didn't line up with her parents' ideals and expectations.

The thought made Inko's blood boil. And she couldn't help but feel for the poor girl.

She deserved better.

If the simple act of taking Izuku to the hospital to spend the day with the girl was enough to help both of them, who was she to deny them that?

As the pair arrived at the hospital they saw Sekijiro Kan standing in the lobby waiting for them, as well as a small bear-like creature in a suit.

"Good morning! Am I a mouse, a dog, or a bear? It doesn't matter, for I am Nezu, better known as the Principle of UA!"

"Wait, you are the principal of UA? That's so cool!" Izuku became excited. "I want to go there when I'm older, just like All Might did!" He punctuated his excitement by punching the air, earning a chuckle from the pro hero, while Inko smiled at her son's antics.

"Please forgive my son's excitement. It's his dream to be a hero, after all."

"No need for forgiveness! It's always good to see such excitement in children. However, his future plans aren't why we are here today!"

"I figured. What brings someone such as yourself to a hospital?" Inko asked curiously.

"One of my teachers." Nezu said, indicating Kan. "Has brought to my attention the fact that there has been a grave injustice brought against a young girl. When he provided me with the details, I immediately understood why he had brought her case to me. You see, what he described is a bit of a personal sore spot. So, of course, I decided to assist her in any way possible. You see, the Togas are well off, and it's likely they have good lawyers on hand." He suddenly flashed a predatory smile that made both mother and son flinch. "I can guarantee that mine are better. Once we're done with them, they will never touch her again."

"That's great news!" Inko said

Izuku spoke next. "But what about Himiko? Is she going to be ok? She-" Izuku looked at Kan, waiting for his approval before continuing. "-did a pretty bad thing."

"Fortunately, she has several key facts that will help in her defense," Nezu began. "First, she is still a minor. Since the boy she attacked survived, and because she didn't use her quirk, this can be argued to be a simple case of assault. In addition, there is clear evidence, between the statements of the hospital staff and their quirk counselor, that she was suffering from a case of quirk backlash."

"Quirk backlash?" Izuku asked.

A serious look appeared on Kan's face as he looked down at Izuku. "I'm not surprised you don't know what those are. It's thankfully rare, and only happens in extreme circumstances, but there are cases when a person loses control of their quirk. The best way to describe what happens is the quirk takes over, acting out on instinct until the source of the backlash is dealt with. In little Himiko's case, being forced to suppress her quirk caused it to 'act out,' and seek out blood in an attempt to satiate herself."

Izuku shuddered at the thought. "That sounds scary."

"Given the evidence available, it should be easy enough for our lawyers to keep Miss Toga from suffering serious consequences," Nezu paused momentarily as his demeanor darkened. "Her parents on the other hand… There are laws and regulations in place to prevent quirk suppression, and for good reason. Those laws exist to prevent exactly the kind of incident that occurred. If Miss Toga had the proper care from the start, then this would have never happened."

Izuku sighed in relief. "I'm glad. She deserves better than what her parents did to her."

The three adults shared an awkward glance. Knowing that it would be best if Izuku didn't hear the next part, he looked down at the teenager. "Come on little Midoriya, let's go see how little Toga is doing today."

"Ok!"

Inko watched as Kan escorted her son further into the hospital, waiting until they disappeared down the hallway and out of sight before she returned her attention to Nezu. "So, what's going to happen to Himiko after your lawyers are done tearing the Togas apart?"

"An excellent question! Unfortunately, it isn't one that I have an answer for. Because the Togas are well off, we should be able to ensure that there will be a healthy monthly stipend for whoever takes her in, but there is the matter of finding a home for her."

"What do you mean?"

"From what the doctors have told me, you've been here every day since she arrived. Surely you know about her troubled past. She's going to need regular therapy sessions, on top of seeing a quirk counselor, likely a specialized one. There is also the potential scenario that, despite my lawyer's best efforts, she will be forced into a period of probation, and will have to regularly meet with the police or a hero. On top of all of that, we need to find a middle school that will take her in after this incident. I suspect she will also need remedial education, given her living conditions. Taken together, finding the right family to take her in will be difficult."

Inko felt something breaking inside of her. That poor girl. It's worse than I feared.

"Fortunately I have considerable resources! Given enough time, I am sure I'll be able to find someone willing and capable of taking her in, it's just a matter of time."

"The poor girl has already suffered for over ten years, and now she'll have to wait even longer…"

Nezu examined Inko. "Unfortunately there is nothing else that can be done. Unless you happen to know someone who would take her in, given her circumstances."

Inko responded without thinking. "I can."

"Are you sure about this? It must be hard enough raising your son alone."

"I won't claim that raising Izu is easy," Her face fell. "Especially given his issues."

"You mean his quirklessness?"

"Yes," Inko began fighting back tears. "It's hard for me to admit it, but I failed him when he needed me the most, and it fills me with regret almost every day. To see Himiko suffering, knowing I can do something about it?" She rubbed her eyes as she steeled herself, before looking at Nezu. "Well, I'm not a hero, but maybe being a mom is enough."

Chapter Text

As Inko ate dinner, she mulled over the conversation she had earlier in the day while Izuku rambled on about a villain attack he saw on the news.

"Izuku?" Inko spoke up, interrupting her son's rambling.

"Hrm?" Izuku looked up, his food hovering in front of his mouth. Quickly shoving the bite into his mouth, he set his chopsticks down and looked at his mom.

"You really like Himiko, don't you?"

Izuku felt his face heating up and he started rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah. She's nice! And well… she doesn't mind that I'm quirkless." Izuku internally winced at his admission and hoped his mom didn't notice the implication as he continued. "And I- Himiko needs a friend. A real friend - someone who knows who she really is."

Inko smiled at her son and folded her hands in her lap. "She needs more than that. I think she needs a family."

Izuku's eyes went wide. "Mom- do you really mean it?"

Inko looked at her son and he could see the fire in her eyes. "When I spoke with Nezu this morning, he made me aware of just how challenging it would be if we invited Himiko to live with us. It wouldn't be easy for either of us. But I've seen how much happier you've been the last couple of days." She offered Izuku a resigned smile. "And I'm sure if someone else fostered her you'd be spending a lot of time with her anyway."

"You really, really mean it?" Izuku perked up.

Inko picked up her chopsticks. "Nezu gave me the information to contact his lawyers tomorrow. We'll need to do a lot over the next few weeks if we want to foster her, which is why I wanted to make sure you were ok with it first."

Izuku nodded his head vigorously. "Of course! I'll help any way I can!"

As the days passed, Himiko found herself settling into her new routine at the hospital. Wake up, order breakfast, perform some light exercises to get the blood flowing, eat lunch, and have a session with the quirk counselor or a therapist. After that, she would wait around and see if she had any visitors that day.

Tuesday was just as bad as Kan had warned her it would be. Not only didn't she get to see the Midoriyas that day, but she was forced to talk to a pair of lawyers. Even though they claimed to be on her side and tried to be gentle, their questions were rough, forcing her to relive some of her darkest memories as they prepared both of her cases.

When they were done she was left alone, her dinner already cold as it sat next to her sink. She didn't have the energy to go heat it, and simply lay on her bed, crushing the green rabbit plush to her chest.

Maybe she could be selfish and ask for a second stuffed animal the next time the Midoriyas came around.

"Where do you want me to put these?" Izuku asked as he hauled an armful of old hero magazines out of their spare bedroom, which they had converted into an office to take advantage of the fact that most of Inko's work could be done remotely.

Inko looked up from the neverending stack of paperwork she was filling out to become a foster parent. "Do you want to keep any of them?"

She examined the well-worn covers with a critical eye. Izuku had always loved flipping through those magazines when he was younger, but she can't remember the last time he actually read any of them.

Izuku shook his head. "I actually don't need these anymore, I found a site that scanned the entire magazine run and posted them online!"

Inko chuckled and shook her head. "We should recycle them then."

"Okay!" Izuku carefully balanced them as he walked over to their recycling bin and dumped them inside.

For as bad as Tuesday was, the police visiting her on Friday was even worse. Even though they were escorted by Vlad King, she was still close to having a panic attack, begging the hero to not let them take her back to her parents. She missed their sympathetic looks, and when she finally calmed down they took her statement and asked questions.

After they left, she curled up on the bed, desperately clutching the stuffed rabbit and the new green bear that had joined it. She knew she was being selfish, and that she didn't deserve the attention that the Midoriyas have given her, but right now she desperately wanted nothing more than to feel the warmth of their hugs.

"What do you think about that bed?" Izuku asked, pointing to a bright blue-and-gold wooden frame.

"Are you shopping for yourself or for Himiko?" Inko asked her son playfully. "I don't think she's as big of an All Might fan as you are."

"You're right, sorry," Izuku apologized, rubbing the back of his head as he looked around the department store. "That one looks nice though!"

Inko looked at the simple wooden frame that Izuku was pointing at and smiled. "Yes, much better."

Saturday was the start of Izuku's weekend, and after yesterday, Himiko was practically vibrating once her therapist left, watching the clock impatiently. By Thursday she already had worked out exactly when the pair would arrive, and she was counting down the time until their arrival.

They were late, but eventually a familiar knock was heard at the door before it opened to reveal a head of messy green hair.

"Sorry we're late!" Izuku said as he entered the room.

"I don't mind," Himiko casually lied as she smiled at the boy.

He didn't need to know that she spent the last twenty minutes staring at the clock wondering if they weren't coming.

"Since it's the weekend we decided to stay longer," Inko explained as she followed her son into the room. She held up a bag of food from a convenience store. "We picked up dinner on the way over, so we can have dinner with you, but Izu was being indecisive." She said playfully.

"Let me guess, he couldn't decide what hero-branded food he wanted?" Himiko said, the ghost of a smile forming on her lips. By their third visit, she had discovered how easy it was to tease Izuku about his hero obsession, and right now she wanted a little bit of payback.

"They had a special edition of fried chicken!" Izuku tried to defend himself. "With All Might packaging!"

Himiko couldn't help but laugh at the boy's ridiculousness.

Once Inko had deposited the food next to the sink, she turned to the blonde girl. "How was your meeting yesterday?" Himiko didn't reply, she simply opened her arms, silently asking for a hug. Inko gave the girl a concerned look before she closed the gap, hugging her. "They were only trying to help you."

"I know," Himiko said as she leaned into the woman's embrace. "Still hard."

"How are you otherwise?"

"Better," Himiko said. "I don't need my IVs anymore, and the headaches finally stopped. I still," She bit her lip as she tightened her grip around the woman. "I still want more though. Part of me feels like it'll never be satiated."

"Your body still isn't used to feeling normal yet," Inko said as she rubbed the girl's back. "What did the counselor say?"

"It'll fade over time. They keep reminding me that it's only been a week, and they praise me for my progress."

"You must be doing great then!" Izuku said from next to her. "I'm sure you'll figure it out in no time!"

"Thanks," Himiko said before she reluctantly pulled away. The three settled into their routine arrangement, with Himiko sitting on the bed and the other two sitting in chairs, forming a half-circle so they could talk.

When it was time for dinner, the pair left to find a kitchen, only to return with warm food a few minutes later. Izuku managed to rig up a makeshift table out of trays, and Himiko shared her first meal with the pair.

As she did so, she couldn't help but feel an intense longing building inside of her. These two strangers, over a single week, have shown her more love than she felt from her parents in a decade.

The feeling was addicting, and she wanted to selfishly hold it forever.

It was Wednesday when she found her routine broken again. Instead of the Midoriyas, when the door opened she saw Vlad King standing there, with Nezu riding on his shoulder.

The hero set Nezu on the ground, and he began to speak. "I have good news, Himiko Toga! My lawyers met with your parents today, and they quickly came to an arrangement. While they were ready to give up custody before we contacted them, that wasn't satisfactory for us. Fortunately, they weren't exactly enthusiastic about the prospects of going to jail. As a result, they readily agreed to our terms. In addition to giving up custody over you, they have agreed to pay a substantial child support fee for your future care."

Himiko felt mixed emotions. On one hand, she felt like a weight had fallen away, the icy grip of fear that had terrified her finally melting. On the other hand, they were still her parents. What kind of parent would so easily discard their own child like that?

"Is it wrong that I hoped that they would be in jail instead?" Himiko asked ashamedly.

"If it's wrong, then we are both wrong together," Nezu said. "However, for the sake of you and your younger sister, a smooth transition would be best." Nezu's face morphed into a predatory smile that caused Himiko to shudder. "However, while we have dropped our case, there is the matter of the student you attacked. His parents may still give you your wish."

Himiko gave him a weak smile. "So what's going to happen to 'Fumi?"

"Unfortunately we were unable to separate your sister from your parents. However, as part of the arrangement, all three of them will have mandated counseling sessions with someone of our choosing. Also, as a personal favor to Vlad King, several police officers have volunteered to regularly visit your former family to ensure that Hifumi Toga doesn't suffer any consequences as a form of retaliation against you."

"She should be ok," Himiko explained. "She always knew how to appease our- her parents, and she has a cute harmless quirk, the kind my parents approve of."

"I wish we could have done more," Nezu assured her.

"It's ok," Himiko said as she looked down at her hands. "You've already done more than what I deserve."

"Now don't say that," Nezu chided her. "You deserve all of this and more. It's not your fault your parents chose to act this way against you. They are the true monsters here, not you."

Himiko nodded furiously, wanting to believe the creature's words. "So what's going to happen to me?"

As thankful as she was to be free of her parents, she knew the rates of adoption in Japan were terrifyingly low. However, if spending the next several years in the orphanage was the price to pay for freedom, she'd gladly pay it.

"Now that your parents have released you from your custody, you will be a ward of the state," Nezu began. "Fortunately, we were able to place you with a foster family. Given your delicate situation, an orphanage wouldn't be the ideal place for your recovery, and fortunately, we found a family that agreed with our assessment. They will care for you until a family formally adopts you or you turn eighteen, at which point the remaining funds we have acquired from your parents will be released and you can do what you wish with them."

"My foster family-" Himiko swallowed. "Are they at least local to Mustafu?"

Can I still see Izuku and Inko after I leave here?

"If you're worried about seeing Little Midoriya and Mrs. Midoriya, I don't believe you'll have any problems with that," Vlad King said, amusement lacing his words. Once he had Himiko's attention he walked over to the door, opening it. She heard him talking with someone in the hallway before he stepped aside, and two familiar figures walked into her room.

"Izuku, Inko!"

Himiko practically leaped out of her bed and ran toward them. She crashed into them, only to feel the arms wrapping her in a warm hug.

"I wanted it to be you, but I was worried!"

"After what you've been through, it was the least I could do," Inko offered. "I can't promise that I'll be the best parent, but I'll try."

Himiko buried her head in Inko's shoulder. "You- you've been a better mom to me this last week than my real mom has been for the last decade." She could already feel the tears or relief stinging her eyes.

"It looks to me like you're happy with our choice of foster family," Nezu chimed in from behind them. "Perfect! There's still arrangements to be made before tomorrow, so I'll leave you be. I'm sure the three of you have a lot to discuss."

"Tomorrow?" Himiko was confused.

Kan stepped forward and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "Even though your court case hasn't happened yet, with this new arrangement I have no need to keep you in protective custody. As long as you promise me that you won't attempt to flee, we can discharge you into Mrs. Midoriya's care tomorrow."

"That means you can finally leave the hospital and come home with us!" Izuku said enthusiastically.

Himiko let go of Izuku and Inko and turned around to grab Kan, pulling him into a fierce hug. "I promise I won't run away again!"

She felt his hand rest on top of her head. "That's what I thought."

Himiko reluctantly pulled away from the hero and looked up at him. To most, his large build was probably imposing, but to her, he looked like a hero. "And this court case - I'll be ok, right?"

"Of course you will," Kan assured her. "Be strong, little Himiko. In a few weeks, this will finally be behind you."

"I can't wait," Himiko admitted before she turned toward her foster family. "I-"

I don't deserve this.

She swallowed the lump in her throat.

But they are still taking care of me anyway, because they're good people. Maybe they can help me become a good person too.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and bowed. "Thank you for- for everything."

Himiko couldn't sleep that night. She tried, but she was too excited! She had spent the last week feeling jealousy and longing building inside of her, and it terrified her. But that afternoon it had been swept away, replaced with that overwhelming warmth she felt whenever she thought about her two green-haired saviors. Sure they weren't her actual mother and brother, but she knew that it wouldn't make a difference for them.

It certainly didn't make a difference to her.

Inko arrived early in the morning, opening with an apology as she timidly held up Himiko's new school uniform, the only outfit she had bought for Himiko so far. Himiko shook her head and took the uniform and darted to the bathroom, thankful to finally be in anything that wasn't an uncute hospital gown.

After spending far too long combing her hair and tying it into a ponytail, she came out to see a nurse already going over a stack of paperwork with Inko. Himiko bit her lip as she saw just how large the pile of papers was, and worried that it would scare off the woman.

Inko seemed to sense her worry, looking up at the blonde girl and motioning for her to sit down. Hesitantly Himiko walked over to the bed and sat next to Inko, before daring to lean into the woman's side. To get a better view of the paperwork, she lied to herself, not because she wanted to feel the woman's warmth and never let it go.

"Are you sure this is ok?" Himiko whispered.

"Of course dear, Nezu warned me ahead of time."

Himiko swallowed the lump in her throat and looked down at her hands. "Thank you."

It took over an hour, but finally the stack of papers came to an end, and they were able to leave. Putting all of the paperwork into her bag, Inko stood up and Himiko followed suit.

Himiko gave one last look around the room. "It's weird, but I'm going to miss this room."

"Why's that?"

"Too many happy memories," Himiko admitted.

Inko smiled and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll make many more happy memories now."

"But I still met you and Izuku here," Himiko pointed out.

"Actually, you met us in an alleyway," Inko countered. "I'm sure if you asked, Izu could show you the exact spot."

"I- maybe," Himiko admitted, her permanent blush spreading across her face.

Without another word Himiko allowed herself to be led out of the hospital and to the Midoriyas' apartment. Once they arrived, Inko opened the door and gestured for her to go in.

"Welcome home, Himiko."

Himiko couldn't keep the smile off her face as she stepped inside and removed her shoes, before following the woman deeper into the apartment. "Are you tired dear? You were yawning the entire time we were on the train."

"A little," Himiko admitted. "I didn't really sleep much last night."

"Well, Izu won't be home for a few more hours, and he'd be heartbroken if we took you shopping without him. Why don't you take a nap in the meantime?"

"That sounds great!"

Inko led her down the hallway past a room where she saw Izuku's name on a hero-themed nameplate to another door and opened it. "I'm sorry the room is so small, but we did what we could."

Himiko looked around. There was a tiny desk, a bed with a single pillow and simple black sheets, and against the far wall she saw the doors to a closet. There wasn't much room for her to move around, but she didn't care. She walked over to the bed and let herself collapse on it, rubbing her hands along the fabric.

The room already felt more welcoming than her old room ever did.

Her body betrayed her with a loud yawn, and she felt her blush spreading as she heard Inko chuckle. "I guess this works for now?"

"Yes!" Himiko insisted. "It's perfect!"

"I'm glad," Inko smiled. "Well, rest up, and if you need anything I'll be right here."

"Sure thing!"

Once Inko left, Himiko crawled out of bed just long enough to open the shades, allowing the last rays of morning light to shine on her bed. Smiling in satisfaction she lay back down and closed her eyes, falling into an easy sleep.

Himiko woke up hours later, a smile on her face. Crawling out of bed, she smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothes and then gently opened the door, quietly making her way to the living room. There, she saw Izuku sitting at the dining room table, his legs swinging back and forth as he worked on his homework.

He seemed to sense her coming and looked up from his homework. "Oh! Hi Himiko! Mom told me not to disturb you."

"Thanks," Himiko blushed. "I guess I was more tired than I realized."

"You had a long week!"

Himiko forced herself to laugh. "You could say that."

"Mom said we can go to the department store whenever you're ready."

Himiko nodded and smiled. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she felt excited to go shopping - ready to find all sorts of cute clothes for herself.

Izuku could feel the frustration radiating off of Himiko as they walked through the clothing section.

When they first arrived she was dashing around, looking at the various racks of clothing trying to find the 'cutest clothes.' It didn't take long for her to come back to the cart, an oversized beige cardigan in her arms that she declared 'both cute and super comfy.'

However, her excitement quickly gave way to frustration as she found herself simply overwhelmed by the sheer options available to her. Before now, her parents had done all of the shopping, picking her outfits for her, and now that she had freedom, she didn't even know where to begin.

"Ugh, there's just too much to choose from!" Himiko exclaimed. "It was so much easier when I was just told what to wear."

Izuku nodded sympathetically, his eyes scanning the racks as he began muttering, analyzing the clothes as if it were a problem to be solved. Unfortunately, thanks to Katskui's influence he hasn't had much interaction with girls his age, so he didn't even have that as a point of reference.

Lost in thought, he wandered through the women's clothing section until something caught his eye. A selection of dresses, among them one that was a deep crimson color. Izuku felt a smile tug at his lips as he remembered Himiko's love of the color red. "Maybe…"

Turning around, he rushed back to where Himiko stood, still venting her frustrations.

"Himiko, I think I've got it!"

"Got what?"

"I think I found something you'd like!"

Curious, Himiko followed as Izuku led her to the dress section and held up the crimson fabric.

Himiko bit her lip as she examined the rack, before finding her size and picking it up. "I think I like it?" It came out more like a question than a statement, uncertainty filling her voice.

"Why don't you go try it on?"

"Sure," Himiko nodded as she walked toward the dressing room, staring at the dress in her hands. Once she went inside, Izuku found his mom and brought her back to the dressing area so they could both see the results.

A few moments later Himiko came out wearing a sleeveless dress. It hung a little loose and cut off right above her knees, but she thought it was cute, and if what the doctor said was true, she would soon fill it out as well. She posed for the pair before she performed a little twirl. "So, what do you think?"

"I think it looks good on you."

"Oh, red is definitely your color!" One of the nearby employees chimed in. She crossed her arms and examined Himiko. "It just needs a little something though, come with me!" In her excitement, the employee grabbed Himiko's arm and began pulling her to another section despite her protests.

A few minutes later the duo returned with Himiko holding an armful of additional garments before the employee sent her back to get changed. When Himiko returned, she now sported a pair of black leggings and a small black jacket made out of thin fabric. "How about now?"

"It looks wonderful, Himiko." Inko chimed in.

"Yeah, it looks good on you," Izuku added. "It seems to fit you."

Himiko stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself, watching as a smile spread across her face. "I think I like this too."

She dashed back into the booth and changed back into her uniform before she dumped the outfit into the basket. Turning the tables on the store employee, it was her turn to grab the employee's arm. "Can you help me some more?! I have a couple cute ideas, but I could use your help!"

"S-sure!"

Without another word, the two disappeared back into the clothing section. Left alone, Inko just looked at her son and saw the disbelief on his face.

"Is she the same girl we've been visiting at the hospital?"

"I think her true personality is starting to shine through," Inko said.

"I guess so," Izuku rubbed the back of his head.

With renewed confidence and armed with a helpful employee, Himiko was able to create several more outfits for herself. She stuck primarily to black and red colors, although at the employee's suggestion she added the occasional blue or green accessory to add some variety.

Once she was satisfied with her selection of clothes, it was time to split up. Izuku led her toward the home goods section to find things for her room, while Inko left to get Himiko a phone.

The search for essentials went far better for Himiko. After picking out a few accessories for her room, Izuku led her to the poster section. She chose a few posters that she liked the look of, not knowing the context of any of them besides the single Vlad King poster Izuku found. But she vowed to look them up later when she had settled in. For now, being nice to look at was good enough for her.

The hardest part done, Izuku guided her through the rest of the store and the two filled the basket as they went.

After reuniting with Inko and paying for everything, they finally left the department store, many bags in hand.

As they walked back to their apartment, Himiko couldn't help but steal glances at her foster family, feeling a warmth that she has already begun to associate with Izuku and Inko's presence.

If this is what normal is supposed to be, I can get used to this.

"Himiko, you're smiling."

Himiko blinked in surprise at that. Without warning, she couldn't help but hear her parent's voices in her head.

Your smile is creepy!

Stop smiling all the time!

With practiced ease, she dropped her smile and looked at the ground. "S-sorry."

"Why'd you stop?" Izuku asked in confusion.

"My smile's creepy because of my fangs," Himiko explained.

"There's nothing wrong with your smile! I think it looks good on you." Inko insisted. "Just because the Togas didn't appreciate it, doesn't mean we won't."

"Really?" Himiko blinked in surprise.

"It's like what the doctor told you, they're a part of you," Izuku said, tilting his head in confusion. "Why would you bother to hide them?"

She felt her face heat up. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she forced herself to drop her neutral expression and let herself smile. The two returned her expression with smiles of their own, and then they resumed their journey.

Once back at the apartment, Inko deposited her bags in Himiko's room before she left to make dinner, leaving Izuku and Himiko alone to sort through everything.

The two started with her bed. With Izuku's help, Himiko added a mattress pad and replaced the sheets with something cuter than the basic black ones. Once they were done she unpacked her new clothes and put them away, while Izuku unpacked and sorted out the decorations and supplies they picked up. When they were done, Himiko sat down on the bed, and Izuku joined her, keeping a respectful distance between them.

"What do you think?" Izuku asked.

Himiko's gaze swept the room. It wasn't much: a couple of posters, her two stuffed animals, and a few interesting trinkets that caught her eye. "It feels like… home." She bit her lip. "It's-"

I already feel like I belong here, more than I ever felt like I belonged at the Togas.

"Hrm?"

Himiko shook her head and forced herself to smile. "It's nothing. Come on, let's go see if dinner's ready!"

As they entered the living room, they saw Inko as she finished frying the pork cutlets. "With everything going on, I forgot to ask what your favorite meals are, so I just made a pork katsudon. It's Izu's favorite. I hope you don't mind."

Himiko shook her head. "I don't mind!" She paused and put her index finger to her lip. "Normally I prefer meals with raw or rare meats or those restaurants where we could grill the food ourselves." She felt her blush spreading. "It makes sense now after… everything."

Inko seemed to think it over, before nodding. "I think we can work with that. I also didn't forget about the final part of your meals." After taking the last cutlet out, Inko walked over to the fridge and pulled out a carton of blood. "The doctors told me that pig's blood would satisfy your daily needs. We're going to have to experiment on how to incorporate it into your meals, though."

As Himiko watched, Inko poured a small portion of blood into a bowl, before she added a sauce and mixed them together. "Here, try this."

Himiko took the offered bowl and grabbed a chopstick, swirling it around in the sauce before bringing it to her lips. Her eyes went wide as she tasted it. "This is really tasty!"

"Mom's cooking is the best!" Izuku chimed in.

"I was worried that the flavor may be off," Inko admitted with a smile. "But the doctors did say that your palette is different from ours, and registers the taste of blood differently. Let me know if something doesn't work, ok?"

"You don't have to go this far for me," Himiko said as she gently set the bowl on the table. "I could just drink blood from a cup instead - that's how they gave it to me in the hospital."

"But you're not at the hospital, you're with family now."

Family.

Himiko felt like she was just hit by a truck. While it was true that they were nothing more than her foster family, the distinction didn't matter to them. They still wanted to help her, to make sure that she was happy. That there was nothing wrong with her. That she was normal, just the way she was.

She felt the tears running down her cheeks as she sat down, shaking as small sobs escaped her.

Where were these people all my life?

It didn't take long for her to be wrapped in a warm hug, which she quickly leaned into.

"T-thank you."

Chapter Text

It didn't take long for Himiko to find a comfortable routine with her new family. During the day, she would help with chores around the house while Inko would work. When she was done, she would lounge about and play with her phone, customizing it to be exactly how she wanted it to be - a pleasure she never experienced before. On the days she had an appointment, Inko paused her work and escorted Himiko to the therapist or counselor, and then sat patiently while Himiko had her session before they returned home.

One thing she wasn't enjoying was the hours Izuku was in school. The house was too quiet during the day, with the only noise coming from the classical music Inko played, or the sounds of her fingers dancing across the keyboard. Frequently Himiko would hide in her room and blast yap!Tube videos from her phone, but even those only offered a temporary reprieve.

It only took a week, but she was already looking forward to going back to school.

As the bell rang to indicate class was dismissed, Himiko hung her head and groaned.

Despite promising herself that she wouldn't, she found it so easy to slip back into her old habits.

You knew this was going to be hard.

There's always tomorrow.

While the final period of the day was an independent study for most of her class, for Himiko it was Remedial Studies. Due to her living conditions and general abuse, her grades never were the best, and there were large gaps in her education. On top of that, she was even further behind due to missing the first few weeks of school.

If she wanted to get into a good high school next year, she'd have to work hard to catch up.

Shoving several books into her bag, she kept her head down as she bolted out of the room, practically racing through the hallway to find her classroom, and only slowing down once she arrived. As she slid open the door, a sigh of relief escaped her lips as she failed to recognize most of the students.

At least most of my classmates don't know I'm here.

"Um, excuse me?"

Himiko whirled around, only to come face to face with a girl from her class. She was a tall, thin girl with soft features and bright blue eyes. But the most notable feature was her long blue hair that ran freely down to the middle of her back. Himiko's eyes narrowed.

Oh great, now she knows I'm in this class.

"Are you lost?" The girl asked helpfully.

"N-no," Himiko said. "Just trying to remember your name," She lied.

"I see," The girl nodded thoughtfully. "I know it's overwhelming, trying to learn thirty names at once. I'm Atsuko Hotoko."

"Thanks," Himiko replied lamely. Not knowing what else to say, she simply spun around and entered the room, finding her seat at the back of the class and sitting down.

Way to give a good impression, Himiko.

She watched the other girl find her seat and sit down. After pulling out her books, she gave Himiko a questioning glance, and Himiko responded by looking down at her own books, a sigh escaping her lips.

Why am I such a coward?

Once class started she tried to pay attention, letting the lesson distract her, but she felt herself biting the inside of her lip anyway. Every so often she would get the feeling that someone was watching her, and sure enough, when she looked she saw Atsuko glancing at her, only to turn away once she was discovered.

When the bell rang, Himiko began shoving her notebooks in her bag, hoping to escape the confrontation she knew was coming, but Atsuko was faster. As Himiko tried to stand, she saw Atsuko approaching.

"Hey Toga, you came by train right? Would you mind if I walked with you to the station?"

"Sure?" Himiko's reply came out as more of a question, laced with disbelief.

"Great! I'll meet you outside the gate once you're ready!"

"O-ok then," As Himiko watched, Atsuko gave her a warm smile, before quickly exiting the classroom. Himiko, meanwhile, just stood there in confusion as she watched the rest of her classmates filing out.

Taking a moment to compose herself, she finally left the classroom and made her way to her shoe locker, slowly changing her shoes in an attempt to delay the inevitable for a few more minutes.

Once she gathered her courage, she stepped out of the entrance to the school and saw Atsuko standing by the gate waiting for her. When she saw Himiko, she gave her a polite wave "Hey Toga!"

Himiko grimaced as she walked toward the other girl. "Please, call me Himiko. I… don't really like being called by my family name."

"Only if you call me Atsuko then," The girl responded with a sly smile.

"O-ok," Himiko felt strange.

Why is she being so nice to me?

"We should get going," Atsuko said, gesturing toward the gate.

Himiko merely nodded and followed along, letting an awkward silence fall between them. They walked that way for several blocks before Atsuko spoke up again. "Sorry if I ambushed you after class To- Himiko. You just looked so sad and well… I wanted you to know that I know how that feels."

"W-what?" Himiko stopped and stared at the girl.

"Your face," Atsuko turned and pointed at Himiko. "You're pretty good at hiding how you feel. But in class when you thought I wasn't looking your expression changed." Atsuko turned away from her. "Did you know I transferred schools partway through the semester last year?"

Himiko stared at the other girl's back. "What happened to you?"

"I guess it's only fair that I tell you since I brought it up," Atsuko glanced at Himiko over her shoulder, letting her hair hide most of her face. "My parents went through a messy divorce last year. Lots of yelling, lots of arguments, lots of blame… lots of lawyers." She turned away, hiding her face completely as she stared at the ground. "And of course, I blamed myself for all of it."

Himiko carefully walked around the girl and saw how sad she looked as she recalled the memories. When she saw Himiko, she lifted her head and forced herself to smile. "When the dust settled, my dad packed the two of us up and we moved halfway across the country. A fresh start, he said. The truth was, he felt terrible about what happened and enrolled me at Dantin. Did you know our school is renowned across Japan for its high school acceptance rate among students who had to go through their remedial studies program?"

"I- no, I didn't."

"My coursework last year was terrible. By the time my parents had separated, I was near the bottom of my class. My dad felt so bad - first I lost my mom, and now my future was at risk. He wanted to help in any way he could, so my future wouldn't be ruined by what happened. Which meant Dantin was my best chance."

"Did it work?"

"Ask next year?" Atsuko gave a meek smile. "While their remedial course is brutal, I don't feel like I'm behind anymore."

"Would you believe a school principal helped me get into this school?" Himiko felt a smile tugging at her lips. "I guess I know why now."

Atsuko dropped her smile, her face morphing into a serious expression. "Look, I know you probably don't want to talk about it. Whatever happened to you, I mean. I just wanted to let you know you're not alone. There's plenty of people at school who'd understand."

Without waiting for a reply Atsuko began walking, and Himiko ran to catch up, falling in pace alongside her. Himiko didn't mind the silence, it gave her time to think. She kept glancing at her blue-haired companion, her face the picture of serenity.

If she never told Himiko her story, she would have never guessed anything was wrong.

When they rounded the corner and saw the station, Himiko finally worked up the courage to speak again.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your quirk?"

"My quirk?" Atsuko seemed confused by the question. "I can solidify air, creating solid walls and barriers. Why?"

Himiko hesitated, finding it hard to form the words. Atsuko seemed nice, and she wouldn't mind learning more about her. But she didn't want to hide who she was - if she had a problem with her quirk, better to find out sooner rather than later.

But it was still scary.

Seeing the girl waiting patiently, Himiko quickly blurted out what she wanted to say. "My quirk lets me transform into someone by- by drinking their blood."

Atsuko's eyes went wide. "Oh."

Himiko's face fell.

Of course-

"Wait, sorry!" Atsuko held up her hands defensively. "I just- well, I thought you might have some sort of cat mutation? You have a very feline appearance after all - between your vertical irises and your fangs." She let her hands drop to her side as an awkward silence filled the air. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Himiko finally responded. "It's-" She sighed in frustration. "I'm this way because of my parents."

Atsuko's head quickly snapped up to look at Himiko, and she found a familiar look in those blue eyes. She was reminded of the first time Izuku looked at her.

Maybe it's ok to trust her?

Taking a deep breath, Himiko continued. "My parents hated my quirk, and I was forced to suppress it for years. They tried to make me someone I wasn't instead of letting me be, well, me."

She felt a warmth on her arm. When she looked down she saw Atsuko's hand curling around it, silently offering her encouragement.

"I'm -" Himiko shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it yet. But that's why I was a mess at school today. I'm really happy with where I am now, I promise! But…" Himiko bit her lip and worried at it until she tasted blood. "It's hard to break 10 years of being told how to act."

"I see," Atsuko said thoughtfully. "That's why you don't like being called Toga."

"Yeah."

"Well Himiko," Atsuko pulled away and clapped her hands together. "If you want to see how us teenage girls really act, you could at least try joining us for lunch instead of sitting by yourself?" She offered an encouraging smile. "Usually a few of us get together on weekends as well. I know you might not feel comfortable joining us right away, but the offer's open."

"Maybe. As long as everyone's patient with me," Himiko frowned. "It's all confusing and- and- hard!"

"Sure," Atsuko heard Himiko gasp at the ease of her response. "Listen - while we may not understand exactly what you went through, some of the kids at school may surprise you. Just, give us a chance? Not everyone's like your asshole parents."

"Thanks," Himiko offered the other girl a faint smile. "I'm learning that."

The two let a much more comfortable silence settle between them as they crossed the street and descended into the train station. As they reached the bottom Atsuko saw the departure schedule and paled.

"Oh crap, my train's about to leave, see you tomorrow Himiko!" The girl called out as she ran off. Himiko smiled as she waved at the girl's back before she began walking toward her platform.

Ok, maybe I didn't screw up as badly as I thought today.

When the bell rang for lunch the next day, Himiko pulled out her lunch and a thermos containing a mixture of blood and orange juice. As she sat them on the desk, she swore she heard someone call out her name.

Looking up, she began looking around the room, but didn't see anyone trying to get her attention. Sighing, she was about to go back to her food when she heard the sounds of desks being pushed together, and Atsuko sat down with three other girls for lunch.

Himiko looked down at her lunch and thought about what the blue-haired girl told her yesterday.

Just give us a chance?

Gathering up her courage, as well as her lunch, Himiko stood up and walked over to the makeshift table. The redheaded girl - Sakura, Himiko recalled her name - spotted her first, and soon the others were all looking at her curiously.

Himiko swallowed the lump in her throat. "Do you have room for one more?"

"Of course!" Atsuko said immediately, gesturing towards a nearby desk. "Pull up a chair."

"Thanks."

Himiko set her food down and pulled up a chair, only to see the four staring at her.

"So Toga, what's your favorite Rom-Com?" The redhead asked.

"Rom com?" Himiko asked.

"Don't tell me you've never seen a Romantic Comedy?!"

Himiko looked down at her food as she felt her permanent blush spreading. "I- didn't get to watch a lot of romance movies growing up. They were 'deemed a waste of time.'"

"What kind of monsters were your parents?" The girl with raven-black hair said.

Himiko knew that the girl wasn't serious, but she couldn't help but laugh. "I lived a very sheltered life."

Maybe someday I'll tell you about it.

"Well, that answers the movie we're going to see on Sunday," Atsuko said, turning toward her friends. "We're going to see 50 First Kisses."

"Agreed!" Said the redhead.

"What's that about?" Himiko asked cautiously.

"A poor girl has been inflicted with an amnesia quirk that causes her to forget her day when she falls asleep. One day she meets a marine biologist who has commitment issues, only for him to fall head over heels for her, and things escalate."

Himiko snorted. "That sounds ridiculous."

"Of course it's ridiculous, that's the point!" The raven-haired girl retorted.

"Oh."

Out of the corner of her eye, Himiko saw Atsuko wince. She quickly covered it up and turned toward Himiko. "I hope you'll come with us, I think you might enjoy it."

Himiko felt a strange sensation in her chest. Sure, she had her friend group before, but after everything that happened, she didn't imagine herself being invited out so quickly. Feeling the smile tugging at her lips, she nodded at the group.

"Sounds like fun!"

Himiko Toga skipped down the hallways of Dantin, box cutter in hand. She can't believe a teacher was so thoughtful as to leave it out for her!

As she rounded the corner, her smile grew wide as she saw a familiar green head of hair.

"Izuku-kun!" she called out.

"Himiko?" Izuku turned around and she saw him. So bright and thoughtful and kind and gentle and everything she wasn't.

She wanted to be like him.

She wanted to be him.

She skipped down the hallway as Izuku eyed her curiously. "What is it, Himi-chan?"

"I'm hungry," Himiko complained as she slashed at Izuku, a line of crimson growing on his arm. "Won't you give me a little bit of your blood to make me feel better?"

Izuku screamed, the sound beautiful to Himiko's ears. She didn't know where the straw came from, but the next thing she knew, she was shoving it into the wound.

"Himi- please- stop-"

"Don't worry Izuku-kun, I won't take too much," Himiko said slyly before she pulled the straw up to her lips.

Izuku's eyes snapped open as he heard Himiko's screams through the wall. Bolting out of his bed, he saw his mom already in the hallway as she was looking at the closed door to Himiko's room. Relief filled her face when she saw her son.

"Do you know what happened?" Izuku asked softly.

"No," Inko shook her head.

Izuku carefully walked up to the door and pressed his ear against it, seeing if he could hear anything inside.

"Izuku-kun… I'm so sorry. Please forgive me Izuku-kun…" Himiko was stammering out apologies between sobs.

Taking a deep breath, Izuku opened the door and pushed it open. "Himiko?"

"Izuku! Stay away!"

Izuku's eyes had adjusted enough to see Himiko scrambling off her bed as she worked her way into a corner, as far away from him as she could.

"Himiko, what's wrong?" Inko asked from behind Izuku, concern laced in her voice.

"I- Izuku-kun," Himiko started sobbing again. "I- I want to- I want to hurt Izuku-kun!"

Izuku and Inko looked at each other in concern, before Inko gently pushed Izuku back into the hallway. She stepped into the room and flicked on the light, watching the girl flinch as the light came on, trying to curl into herself and make herself disappear.

"Himiko, it's ok," Inko assured her. "You didn't hurt Izu. He's safe. He's in the hallway worried about you."

Himiko slowly raised her head, cracking one eye open. "I didn't stab Izuku?" Inko recoiled in surprise and saw Himiko screw her eyes shut. "I'm sorry!"

"Himiko, I'm the one who should be sorry," Inko slowly walked forward and knelt in front of the girl. "I didn't mean to upset you, I just didn't expect you to ask that."

Inko slowly reached out and touched Himiko's hands, and felt them stiffen before going limp. "I- you're not upset?"

"No," Inko shook her head. "But I'm worried about you, Himiko."

Himiko looked up, and Inko could see the tears in her eyes. "I- I dreamed I was in school with Izuku and I- it was Saito all over again."

"Well, I think your reaction shows how you really feel."

"What do you mean?" Himiko asked, her voice laced with confusion.

"Well, look at you. You dreamed about the old you, and how did you react? You're scared about hurting Izu, and you were afraid for him. If you were a bad person, would you be doing that?"

Himiko bit her lip, feeling the blood welling up where her fang pierced the skin as she thought about it before she shook her head. "N-no."

"That's right," Inko agreed. "Because you're a good person." She reached out and began smoothing Himiko's messy hair, feeling the girl shudder under her touch.

Himiko closed her eyes and leaned into the woman's touch. "I- I want to be a good person."

Inko paused and smiled. "I know it's hard and scary. But we're here for you."

"I know," Himiko said, opening her eyes. "Can Izuku come in now?"

"Of course dear."

Inko stood up and Himiko already missed the warmth of her hand as she crossed the room, opening the door to reveal Izuku awkwardly standing there. As Himiko looked at him she felt her stomach twisting in knots.

He's ok.

"Himiko?" Izuku asked cautiously as he entered the room. "I um- I heard what you were dreaming about."

"Are you scared of me?"

Izuku shook his head. "Of course not! I know you wouldn't hurt me. Because you're a good person."

"I-" Himiko swallowed the lump in her throat. "Izuku, could I sleep in bed with you?"

Izuku's eyes went wide as his face began to glow bright red. "You- what?"

"Not like that!" Himiko yelled, her face turning bright red. "I just - I don't want to be alone right now. I want- I need to know you're ok."

I need to know I haven't hurt you.

"Oh," Izuku laughed nervously. "Right! Like a sleepover!"

"Exactly!" Himiko said.

"I don't mind," Inko said from the entryway. "As long as you two are comfortable with it."

"S-sure," Izuku said. "I just- never had a sleepover before."

"Me neither," Himiko admitted.

With Inko's help, Himiko gathered her blanket and her two stuffed animals before following Izuku to his room. Once the boy crawled back into bed Himiko wrapped herself in her blanket and crawled in, shifting around until her back was pressed against Izuku's.

"If either of you gets uncomfortable, let me know, ok?"

"Sure thing!"

"I will!"

Satisfied, Inko turned off the light and closed the door behind her, leaving Himiko alone with Izuku.

"Goodnight Himiko."

"Goodnight Izuku,"

As she lay there, she let the warmth of Izuku seep into her, reminding her that he was safe. That he trusted her, even though he knew what she did. She tightened her grip on her stuffed animals.

I don't want to be a monster anymore.

I want to be the good person they think I am.

Himiko stepped off the train at Tatooin and carefully exited the station. Once outside she tugged at the hem of her shirt nervously as she looked for her blue-haired friend and classmates.

Friend.

The word made her feel warm. Sure, Atsuko didn't know the whole story yet, but she had seen glimpses of the real Himiko, not the mask that she was forced to wear. Despite that, she wanted Himiko to consider her a friend and vowed to help her figure things out.

It made Himiko feel warm inside. Not the same warmth that she felt from Izuku and Inko, but a different kind. She found it kind of exciting, and couldn't wait to see what other types of warmth she would experience.

It didn't take her long to see Atsuko and Sakura standing near a statue, their blue and red standing out against the background of the crowds. Smiling, she jogged over to them, waving.

Atsuko spotted her first and smiled, waving back. "Hey, Himiko. So you didn't back out after all?"

"Nope!" Himiko said. "I thought about it, but you're right, the only way to figure out what I like is to try new stuff out."

"And once you catch up, you can join us in our debates!" Sakura said.

Himiko laughed. "I'm not sure I'll ever be able to keep up with the three of you."

"Well, you've gotta start somewhere, right?" Atsuko asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Himiko said with a smile. "I do."

"That movie was amazing!" Himiko exclaimed as they left the movie theater.

"I thought it was ok," Sakura said.

"It was pretty good, a little on the cheesy side," Atsuko added.

"But–" Himiko protested. "-I felt so bad for her! And for him to go that far for her! Every day- over and over!" She let out a fond sigh. "It was so cute!"

"If you thought that was cute, we're gonna have to start showing you the good stuff!" Tsuru said.

"I can't wait!" Himiko said, clapping her hands together.

As the group walked toward the restaurant for dinner, Himiko realized that if this was what being a normal teenage girl was like, she was going to enjoy being normal.

Chapter Text

Izuku was sitting at his desk, making notes from the villain attack he witnessed on the way to school. Normally if he just kept his head down and kept to himself he could avoid drawing Katsuki's ire.

However, today was not a normal day.

Izuku was so focused he didn't notice the other student's approach until a hand slammed on his desk along with an explosion for emphasis, startling him as his pencil jammed into the page.

At least he didn't fall out of his chair this time.

"Hey nerd, the Old Hag told me your family is taking care of some girl now."

"Y-yes, we are. We found a girl who was being abused and we took her in," Izuku explained softly, refusing to look up at his childhood friend.

"She was being abused huh? I bet that makes you feel good about yourself, doesn't it?" Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat as Katsuki continued. "Does it make you feel like a hero?"

You're my hero!

Hearing Himiko's words as they echoed in Izuku's mind, he dared to look up. "I- yes, it does."

Katsuki's face morphed into a scowl. "When will you get it through that thick head of yours? No matter what you do, you'll never be a hero like All Might." He jabbed a thumb into his chest. "When will you realize you should just give up already and leave the heroics to me."

"I-"

Izuku tried to come up with a retort, but Katsuki set off an explosion on his left side, causing him to lose his balance and fall out of his chair.

"See, nerd? You don't even have the reflexes to handle that! What would happen if a villain was actually trying to hurt you? Just give up already before you hurt yourself."

With a heavy sigh, Izuku pulled himself up and sat back down. Fortunately, he was saved from any further comments as the door to the classroom swung open and the teacher entered the room. However, the damage was already done.

For the rest of the homeroom period, he had to deal with the dueling voices of Himiko and Katsuki in his head. One tries to assure him that he's a hero, and the other adamantly tells him otherwise.

You'll never be a hero like All Might.

Izuku had thought that after all these years he had acclimated to Katsuki's abuse, but today proved him wrong. Maybe it felt different because Katsuki had gotten Himiko involved?

It hurt, thinking about his face and expression. Every day Himiko reminded him that he and his mom had metaphorically, if not literally, saved her life.

If that didn't make him a hero, what did?

He was so caught up in his head he never realized Himiko had entered his room and sat down on his bed until she got tired of waiting and groaned. Sitting upright, he turned his chair to see an exasperated Himiko sitting on his bed.

"H-hey Himiko. Do you need something?"

"What happened today?"

Izuku turned back to his desk and looked down at the unfinished homework, in an attempt to pretend that everything was ok. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"In case you forgot, I know a thing or two about using masks to hide your feelings," Himiko didn't even attempt to hide her annoyance. "You're not ok."

"It's nothing," Izuku sighed. "Just Kacchan being Kacchan."

"It's not nothing if it's bothering you this much," Himiko frowned. Why was he being such a dummy about this?

"Please Himiko, I just-" Izuku picked up his pencil and tried to focus on his homework. "-I don't want to talk about it. I'll be ok, I promise."

"Hmph." Himiko frowned at his back before she stood up and left.

As she returned to her room to work on homework, she couldn't help but wonder what Izuku would do if the situation were reversed.

As they were eating dinner, Himiko felt a heavy weight in her stomach. She knew what she had to do, but it was hard. She didn't know how Izuku made this seem so easy.

It didn't take long for Inko to notice something was wrong. She tried to give Himiko time and space, hoping that the girl would eventually speak her mind, but to no avail. Eventually, she decided to ask directly. "Himiko is-"

"I think Izuku's being bullied at school," Himiko blurted out.

A heavy silence filled the air as Inko and Izuku both looked at Himiko, whose permanent blush was spreading to turn her face a deep crimson. Finally, Inko spoke again.

"What makes you say that?"

"I went to talk to him when I got home," Himiko gave Izuku a guilty look. "And he was just sitting at his desk feeling down. It reminded me of me." She took a deep breath to try and calm her racing heart. "When I asked him about it, he said it was 'just Kacchan being Kacchan.'"

When she was done she looked down at her food, having lost her appetite entirely. Inko, meanwhile, slowly turned toward her son.

"Izu, is it true?"

As he looked at his mom's face, Izuku felt his defenses crumble, the years of excuses he's made for himself evaporating. He slumped his shoulders and looked down at his lap. "Y-yeah. Kacchan reminded me that I'll never be a hero. Not the way he will be. Not the way All Might is."

Himiko gasped and looked at Izuku, but stayed silent as Inko studied her son's face.

"This isn't new, is it?"

Izuku picked up his chopsticks and pushed the food around on his plate. "No."

"H-how long? How long has he been doing this?"

"Since we were 7," Izuku whispered, but in the silence of the room, it may as well have been a shout. "The day we went exploring the forest."

Inko shuddered as she felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. Pushing herself up, she crossed the table and pulled Izuku into a hug, her tears falling into his messy hair. "I'm sorry Izuku. I'm so sorry- I should have noticed-"

"It's not your fault," Izuku admitted as he slowly pushed his chair back. "I've had a lot of practice hiding it."

"Why?"

"Because Kacchan was right. I'm already a burden because I'm q-quirkless and you're still good friends with Mitsuki and I-I-"

"Stop," Himiko slammed her hand on the table. "Just Stop." She shoved her chair back and stood. "Wh-when I saw you at the hospital I thought you were basically a cripple," She swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling tight. "Because that's what my parents taught me. But you're not! You- you saved me. If that doesn't make you a hero, then what does!?"

Fighting back tears, Himiko ran off to her room, slamming the door behind her. Suddenly alone, Inko looked her son in the eye.

"You've never been a burden because you're quirkless. If I ever made you feel that way I'm sorry," She rubbed her eyes on her shirt sleeve. "And if you ever felt that way, it's my fault, not yours!"

Rubbing his own eyes, Izuku leaned into his mom and began crying, admitting to everything over the past six years. He explained how, ever since their forest adventure, Katsuki had gone on and on about how he would beat up villains and save everyone, just like All Might does. And how Izuku would never be strong enough to do the same, and he should accept his place in the world. A nobody, destined to live in the background. Someone to be saved, not someone who can save others.

Even though Izuku felt drained after confessing to his mom, he knew he wasn't done yet. As he stood in front of the door to Himiko's room, he found himself unable to work up the courage to knock.

She was right to do what she did, and he owed her an apology.

As he approached the door, he could hear sobbing coming from inside. Feeling a mixture of guilt and concern, he opened the door, only to see Himiko curled up in her bed, wrapped around her latest stuffed animal - a sky-blue bird. She immediately stilled and looked up at him, and he could see the tear tracks running down her face, ruining the little makeup she had begun wearing.

"Himi-"

"Do you hate me?"

Izuku felt his heart break at those words. He must have shown it on his face since he saw Himiko immediately bite down on her lip, blood welling up where her fangs pierced the skin. He forced himself to smile and shook his head. "Can I sit down?"

Wordlessly, Himiko scooted to one side of her bed, still clutching her stuffed animal to her chest. When she stopped, Izuku sat down next to her. Carefully, he placed his hand on top of hers and felt his lips twitching upward as she began lacing her fingers between his.

"Kacchan he- he has a very narrow view of heroics. He thinks it's all about fighting and beating up bad guys," Izuku looked away from the girl lying on the bed. "He likes reminding the whole school that he's the only one whose quirk is strong enough to match that vision."

"Do you believe him?"

Izuku sighed. "Everyone else does."

"Izu-" Himiko let go of her stuffed animal and pushed herself up. "You're the one who showed me that there's more than one type of hero. Were- were you lying to me?"

"Wha-" Izuku spun around to face her. "-no!"

"Then why don't you believe it yourself?"

Izuku hung his head. "I- it's hard, being surrounded by that attitude. Especially with my… status."

He felt Himiko wrap herself around him, her head pressed against his shoulder. "I guess I need to throw those lessons back in your face then, don't I?" He felt her body shake as she giggled. "Give you a taste of your own medicine!"

"I- yeah…" Izuku sighed. "Mom's on the phone with Mitsuki now, and she's going to call the school tomorrow. I don't know if there's much she can do…"

"Izu," Himiko gripped his arms tightly. "You deserve better. Because you're a hero - no matter what Kacchan says."

You're my hero.

Izuku smiled and reached out with his hand to touch Himiko's. "Thanks. For… everything."

Himiko smiled and leaned into Izuku. "We promised to stick together, after all."

Izuku woke up in confusion, wondering why he wasn't in his bed. As he pushed himself up he remembered: He and Himiko decided that after the evening they had, they should have a sleepover party, and dragged out the futon to the middle of the living room. Looking over, he saw the blonde-haired girl splayed out, taking up three-quarters of the futon by herself.

Smiling, he nudged her leg with his foot. "Himiko, it's time to get up."

"Go away," The girl complained.

"Sorry, but you've got to get to school."

"Don't remind me," Himiko began pushing herself upright and pushed all of her hair back, trying to get the messy strands under control before giving up with a dramatic sigh before she turned toward Izuku. "Are we ok?"

Izuku smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we are."

"Good!" Himiko opened her arms asking for a hug, and Izuku complied, crawling over and hugging the girl. "I hope that idiot Kacchan doesn't give you much trouble today."

Izuku sighed. "I hope so."

The two separated and worked together to put away the futon, before returning to their respective rooms to get ready for the school day.

As Izuku approached Aldera, he felt a weight in his stomach as he saw Kacchan waiting on the path, his arms folded. Swallowing the lump in his throat he put his head down and tried to keep going, hoping he wouldn't be noticed, but Bakugo held out his arm and stopped him.

"Stop right there Deku."

"W-what do you want Kacchan?

"Last night Inko called the Old Hag, and my mom kicked my ass for going too far yesterday," He let out a loud sigh. "Even if it's not heroic, it's-" He looked like he was straining to get the words out. "-good that you're helping this Himiko girl. Even if it doesn't change anything, you did the right thing," He turned away from Izuku. "Don't let it get to your head, or else."

Katsuki walked into the school, leaving a very confused Izuku in his wake.

Izuku spent the homeroom period on high alert, waiting for the other shoe to drop. For Kacchan to suddenly explode and remind him of his place in the world, or demonstrate why he isn't cut out to be a hero.

But nothing happened.

The day went on as normal, until halfway through the final period of the day, when the classroom speaker crackled to life and told Izuku to report to the teacher's lounge.

Izuku immediately felt all of his classmates' eyes on him, and even heard a few snickers. Gathering his things, he quickly left the classroom, trying to ignore the annoyed glare of his teacher. Once outside, he ran down to the teacher's lounge, where his homeroom teacher was waiting for him, along with someone he recognized as a different homeroom teacher.

"Mr. Midoriya, have you been having issues with your classmates?" His homeroom teacher asked pointedly.

Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat - he knows how much the school is trying to push Katsuki as their star pupil, and how many people agree with his views of heroics. "N-no, sir."

"We've had a complaint from your mother earlier today, about the tension between yourself and Mr. Bakugo. While you don't help matters by antagonizing Mr. Bakugo, after the incident yesterday she requested that we separate you two. We were initially against the idea, but she insisted."

I wonder if she threatened them with UA's lawyers. Izuku wondered.

"Because of that, you will be transferred to class 2-C starting tomorrow. Mr. Hosoi here will be your homeroom teacher," His teacher gestured to his companion. "Since it's merely a class change we assume your studies will be unaffected."

"No sir," Izuku bowed to the teachers. "I won't have any problems!"

"Excellent. That's all then, Mr. Midoriya. I expect you to clean out your desk at the end of the day."

With that his homeroom teacher left, leaving Izuku alone with Mr. Hosoi, who gave him a basic rundown of his classroom. It wasn't much different from how things were now, except that he wouldn't be sharing a class with Kacchan for the first time ever.

It would take some getting used to.

Even though he was reporting to a new classroom this morning, Izuku still found himself nervously scanning the hallways, on high alert to see if Bakugo had anything to say to him. He was so focused on his task that he almost let his feet carry him into his old classroom. Standing in front of the door awkwardly, he sighed and turned, walking to the adjacent classroom instead.

Opening the door he saw several familiar faces - people he had seen around the school, even if he'd never interacted with them. He was curious how they would respond to him. Ducking his head, he made his way to the teacher's desk and stood there awkwardly, waiting for his new teacher to introduce him.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long. Mr. Hosoi entered the room soon afterward and made his way to his desk, and the class sat silently waiting for his announcements. Clearing his throat, the teacher announced they would have a new student joining them, before gesturing to Izuku.

"I am Izuku Midoriya, formerly of class 2-D, pleased to make your acquaintance!" Izuku bowed to the class. When he lifted his head, he didn't see any glares or other signs that he had come to associate with Bakugo and his associates.

Izuku let out a soft sigh of relief as he straightened out, before Mr. Hosoi directed him to his new desk. Nodding, he silently crossed the room and sat down, giving a nervous smile to those around him before he unpacked his things.

Hopefully, my new classmates are nice.

Ever since Himiko's release from the hospital, Sekijiro Kan had been visiting the Midoriya household regularly to check up on everyone, as well as to keep them updated about the final case against Himiko. Even though the charges against her were dropped, Saito's family still wanted to sue her for assault, insisting that someone had to pay for what happened.

That evening when Inko opened the door and saw a grim-faced Kan staring down at her, she felt her stomach drop.

"Kan, come in."

"Thank you, Mrs. Midoriya," Kan bowed before entering the apartment.

"Is everything ok?"

Kan sighed as he removed his shoes. "There's been progress in little Himiko's case. It's best if we sit down before we discuss it."

Inko silently nodded and led him to the living room, while Himiko and Izuku were already sitting on the couch. She offered a sympathetic look to the girl as she crossed the room to prepare tea. When she returned, the children sat there silently while Kan opened a briefcase and removed a stack of paperwork.

As Inko set the tray down, Himiko finally worked up the courage to speak. "W-what's going on?"

"I have some good news and some bad news regarding the suit against you," Kan said with a heavy sigh. "The good news first - we have finally convinced the family to drop the suit against you."

"That sounds like great news!" Izuku said hopefully.

"It would be, except for the conditions they stipulated," Kan sighed heavily and held a paper out to Himiko.

"W-what're those?" Himiko asked nervously.

"A summons to the court," Kan scowled. "Saito's family wants punishment, and only agreed to drop the suit if we provided them with evidence of the Togas' actions leading to Himiko's breakdown, so that they could sue the Togas directly for their role in the incident." He sighed heavily as he turned toward the girl in question. "This includes your direct testimony during the case."

Himiko's knuckles turned white as she gripped the paper tightly. "I- I'll need to see them again…"

"And you will be forced to answer the same uncomfortable questions one final time," Kan said before bowing his head. "I'm sorry little Himiko. We tried everything, but they were firm on their demands."

Himiko could feel the tears stinging her eyes as she stared at the paper in shock. "I-I-"

"It'll be ok," Inko reached out and began to gently stroke Himiko's hair. "They may be there, but they won't be able to hurt you. I'll be there with you, and so will Mr. Kan," She turned toward the hero. "Won't you?"

"Of course," Kan said. "As the primary hero of the investigation, it would be best if I delivered the testimony in person."

"I-" Himiko closed her eyes and felt Inko's hands in her hair.

I can do it. They can't hurt me anymore.

Because Mama Inko won't let them.

Opening her eyes, Himiko took a shuddering breath as she placed the paper down on the table. "I'll do it. I'll- I'll show the Togas who I really am!"

She saw Vlad give her a toothy smile. "You're very brave, little Himiko. I assure you, this will be your last trial, and then you'll finally be free."

Himiko felt the warmth envelope her as she leaned into Inko, feeling like she would collapse without her support. "I hope so."

Izuku sat on the couch, watching the news while waiting for his mom and Himiko to return home. While he was in school, they had taken a train into Tokyo for the case against the Togas - the case Himiko had to be a witness for.

Despite her insistence otherwise, Himiko was a mess the night before, agitated and nervous. Izuku couldn't help but worry about her. He couldn't even imagine what she was going through. It's been almost two months and she's been making incredible progress, but she was suddenly going to be forced to confront those who abused her for years and forced to relive those moments in a courtroom.

He stood up when he saw the door open and gasped at what he saw. Himiko was walking in mechanically, her head down and her arms wrapped around herself, numbly following Inko's guidance. Inko meanwhile, had an intense fire in her eyes.

"We're home Himi-chan. Your real home."

Himiko nodded and robotically took off her shoes before she made her way into the living room. Izuku intercepted her and pulled her into a hug, and she practically collapsed into him. As he held her he could feel her shaking.

"What happened?"

"The Togas are the real monsters," Inko said flatly as she took off her shoes. "I can't believe the things they said- Himiko's their daughter!"

"I- They made me say everything!" Himiko wailed. "How I was feeling, how good it felt, then- then- they told the judge that everything they did was for my own good! Like- like they were doing everyone a favor!"

"Himi-" Izuku gently stroked the girl's back as he guided her to the couch and eased her down.

"I'm not a monster," Himiko repeated as she sat down, sounding like she was desperate to convince herself. She looked down at her hands, opening and closing them into fists as she repeated her mantra. "My quirk isn't bad. It's just a part of me."

"If that's how they treated her, it's no wonder she did what she did," Inko said with a sad sigh as she entered the living room. "She's such a strong girl to have held out as long as she did."

"I'm sorry," Izuku said helplessly. "I should have been there."

"It's better that you weren't," Inko said, pulling Izuku into a hug. "You wouldn't have liked what you heard."

"Is there anything I can do?" Izuku asked.

"I'm not in the mood to cook. Can you run to the market and get duck blood soup for dinner? I'll-" Inko released her son and looked at the girl on the couch. "-call the therapist and see if there's anything we can do."

Several hours later, Inko and Izuku were on the couch, watching as the credits began to play for the movie. Himiko had fallen asleep almost half an hour ago, her head resting on Inko's lap as she carded her fingers through the girl's hair.

Silently, Izuku picked up the remote and turned off the television before looking at his mom. "I'm glad she's feeling better."

"Me too," Inko looked down at the girl. "She deserved better than that."

"But it's over now, right?"

"Mhm," Inko sighed. "No more court cases, no more Togas, nothing."

"How did Vlad King handle it?"

"He wished they would've done something so that he could arrest them. He didn't even hide his anger at their quirkism."

"Mmm," Izuku looked at the girl. "Is there anything else we can do for her?"

Inko shook her head. "Not right now. We did everything we could. Now we just need to be there for her. To be the family she never had."

Izuku looked at the girl. "I never thought I'd have a sister."

Inko chuckled lightly. "Oh Izu, I didn't mean literally!" She paused thoughtfully. "I'd say you're doing a good job though."

Izuku smiled up at his mom, before looking down at the girl, making a silent promise to her.

Himiko, I'll try and be the best brother I can be!

Chapter Text

The next day, Izuku began researching quirk discrimination. He had read a few articles after they met Himiko, but after seeing how she acted after that court case, he felt the need to find out more.

It didn't take long for him to stumble onto a forum that was built to be more of a support group than anything. For people whose mutations and secondary mutations caused them to stand out and be discriminated against.

As Izuku read page after page and thread after thread, his eyes grew wide.

Even if you have a quirk, people could look down on you.

It was eye-opening. He desperately hoped that his situation was unique - that Kacchan's bullying was because Izuku wanted to be a hero despite being quirkless.

But it wasn't.

The fact that people with quirks were treated the same way he was - sometimes treated worse than he was… His knuckles turned white from how hard he was gripping his mouse.

This isn't right!

He took a deep breath.

Remember why you're here. For Himiko's sake.

He could already tell the site was going to give him a lot to think about later. But first things first. Finding the right section of the forum, he began a new thread and started typing, asking for advice on how to help his 'friend' who suffered discrimination for having a blood-based mutation.

Several hours later, Izuku heard his phone beep as it announced he received an email. Unlocking it, he saw he had gotten a private message on the mutant support forum. Curious, he clicked the link to open up his inbox.

From: Froppy

Subject: New Guy

Hey New Guy. Welcome to the forums! I'm sorry to hear about your friend but you may want to edit your post. While many people here have to deal with problems from relatives, your information is awfully specific and could lead to your friend's identity being revealed if someone was dedicated enough.

I have left a reply with advice in the thread, but people here try to be discrete with the details for a reason. It's too easy for someone who means well to accidentally hurt others.

As for your friend - I encourage you to have them join the forum directly! The best advice is to find people with similar experiences and form a network.

If you have any questions feel free to DM me back.

~Froppy

Izuku paled a bit as he read the message. Quickly navigating to his post he brought up the edit window and removed some of the details. Hitting the 'Edit' button with a sigh he hung his head.

"I guess I've got a lot to learn, too."

Returning to his inbox, he typed out a reply thanking this Froppy person and explaining that his friend wouldn't be comfortable on the forum.

Several weeks later, as they were eating dinner, Himiko thoughtfully chewed her beef, savoring the juices and the delightful combination created by mixing pig's blood with egg. While savoring the food, she couldn't help but wonder how she had gotten so lucky.

After the trial, the Midoriyas had done their best to help her pick up the pieces after her breakdown. Moreover, they have gone out of their way to help her - giving her the space she needed when she asked for it, and being there when she needed it.

She didn't deserve them in her life.

But they were there for her anyway.

As she watched Inko and Izuku talking, she was forced to battle with the growing realization. She had started feeling this way even before the trial, but the trial and aftermath only accelerated the feelings.

She loved them.

She loved Izuku. He was like Hifumi - always there for her, always trying to help her. He was like a brother to her. Sure she still loved Hifumi, but that love had always been tainted, never allowed to properly blossom, like a flower that never saw sunlight. With Izuku it was different - he was like the sun, so blinding and brilliant in his resolve and determination.

And Inko - Himiko couldn't find the words. The woman had taken her into her home and treated her better than her parents ever did. She didn't know if that was how parents were supposed to act, or if Inko was just special.

All she knew is that she loved her, and she would do anything to stay with them.

"Himi, are you ok?" Inko asked, concern lacing her words.

"Huh?" Himiko asked in confusion.

"You're crying," Izuku pointed out.

Himiko touched her cheek. Sure enough, she found tears there. Turning toward the two, she gave them a wet smile. "These are happy tears. I'm just-" She gave the two a fanged smile. "I'm finally feeling better."

"I'm glad," Izuku said, relieved.

"Me too."

As the two resumed eating, Himiko took her napkin and wiped away her tears before picking up her chopsticks.

Maybe someday I'll be as brave as you, Izuku, and tell you both what you really mean to me.

It had been several months since Izuku first found the mutant discrimination forum, and he had settled in. He wasn't a particularly prolific poster, but whenever someone popped up with a blood-based quirk, he tried to help them in any way he could.

Throughout his time on the forum, he had somehow kept up regular communications with Froppy. They kept things intentionally vague, but he knew she and another girl both faced discrimination at their school, while he eventually admitted to her that he himself was quirkless. At first, he was terrified of how she would respond, but her response wasn't what he expected.

Must be nice, being able to just disappear like that.

Izuku blinked as he read the response.

It must be nice to be quirkless?

That didn't make any sense!

When he responded asking for clarification, Froppy practically sent him an essay pointing out that while he could always hide under the guise of having a minor quirk with no physical indicator, she and the other girl would always stand out due to their physical traits. And while it might be different where he is, for her it was a daily problem in her life.

After sending a profuse apology to the girl and receiving her response Izuku felt like some sort of invisible barrier had broken between the two of them, and they had grown a tiny bit closer. The frequency of messages had increased, and the two began talking about different topics - primarily heroes and heroics.

One night, Izuku and Froppy had a long conversation about the hero Gang Orca and his potential to break into the top ten next week when they release the updated hero rankings. When he finally closed the tab on his computer, Izuku leaned back in his chair and wondered if this was what it was supposed to feel like to have a friend.

After discussing her feelings with her therapist, in which Himiko came dangerously close to admitting her love for Izuku and Inko, she followed his suggestion and picked up a camera.

Much like how she'd been collecting stuffed animals and plushies that reminded her of people, with a camera, she'd be able to have little reminders of her happy moments, using those to uplift herself whenever she was having a particularly rough day.

At first, her pictures were terrible, but that didn't stop her. Storage was cheap, after all, and she had a decent allowance thanks to her parents - one of the few good things that they ever did for her, even if it involved lawyers. Besides, her enthusiasm made up for her lack of skill, and there were a surprising number of gems hidden among the photos.

As time passed, she quickly found her photography improving, and began printing out her favorites, creating a photo album documenting her recovery and growth.

The best photos, however, were the ones where she had random strangers use her camera to take photos of her standing alongside Inko and Izuku. Seeing the three of them standing together happily, she could almost lie to herself and pretend they were her real mother and brother.

As Himiko watched the printer spit out the latest image, she removed it from the tray and inserted it into a picture frame. The three of them had gone to the zoo, and it was a picture of the three of them standing in front of a map. As she stared at it, while she felt filled with warmth, she also felt a pit forming in her stomach.

Practicing her breathing exercises to steady her nerves, she stood up and walked across the room to where Inko was sitting.

"Mama Inko, can I ask you something?"

Inko looked up from the book she was reading. "Hrm? What is it?"

"I was wondering," Himiko took a deep breath. "I- you haven't added any pictures to your collection since I got here!" Himiko winced as the words came out a little too loudly, as they both turned to look. There, one corner of the living room had a collection of picture frames, each filled with a smiling Inko and Izuku.

"Oh," Inko looked thoughtful. "I guess I hadn't noticed."

"I- could we add this to the wall?" Himiko asked, thrusting out the frame in her hands as she looked away.

Inko took the image out of the girl's hands and examined it. She remembered them taking the picture, and remembered how delighted Himiko was at how it came out. Smiling, she looked up at the uncharacteristically nervous girl. "Of course we can."

"Yes!" Himiko practically jumped in the air in excitement, her fist pumping in the air. "Thank you!"

Inko watched in some amusement as Himiko ran to the closet to retrieve the hooks, before she dashed back to the corner where the photos are, before turning awkwardly back toward her.

"Um, do you care where it goes?" Himiko asked, her permanent blush deepening.

"Since it's your photo, I'll trust you to find a good spot for it."

Grinning wildly, Himiko turned toward the wall and found the most recent photo that was put up. Smiling, she placed the hooks on the wall just diagonal to that picture and hung the photo.

As she stepped back to admire her handiwork, Himiko silently hoped that it would be the first of many photos she would get to add to the collection.

Izuku was lying on the floor of the living room, his blood such a cute shade of red as it leaked from his wounds. Himiko dropped the knife she was holding, hearing it clatter on the table as she lowered herself onto him, happily sucking blood from the wounds.

It tasted so good, better than Saito's blood, even! She couldn't get enough of it.

Unfortunately, her reverie was broken by the sound of yelling. Looking up she saw Inko, staring at her in horror, the same way her mother used to.

"You monster! Demon! What are you doing to my son?!"

"Mama Inko, wait!" Himiko called out, trying to reach her hand out.

Inko shook her head as she backed away before she turned and ran into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Panicking, Himiko stood up and tried to follow her, only to find the door locked.

"Stay away! Don't come near me! I'm going to call the police! You're going to be thrown into Jail! Or Tartarus!"

Himiko felt fear running through her as she desperately pulled and twisted at the handle, trying to pry the door open…

Himiko gasped as she sat upright, covered in sweat. Disoriented, she looked around her room to get her bearings, realizing that she was still in her bed, despite having thrown the covers and her stuffed animals to the ground in her thrashing.

Unable to shake the feeling that she had done something wrong, she quietly slipped out of her room and checked on the others, making sure that Inko and Izuku were both fast asleep. After confirming that they were both sleeping peacefully, she entered the bathroom. Closing the door behind her, she flicked on the lights and looked at herself in the mirror.

She definitely was going to pay for this in the morning.

With a groan, she turned on the water and splashed her face to wash away the sweat. As she stood there hunched over the sink, she stared at her hands, watching the warm water wash over them, and she repeated her mantra.

She knew why she had the dream - that day her quirk counselor had her use her quirk for the first time since her accident. It was also the first time she had drank human blood since she was discharged from the hospital, and she had almost forgotten how delicious it was.

The counselor had also suggested that the taste could be tied to her emotional connection with a person, and for the rest of the day she couldn't help but wonder what Izuku and Inko's blood would taste like.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew what she wanted to do.

After spending a few more minutes practicing her breathing techniques and repeating her mantras, Himiko slipped back into her room and straightened out her bed, before crawling back into it. Clutching her well-loved stuffed animals to her chest, she managed to slip into a fitful slumber.

The next morning Himiko awoke with a groan, looking annoyed at the sunlight streaming in through the window. Pushing herself out of bed, she dragged herself out of her room.

She was almost thankful for how tired she was, as it helped take the edge off of her nerves.

As she approached the dining room table, she saw that Inko and Izuku were already mostly done with their breakfast as she collapsed into her chair.

"Did you have a bad night?" Inko asked.

Himiko nodded slowly. "Yeah…" She said softly. Taking a deep breath, she looked at the pair. "Can you two come with me to my quirk counseling session today?

"Is it something important?" Izuku asked.

Himiko bit her lip, feeling her fang puncture her skin. "Yesterday we began practicing with my quirk. And I- I want to transform into Izuku."

"Sure!"

Himiko's head whipped around to look at Izuku. "Just like that?"

"As long as I can see your quirk up close!"

"You know I need to drink your blood to use my quirk, right?"

"I don't mind!" Izuku insisted. "You don't need a lot, right?"

Himiko opened and closed her mouth, shocked at how easily Izuku had accepted this.

Why was I ever afraid of asking him?

"I- no, I don't," Himiko felt her blush spreading. "But I don't know how I'll respond when I drink blood from someone… close to me."

I need to know if I can control myself around you, Izuku.

And I need to know Inko won't abandon me.

She felt her face heat up further as Izuku wrapped his hand around hers. "I know it'll be ok."

Inko put a hand on her shoulder. "I understand. If you think it's important, we'll come with you."

After breakfast, Himiko took a much-needed nap and when it came time to leave for her appointment, the three walked to the medical complex where her sessions were held. Normally her counselor - Mr. Kondo - worked with heroes, so it wasn't unusual to occasionally see a local hero wandering around the complex, but Himiko had neglected to mention that to Izuku. When they were sitting in the waiting room, she remembered why.

"I can't believe it! Silver Hawk signed my notebook!" Izuku was gushing as he was sketching out the hero's costume. "I'll have to transfer my notes over so they're all on one page!"

Himiko groaned and leaned her head back in the chair. "I can't believe you."

Inko laughed lightly. "You know how Izu is."

"Normally I can get away from it," Himiko pointed out, her nervousness only serving to enhance her annoyance at Izuku. It felt impossible to keep up with him when he got going, and the few times she tried only served to frustrate her.

She was eventually saved by the aide calling them into the back where they were escorted to the training space. As the three walked in, they saw Mr. Kondo standing in the back waiting for them.

"You brought guests today, Himiko?"

Himiko nodded as she approached. "I um, since we were going to practice with my quirk again I wanted to try something."

"What's that?"

Himiko gestured to Izuku. "I was thinking about what you said yesterday. About how my-" she hesitated for a moment. "-emotions would affect the taste of blood. And I wanted to test my quirk with Izuku's blood, instead of the samples you have."

Mr. Kondo pressed his thumb and index finger to his chin as he thought about it before nodding in agreement. "That seems like a reasonable idea. You're worried about losing control, aren't you?"

Himiko felt her blush spreading as she nodded.

"Well then, this will be a good test," The man turned toward Izuku. "Are you ready?"

"Yep!" Izuku said enthusiastically, his notebook already out.

The doctor couldn't help but chuckle at the sight before turning toward Himiko. "How about you?"

Himiko nodded, determination etched into her face. "I think so."

With an encouraging smile, Izuku held out his free hand. Himiko gently grabbed it and cradled it between her own, acting as if it would shatter if she mishandled it. She gently rubbed her finger along Izuku's wrist, feeling him shudder as she found the vein before she raised his hand to her mouth and bit down.

So good, I could keep drinking forever.

Dark thoughts bubbled to the surface of her thoughts as she felt the blood pooling in her mouth. In a panic her eyes darted to Izuku's face, his trusting eyes and warm smile looking at her.

I trust you. Because you're a good person.

Once she had a mouthful she practically shoved the arm away from her, refusing to give into temptation as she swallowed the delicious crimson liquid.

"How was it, Himiko?" Mr. Kondo asked.

She gave him a shaky smile. "I'm ok! The-" her eyes darted to Inko. "-thoughts were there, but I managed to keep them away."

"That's promising news," The doctor said as he offered Izuku gauze and some medical tape. "And how about you?"

"It… doesn't hurt?" Izuku said in confusion. "The bite barely hurt, like two dull pricks on my skin? Although there's a lot more blood coming out than I expected after you're done… maybe some sort of mild analgesic and anti-clotting agent in the saliva?" Himiko burst out laughing, and Izuku felt his face heating up. "I- sorry."

With an exasperated sigh, Inko took the medical supplies and began bandaging Izuku's wound. "Sorry about him. My son gets excited about quirks, and this is the first time he's gotten to see Himiko actually use hers."

"I see," The doctor chuckled. "I must say I'm a fan of them myself." He turned back toward Himiko. "Ok, now then for the next step. Are you ready?"

Himiko nodded and activated her quirk, feeling the gray slime wrap around her and begin to work. It felt warm and welcoming, like her favorite blanket as it encased her and transformed her into Izuku.

"-are you feeling, miss Himiko?"

Himiko's eyes shot open. "I think I'm ok?" She looked down and saw Izuku's hands had replaced her own.

"You appear to have zoned out there for a minute. Can you explain what happened?" The doctor asked as he took notes on his tablet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Izuku doing the same, furiously writing in his notebook.

"It felt like - the same when I drank Saito's blood?" Himiko frowned. "It felt warm and comforting, like a hug or a blanket. It- the feeling was overwhelming for a moment."

"I see," The doctor made a note in the file. "Sensory overload depending on closeness to the sample used is a notable side-effect. Whether this is related to your history or tied directly to your quirk is something we will have to explore later."

Himiko dutifully answered the doctor's questions while quietly examining her body. She had to admit, it still felt strange being Izuku compared to the unknown subject from the hospital yesterday. She didn't know how to describe it. Like he trusted her with a part of him.

Trying to find the answer frustrated her, so she shoved the thoughts aside - she'd worry about them later.

"I think that's all I have today, you can drop the transformation now, Himiko."

"Okay!" Himiko said as she deactivated her quirk, feeling the slime slough off of her into a puddle of gray goo on the floor. Frowning, she looked down as some of it stuck to her clothes - she'd need to shower and change when she got home. When she looked up she saw both Inko and Izuku giving her uncomfortable looks, and she started to fidget awkwardly.

"Sorry Himiko, it's just… weird seeing my face literally melting into a pool of goo like that," Izuku admitted as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh," Himiko gave an exasperated sigh. "You had me worried! I can't help that my body does that," She pointed frantically at the puddle of goo surrounding her.

"I know," Izuku said. "I just- it'll take a while to get used to it."

Inko shot both of the teenagers a sympathetic glance before she turned toward the counselor. "Thank you for today's session. Is there anything else we can do to help?"

"Just keep doing what you're doing," The doctor said. "Himiko's already shown great improvement since I started with her, and she claims it's because of her supportive environment at home."

"I'm glad to hear that," Inko said with a smile.

Chapter Text

"Himi, wake up!"

Himiko's eyes snapped open to the concerned face of Inko staring down at her.

"Wh-what happened?" Himiko asked, feeling her heart racing.

"You were whimpering and begging for them to stop," Inko explained.

Himiko bit down on her lip and nodded, knowing what the woman was saying. She was dreaming that she was a hero. Until she ran into someone who called her a monster because of her quirk. The next thing she knew, the confident hero was gone, replaced by a six-year-old girl, and the civilian had transformed into her parents, standing in her doorway before they slammed it shut. She could hear the insults on the other side of the door, as she desperately clawed and scratched at the door, seeking release.

"Thanks," Himiko said softly.

"Will you be ok?"

"I think so," Himiko pushed herself up to a sitting position. "Usually it goes away when I fall asleep again."

Inko began gently stroking the girl's hair, and Himiko felt herself leaning into the woman's touch. "As long as you're sure."

"I am," Himiko nodded.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, Himiko melting into the woman's side until a yawn escaped her lips.

"Ready to go back to bed?"

"Yeah." Himiko separated from the woman and crawled back under the covers. As she heard Inko open the door she called out again. "Mama Inko?"

"What is it, Himi?"

"Do you think I can be a hero?"

Do you think people will accept a monster?

"Of course you can. And I'll keep reminding you, as long as it takes."

Himiko smiled as she pulled a plush tightly to her chest. "Thanks."

"Goodnight Himi."

"Goodnight."

Mom.

Two days later, Himiko was sitting in their living room, waiting for Sekijiro Kan to arrive. Ever since the trial, the hero had stuck to his promise and visited her every few weeks. Himiko always looked forward to the visit - she knew it was selfish, but she liked the knowledge that people were willing to go out of their way to check up on her. It was such a completely different feeling compared to what she was used to, she just wanted to hold onto it and never let go.

This week was different though - she wanted to talk to Kan about high school entrance exams. Specifically, UA's entrance exam.

She knew it was Izuku's influence, but over time she began to admit he was right. With her quirk, she could become a great hero - just like him. A hero who wasn't ashamed of her quirk. Someone that those with blood-based quirks could look up to.

If she was able to keep one other person from suffering the way she did, it would all be worth it.

When she heard the knock at the door, Himiko bolted from her spot, running to the door and practically ripping it open. "Hey, Kan!"

"Hello little Himiko," Kan looked down at the girl and gave her a wide smile. "You're certainly in a cheerful mood today!"

"Yep! I've got big news to share!" Himiko felt herself vibrating. She couldn't decide if it was from nervousness, excitement, or some combination of both. "When school starts up again we've got to submit our final choices for high school entrance exams." A smile split Himiko's face. "I've decided I'm going to apply to hero schools. I want to become a Hero!"

"Oho? Here I thought you were just humoring me when you kept asking about my latest missions," Kan replied with a toothy grin.

"At first I was," Himiko admitted, her blush deepening. "For a while I thought I was just going to coast along into some nice office job somewhere and keep my head down. But I started to realize that that was my parents talking. It also just sounds so boring." Himiko frowned. "And then Izuku and I got to talking. I keep thinking about what he meant to me. And I can't help but think that if there's even one more blood-based hero out there, then maybe someone else won't have to deal with-" Himiko looked down at the floor, unable to face the hero "-the same problems I did."

Kan gave the girl a gentle smile as he placed an arm on her shoulder. "You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?" As he watched she nodded her head before she looked up at him. "I believe you're right. You can be a fine hero with your quirk! Your ability to shapeshift is a rare and special one, after all, and it would be a shame if you simply ignored it."

A smile returned to her face as she nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly! My birth parents - they kept wanting me to hide who I am, but why should I? I - if I can use my quirk to help people, it would show them - show everyone! - that my quirk isn't a curse."

Kan gave her shoulder a tight squeeze. "I'm proud of you, little Himiko. I see you've put a lot of thought into this decision."

"Thanks!" Himiko beamed before she began blushing again. "And um, that means I only have seven months to prepare. So I was wondering… would you help me with training? School has some basic athletic programs we can sign up for, but I want something more. And perhapssomeweaponstrainingaswell?" She blurted out the last part.

Kan sat there and mentally parsed out what she was asking. "Not many heroes use weapons, but it makes sense, given the non-combat nature of your quirk."

Himiko breathed a sigh of relief. "Exactly! While sneaking up on bad guys and punching them sounds fun, I've seen enough hero fights to know that's not enough. Besides, if I want to use my quirk to disorient people in a fight, I'd need some way to draw blood, and that's hard with my fists!" Himiko giggled.

"Why don't we go talk about this in the other room?"

"Sure thing!"

Himiko led Kan to their living room where Inko had already set out a pot of tea and some cups. The two sat down on the couch and Himiko continued. "I was thinking maybe something small and easily concealable, like knives?"

Kan thought about it and nodded. "That does sound like a reasonable start. They aren't as flashy as some weapons, but it fits your quirk." He placed his thumb and index finger on his chin. "Unfortunately, weapons aren't something I typically use, thanks to my blood constructs. I know a few heroes who use weapons alongside their quirks. I'll have to get in touch with them and see if they have any advice for you."

"Yay!" Himiko threw her arms up in the air. "And what about other training?"

Kan let out a bellowing laugh. "I think we can change these meetings into training sessions if you'd like. I'll warn you though - I'll be leaving you with homework."

"That's ok!" Himiko insisted.

Himiko began asking Kan a seemingly endless series of questions, trying to figure out how she could begin proper training and how to prepare for exams. She already felt like she was catching up, but if she was aiming for a school as prestigious as UA, that wasn't enough. She needed to be better, for her sake, and Izuku's.

The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice Izuku until he cleared his throat, catching both of their attention as he stood next to the coffee table. "Um, Mr. Vlad King sir? Since you are going to train Himiko I was wondering-" He swallowed the lump in his throat. "C-can I be trained as well? I know I've got another year to go before my entrance exams b-but I want to be a hero as well!"

Kan examined Izuku, surprised by the shift in his demeanor. In the past, he always came off as easily intimidated and as nothing more than an enthusiastic fanboy. But now something felt different - the young man in front of him was filled with a determination he hadn't seen before.

"I believe I can help you as well," Kan said thoughtfully. "Why don't you sit down and join us?"

Izuku smiled sheepishly and looked at Himiko. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Himiko looked almost offended by the question as she slid over to make room. "Of course not! We both want the same thing!"

We both want to make the world a better place for people like us.

When Himiko returned to school for the second semester, the school immediately began to work with the remaining undecided students to help them finalize their choice of high school. While Himiko had made her decision over the summer, most of her friends were still undecided. So naturally, their topic at lunch was dominated by the talk about which high school they were going to apply to.

"So did anyone get anything out of this morning's lecture on careers?" Himiko's raven-haired friend Tsuru asked.

"I actually did! I haven't really thought much about what I wanted to do yet," Sakura admitted.

"Of course you haven't," Tsuru replied, much to Sakura's indignation. "At least you have general studies to kick the can even further down the road."

"Hey, that's not fair! Just because I'm indecisive!" Sakura complained. "Besides, after this morning I was actually thinking of getting into a business track! My math scores are great, so I could be an accountant!"

"Like some company would trust you with those numbers."

"Says you! Just you wait!"

Tsuru smiled at the pouting face of her friend before she turned toward Atsuko and Himiko. "What about you two?"

Himiko looked at her friend as she slowly chewed her food before swallowing it. "I thought it was obvious that I'm applying to Hero schools."

"Right, you're trying to get into UA, aren't you?"

"Yep! And I'll do it, too!"

Seemingly satisfied, Tsuru turned toward Atsuko, looking at the blue-haired girl expectantly.

Atsuko set her chopsticks on top of her bento box and looked at Himiko. "I think I'm going to try applying for the Hero track somewhere."

"What?" Tsuru seemed confused by her answer. "That's not what you were telling us last semester."

"Don't tell me Himiko's gotten to you!" Sakura exclaimed.

Atsuko smiled and shook her head at her friends. "I've always planned on entering a field where I could help people. Like maybe I could become a social worker or a therapist?" She looked at Himiko. "And it's true that I don't have the temperament to become a hero who stands in the spotlight and fights villains daily the way All Might or Endeavor do. However, as Himiko likes to remind us, there's plenty of other roles for Heroes to play."

Himiko felt her face split into a grin as she nodded in agreement. "Like my plan to become an underground hero, where my quirk will be super useful!"

"Yes," Atsuko smiled at her friend. "Just like that. I've been doing some research into the different 'roles' that heroes have, and I've become intrigued by the idea of being a support hero. Someone who doesn't engage in villains directly, but instead lends aid where needed - protecting the civilians and helping them evacuate, coordinating other heroes, and only fighting when I absolutely have to."

"That actually sounds kind of cool," Tsuru had a thoughtful look on her face. "And that would fit you. No offense, but I don't see you ever ending up in a straight-up brawl the way Endeavor does."

"I can't see myself doing that either," Atsuko giggled. "But my quirk is perfect for helping keep civilians safe from villains, and I could take to the sky to watch the fight from the air, where I'd be relatively safe from harm."

"Well, when you become famous heroes I'll be cheering you two on from the sidelines!" Sakura said.

"I hope I don't become too famous," Himiko gave her friends a predatory look. "If I'm in the news, that means I screwed up!"

"Hey! You know what I mean!" Sakura sputtered. "Even underground heroes have to have their fans, right?"

Himiko put her index finger to her lips as she thought about it. Of course, she immediately thought about Izuku and his many hero forums, where he was constantly seeking out news about any and all heroic activity. She couldn't help but laugh as she imagined a room full of him, each happily muttering away about some new quirk or fight.

"Yeah, they have their fans too."

As Himiko was walking to the train station with Atsuko, she couldn't help but think over their conversation from lunch.

She wants to be a hero too!

The thought made her smile. Her best friend wanted to be a hero! That means they could team up in the future, and keep working together!

However, the more she thought about it, the more she realized she was missing an important piece of information.

"Hey Atsuko," Himiko stopped walking and turned toward her friend. "Where are you applying to high school?"

"I'm not really sure yet. Maybe Kenbutsu or Isamu? They're both close by and have decent reputations."

"Why aren't you applying to UA?" Himiko asked, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

"UA? seriously? The school with the 0.5 percent acceptance rate? What makes you think I'd even stand a chance of getting in?"

Himiko practically growled, unable to keep the annoyance off her face. "You'd stand a better chance than me! You're smart and you've got an amazing quirk. What makes you think you wouldn't stand a chance?" Himiko paused and took a breath, mentally counting to ten before opening her eyes and looking at her friend. "Besides, wouldn't it be great if we both got in together?"

Silence filled the air between the girls as Atsuko thought it over. "Do you really think we could both get in?"

"Of course we can!" Himiko began grinning at her friend. "We've just gotta pass the entrance exam, obviously."

Atsuko laughed. "I guess that's true. Unlike you, I don't have an in with one of the teachers though." She let silence fill the air again as she thought about the question, before looking Himiko in the eyes. "Are you serious about wanting to go to high school with me?"

Himiko nodded reflexively. "Yeah, I am."

I'm serious about going to UA with you.

"And you have an in with a teacher, too!" A grin spread across Himiko's face. "I just have to tell Kan-sensei that you want to practice with us too!"

A light blush dusted Atsuko's cheeks at her friend's offer. "Do you really think he'd do that?"

"Mhm!" Himiko nodded vigorously. "How about it? Let's both apply to UA! If you're really worried, we can apply to another school too? Then if we don't make it into UA, we can still go to school together somewhere else!"

Although I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen.

Atsuko gasped. She knew Himiko could have her serious moments, but they were few and far between. She gave her friend a soft smile. "Deal."

After talking it over with Kan, Atsuko was quickly pulled into Himiko's routine, where she would meet up with the hero one week, and then spend the next couple of weeks doing training on her own. On the weekends when they aren't meeting Kan, the three students would meet up in a local park for training. Himiko and Atsuko would practice whatever assignment Kan left them with, while Izuku practiced his latest martial arts lessons.

Meanwhile, during the rest of the week, Izuku and Himiko experimented with her quirk, trying to test its limits. While her quirk counselor had helped her grow comfortable with the idea of using her quirk, there was still so much about her quirk that she didn't know, and that information could mean the difference between life and death in the future.

This week, rather than focusing on her quirk, the pair was working on another skill Himiko had developed along the way.

"Are you ready for this Himi?" Izuku asked as he sat down on the couch and flipped the notebook to a blank page.

"No," Himiko said. "But you're gonna make me do it anyway."

Izuku frowned. "Himi-"

"I know," Himiko sighed dramatically as she plopped herself down on the couch next to Izuku. "This analysis stuff is so boring though!"

"But you sure like using your disappearing trick to sneak up on people."

"True!" Himiko grinned. "But using it and talking about it are two different things!"

"I know, I just… I was kind of hoping I could figure out how to use it myself."

Himiko sighed as she saw Izuku's face. She hated it whenever he got like this - he looked like a kicked puppy, and it wasn't very cute. Reaching out, she ruffled his messy hair. "Fine, you win. What do you want to know?"

Izuku perked up and smiled at her before he turned to his notebook. "Well, for starters, how do you use it?"

Himiko put an index finger to her lips as she thought about it, before shrugging. "I dunno. I just sort of hold my breath and wish I could disappear, and it works!"

Izuku tapped the pencil to his lip as he thought about it before turning to her. "When did you discover it?"

"I-" Himiko swallowed as she felt her blush spread. "-two years ago. When I was a first year, there was a fight that broke out between Saito and another student. I commented about how pretty Saito looked when his lip was split open and blood was running down his chin, and my friends looked pretty horrified. Remembering what my parents said I just sort of wished I could disappear and I did?"

Putting his pencil down, Izuku pulled the blonde-haired girl into a hug, which she gladly returned. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was tied to - that."

"It's ok," Himiko said. "I know you don't mean it!"

"Mhm," Izuku pulled away and looked at the girl. "Are you ok if we keep going?" He waited until she nodded her head in confirmation before he retrieved his pencil. "Ok, and then what happened after that?"

"Once I figured out what happened, I just ran away and hid in the bathroom for a while. A few weeks later I just wanted to escape my friends and tried it again. It worked, and I was able to slip away without them noticing!"

"And after that?"

"I started using it a lot at home," Himiko admitted. "When I didn't want my- the Togas to notice me. When I needed to just disappear. When I couldn't wear the mask anymore."

Izuku once again paused, the pencil hovering just over the paper. "And now you use it when you want to play pranks on people."

"Yep!" Himiko said as she pressed into Izuku's side. She felt the green-haired boy relax under her as he resumed writing, and she peered over his shoulder to watch him work.

"...some combination of controlled breathing and a desire to not be seen. I wonder if it's related to your secondary mutations or if it's something that can be learned through training-"

"Why don't you try it?" Himiko asked.

"Try it?"

"Mhm!" Himiko stood up and practically dragged Izuku up with her. "Analysis is boring anyway! I'll just show you how I do it and then you can try!"

"O-ok," Izuku said as he tossed his pencil onto his notebook.

The two lost track of the time as Izuku tried to duplicate the girl's disappearing trick, trying over and over in an attempt to escape Himiko's notice.

"Anything this time?" Izuku asked hesitantly after a few seconds.

Himiko jumped and whirled around to face him, a grin on her face. "I think you did it!"

"I did?"

"It was only for a moment, but I lost track of you!" Himiko looked excited. "That means you can be sneaky too!"

"There you are Himiko!" Tsuru called from the couch.

"What took you so long?" Sakura asked.

"I missed my train," Himiko admitted as she pulled off her shoes before entering Atsuko's apartment.

"It's ok Himiko, it's still early," Atsuko assured her friend. "Besides, tomorrow's Sunday, so we can stay up late!"

"Yeah! We can watch all the scary movies tonight!"

Himiko shook her head. Out of all of her friends, Sakura was the last one she would've expected to stay in and watch movies instead of going to a party on Halloween. But she was the most insistent that they make a movie night out of it instead.

Not that Himiko minded. The idea of wearing a costume and hiding who she was didn't feel good, even if it was supposed to be for fun. So when she agreed with Sakura's plan, the other two girls quickly conceded.

"So what kind of movies did you find?" Atsuko asked as she rejoined her friends.

"These!" Sakura held up a small stack of movies.

"The Crimson Demon trilogy?" Tsuru asked curiously.

"Yep!" Sakura nodded vigorously. "My brother said they're good and scary!"

Himiko reached out and snatched the first movie from her friend's hands. On the cover, she saw a group of high schoolers standing in front of a creepy-looking house, while a pair of red eyes were glowing menacingly in the background. Flipping it over she read the description.

"An angry spirit who kills their victim by manipulating their blood," Himiko bit her lip. "This sounds terrible."

"Exactly!" Sakura said. "It's gonna be so bad, it's good!"

Himiko rolled her eyes and tossed the case back to her friend. "If you say so."

Himiko always knew when blood was fake in movies. Ever since she was a little kid, she could tell - a side effect of her quirk.

But before now, she hadn't really watched movies where it mattered. Sure, Izuku's hero shows had heroes covered in what, to her, looked like ketchup or jelly, but she had gotten used to that being the reality for her.

The Crimson Demon, on the other hand, was all about being bloody.

The first twenty minutes of the movie started pretty typically. A group of teenagers heard legends of a demon haunting the abandoned house at the edge of town, and in a show of bravado decided to stay the night there.

One of the guys was exploring the basement, looking for interesting trinkets that he could steal, when he came across an antique vase. Opening it, he discovered it was filled with dried red paste - what Himiko could only assume was blood. Creeped out, he threw the vase on the ground, smashing it before running back to his friends.

As the girls watched, the paste on the floor began to liquefy, and the ghostly form of the titular Crimson Demon appeared.

For the next ten minutes, they watched the tension rising as the Demon began stalking the students until it finally moved in to claim its first kill. All of the girls leaned forward as the spirit entered the body of a girl who, to Himiko, began coughing up jelly. Moments later she saw red water running off the girl's fingers until her hands exploded into fountains of red kool-aid.

The scene was so absurd, that Himiko burst out laughing.

All three of her friends jumped, Sakura going so far as to fall off the couch as they looked at her friend in horror.

"Himiko, what the hell?"

"What is wrong with you?"

The movie was forgotten as the three girls stared at Himiko, whose face slowly transformed into one of horror under their judgemental glares. "I- I couldn't help it." Himiko waved her hands frantically toward the screen. "It- the whole thing was just so fake and bad!"

This is it. Himiko thought to herself as she stared at her friends, her vision blurring as she felt the tears welling up. Seven months of work, gone in seconds. My parents were right after all…

Atsuko spoke up, pulling her back to reality. "It's your quirk, isn't it?"

"Huh?" Himiko asked.

Atsuko pointed to the television, where the friends were panicking as they stood around a pool of kool-aid. "That doesn't look like blood to you, does it?"

Himiko bit her lip and shook her head. "N-no."

"What does it look like?"

"A puddle of k-kool-aid."

"Kool-aid, seriously?"

"That doesn't look real to you?"

Himiko bit her lip, feeling her fangs pierce the soft skin and draw blood. Another sign that she wasn't normal.

Mine as well rip the bandaid off now.

She shook her head. "No, it looks super fake."

Frowning in concern, Atsuko grabbed the remote and rewound the movie to the previous scene. As she restarted the movie, Himiko realized the girl was screaming. "And what does this look like to you?"

"L-like kool-aid is coming out of her hands. Almost… almost like a fountain." Himiko said softly before she looked down at her lap.

"That's… not what we're seeing," Sakura said quietly.

"I can see how that'd be funny," Tsuru said as she examined the screen before she turned back toward Himiko and bowed her head. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"Huh?"

"Me too," Sakura bowed her head. "I just- you scared me! Even more than the movie did!"

"Well, you two wanted to be scared," Atsuko said playfully. "It looks like we have our own personal special effects to scare us."

"You don't… hate me?" Himiko asked in confusion.

"Why would we hate you?" Sakura asked.

"You were all- just now-"

"Himi," Atsuko gently set her hand on her friend's shoulder and stared into her eyes. "Sure you scared us, but we were more startled than anything!"

"You can't help it that the movie looks that way!" Tsuru added.

"It's ok! Really!"

Himiko felt her eyes tearing up again, as she lunged forward to pull her friends into a hug. "You guys are the best!"

A few minutes later, the four rearranged themselves on the couch before restarting the movie. As they continued to watch the movie, Himiko couldn't help but laugh at each death, each serious scene completely ruined by the way she perceived the fake blood.

By the end of the night, she decided that she really enjoyed these types of movies.

Chapter Text

Inko Midoriya woke up, as she did every year, long before the sun rose on New Year's Eve. As she sat up in her bed, her gaze drifted over to the photo of her and Izuku that was taken last January during their annual shrine visit.

What a difference a year made.

Picking up the photo, she examined it. She had started to slim down, losing some of the weight she had accumulated over the years, and nowadays Izuku stood a little taller - his smiles felt more genuine.

All because a certain blonde-haired girl stumbled into their lives.

She quietly laughed as she remembered how boring the beginning of the year was. She and Izuku surviving much as they had for the last seven years. Then at the end of March, everything changed.

Of course, she vividly remembered the incident where Izuku found Himiko, starving and bloody in an alleyway. She was worried about the girl, of course, but she was more concerned about her son and his safety - she was worried the poor girl would attack Izuku.

A part of Inko still felt shame in her actions that day, wanting to run away from the problem. But as she often did, she let Izuku convince her to go along with his plan and followed the girl to the hospital.

It turned out to be one of the best decisions she ever made.

When Inko learned the truth of Himiko's situation, her heart broke, and the whirlwind of events that followed left her breathless and reeling. Somehow, she had convinced herself to become a foster parent and take in a little girl who needed help.

Now, on the last day of the year, it was time to act on a decision that had been months in the making. Walking over to her desk, Inko opened a drawer and pulled out a simple manila envelope. Ever since Hisashi had left them, she thought that her family was done growing. She never knew her mom, and the aunt that raised her had passed away years ago, leaving her alone with Izuku.

That was going to change today.

Inko quietly walked down the hallway to Himiko's room and opened the door. Of course, this early in the morning the girl was still asleep. Given the chance, Himiko would sleep through most of the morning, after all, and Inko's quiet footsteps weren't enough to rouse her from her slumber.

Once she had confirmed the girl was still asleep, Inko walked over to her corner table, piled high with the stuffed animals she had collected over the year. What started as a simple act of comfort became an obsession as Himiko's therapist recommended that she use the hobby as an outlet to explore some of her lingering emotions and bad habits. Placing a hand on the miniature mountain of colorful creatures, she slid the envelope underneath them.

When the time was right, Himiko was sure to find it.

After taking one last look at the girl Inko saw as her own daughter, Inko quietly exited the room and closed the door behind her. She had a busy day ahead of her.

Most stores would be closed for the next couple of days to celebrate the new year, and the family needed supplies to cook the traditional dishes Inko insisted on making to celebrate the holiday. So after they had finished breakfast, Inko, Izuku, and Himiko put on their coats and began their trip to the market.

As soon as they arrived at the commercial district, something caught Izuku's eye and he raced off to a cart, bright signs advertising its wares.

"Come on Izu," Inko said as she looked at her son in amusement.

While the cart Izuku stood in front of was empty, his eyes were fixed on a sign that described the various grab bags they would be selling tomorrow morning. Hearing his mom's voice, he turned toward her.

"Mom, they'll have All Might grab bags tomorrow!"

Inko laughed and smiled at her son. "I'm sure you've already got anything they would put in one of those bags."

"I-" Izuku's face fell as he thought about it. "-you're right." Stepping away from the cart he rejoined his mom and Himiko.

"Besides, wasn't there a book you wanted to pick up today?"

"Yeah!" Izuku immediately brightened. "The annual Billboard Guide!"

"Let's get going then," Inko quietly urged the two children on.

"Ok!" The pair said.

The pair continued onward until they approached the bookstore, and Inko gently touched her son's arm. "Go on, we'll be waiting for you out here."

With a smile and a quick bob of his head, Izuku took off toward the store. Inko watched him run into the store before pulling out her phone, content to busy herself and wait. As she swiped her screen to unlock it, she heard Himiko squeal in delight.

"Look, Mo–ma Inko!" Himiko pointed to a nearby toy store, with a variety of plush animals filling the window. "Can we go?"

Lowering her hand, Inko looked at the girl. "Did you see another one for your collection?"

"Mhm!" Himiko nodded with a fanged smile. "The red bird! It reminds me a lot of Sakura!"

With one last glance at the bookstore, Inko turned toward the girl. "As long as we're quick."

"Of course!"

Inko couldn't help but smile as she watched Himiko skipping across the street, following the girl to the store.

By the time she entered the shop, Himiko was already in front of the display, gently tugging the crimson bird down without causing the rest to tumble over. With a bright smile, she wrapped her arms around her newest plushie, holding it close to her chest as she walked back to Inko.

"It's perfect!"

"I'm glad you found one. She's the only friend you were missing, right?"

"Yep!" Himiko held the bird out and examined it. "It's been so hard to find one that matched her hair, but I finally did it!"

"Let's go check out then, we don't want to keep Izu waiting."

"Okay!"

The two paid for the stuffed bird and exited the shop, only to see Izuku looking around frantically on the other side of the street. Feeling bad for her son, Inko began to wave. "Izu, we're over here!"

Izuku perked up at the sound of his mom's voice and he turned to face them. His face breaking out in relief, he quickly dashed across the street to rejoin the rest of his family.

"I thought you went on without me!"

"Sorry," Himiko's blush deepened. "I asked Mama Inko to come with me."

"I-it's ok!" Izuku stammered out defensively as he held up his bag. "I got my Guide! And a new notebook!"

"You're done with number eleven already?" Inko asked.

Izuku shook his head. "Not yet! But I've got to fill in the missing members of the top 100!"

"You don't know them all by heart?" Himiko deadpanned.

"Of course not!" Izuku countered. "While the top ten are fairly static, everyone in the lower ranks, especially once you get down to rank fifty-one to one-hundred, are always changing! I still haven't learned about everyone since the last billboard update!"

Himiko feigned a gasp. "Who are you and what have you done with Izu?"

Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "I- there's only so much time in the day! Plus there's training and school and-"

Himiko laughed. "Oh Izu, never change."

"Ehehehe…"

Inko smiled at the antics of the two children. "I think we've made enough detours. Let's get going - we need to get ingredients before they sell out."

"Right!"

"Okay!"

Continuing onward, the three finally reached the collection of market stalls and grocery stores that were their ultimate destination. Splitting up, the three each went to a different store, buying the ingredients the family would need for tonight's soba and tomorrow's osechi ryori.

After they returned from the market and put everything away, it was time to clean the house. Clutching the crimson bird in her arms, Himiko returned to her room, gently placing the latest plush animal on her bed as she exchanged it for a dust cloth.

In response to the rather stark lifestyle she lived while at the Togas, her room felt full of life. She quickly wiped down the dozen posters lining the walls, removing any dust that had built up since she last cleaned them. Satisfied, she spun around to the small bookshelf, overflowing with movies she had bought over the months.

With a frown, she plopped herself on the floor before removing all of the movies from the shelf. Normally she didn't bother organizing her movies, and now she found herself annoyed with her past self for throwing movies haphazardly on the shelf after staying up far too late watching one. With a resigned sigh, she began separating the movies into their different genres, before finally alphabetizing them.

She knew that her efforts would last a week, but it would make Mama Inko and Izuku happy.

Once she had finished her arduous task, she stood up and stretched, looking between her desk and her pile of stuffed animals and plush dolls piled on her nightstand. Deciding to treat herself, she put off her desk for now as she approached her nightstand.

At the top of the pile sat two more birds - a bluejay that represented Atsuko, her first real friend. Sure she had friends before her backlash, but they weren't friends. They always felt hollow - felt fake. They didn't know her. They simply knew the Normal girl. The one who was always a little pale and easily distracted, who laughed at the appropriate time, and did everything a pair of overbearing parents thought a teenage girl should do.

Atsuko was one of the first people who spotted the real her, hiding underneath the broken pieces of her mask.

Himiko hugged the bird to her chest, feeling the warmth of friendship, before depositing it on the bed, next to the red robin. She then picked up the next bird - a raven, representing Tsuru - and placed it down next to the other two, arranging the three birds into a triangle. The three friends, bound together by a shared love of movies - a love that Himiko now shared. They showed her their interests, gently helping her figure out her likes and dislikes, and she was eternally grateful to them.

Moving back to the table, she began working through the pile, plucking out the majority of the stuffed animals representing her classmates. Even though they weren't as close as her friends were, they were still nice and understanding. They weren't creeped out by her fangs, and nobody judged her for the thermos of blood and orange juice that she drank during lunch. She wanted to remember them in some way.

After that, she began plucking the remaining stuffed animals and placing them in another pile, each one a person who helped her on her road to recovery.

As she removed a particularly large plush snake, she saw a tan envelope buried underneath the pile of cloth and stuffing. Her eyes going wide, she tossed the snake onto the bed and pulled the envelope out, worried that she may have let something important get buried under her collection.

Holding the envelope in her hands, she saw the name 'Himiko' on the front, written in Inko's handwriting. Not wanting to waste any more time, she tore the top off and grabbed the papers, yanking them out to look at them.

As she began reading the first page, her eyes went wide.

"Mama Inko, what's this!" Himiko yelled as she dashed out of her room into the living room where Inko was busying herself cleaning her desk.

"What's what dear?" Inko asked coyly.

"This!" Himiko held up the papers in her hand. "Are these-"

"Adoption papers," Inko said as she saw Izuku coming up behind the blonde-haired girl.

"I-" Himiko began tearing up.

"Himi, it's only been eight months, but both Izu and I see you as part of this family," Inko admitted. "I may have only intended to foster you until you were old enough. But over time, things changed." She gestured toward the corner of the apartment, where pictures of the three of them had continued to grow well past the first picture Himiko hung. "Izuku began to see you as his sister," Inko gently took Himiko's free hand into hers. "And I've grown to see you as my beautiful daughter."

"H-how long?" Himiko choked out the words.

"Izu and I talked about it last month," Inko admitted as she gently tugged the papers out of Himiko's hands, placing them on the desk behind her. "All that's left to do is for you and me to sign them and take them to the magistrate's office." She turned back to the girl she viewed as her daughter. "So what do you say? Do you want to enter the new year as a Midoriya?"

"Yes–" Himiko threw herself at the woman, wrapping her arms around her. "-mom!"

Inko wrapped her arms around the girl. "Welcome to the family Himi."

"I-I love you so much, mom. You- and Izu-" Himiko choked out the words as she buried her face in Inko's shoulder, tears flowing freely.

Smiling, Izuku came up behind Himiko and wrapped his arms around her and Inko. "I love you too Himi. And it looks like you're already a Midoriya!"

Himiko knew he was referring to her crying and wanted to glare at him, but she couldn't - not with how happy she felt. Instead, she let out a wet laugh. "I guess I am."

The next morning Himiko felt the smile on her face as she woke up, the sun's morning light warming her face as she sat and stretched. Looking beside her she found her constant companions. Picking them up, she gently sat them upright next to her pillow.

"Morning mom. Morning Izu," Himiko whispered. She had thought the words many times, but it felt different to be able to vocalize them. She shuddered in delight as the words left her lips.

She had a family again.

Crawling out of bed, she quietly padded over to her closet to put together a cute outfit for today. The primary component was a dark green dress. It was a simple design that ran down to her knees, but Atsuko was convinced the dress looked amazing on her, and she had convinced Himiko to buy it.

As she examined the dress, she'd have to remember to thank Atsuko for talking her into it later - it was perfect for today.

Tossing the dress onto the bed, she pulled out a pair of crimson leggings to go with it, as well as a pair of black bracelets. Smiling at her selection, she gathered up the clothes and walked to the bathroom, ready to start the new year as a Midoriya.

After breakfast, the members of the Midoriya family began their traditional visit to the nearby Shinto temple. But this year it was different - Inko wasn't simply taking her son with her to the shrine, she was bringing her daughter as well.

"I don't think I've ever visited a shrine on new years," Himiko admitted as she was walking alongside her family toward the temple.

"Somehow I'm not surprised," Inko said, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

"It's always brought our family good fortune," Izuku said.

"How so?" Himiko asked curiously.

"Well, last year I may have found someone lying in an alleyway," Izuku began. "And now she's my sister!"

Himiko felt her blush spreading. "That's not–!"

"I'm just saying!" Izuku defended himself. "Finding you in the alley could've been more than dumb luck!"

"But everything that happened afterward wasn't caused by some sky pixies," Himiko said softly. She let out a quiet gasp as she felt Inko rest an arm on her shoulder.

"You're right - we were responsible for everything that happened afterward. But Izu finding you? It may as well have been a miracle."

"A miracle huh…" Himiko said the word, tasting it on her tongue. It felt strange - it wasn't a word she had ever thought to use before.

When they arrived at the shrine they saw a few scattered groups standing around the shrine going about their own annual rituals. Since the dawn of quirks, many shrines were destroyed in the turmoil and only a few were rebuilt.

Inko used to visit the shrines with her aunt when she was a little girl, often praying to the parents she had never met, but she stopped when she started dating Hisashi. After the double-whammy of Hisashi moving permanently overseas and Izuku being diagnosed quirkless, she restarted the practice of her youth, visiting the shrine regularly. Sometimes she brought Izuku with her, but oftentimes she came alone.

Over the past nine months, she hadn't brought the topic up to Himiko, merely leaving the girl at home when she visited the shrine, but for this visit, she insisted Himiko join them.

"So where do we start?" Himiko asked as she looked around. Even though the family had explained their annual rituals to her, she still couldn't help but feel lost as she looked around the complex.

"Let's go draw our fortunes!" Izuku decided.

Inko smiled at her son. "Lead the way Izu."

"Yeah!" Izuku turned toward his sister. "Follow me!"

Grabbing Himiko's hand, Izuku took off toward one of the buildings that had a small crowd of people around it. The two got in line, Inko joined them shortly after, and the three waited their turn. They didn't have to wait long, and after a few minutes the family in front of them walked away, revealing a bench filled with small animal figurines, each holding a small slip of paper.

"Each of you grab one," Inko instructed as she deposited the yen in the offering box.

Izuku selected a cat and tugged the paper out, his face lighting up. "I got excellent luck this year!"

Inko smiled at her son. "That's a first for you!"

"Mhm!" Izuku nodded rapidly. "It's gonna be a great year!"

"What about you Himi?"

Biting her lip, Himiko looked around and found a cat off to the side with part of the ear broken off. Feeling bad for the damaged figurine, she selected it and pulled out the paper, reading it. "Middle luck?"

"Aww, that's just average," Izuku looked more upset than Himiko felt about the results.

"That's what the majority have," Inko explained. "Now then…" Looking thoughtfully, she took one near the middle and pulled out the paper. "Oh…"

"What'd you get?"

"Small luck."

"We'll have to get rid of it then!"

"Yes, we will," Inko smiled at her son before she offered the cat figurine to Himiko. "Can you hold this for me? We'll take them home and set them up somewhere."

"Mine too!" Izuku offered his to Himiko as well.

Nodding, she took the two cat figures and opened her bag, placing all three of them in a side pocket, along with her slip of paper. "So what next?"

"Now we'll dispose of this fortune," Inko explained.

Taking the lead, they walked over to a tree with several rope cords stretched across it. Despite it being early, they found a few papers had already been folded and tied to the cords. With practiced ease, Inko folded her paper and tied it to the cord, joining the others.

"There, now that bad luck won't follow us home."

"Good," Himiko smiled at the tree. "We don't need it!"

"Exactly!"

"So now what?" Himiko asked curiously.

"Now," Inko smiled, "we get a family picture taken in front of the shrine."

Himiko felt her heart flutter at the words. "That sounds amazing!"

Inko led her children to the spot where she took her annual photo - the same spot she used to get a family photo with her aunt. While she and Izuku arranged themselves, Himiko asked a nearby family to take the photo, before handing them her camera and running to join them.

The three stood there smiling as the father took several pictures before returning the camera. Himiko quickly pulled them up and showed them to her family, smiling at the results. Thanking the family, she put her camera away and followed Inko back to the center of the shrine.

"Now, it's time to pray," Inko said. "We have a lot to thank them for this year."

"Actually…" Himiko started awkwardly. "Can I make a wish first?"

"What do you want to wish for?" Izuku asked.

"It's a secret!"

"Of course you can Himi," Inko smiled at her daughter. "Just meet us over at the shrine when you're done."

"Okay!"

As Himiko walked over to the wall where the Ema were hanging she dug her wallet out of her bag. Placing her money into the offering box, Himiko removed one of the small wooden plaques from the wall. She carefully inspected it, tracing her fingers along the grains of wood. The way they described Izuku finding her as a miracle. It resonated with her. Even if it wasn't the will of some ancient spirits, she couldn't think of any better word to describe what happened all of those months ago.

So why not take the chance?

Flipping the plaque over, she grabbed a free brush and began inscribing her wish onto the wood.

I want Izuku to become the hero he was meant to be.

She knew Izuku wanted to be a hero just like All Might, and he deserved to be! But she just didn't know how he could achieve his dream the way he was now.

Finishing her brush strokes, she took the plaque over to the shrine and placed it on a hook, before kneeling in silent prayer.

While Himiko Toga never believed in miracles, Himiko Midoriya was living proof that miracles can occur. Perhaps, she thought, another miracle could find its way to Izuku.

If anyone deserved it, it was him.

When she was done, Himiko stood up and, with one last glance at her plaque, walked toward the shrine to find her family.

Chapter Text

After the celebrations for the new year and her new family wound down, Himiko was right back at it. The month was a blur of training, studying, and spending time with her loved ones, and before she knew it, it was the end of January and the day of the exam had arrived.

Despite staying up late the night before, Himiko was up far earlier than she usually was. Filled with nervous energy, she practically leapt out of bed, ready to run laps around the house.

She hoped that energy would last until the practical portion of the exam.

After getting dressed quickly, when Himiko left the bathroom she saw her mom was up just as early and had already prepared a large breakfast for her. Smiling, she collapsed into her chair.

"Good luck today Himi," Inko said as she sat down at the table, cradling a cup of tea.

"Thanks, mom!" Himiko's grin split her face as she looked at Inko before she turned her attention to her meal. Picking up her chopsticks, she quickly devoured everything in front of her, barely tasting the food as she shoveled it into her mouth. She finished her meal by chugging an oversized glass of blood and orange juice.

Giving her mom a quick hug, Himiko practically raced out of their apartment as she jogged all the way to the train station, treating it like a warm-up before the exam. Slowing down as she approached the platform, she scanned the crowds, smiling as she saw a familiar head of pale blue hair. Shoving her way past the growing mass of people, she waved at her friend. "Hey 'Suko!"

"Hey Himi," Atsuko called back. "Ready for this?"

"Of course!" Himiko chirped. "How about you?"

"I'm still nervous," the other girl admitted. "I barely slept last night."

"Neither did I. But it'll be ok! Once we're done we can go to your place and just pass out in front of the tv!"

Atsuko giggled. "I love your optimism," She gave her friend a warm smile. "Thanks, Himi."

"Anytime 'Suko," Himiko returned her friend's smile. "Now let's get going, we don't want to be late!"

"Still feeling optimistic?" Atsuko asked as they stood in front of the massive gates of UA high school.

Himiko smiled at her friend. "Of course! I just–" her gaze returned to the gates. "I didn't realize how big the school actually was."

"Well, if they want to be the best they have to accommodate all types, don't they?"

"Yeah!" Himiko agreed. "And we're going to go there!"

"Yeah," Himiko's enthusiasm was infectious as Atsuko felt a smile tugging at her lips. "Let's show them what we've got!"

Giving each other a side hug, the two girls stepped through the gate and walked to the main building. Once they checked in they received small cards and a map with instructions on it. Unsurprisingly, they were assigned to different rooms for the written exam.

"Well, looks like we won't be seeing each other until lunch," Atsuko said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"That makes sense. Don't want us cheating, after all!"

"Like I'd want to cheat off of you."

"Hey!" Himiko protested only to see her friend sticking her tongue out at her before she descended into a fit of laughter. "Well, I don't want to cheat off of you either!"

Atsuko joined her friend in laughter, feeling the nervous tension draining out of her. "I'll see you at lunch. Don't burn yourself out before then!"

"I'll see you then!"

Following the instructions, Himiko found her room and sat down, ready to start the exam. It was time to make Kan proud.

Test-taking was never Himiko's strong suit. Looking back, she realized it was something she always struggled with. The years of abuse and neglect made it worse, and even now, after a year of learning at a specialized school, she still had trouble. Fortunately, her time at Dantin had done wonders for her, and she found alternate methods of studying as well as different methods to retain information and focus properly. Today all of those skills were put to the test as she worked through both halves of the written exam.

As she put her pen down for the final time, she let out a long, quiet sigh of relief. She was less confident in her answers than she would like, but she hoped it would be enough - all she had to do was ace the practical exam!

Following the map, Himiko arrived at the auditorium where she descended to her seat. She saw Atsuko was already there, along with another boy from Dantin that she vaguely recognized from another class.

"Hey Himi," Atsuko whispered. "What training ground are you in?"

Himiko looked at her card curiously before she handed it to her friend. "Alpha, what about you?"

"I'm in Beta, and he's in Gamma. I guess they don't want us working together," Atsuko offered her friend her card back.

Himiko frowned as she took the card and set it on the desk in front of her. She had secretly been hoping that they were both assigned to the same training ground so that they could pair up. From the look of things, UA had accounted for that and didn't even give them a chance.

Her annoyance was short-lived, however, as the announcer, the hero Present Mic, appeared on stage and began explaining the rules of the exam. When the display came on to show them their opponents for the exam, Himiko's heart sank

Robots!

They were going against Robots!

What good was her quirk going to do against them?

Shaking her head to clear it, she focused on the instructions. She didn't come this far just to give up now! Mic explained that each of the training grounds would be filled with robots of varying sizes and strengths, with the stronger ones being worth more points. Their goal was to defeat as many as they could in ten minutes to earn as many points as possible. When someone asked about the fourth type of robot on the instruction sheet, Mic waved it off and described it as an obstacle to be avoided. Himiko frowned - something didn't seem right about his attitude toward them.

As they stood up, Himiko reached down to touch the holsters strapped to her legs, drawing comfort from the fact that they let her register her gift from Kan as support equipment. At least they gave her something to work with, so she wouldn't be completely unprepared. Her eyes darted over to Atsuko, their eyes meeting.

"Himi, your quirk–"

"I got this Suko!" Himiko grinned, trying to hide her own nervousness.

"You always were a terrible liar, you know that."

"Only to you," Himiko stuck out her tongue, and Atsuko responded by mirroring her action before the two girls descended into a fit of giggles. "You'd better not slack off because I intend to keep our promise!"

"I won't," Atsuko gave her friend a warm smile and held up her fist. "Just so you know, I'm going to be disappointed if I make it into UA and you don't."

"I'll figure something out," Himiko promised before she held up her fist and tapped her best friend's, mimicking the gesture Kan used with them before they turned to join the crowd filing out of the room.

As Himiko rode the bus out to the exam site, she looked over her fellow test-takers, mentally picking out a few with mutation-type quirks that she'd have to keep an eye out for. While she couldn't use anyone's quirk while Transformed, she would gain any physical benefits of the form, so anyone with a particularly muscular body could be helpful in her mission.

Getting off the bus, she joined the rest of the crowd at the entrance, waiting for the call to begin.

"Time starts NOW!"

Himiko gasped, looking up to see Present Mic watching the crowd expectantly. Nodding in realization, she took off, running alongside the other examinees in her group. Conserving her energy, she slowed down just enough so that others could get ahead of her, and watched as they crashed head-first into the opening wave of robots.

Himiko watched the first wave go down, a plan already formulating in her mind. Kan had taught her that everything had a weakness, she just had to find it and exploit it. As students unleashed their quirks, she watched the robots getting destroyed in dozens of different ways. More importantly, she learned just how fragile they appeared to be, with exposed wires along their back and gaps in their armored plates along their arms and legs.

With a predatory smile spreading across her face, Himiko drew her knives. While she didn't like that she'd have to get so close to something that didn't bleed, she would make do. Something she had discovered during her training was that she enjoyed the thrill of close-quarters fighting. Perhaps a little too much, but that was a problem for her therapist to worry about.

She knew better than to charge down the main thoroughfare like the majority of the examinees did. Instead, she dashed down a side alley. Emerging at the other end, she saw her first target. It was a simple one-point robot, but it was perfect to test her plan. Dashing up to it, she ducked under its fist, coming up behind the robot. With several quick swipes, she severed wires and cables, watching sparks and oil mix with explosive results until the robot lay in a crumpled heap of parts in front of her.

"Yes!" Himiko cheered, holding her knives close to her face as she allowed herself a moment to celebrate. "I can do this!"

Now that she had a plan, Himiko took off running. She raced around the arena, picking off robots in ones and twos as she went. With each victory, she added to the tally in her head, satisfied with her steadily increasing score.

That is, until she heard other people calling out their point totals.

"Twenty-five!"

"Twenty-seven!"

"Thirty!"

Himiko's eighteen points seemed to pale in comparison, and when she paused to catch her breath, she heard the five-minute warning go off.

She'd come too far to lose, she had to go further!

Fortunately, the opportunity presented itself as she looked around. One of the mutants she had picked out on the bus - a large boy with a polar bear mutation - was mere meters away, and currently he was being overwhelmed by a swarm of robots. More importantly, his pristine white fur had blood matted and caked on it.

A smile split her face as she charged in, using her knives to sever cables and tear apart joints as she destroyed two of the robots that were harassing the other student. This gave him the opening he needed to defeat the massive robot he was facing.

"Thanks for the help. I hope you're not expecting me to repay the favor though!"

As the hero hopeful bounded off, Himiko knelt next to one of the broken robots. Reaching out, she ran two fingers along the metal, collecting the crimson liquid that the student had left behind. "Don't worry, I got my reward."

Himiko licked her fingers and activated her quirk, feeling the slime wrap around her body and transform into cords of muscle as she grew to match the mutant's hulking form. She smiled, not really caring how unnatural it would look. "You looked like you were having fun with those robots, I want to try too!"

Taking off in a different direction, Himiko came across a small pack of robots exiting an alleyway. Lowering her head, she slammed a massive shoulder into a robot, sending it flying into one of its companions and damaging them both, before she turned her attention to the remaining one. Her natural speed and agility were limited by the body she was in, but her newly enhanced strength more than made up for it.

It didn't take long for her to overpower the robot, and once she confirmed that all three robots weren't moving, she took off again, searching for her next target. The robots had already begun to thin out, and she was starting to worry about how much time she had left.

As she was running, she spotted another student that had fallen to the ground, a pair of robots hovering menacingly over him. Feeling a renewed rush of adrenaline, she charged in, wrapping her massive arms around one of the robots and using her momentum to launch it into the other, destroying both of them. Skidding to a halt, she turned to look at the student.

"Are you ok?"

"Y-yeah, thanks for the help!" He dusted himself off and stood up. He was getting ready to take off when they both paused as the sound of the two-minute warning rang out.

That's it, Suko, just like how Izuku taught you.

Atsuko narrowly dodged a metallic limb of a robot as she reached out, creating a sturdy rod out of the very air itself that extended from her fingertip through a gap in the robot's leg joint into the robot. As the robot tried to twist and turn in an attempt to follow her, the joint tore itself apart as it lost the battle against her quirk, sending the robot crashing to the ground.

"That's twenty-five," Atsuko said to herself. Due to the primarily defensive nature of her quirk, she had to be pretty close to the robots to use her quirk against them and wasn't accumulating points nearly as quickly as several other students were.

She didn't have time to worry about that, however, when a loud buzzer sounded, and suddenly she felt the ground shaking underneath her.

"What's that?!" Another student called, panic lacing their words. When she turned to look, Atsuko immediately understood why.

The immense form of the fourth robot, the so-called 'obstacle' that she was told to avoid, had appeared.

"We've gotta get out of here!" Someone called, and Atsuko saw several students around her begin to flee back toward the entrance.

But her attention was elsewhere.

As she watched its relentless march through the city, its arms casually swung back and forth, destroying nearby buildings and sending debris flying. From where she stood, Atsuko watched as the robot collided with an office building, sending a large chunk of the upper floor flying. When she mentally plotted out its destination, she gasped.

There, on the side of the road, a group of students were digging out a fellow examinee from the rubble. If she didn't stop the flying debris, they'd all be buried under it.

Taking off running, Atsuko positioned herself between the projectile and the students. Holding up her hands, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed.

She was dimly aware of the sound of the building colliding with her barrier as she passed out.

Himiko was running down an empty street when she heard the two-minute warning. It didn't take long for her to realize something was wrong - the ground began to vibrate beneath her feet, and she could hear the sounds of buildings collapsing in the distance.

Can't get distracted.

Out of the side of her eye, she saw students scattering and running before she finally saw the massive fourth robot for herself. She couldn't help but gasp at the size before she looked down and quickly examined the area. She saw most students running, but there were a few brave individuals who stayed behind to help injured or weak students escape the robot's path.

She also saw a hoard of smaller robots swarming around the base of the bigger robot.

Grinning a savage grin, she charged the smaller robots. The students needed cover and she needed points, so it worked out perfectly!

Lowering her shoulder, she slammed into the side of a robot, sending it crashing into its partner and attracting the attention of other nearby robots. Swinging her oversized hands, she took down another robot before they engaged her.

With furious swipes, she managed to take down two more robots before the buzzer sounded, and the lights on the robot immediately switched to green as they turned around and withdrew, following the massive robot deeper into the training ground.

Feeling her adrenaline draining out of her, Himiko found a nearby wall and leaned against it, panting heavily as she slid to the ground. Her transformation melted away, leaving her sitting in a pile of gray sludge, but she didn't have the strength to move. She simply looked down at her hands, clenching and unclenching her fists as her breathing slowly steadied.

Seconds later, she heard the beeping from an automated robot, getting her attention. As she looked up, she saw a robot on a monowheel standing nearby, leading a tiny old lady toward her. From her appearance, she looked like a doctor of some sort.

"I-I'm ok, really!" Himiko stammered out, her blush spreading as she realized she was sitting on the ground naked. "But, um, can I have a change of clothes?"

Recovery Girl eyed the pile of sludge underneath Himiko and shook her head. The poor girl's quirk must have some destructive element to it, and she didn't have the right type of clothing to avoid that. "I'll send a robot back with a gym uniform for you."

"Thanks!" Himiko forced herself to smile. "I've just got some minor scrapes and bruises. Don't worry about me!"

Recovery Girl gave Himiko a warm smile and tossed her some gummies. "You should take these while waiting, they'll help speed up your recovery."

"Thanks!" Himiko snatched the gummies out of the air and shoved them in her mouth. As she chewed them she felt her soreness fading, and some of her energy coming back to her.

Himiko wasn't sure what was in those gummies, but she was brimming with excess energy as she skipped out of UA. She had given it her all and was confident about her chances of making the cutoff. As she was leaving she saw Atsuko waiting off to the side under a tree. Her friend noticed her and waved, a smile on her face. Returning the gesture, Himiko skipped up to her friend.

"So how'd your exam go Himi?"

"I think I did it!" Himiko chirped, before putting her index finger to her chin. "I think I counted thirty-five points by the end? I had a slow start, but one of the guys in my group had a polar bear mutation! I just had to borrow a little bit of his blood and those robots never stood a chance!"

"I'm so happy for you Himi!"

"How did you do?"

Atsuko's smile fell. "I didn't do so well. Don't get me wrong! Your brother's advice actually paid off a lot, and using small focused barriers I was able to destroy a lot of the smaller robots! But…"

"But what?" Himiko asked, feeling a tightness in her stomach that she didn't really like.

"When that giant robot came out near the end - I overexerted myself and passed out? The next thing I remember was waking up after Recovery Girl used her quirk on me."

"I'm sure you did fine!" Himiko said, unsure of who she was trying to reassure more.

"Oh you should have seen her, she was amazing!" The two turned to see a tall, muscular boy of African descent with short black hair approaching them. "Don't let her undersell herself. She saved a whole group of us! Her quirk kept us safe from falling debris."

"How much debris?" Himiko asked curiously.

"Most of the top floor of an office building.

Atsuko's face turned bright red while Himiko grinned at her friend. "Of course you would do something crazy like that. No wonder you passed out!"

"I'm just thankful she kept us safe! And I wanted to thank her personally. I don't know what would have happened if she didn't do that."

"I know we were all competing against each other, but I couldn't just help myself and leave everyone else stranded. What kind of hero would I be otherwise?"

"Well, I'm grateful for the save. While Recovery Girl's pretty great, I think a lot of us would still be in rough shape if you didn't do that!" The man hears a notification on his phone and checks it. "Crap, I've got to get going. Hopefully I'll see the two of you in a few weeks!"

"Yep, we can't wait!" The pair watched as the boy ran off before Himiko turned to Atsuko. "So I guess you're selling yourself short, after all."

"Maybe I did," Atsuko smiled. "I guess we'll find out soon?"

Himiko sat in the living room with Izuku, both of them working on their homework. Despite the entrance exam being over, school marched on and she still had to graduate from middle school. She was deep in concentration when her phone began to explode, Atsuko's ringtone beeping in quick succession.

Suko: Himi! I did it!

Suko: My letter from UA came today!

Suko: I got in!

Me: I knew it!

Me: Hopefully I'll get my letter today too!

Setting her phone down, Himiko tried to return to her homework, but it was no use. Groaning in frustration, she stood up and began roaming around the living room, trying to distract herself. She was about to give up and go clean the kitchen when her ears perked up at the sound of the door opening. She and Izuku watched as Inko entered, a handful of letters in her hand.

"Himi, you have a letter from UA!" Inko said, her eyes lit up in excitement.

"Yes!"

Racing over to the entryway, Himiko grabbed the mail from her mom. She could tell which one was hers by the weight of the letter - it was significantly heavier than the piece of paper she had expected. Handing the rest of the mail back to her mom, she tore open the envelope to see a video disk sitting inside.

"If you want to watch it by yourself, we'd understand," Inko assured her as she slipped off her shoes.

"Nope!" Himiko shook her head. "I want you to be here with me!"

Himiko ran back to the living room table and knelt next to it, gently placing the device on the table where they could all see it. Once her mom caught up to her, she pressed the red button and played the recording.

The projector lit up, displaying an image of the hero Vlad King as he stood in front of a screen. He remained still for a moment before he began to speak.

"Greetings Himiko Midoriya. I know it's been a few weeks since we last spoke, but for good reason! As a teacher at UA, I did not want to give the appearance of favoritism or partiality. But now that you have taken your exam, that time has passed, and I am here with your results!"

The hero referred to a piece of paper before he returned his gaze to the camera. "First off, the written portion of the exam. Your score was on the lower end, but it was still high enough to qualify you for UA's general studies department. It is a testament to your drive and resolve that you managed to improve yourself so much over the course of a single year. However! The written exam alone isn't enough for you, because you are aiming higher!"

Vlad gestured to the screen beside him, which began to rotate through a series of images, each taken from the exam. She remembered each moment vividly as she watched them rapidly cycle through. "During the practical portion of the exam, you were forced to fight foes that you are at a disadvantage against, since your quirk didn't work on them. However, due to your prowess and quick thinking, as well as your willingness to help those in need, you have scored enough points to secure a seat in the hero course!" The hero broke out in a toothy grin as he swept his arms wide. "Congratulations little Midoriya, it's my pleasure to announce that UA will be your hero academia!"

Himiko already felt the tears running down her face as Vlad continued to speak, her cheeks hurting from her wide smile as she stared at the hero's image. She felt Inko and Izuku hugging her, their words falling on deaf ears as she leaned into their touch, her gaze locked on the little image of her mentor.

I did it!

I'm going to UA!

I'm going to be a hero!

Chapter Text

For the first time in as long as he could remember, Izuku didn't feel a growing pit in his stomach as he entered the halls of Aldera for the new school year. Finding his desk, he sat down and carefully unpacked his things.

Homeroom began and his teacher started lecturing the class about career development and choosing the right high school for their future. It was the most important decision they would make in their final year of middle school, and even though they wouldn't have to submit their final choices for months, the sooner they began thinking about it, the better.

As the final bell rang, Izuku sat at his desk while the rest of his classmates filed out, and stared at the career form.

Himi made it into UA, which means I should be able to!

I just need to find someone to continue my training, that's all!

Izuku let out a quiet sigh as he remembered that hurdle in front of him. Now that Himiko is attending UA, he no longer has weekend lessons with Kan to look forward to. Sure, he would still have his martial arts lessons, but he was far from ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those who had quirks.

But he wouldn't let that stop him! He'd find someone to train him, and he'd find a way to get into UA!

Looking at his paper, he filled out his top choice of school before slipping it into his bag along with the rest of his things. He'd turn it in tomorrow, his declaration of intent.

Standing up, Izuku shouldered his bag and exited his classroom. As he began to walk through the school he thought about the forum he was a part of. He'd have to be very careful with how he worded it, but perhaps he could ask for advice on how to find someone to train him.

Izuku was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the pair of students standing in the hallway until he ran into them. Startled, he took a half step back. "S-sorry!"

"Hey, it's Deku!" One of the two said. Izuku felt a shiver run down his spine as he realized his rotten luck.

Of course, of all the people I run into, it's the kids who hang around Katsuki.

"You think just because you left our homeroom you're better than us now?"

"No!" Izuku held up his hands defensively, taking a step back. He knew he could take these two in a fight if it came to it, but he knew it would end poorly for him if things escalated.

"Huh? What's that?" The first one asked. Activating his quirk, he extended his fingers to Izuku's bag and grabbed the piece of paper that had partially slipped out.

"It's nothing - just my high school entrance exam form," Izuku said softly, but he already had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he knew the damage had already been done.

"UA huh?"

"How's a quirkless loser like you expecting to get into a school like that?"

"I'll find a way!" Izuku said adamantly.

"Oh, he's got some spine now."

"I bet Bakugo's gonna love hearing about this."

The two turned and took off, and Izuku stood there, feeling helpless as he clenched his fist. Paper or no paper, Katsuki was going to find out, and he didn't need to deal with that.

How can you expect to be a hero?

Even now he could still hear Katsuki's taunts, warring with Himiko's encouragement in his mind. Taking a deep breath, Izuku pushed those thoughts away as he once again took off toward the entrance - if he could leave school fast enough, perhaps he could evade his old tormentor.

"DEKU!"

Unfortunately for Izuku, his streak of bad luck continued as he heard Katsuki storming down the hallway.

"What is it Ka- Bakugo?" Izuku asked, trying to stay as calm as possible. His first impulse was to cower before his bully, but if he wanted to be a hero he knew he couldn't cower in the face of danger, so he tried to hold himself resolute.

"What do you think you're doing, applying to UA?" Katsuki demanded, holding up the sheet of paper.

"Himi- my sister made it in and she doesn't have a combat-capable quirk! If she can do it then I can certainly–"

Izuku found himself cut off as Katsuki let off an explosion dangerously close to his head, disorienting him and knocking him off balance. Without warning, Katsuki grabbed his bag and pulled a notebook from it before letting go, the motion enough to send Izuku crashing to the floor.

"I've told you a thousand times, and I'll tell you a thousand more. You can't cut it as a hero. What are they gonna show on the news? Some quirkless kid beating up some thugs with pointless quirks? Tch." Katsuki scowled. "That's not a real hero."

"There's more to heroics than being able to fight!" Izuku said as he began to rise.

Katsuki's confident smile twisted in anger as he looked at Izuku. "That's a lie and you know it. All you'd do is make it harder for the heroes around you, having to make up for your inability to pull your weight. Look at yourself," Katsuki held up his notebook and used his quirk on it, charring the cover and pages within. "You can't even protect one of your precious notebooks. What makes you think you can protect civilians when their lives are on the line?"

Katsuki threw the notebook at Izuku's feet. "Just give it up, you'll never be a hero. Be sure to add some extra high schools here. Don't want to ruin your future when you fail to get into UA, after all!"

Izuku's hands instinctively wrapped around the paper as Katsuki shoved it into his chest, and he glared at his former friend as he turned and walked away.

I'll show him I can be a hero!

Izuku lost track of how many times he sighed as he looked down at the charred notebook in his hands.

"Why can't Bakugo see that there's more to heroics than flashy fights?" Izuku asked. "Why can't he accept that there's different types of heroes?"

He knew he was trying to convince himself it was ok, but the seeds of doubt that he had always harbored once again sprang to life, and he was trying to avoid asking the real questions that plagued him.

Can I become a hero just like All Might?

Can I actually make a difference?

Izuku was so busy wrestling with his thoughts as he walked under the overpass that he failed to notice a manhole cover moving away, nor did he notice the slimy head that poked out and began looking around.

"Does this kid have a stealth quirk or something? I almost missed him. He'll be the perfect body for me to hide out in!"

Izuku barely had time to respond when he felt the large ball of sludge collide with him. He let his muscles relax but it was too late as his mouth was filled with slime and goo as the villain tried to force his way inside Izuku's body. Despite Izuku's training, he was unable to find purchase against his assailant, slime replacing itself the moment he pulled any away.

After what felt like an eternity, Izuku saw darkness creeping into his vision as he felt himself suffocating, his limbs growing weaker with every passing second that he was unable to take a breath.

As he felt himself slip into unconsciousness, Izuku felt one last, horrifying thought creep into his mind.

Bakugo was right about me.

Izuku felt someone gently slapping his face and sat upright with a jolt, his hand instinctively gripping his chest as he looked around in confusion.

"Wait, I'm alive?"

"Thank goodness!" The form All Might – his hero! – towered over Izuku, looking down on him with concern.

"A-all Might!"

"Sorry I was late, kid, that guy was tricky to track down." He held up a soda bottle that somehow had the sludge villain crammed inside of it. "But I was able to capture him!"

Izuku tested his breathing to make sure he wasn't suffering any ill effects before he pushed himself upright, his charred notebook falling out of his bag. Thinking back to Katsuki's conversation, he looked up at his idol. "All Might, can I ask you a question?"

"Sorry kid, I need to get going and deliver this guy to the police!" All Might said as he placed the soda bottle into one of the pockets of his cargo pants.

"Wait, All Might!" Izuku saw All Might crouch down as he prepared to leap away, and without thinking he charged at the hero and wrapped his arms around his leg before he felt himself launched skyward. "I-I need to talk to you! Please!"

"Kid, what do you think you're doing?!"

"I wasn't thinking!" Izuku admitted.

All Might paused for a moment, shocked at his answer. "Ok kid, hold on tight and close your eyes, I'll land somewhere."

Izuku couldn't help but comply - the intense pressure from the air made it hard to even bob his head. He felt immediate relief as he closed his eyes and mouth, pressing himself tightly against All Might's massive form trying to shield himself from the air pressure as they flew across the city.

Moments later he felt his body vibrate as they touched down with a dull thud. When Izuku felt All Might's massive hand gently touch his back, he loosened his grip and stood up, backing away from the hero on unsteady legs.

"Sorry kid, I realize you must be a big fan, but I really must get going." All Might knew his time was running out and didn't have even a second to waste.

"Wait, All Might!" Izuku saw All Might turning away to leave, and he knew it was now or never. "Can I be a hero like you, even if I am quirkless?"

All Might was shocked into stillness. Slowly turning around, he looked at the kid. Really looked at him. He was short and a little scrawny looking, with unkempt hair and looking a little worse for wear after he was attacked by a villain and held on for dear life as an unwitting passenger. It was his face that stood out the most though. It was filled with a quiet desperation that he knew all too well.

He contemplated how to respond until he felt a sharp pain in his side - a grim reminder of his injuries. All Might tried to hold his form, but he already felt steam as it began to rise off of him as he fought a losing battle.

"Sorry kid, but this is dangerous work. All it would take is one villain with the wrong quirk and you'd be done for."

Izuku hung his head, Katsuki's words rushing back and threatening to carry his dreams away. "But, isn't that true for all heroes? I've always looked up to you! I always thought that you looked so cool and heroic on TV," Izuku looked down at his hands. "But then last year I- I actually saved someone! And I became her hero. And then I discovered so many people out there who are looking for a hero to save them. And - and I want to be there for them! Just like you've been there for Japan!"

Izuku looked up and gasped when he saw the cloud of steam that had filled the roof. It dissipated quickly, revealing that All Might was gone and had been replaced by an emaciated skeleton of a man. He yelped in fear. "W-who are you and where is All Might?!"

The man coughed and Izuku saw the blood on his hand afterward. "Looks like my time is up," He walked over to the edge of the roof and sat down, using the lip of the building to prop himself up. Staring at Izuku, he motioned for him to come closer. "Can I trust you, kid?"

Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded before he walked across the rooftop.

"I wish the world was different, but beyond the glamor of the headlines, the truth of it is, being a hero is dangerous. Even for me - while everyone thinks I am invincible, the reality is I am not." He lifted his shirt and revealed a massive knot of scar tissue on the side of his sunken chest. Izuku's eyes went wide as All Might continued. "I got this in a fight five years ago."

Izuku's face screwed up in concentration. "Was that from the fight with Toxic Chainsaw?"

All Might smiled at the kid's quick thinking as he tried to come up with an explanation. "That's a good guess, but this fight was kept from the public. The fight collapsed one of my lungs and all but destroyed my stomach."

Izuku stared wide-eyed at his personal hero. "H-How?"

"He was a very dangerous foe. I won in the end, but it left me in this state," As if to emphasize his point, All Might let out a ragged cough, before looking back at Izuku. "Being a hero is dangerous. Every fight could be your last, even if you have the quirk for it."

"But you're always smiling! Even when you really… look like this…" Izuku said, his voice a mixture of confusion and awe.

"Man, I must be going soft today," All Might reflected as he rubbed the back of his head, before sighing. "I'll let you in on another secret, kid. Even though I am putting on a fearless smile, that doesn't mean I'm not hurting or scared. It's my job as a hero - I'm supposed to show villains that I'm fearless. I need to reassure civilians that they're safe, no matter how bad things really are. And that's just to be a normal hero. To be a Symbol…"

All Might wanted to continue, but descended into a coughing fit, the blood he felt splashing onto his knuckle a reminder of everything he had given up to get where he is now.

And now he had this kid in front of him, asking him the same question he asked Nana all those years ago. He already knew the ending to that story - he was living it.

It would be for the best if he pointed this kid elsewhere.

When the coughing fit subsided, All Might pushed himself up to a standing position and locked eyes with Izuku. "There's other ways to help people, kid. I can tell you've got a good head on your shoulders - with practice, you'd make a great analyst or detective someday. Or if you want to help people more directly, you could be a therapist or social worker. I know it's not hero work, but it's still a noble way to help people. Now if you'll excuse me I really…" All Might patted the pockets of his cargo pants and froze.

The bottle was missing.

"A-All Might?" Izuku asked in confusion.

"The villain's gone. I must have dropped it while we were in the air!"

Izuku's face fell. "If I didn't grab onto you…"

All Might placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault kid, I was in a hurry and should have secured the villain better. Come on, let's get off the roof so I can look for him."

Nodding numbly, Izuku followed All Might to the door and led the way down the stairwell and out of the building. Once they were out front, All Might turned to the kid.

"Sorry to cut this short, but I need to find that villain before he hurts anyone else!"

Izuku numbly watched as All Might took off before he turned and began walking toward his home. He wasn't sure this day could get any worse, and he still had to attempt to salvage his notebook.

Izuku was dragged out of his thoughts when he heard the familiar sounds of explosions near Tatooin station. Looking around, he saw a crowd had already formed. Hoping that the sight of a hero in action might cheer him up, Izuku walked over to the crowd and his heart sank.

There was Sludge Villain, the same villain he had let escape, and he was attacking someone else – Katsuki.

Izuku felt a twisting in his stomach as he watched Katsuki struggling futilely.

How can you protect anyone if you can't even protect your own notebook?

Izuku's face fell. If a villain like this could overpower even Katsuki, what could someone like him hope to accomplish?

It was then that Izuku noticed the heroes were already there - and doing nothing.

Why?

Why weren't they helping?

Izuku still felt the phantom memories of the sludge being forced down his throat and his inability to breathe. Were they just going to let Katsuki die?

He didn't deserve to die here.

Turning to look back at Katsuki, he made eye contact. It lasted only a moment, but to Izuku it felt like an eternity. And in that moment, for the first time in his life, Izuku saw fear in Katsuki's eyes.

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, you're my- no you're a great hero Izu!

Himiko's voice cut through the whispers of doubt, and before he realized what he was doing, Izuku pushed through the crowd and was running toward the villain.

What am I doing? How am I gonna fight this guy? I already failed once!

He didn't have time to worry about that as his feet closed the gap between them with every stride. Letting his training take over, he quickly examined the villain. Kan's words came back to him, and his eyes went wide in realization as he spotted the villain's weakness.

First distract him, then focus - just like I've practiced - then go for his eyes!

Izuku tore his bag open and threw it at the villain, his foe looking at him in momentary confusion as the contents spilled out and peppered against him. Using the brief moment, Izuku took a deep breath and tried to focus as he smoothly pulled a pencil out of his pocket. It wasn't even a pen knife, but it would have to do! Sliding right up next to the villain, Izuku pulled his hand back and jammed the pencil into the villain's eye.

The reaction was immediate as the villain screamed and recoiled, freeing Katsuki's face and part of his shoulder. Izuku wasted no time and grabbed him, pulling his arm free before Katsuki regained enough coherency to yell at him.

"Deku, what the hell are you doing?!"

"Trying to save you!"

"That was your last mistake!" The sludge villain roared as a tendril shot out and knocked Izuku to the ground, murder in his eyes as he lifted several tendrils to deliver a killing blow.

However, the attack never came.

In the next instant, All Might filled the space Izuku previously occupied, his arm reeling back before striking the villain with so much force that he shattered into pieces. Izuku raised his hand to shield himself from the force of the blow, the impact creating a massive wind current that caused the very weather to change. Izuku wasn't sure if it was real or his imagination, but he swore he heard All Might talking.

"Look at me, telling you all those things, and then you're the one teaching me a lesson."

Still in shock, Izuku allowed himself to be led over to the paramedics who checked up on him. It wasn't until Kamui Woods and Death Arms approached him and began to reprimand him that he snapped back to reality.

"Listen to yourselves! You're right! It was too dangerous for me to be there!"

"Is something wrong?" All Might asked, having appeared suddenly behind the pair of heroes.

"We're just talking to this kid," Death Arms told the hero. "He shouldn't have done what he did and almost got himself killed."

"From what I saw, he was the only one who did anything about it," All Might gave the hero a hard stare. "To me, that makes him more of a hero than any of you."

The heroes recoiled at All Might's accusation, looking thoroughly chastised as they made lame excuses before they shuffled off, leaving Izuku alone. All Might looked like he wanted to say more, but he was quickly surrounded by the press and unable to talk.

Taking one last look at All Might, Izuku let out a long sigh. Of course, it was too much to think the hero actually had more to say. Dejectedly, Izuku gathered his scattered belongings. Holding his tattered hero journal in his hands, he sighed before he shoved it into the bag with the rest of his things and walked away.

He never even noticed that despite being interviewed, All Might continued to watch him the entire time.

As Izuku turned into his neighborhood he heard Katsuki yelling for him behind him. Resigned, he turned around and waited.

"Nerd, why'd you do that? I had everything under control!"

Izuku lost track of how many times he had sighed in the last hour. He just didn't want to deal with Katsuki right now and wanted to go home, so he stared at his bully in silence. Fortunately, Katsuki didn't seem to expect an answer from Izuku either as he crossed his arms. "Tch. Just remember what I said earlier."

Izuku stood there and watched him turn the corner and leave, silently hoping that was enough to salve his bruised ego. It was nice not having to deal with him daily, and today served as a stark reminder of why. He'd rather not repeat the experience if he didn't have to.

Turning back around, Izuku continued his slow walk home, only for his next surprise to appear a few blocks later. He practically jumped out of his skin when he heard All Might's signature "I Am Here!" as he jumped out from behind a concrete wall just in front of him.

"All Might?" Izuku asked in confusion. What even was this day?

"Young man, I owe you an apology, an explanation, and an offer." Izuku felt his mouth open and close several times as All Might disappeared in a cloud of smoke, only to be replaced by the skeletal man he saw on the rooftop.

Then All Might did something Izuku never thought was possible. He bowed to Izuku. "I had it all wrong on the roof. I thought you were just some wild idealist - someone who was unprepared for the realities of the world. But then – at the Station, when that villain attacked that other young man. When nobody else acted – when I refused to act - you did. When you started running forward, your body moved on its own, didn't it?"

"Y-Yes," Izuku forced himself to bob his head. "It did."

"That is what I thought. There are many stories about the origins of some of the greatest heroes. Many of them have a common element - when it was time for them to act, their bodies moved on their own. Today, you alone were the only one to act when the heroes - myself included - did nothing. The fact that you did that so shortly after our last encounter only makes the feat even more impressive," All Might let out a sigh as he looked at Izuku with fresh eyes.

Nana, was this how you felt when I first met you?

Izuku collapsed to his knees, his tears threatening to spill. "All Might, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I was wrong. You, Young Midoriya, have what it takes to be a hero!"

Izuku looked down and felt the tears flowing freely. His family believing in him was one thing, but to hear All Might say those words? It was more than he could have ever hoped for.

He felt the hero's presence over him as a weighty hand rested on his shoulder, steadying him while he cried. Even with the hero's calming aura, it still took several minutes for Izuku to calm down and compose himself before he rubbed his eyes and looked up at All Might again.

"Do you really mean it?"

"I do! And that is where the explanation and offer come in. You see, what I said on the roof is true - being a hero is dangerous, and becoming a symbol is even worse. If you were quirkless the task may very well be impossible!"

Izuku's face twisted in confusion.

"However! There is a reason I'm here in Mustafu. And that's because I am looking for a successor."

"A successor? What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about my quirk. It is special. Very special. The truth is I wasn't always this strong. When I was a young man, not much older than you are, I was just a normal civilian with a vision. And when I shared that vision with my future mentor, she saw something - a drive to make society better. She saw that drive, and she wanted to encourage it. So she passed her quirk on to me, a sacred torch. And now, it is time for me to pass that torch on to the next generation."

"Wait," Izuku put his thumb to his lip as he entered deep thought. "It's true that there's been a lot of speculation about the nature of your quirk, and you've always been good about deflecting questions whenever you're asked about it," He looked up at the skeletal face of the hero. "But! There's never been a recorded instance of a quirk that could be transferred, at least as far as I am aware." His thoughts were broken by All Might's laughter and he felt his face heating up. Of course, the first thing he latched onto was All Might's quirk!

"There's that intellect I've seen flashes of today. I wasn't kidding when I said with the proper training, your mind alone would be a force to be reckoned with. But that is a topic for another day! That's the real reason I moved to Mustafu – to become a teacher at UA next year. There will be an official media story about it. But the reality is my time as a hero is becoming more limited every day, and I am looking for someone to pass my quirk to and begin training. Someone with noble ideals and clarity of vision - someone who would take my quirk and use it to make Japan a better place. I believe I've already found that person."

Izuku saw All Might's meaningful stare and practically jumped upright in surprise. "Y-you mean me?!"

"Yes! You alone helped me remember something very important today - something I had forgotten, the very essence of what it means to be a hero. That spark that resides within you - the ability to inspire others - deserves to be a roaring flame." He held up a closed fist for emphasis. "What you want to do is fraught with danger, but if it truly is the path you wish to embark on, then you deserve to have my quirk to aid you in your journey."

Izuku began crying again. "T-thank you, All Might."

When Izuku pulled out his phone to exchange contact information with All Might, he saw several messages and missed calls that reminded him how late it was. The two quickly exchanged information before All Might dashed away, leaving with a promise to call him soon so that he could begin his training.

Not wanting to worry his family any further, Izuku took off and ran the rest of the way home, all of the bad parts of the day long forgotten. Reaching his apartment, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"I'm-"

Izuku was cut off as his sister tackled him, throwing both of them to the floor. "Izu, you better have a really good explanation for worrying us!"

He managed to get himself to a sitting position by the time Inko walked up. "We saw the news. The TV reporters didn't want to mention the boy who charged into the situation, but we would recognize you anywhere. When you didn't come home right away we were worried."

Izuku felt the tears coming back. "A-after the attack, on the way home, I ran into All Might! He saw what I did! And he- because of what I did, he told me I could be a hero too!"

Shock filled Inko's face as she slid down to sit in front of him. "All Might told you that?"

Izuku smiled and nodded. "Yeah! And he's going to set me up with a teacher too! I don't have to keep looking for a new one!"

Inko launched herself at Izuku, wrapping him in a warm hug. "I'm so happy for you!"

Chapter Text

Himiko stepped off the train and quickly scanned the terminal. Spotting a familiar blue head of hair she began to wave as she chased down her friend.

"Morning 'Suko!" Himiko called out as she approached.

"Morning Himi!" Atsuko turned and paused, confused at the sight in front of her. "Why'd you cut your hair?"

Himiko felt her blush deepen as she touched her hair. Her hair, usually kept in braids or buns, was missing, replaced with a short pixie cut. She still wasn't sure if she liked it, but she knew it was only temporary until she regrew it. "It's because of my quirk. The support company is making me a bodysuit and a few outfits that'll survive when I transform! But they needed my hair to create the fabric?"

Atsuko made a gagging motion. "Wearing your hair? Sounds gross!"

Himiko swatted at her friend. "It's embarrassing when I come out of my transformation! I told you about the incident at the entrance exam! What if someone saw me? Besides! It's not literally my hair, they just use it as the foundation for the fabric they create!"

"Sorry," Atsuko gave her friend an apologetic look. "I'm glad there's a way around your quirk's drawback."

"Me too," Himiko sighed dramatically. "Sacrifices had to be made! But it'll grow back soon enough!"

"So, do you have any guesses who passed?" Atsuko asked as the pair left the station and began walking toward their school.

Himiko pressed an index finger to her lips as she thought about her group. "There was a pink-haired girl who had 60 points by the end? I don't remember anyone else's point totals. I just hope that polar bear guy didn't make it!"

"The one whose blood you drank?"

"Yep!" Himiko got a sick look on her face. "He was a real jerk!"

"My group was a little better, I think. I didn't meet anyone who acted like that, even though it was a competition."

"Lucky you."

The two descended into idle chatter as they traveled the short distance to school. Entering the mammoth building, they began searching for their classroom. Himiko was ecstatic when they received their room assignments and learned that they were going to be in 1-B together! While she was confident Vlad King would be her homeroom teacher, she was less sure about her best friend.

As they approached the doors to the classroom, they were surprised by the sheer size of them.

"Who needs doors that tall?!" Himiko asked in disbelief.

"The school's built to support all types. Better to have them so they don't need to worry later?"

"I bet if I asked Izu he'd give me a list of heroes who qualified," Himiko said as she grabbed the door handle and slid it open.

As they surveyed the classroom, the pair got their first taste of their future classmates. A few students were near the back of the room, talking in twos and threes, but what caught her attention was the voice coming from the front of the class. There, she saw a tall blond girl, her long hair tied back in a braid that ran past her shoulders and piercing blue eyes talking to another girl - and loudly.

"-m just saying! Since we're the recommendation students in the class we should team up! We'd be unstoppable!"

The other girl was a mousey-looking girl with short black hair, and she looked unimpressed by whatever the blonde girl was saying. Seconds later, she turned toward Himiko and Atsuko as if she knew they were approaching and gave them a small wave. "Hello there!"

The other girl folded her arms and shot a look at the second. "Think about my offer!"

"Did we interrupt something?" Atsuko asked as she looked between the two girls.

"It was nothing," The black-haired girl said. "We were just introducing ourselves. I am Tomoe Sakura, nice to meet you."

"I'm Emily Song!" The tall girl said proudly.

"I'm Atsuko Hotoko. It's nice to meet you."

"And I'm Himiko Midoriya," Himiko examined the two girls. "You two are the recommendation students?"

"Yep!" Emily declared. "My parents are the lead scientists at Windsong Industries! They're finally expanding from I-Island and America and opening a Japanese branch, so of course they jumped at the chance. I met with some heroes over winter break and they liked what they saw, and the recommendation exam was a piece of cake!" She finished smugly.

In contrast, Tomoe looked almost guilty as she explained her situation. "My quirk isn't particularly suited for combat, and my parents knew that. So they introduced me to some heroes last year. One thing led to another and I got in on the recommendation exam." She looked toward the back of the room. "I'm kind of glad too, I don't know what I would have done against robots."

"I'm sure you would have been fine!" Himiko said, smiling at the girl. "I don't have a combat quirk either, and I made it in!"

"Really?"

"Mhm!" Himiko nodded. "Besides, if heroes were willing to vouch for you, that means they had to see something they liked, right?"

"I guess you're right," Tomoe's face brightened slightly. "There were just so many amazing students among the recommended students, and mine is just… simple."

"That just makes you getting in even more impressive!" Himiko assured her.

"That's what I've been trying to tell her!" Emily said, not bothering to hide her annoyance. "Considering who she went up against, the fact that she passed the recommendation exam shows how strong she is!"

Himiko could already tell she was going to hate this other girl. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at the blonde. "I see where her attitude went, you hogged it all for yourself."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

Rather than answering, Himiko turned back to Tomoe. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your quirk? It can't be that simple, can it?"

"I don't mind," Tomoe shook her head. "It's a rather unique mix of my parents' quirks. I can enhance my senses to superhuman levels," She held up her hand as she continued explaining. "On top of that, I can enhance someone else's senses the same way with physical contact."

"That doesn't sound simple at all," Atsuko said, looking impressed. "And perfect for search and rescue work!"

"Or investigative," Himiko added.

"That's what I'm trying to tell her!" Emily looked at Tomoe. "We just need to get you the right support gear and you'd be the best partner in the world! Everyone would want you backing them up!"

Himiko rolled her eyes. "Yes, because everyone who comes to UA is looking to just be someone's backup or a sidekick to another hero. She deserves better than that!"

"Thank you," Tomoe smiled at Himiko. "And you also guessed correctly. I'm hoping to focus on investigations - like Sir Nighteye does in Tokyo. His agency is more like a detective agency. If he uncovers something he can handle he takes care of it with his sidekicks, and if it's something too big for them to take on he calls in heroes more suited for the job."

"That sounds kind of fun," Himiko admitted. "I'm going underground because of my quirk, but you'd be the first person I'd call if I needed help!"

"Hey! I already proposed we team up! Get in line!"

"I swear Song, at this rate I'm going to stab you," Himiko didn't even try to hide her exasperation as she glared at the other girl.

Emily laughed. "You're funny Midoriya."

Atsuko quickly slid to Himiko's side. "Himi, how many knives is UA letting you carry around?"

Himiko gave her friend a predatory smile. "Three."

Emily let out a strangled cry, causing Himiko and Atsuko to break down laughing. "How!? Why are they letting you do that?"

Himiko took way too much satisfaction from the mixture of horror and confusion on the American girl's face. "If you were paying attention earlier, it's because I don't have a combat quirk! Don't worry, I've been trained and everything!"

Himiko heard a few snickers around the classroom as people watched the display. Emily looked extremely uncomfortable as she examined Himiko, trying to find where she kept her knives. Taking some measure of pity on the girl she swayed her hips, causing her skirt to rise just enough to reveal the pair of knives strapped to her thighs.

She'd let Emily try and find the third on her own.

Unfortunately for Himiko, the tension was broken when another familiar voice ran out behind them.

"Hey, it looks like we all made it in after all!"

Everyone turned and Himiko spotted the familiar African-Japanese student from the exams. Next to her, she saw Atsuko offering him a nervous smile. "Yep! My stunt got me a lot of extra points so I made the cutoff."

"That's great!" The man held out his hand. "Sorry I didn't introduce myself back at the entrance exam. Name's Habiki. Habiki Hideo."

"Nice to meet you Hideo," Atsuko said as she shook his hand. "I'm Atsuko Hotoko, and this is my friend Himiko Midoriya."

The students took turns introducing themselves before Habiki spoke again. "I guess we've got some real powerhouses in our class, don't we?"

"Obviously!" Emily scoffed. "This is UA! We're the best of the best in Japan!"

Himiko was gearing up to argue with the girl - again! - only to be interrupted by the door opening.

"Take your seats, everyone!" Their teacher, Vlad King, called from the doorway. Crossing the room, he stood behind his desk and set down a pile of papers. "I have a few things to go over before we attend the opening ceremonies."

Himiko was surprised by how conventional Kan's announcements were. For being a hero school, she was expecting something more. It wasn't until Kan warned everyone about Vigilante laws and explained UA's rules on quirk usage on school grounds that she noticed anything different.

All and all, it was almost disappointing.

Once he was done, Kan dismissed the students. Rising from her seat, Himiko looked across the room to where Atsuko stood when Kan called out to them. "Little Midoriya, Hotoko, could you wait for a moment."

Both shot one final glance at each other before they turned toward their teacher and nodded. Crossing the room, they waited in front of his desk.

"What is it, Kan-Sensei?" Himiko asked.

"I wanted to congratulate the two of you for making it in," Kan had a smile of pride on his face as he crossed his arms. "I knew you could do it!"

"Thank you," Atsuko bowed. "It was thanks to your training. I'm not sure what I would have done without it."

Vlad chuckled. "I merely gave you the tools you needed. The rest was all on you. However! I will warn you that I will not play favorites in the classroom, and your real training begins now!"

Himiko gave a fierce smile in return. "I'm ready!"

I won't let you or Izuku down!

Other than the suspicious absence of class 1-A, orientation felt mundane. Boring even. Even though Himiko was grateful for everything Nezu has done for her, she had a hard time suppressing her disappointment enough to pay attention to the speech.

This wasn't what she expected out of a hero school.

Once they were done, the class returned to homeroom, where a folder was already set out on her desk filled with her schedule along with resources available to her. Himiko felt relief wash over her when she saw how the school operated - half of the day was spent taking normal high school classes, and then they had a lunch break before the entire afternoon was dedicated to hero training.

The class sat through a brief introduction to both the school's quirk counselor as well as the head of the support department. Even though the counselor looked nice, Himiko already had one who had worked with her through her recovery and didn't feel the need to switch. Support equipment, on the other hand… Himiko looked down at the sample form in front of her. She'd have to ask Izuku about that later.

Once they were dismissed for the day, Himiko quickly shoved her things into her bag and rushed over to Tomoe's desk.

"Hey Sakura, want to walk to the train station with 'Suko and me?"

Sakura's eyes darted to the side before she looked at Himiko. "Sure."

"Hey! I wanted to talk to her more," Emily protested.

"Be faster next time," Himiko said, sticking her tongue out at the blonde girl.

"Sorry, maybe next time?" Tomoe apologized before packing her bag. "Shall we get going?"

"Yep!" Himiko turned to her friend. "Ready Suko?"

"Yeah," Atsuko nodded.

Tomoe stood up and joined the other girls as they left. "Thank you for that."

"Of course!" Himiko said before she sighed. "I can't believe we have to put up with her for the next three years."

"Maybe she'll be better once you get to know her?" Atsuko suggested.

Himiko laughed. "I doubt it."

Tomoe examined the two as she walked, the ghost of a smile on her face. "You two are pretty close, aren't you?"

"We are," Atsuko confirmed. "Himi transferred to my school last year and we've become besties ever since." She smiled at her friend. "She even insisted I apply to UA so we could attend the same school together."

"I told you we could do it!"

The smile on Tomoe's face widened. "You two are lucky to have each other."

"What about your friends?" Atsuko asked.

"Most of them live on the other side of Japan," Tomoe admitted, a hint of sadness in her voice. "They ended up going to a local hero school together. But when I got the chance to go to UA, I had to take it."

"Don't worry, we'll be your friends!" Atsuko responded.

"Yeah!" Himiko agreed. "Besides, you've got a non-combat quirk, we've got to prove to everyone that we deserve to be heroes too!"

"That reminds me, you never told me what your quirk was."

Himiko opened her mouth and pointed at her fangs. "If I drink someone's blood, I can transform into them!"

Tomoe's eyes went wide. "A shapeshifting quirk? Aren't those extremely rare?"

"Yep!"

"No wonder you want to go underground…"

They talked all the way to the train station, where they said their goodbyes. Smiling as she descended to her platform, Himiko was happy to have made a new friend - and the school year hadn't even started yet!

The next day school started in earnest, and the morning classes were as boring as Himiko expected them to be. After lunch, where she was delighted by the school's ability to cater to her need for blood, it was time for the exciting part of her day!

She could practically feel the excitement as she walked from the cafeteria to the locker room with Atsuko and Tomoe. There, the three girls changed into their gym uniforms and proceeded to one of the training fields, where their classmates were gathering around Kan.

"Good afternoon class!" Kan bellowed. "Today, we're going to perform a quirk assessment test."

"What's that?" One of Himiko's classmates asked.

Silently surveying the class, Kan's gaze settled on one student. "Hideo, can you come here?"

Habiki walked over to the teacher, who offered him a ball. "Do you remember the ball toss from middle school?"

"Of course! I was one of the best in my class!" Habiki said proudly.

"With or without your quirk?"

"Without, of course! We can't use our quirks for those tests."

"That changes today," Kan said with a proud smile on his face. "Now try tossing the ball, but feel free to use your quirk to help."

Hideo stood there thoughtfully before he nodded. Dropping the ball, he rapidly clapped his hands together until he nodded in satisfaction. Retrieving the ball, he tossed it straight up in the air and pulled back for a punch. As the ball descended he swung his fist, and when he made contact with the ball it launched away with far more force than anyone was expecting.

The ball disappeared behind the treeline before the class turned toward their teacher. Kan observed the device in his hand until the counter stopped moving and held it up, displaying the ball traveled a distance of 500 meters.

"There are two goals for these tests. First: we want to establish a baseline level for your quirk. After all, most of you haven't had formal training, and never really had a chance to fully test your quirks. And second: It will force you to think about how to use your quirk more creatively. While you may think your quirk is limited, the real answer is you just haven't had a chance to experiment and discover what you can really do."

Himiko could feel the excitement in the air as students began talking amongst themselves until her eyes fell on Tomoe. She saw how nervous she was. Offering her a reassuring smile, she whipped around to look at their teacher.

"Kan-sensei! What about me?"

"Oho. Little Midoriya, are you implying that you can't think of a way to use Transform for this test?"

"I can!" Himiko insisted. "It's just… some of us can't use our quirks for these exams!"

Kan hummed as he thought about how to respond before he spoke. "Not every quirk is suited to every task, Little Midoriya," Kan's gaze swept across the class. "But it's still important to recognize what you can do with the tools you have available. As a hero, you're never guaranteed to have all of your support equipment on hand, but you'll always be able to rely on your quirk. This is your first lesson on the road to becoming a hero."

Himiko thought it over before her face hardened in determination. "I'll do my best!"

"Now then, let's begin!" Kan clapped his hands and led the students toward the first test site.

As they were walking, Himiko felt Tomoe fall in line alongside her. "Are you really nervous?"

"...maybe a little bit," Himiko admitted. "How about you?"

"You already know the answer, don't you?"

"Yes, but I wanted to know if you'd admit it," Himiko gave the other girl a mischievous look.

"Of course I am. My quirk doesn't do anything to help with these tests."

"You'll just have to show everyone you don't need a fancy quirk to do well!"

Tomoe smiled at her. "Just have to show them that our best is good enough, right?"

"Yep!"

By the time they reached the first test location, Himiko had already eliminated most of her classmates as options for her quirk. While she could use her own natural speed and agility for many of the tests there were some, such as the grip strength test, where she could benefit from transforming into someone with a bit more muscle mass to them.

That narrowed her options down to two people, Oda and Ryo.

Himiko knew Ryo's quirk was a regeneration quirk, and therefore he would be the least affected by her taking a little bit of blood, he was her first option. Walking over to where he was standing, she tapped him on the arm.

"This is going to sound weird, but can I borrow some of your blood?"

Ryo looked surprised for a moment, but as she watched Himiko could see the gears turning in his head before his face lit up in recognition. "This is for your Transform quirk, isn't it?"

"Yep!" Himiko pointed to her fangs.

Ryo shrugged. "I don't see why not. As long as you don't hurt me too badly," From the tone of his voice, it was clear that he didn't think Himiko could actually do that.

"Don't worry, it wouldn't hurt even if you didn't have a regeneration quirk," Himiko said as she reached down to her holster and produced a medical syringe. Ryo held out his arm and Himiko inserted the needle, taking a small vial of blood before pulling it out. Her eyes went wide as she saw how quickly the wound closed.

"That all you need?"

"Y-yeah," Himiko recovered and flashed him a wide grin. "Thanks!"

"Happy to help a classmate," Ryo smiled at her and patted her on the shoulder.

The tests began in earnest, and the class quickly got into it as everyone watched their classmates experimenting with their quirks. Sometimes they led to spectacular failures, but more often than not, people figured out how to gain an advantage with their quirk. Even Himiko found herself being pulled in, shouting encouragement to her classmates and transforming into Ryo when she faced the grip strength test and the ball toss.

Before they knew it the tests were done, and the students once again gathered around Kan. Holding the device, Kan pressed a new button and it projected a hologram, showing the compiled results. Himiko wasn't surprised to see Habiki at the top of the class and began looking further down to see where she was. When she got to the bottom half of the list, she saw she came in 11th, and poor Tomoe was down in last place.

"It looks like I've got a long way to go," Tomoe said wistfully.

"It's ok," Himiko tried to assure her. "I put myself through a serious workout these last six months, and look at where that got me! You've just gotta start training!"

"You're right," Tomoe smiled at the other girl. "Thanks for all the encouragement today."

"Of course, that's what friends are for!" Himiko beamed back. "And soon we'll have a chance to show off how awesome our quirks are!"

"Yeah!"

After the tests were concluded, the students returned to the classroom to pack up for the day. As Himiko opened the door, she saw Emily had a tablet and was furiously making notes on it.

"Ryo!" Emily called out as her head snapped up. "Can I ask you a few questions?"

Crossing the room, she heard a hauntingly familiar set of questions drifting across the room as Emily sat on Ryo's desk, going over the details of his regeneration quirk. Atsuko caught it too and smirked as she walked over to where Emily was sitting.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm taking notes! I need to start profiling everyone's quirk if I want to help out with support gear."

Himiko let out a pained wail. "Why?"

"You can't escape Himiko," Atsuko said before she started laughing.

"Escape what?" Ryo asked in confusion.

"Song is a quirk enthusiast."

Chapter Text

Himiko found herself almost giddy with excitement as she grabbed her costume case from its housing. Waiting impatiently for Atsuko to retrieve hers, the two girls took off to the locker room, excited to finally try their hero costumes on.

When they arrived Himiko slammed her case into the bench and popped it open, seeing several pages containing an inventory of items as well as instructions. There was also a thick document that looked like a quirk analysis, which made Himiko sigh. Setting that aside, she made a note to give that to Izuku later. She turned her attention to the instructions and quickly read them, a smile growing on her lips.

Tucking the papers into the case, she quickly changed into her black sleeveless bodysuit. Examining herself, she smiled at how perfectly it fit before turning to her friend.

"Hey Suko, can I borrow some blood?"

Atsuko paused putting her costume on, her boot halfway on. "Oh, is that the hair suit you were telling me about?"

"Stop calling it that!" Himiko protested, feeling her blush marks deepen. "Does this look like hair to you?" She thrust her hand into her friend's face.

"I guess you're right," Atsuko said with a smirk. "So you want to test it out?"

"Yep! I'd like to know if it works now, instead of finding out in the middle of our class," Himiko explained as her face continued to brighten from embarrassment.

"That would be pretty bad," Atsuko agreed as she held out her hand. Himiko drew one of her knives and with careful precision scratched her friend, drawing out a small bead of blood. Gently capturing the crimson liquid on her finger, she drank it and activated her quirk.

Himiko felt like she was being wrapped in her friend's kindness as the gray slime of her quirk wrapped around her, and seconds later their classmates were staring at two Atsukos, both partially dressed in her hero costume.

"So that's how your quirk works? I didn't see how you used it yesterday."

"If it wasn't for Hotoko holding her boot, I couldn't tell the difference!"

Himiko's face split into a grin as she struck a pose. "Yep! This is my quirk! If I drink someone's blood, I can transform into them! Right down to their clothing. If I can copy their mannerisms, you'd never know it was me."

"That explains why you want to go underground," Tomoe said as she examined her two classmates, her enhanced vision failing to pick up even minor flaws in her transformation.

"Yep!" Himiko chirped. "As much as I'd like to show off, my quirk is perfect for stealth and information gathering. But what's the point of being able to transform if everyone knows I can do it?" She frowned at that before she quickly wiped the expression off her face. "Basically the billboard charts are the opposite of what I want!"

Himiko took a deep breath as she looked at the clothes she was wearing. "Of course, the problem with my quirk is that when I copy clothes, mine usually get destroyed by my quirk." She felt her cheeks heating up as she thought about how embarrassing that was. "But! If the support company got this right, that won't be a problem anymore!"

"Time to find out if cutting your hair was worth it," Atsuko said with a grin on her face.

"Yep!" Taking a deep breath, Himiko dropped her transformation and let the sludge slough off of her, the leftover gray sludge pooling at her feet. A quick glance was all she needed to confirm her bodysuit survived the transformation, and she jumped for joy. "It worked! It really worked!"

"But what about the rest of your costume?"

Himiko pulled a deep crimson Victorian-style long coat out of the case and dramatically threw it over her shoulders before she slid her arms into it with a flourish. "You know how Izu is, he figured out a solution! It's designed so that I can pull it off quickly, in case I need to transform on short notice." She then pulled out a pair of reinforced boots and a gas mask, making a face at its basic design. "My boots actually take longer to get off than my coat."

"Hopefully you don't need to replace your boots too often," Atsuko said as she finished pulling on her knee-high boots. Her costume consisted of a loose-fitting black jumpsuit with sky-blue accents. In addition, she was wearing a pair of navy blue fingerless gloves and boots. Finishing the ensemble was a custom mask that looked like a modified fighter pilot's helmet and a belt with dozens of small pouches to eventually fill with support gear.

"Looking good 'Suko."

"I'm glad it worked out," Atsuko said as she tried her best to look at her costume.

Himiko's eyes drifted through the room, examining the other costumes of her classmates when she finally landed on Emily. The American girl looked like should be dealing with test tubes, not villains. Her costume consisted of a white jumpsuit with a pair of tan pants overtop her legs and a lab coat. To finish the look she had a pair of thick goggles that were resting around her neck, and a fingerless gauntlet that looked right out of a science fiction anime covered her left hand and forearm.

Once she took it in, Himiko couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey!" Emily stopped flexing her gauntlet to glare at Himiko, crossing her arms in an attempt to intimidate the other girl. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect and caused the other girl to laugh more. "What's so funny?"

"You just - you look like you belong in a lab!"

"Well, yeah! That's the point! My parents are both researchers and taught me everything I know about support gear. So what if I wanted to honor them with my hero costume? It's not like you're any better, little miss vampire."

Himiko gave the other girl a predatory smile, making sure to emphasize her fangs. "Of course! I've gotta keep my theme too!"

Suddenly the tension was broken by Atsuko's laughter. "Both of you are ridiculous."

"Suko!" Himiko protested.

"Himi," Atsuko responded, an amused look on her face. "Don't make me ask your brother about hero costumes."

"Her brother?" Emily asked curiously.

"That's none of your business!" Himiko snapped out hastily before glaring at her friend. "Fine, maybe her costume isn't as bad as it could be. It's still ridiculous though!"

Atsuko stuck her tongue out at Himiko. "You're ridiculous."

Himiko huffed in annoyance, not wanting to argue with her friend. "Fine, we've wasted enough time, let's get going."

When they finally made it to Training Ground Beta, they found Kan and the rest of the class was already assembled and waiting for them. Once the last few of their classmates showed up, Kan began the lesson.

"Yesterday you started thinking about new ways to use your quirk. Today we will continue that - with a mock battle! For many of you this will be your first chance to use your quirk in a fight, and will give you another chance to learn what you can really do," He smiled as he looked at his students and saw twenty eager faces staring back at him. "You will be partnered off randomly, and then teams will be drawn to determine which teams are facing each other. Today's scenario will be a simple one - one team will take the role of the villains, hiding a bomb inside a building, while the other team will be the heroes, assigned to either disarm the bomb or capture the villains before the time runs out and they pull off their nefarious scheme."

Kan drew the teams and Himiko found herself paired up with Daichi Oda. A tall man with black hair and chiseled features. His hero costume was in many ways evoking the imagery of the ancient Samurai, which combined with his facial features gave the appearance of an ancient warrior ready for battle. When their names were drawn Himiko met his eyes, the two quickly evaluated each other before he nodded and she gave him a small smile.

After the teams were drawn, Kan took half of the numbered balls and re-inserted them back into the box before he drew the teams for the exercise.

"First up - team 8, you will be the heroes against team 5!"

Himiko's face lit up when she heard who she was facing off against, shooting a predatory grin at Emily. It seemed the other girl had a similar idea, already shooting her a satisfied smile.

"Time to really show you what I can do!" Emily called out.

"Don't think we're going down easily," Himiko bit back. "Besides, I've got a lot more knives now!"

Emily's expression quickly morphed into one of horror, before she recovered and glared at her opponent. "Don't think I'm scared of a few knives!" She held up her gauntleted arm, a menacing light glowing in the palm of her hand. "I'll show you what a recommendation student can do!"

Kan shot both girls an unamused look. "I don't know what quarrel you two have, but remember at the end of the day, you're both hero students," He then turned his attention to Emily and Amaya Yuki, her teammate. "Villain team, you have ten minutes to set up in the building and figure out a plan. Hero team, you will be given a set of blueprints to review, I suggest you use your time wisely to come up with a plan of attack."

As their classmates departed toward the building, Daichi walked up holding a map. "Please tell me you won't abandon me to chase Song through the building."

"Don't worry, I won't," Himiko replied as she turned toward her teammate. "But I won't say no to them splitting up! Then we can take one of them down and get the jump on the other!"

"With your quirk, right?" Daichi asked, remembering the assessment test from the day before.

"Yep!" Himiko gave him a toothy grin. "I just pretend I'm their teammate and walk right up to the bomb!"

"That would be great," Daichi replied with a lopsided grin of his own. "But what about if they're smart and stick together?"

"We fight them and hope for the best?" Himiko asked hesitantly.

Daichi laughed. "While your quirk might not work, I have a few ideas about how my stone manipulation can. C'mon, let's take a look at these blueprints."

The two knelt there, examining the map until they heard Kan's voice announcing the start of the exercise. Looking at each other, they both silently nodded before they walked to the entrance of the building. Himiko took one look inside before she entered, drawing a pair of knives as Daichi followed closely behind her.

The pair moved cautiously but swiftly, clearing the first two floors without encountering their opponents. As they carefully moved across the third floor, they finally encountered resistance as Emily stood there, defiantly guarding the stairwell up to the fourth floor.

"There you are! What took you so long?" The American girl called out.

"Damn it, she saw me," Himiko hissed, her back pressed against the wall.

"Why don't you come out and play?" Emily asked, before firing her first salvo. As Himiko and Daichi watched, a brilliant orb of white light flew past the hallway they were hiding in, striking something further down.

"What do we do?" Daichi asked, slightly unnerved by the prospect of getting hit by the other girl's quirk.

"What? You two can't take a little heat?" Emily called out, taunting the pair.

Himiko scowled as she thought. "Charging her would be a bad idea. There's gotta be some way to…" Looking around, her face lit up with an idea. "Why don't you go outside?"

Daichi followed her eyes and broke into a smile as he picked up her idea. Flashing Himiko a quick thumb's up, he silently hurried back down the hallway and opened up the window. Himiko watched him lean out the window to use his quirk before he hopped out of it, standing on a freshly created platform. He gave her another thumbs up before she saw him disappear from view.

"What are you two planning?" Emily asked suspiciously.

Frowning, Himiko swapped to one of her throwing knives. She hated having to be bait, but if she could get under the other girl's skin, she'd buy her teammate the time he needed.

Steadying her breath and clearing her mind, Himiko slipped around the corner, throwing a knife at Emily. She was annoyed and impressed that the girl didn't panic, instead casually hitting it with a bolt, knocking it out of the air. Throwing her second knife, Himiko dashed toward another nearby hallway. This time she allowed herself a tiny moment of satisfaction as the girl yelped in surprise, unprepared for the second blade and barely dodging out of the way.

The distraction did its job as Himiko crashed into the safety of a wall, now several meters closer to the stairwell - and her target. "What, you can't take a little knife?"

"That's my line!" Emily protested, and Himiko was forced to cover her eyes as she saw a bright flash of light strike the corner of the hallway.

"Sorry not sorry!" Himiko called as she drew her knives. This early in the year they had been dulled to prevent an accident, but they'd still hurt if she managed to land a hit with them.

"Why don't you come out and fight?" Emily called, a hint of exasperation creeping into her voice.

"I'd love to, but unlike you, I don't have a fancy ranged quirk," Himiko spat. "Why don't you come a little closer and I'll show you what I can do?"

Emily burst out laughing, and Himiko grimaced. "I'd rather not, thanks. Besides! I don't need to defeat you, I just need to stop you here until time runs out."

"Thanks for the reminder," Himiko said sarcastically.

"By the way," Emily asked before Himiko was forced to cover her face from the next bright flash. "Where's your teammate? He's been a little too quiet lately."

Shit

Silently cursing in her head, Himiko grabbed the vial of blood she took from Daichi and drank it. Tearing off her coat, she activated her quirk and felt the unfamiliar transformation wash over her. "Oh, I'm still here. Don't let me interrupt the moment you two are having."

Himiko wanted to gag, but sacrifices had to be made.

"Moment?" Emily laughed. "I don't think so. We're just having so much fun. Unless…"

Himiko didn't hear her response as her earpiece crackled to life, Daichi's voice finally responding. "Sorry it took so long. Most of the windows on this floor were locked, so I had to improvise."

"She's onto us," Himiko hissed.

"She hasn't seen me, but she's pretty far away. Are you sure about this?"

"We don't have a choice," Himiko dropped her transformation as she held her knives close to her chest. "Besides, I work better up close."

"Your funeral. On the count of three? One-"

"Two-" Himiko lowered herself into a crouch, ready to spring out.

"Three!"

Emily turned as Daichi slammed a door open to her left, his hand slamming into the ground as he used his quirk to send a growing wave of rocks at her. Her training kicked in as she dodged out of the way, firing off several arrows of light down the corridor at her assailant.

And pulling her attention away from Himiko. Rolling around the corner, Himiko launched another pair of knives at the girl. Emily somehow managed to evade both of them, but it gave her the opening she needed. Lowering her shoulder, Himiko crashed into the other girl, hoping to send her to the ground. Unfortunately, the blonde girl was stronger than she looked as she took the blow and staggered back, but managed to remain standing.

Emily countered with a wild punch back, but Himiko was too quick, evading her sloppy attack with ease as she elbowed the other girl in the stomach, causing her to double over. Grabbing the other girl's wrist, Himiko twisted around, locking it behind Emily's back before she grabbed her other hand.

"Get the capture tape!" Himiko called triumphantly.

"Good job Midoriya!" Daichi called as he approached, the tape already in hand to bind their opponent's wrists. Once he secured their foe, he turned toward Himiko. "Now we just need to get the bomb!"

"Song made that part easy!" Himiko said happily. Giving the other girl a predatory grin, she plucked her earpiece out, before pulling up the other girl's sleeve. She carefully bit down, ignoring Emily's protests as she drank a mouthful of blood and reactivated her quirk. She felt the gray slime wash over her, and seconds later a second copy of Emily stood there. With an unnatural-looking grin, Himiko replaced her earpiece with her opponent's.

"Now you've just got to fool Yuki long enough to get to the bomb."

"Yep!" Himiko chirped, grinning at her teammate. "Just chase me, and I'll do the rest!"

"Song, come in," Amaya Yuki asked into the earpiece for the third time.

"...sorry, I'm a little busy right now!" Emily's voice finally came in.

"What's going on?"

"I'm on my way to you. I took down the vampire, but her partner's following me!"

Amaya frowned. Something felt off. "Got it."

The short pale girl was happy to have discovered that the building had a functioning water supply, and with a little prep work, the entire floor was covered in a thin layer of water, ready for her to use. Amaya turned her legs into water and stepped out of her shoes as she began to absorb the water. She let her transformation fully wash over her as she fully transformed into a water elemental, ready to battle whoever came through the door.

She didn't have to wait long until she felt rumbling beneath her, warning her that Daichi was using his quirk. And it was getting closer.

She began to charge the door the moment she saw her teammate enter the room, barely dodging a stone pillar that tried to smash into her side. Amaya didn't want to get hit by one of the pillars either - even with her now liquid body, the force of impact would hurt and, more importantly, destabilize her form. But in this form she was fast. Dashing forward, she picked up her teammate and ran away from their opponent, giving them some breathing room.

"Thanks for the save!" Emily said in a too-cheery voice as Amaya set her down. "Now let's deal with this guy!"

Amaya turned her attention back to her opponent as he entered the room, Daichi's stone creations retracting around him to let him pass. As he prepared another attack, she knew something was wrong - the real Emily would have already launched her own counterattack.

A quick glance confirmed that her teammate wasn't at her side, and already running toward the bomb. Growling she turned and charged at the shapeshifting girl.

Realizing that she wouldn't make it in time, Himiko discarded her transformation, preferring to rely on her own strength to carry her the rest of the way. "Oda!"

"On it!" Her teammate slammed his hand into the ground, and suddenly a wall was raised in front of Himiko.

Amaya pushed herself harder, trying to make it as she saw her opponent leap over the rising wall, but was forced to stop short, not wanting to risk being bisected by the wall.

Moments later they heard Kan's voice coming through the loudspeaker. "Hero team wins!"

Crossing her arms in a huff, Amaya released the excess water from her body, returning to her normal size before she solidified again. "Of course you'd pull something like that."

"Sorry not sorry!" Himiko said as she came around the wall, unable to keep the smile off her face. "You shouldn't have split up."

"Apparently we underestimated you," Amaya admitted, her frustration slowly bleeding off. "I won't let it happen again."

Himiko flashed her a predatory grin. "I'm looking forward to it."

Himiko groaned as they left the school for the day. "Suko, can I come live with you? Izu's gonna ask me so many questions about everyone's quirks tonight."

Atsuko laughed and patted her friend on the shoulder. "I thought he would have done that yesterday."

"He would've," Himiko admitted. "Except for getting caught in that villain attack. That kept us busy all night."

In truth, Himiko still didn't fully understand everything that had happened between Izuku and All Might. All she knows is that he almost died on television in an attempt to save Bakugo, getting the attention of Japan's number one hero. And because of that someone from the Might Agency will be starting to train Izuku later this week, picking up where Kan-sensei had left off.

Something felt off, but Izuku was so happy she didn't have it in her heart to investigate further.

"Oh right," Atsuko recalled. "So that just delayed the inevitable, huh?"

Himiko glared at her friend, the subtle smirk on Atsuko's face telling her how much her friend was enjoying her suffering. As she was about to retort, their conversation was interrupted by another voice calling out to them - the voice of someone Himiko really didn't want to deal with right now.

"Midoriya, Hotoko, wait up!"

Himiko rolled her eyes until Atsuko gave her a subtle shove. "Try being nice."

"Easy for you to say," Himiko grumbled as the pair turned around to face Emily. "What do you want?"

Emily caught up with them and then looked over Himiko with a critical eye. "Midoriya, I was wrong about you," Himiko snorted and rolled her eyes. "I thought you had something to prove. It- you were a lot stronger than I was expecting in our battle trial today."

Himiko folded her arms in front of her as her eyes narrowed. "Of course you did. You're just like everyone else - you've got the perfect quirk. A heroic quirk. And everyone treated you differently. Like you were destined for greatness. That you're better than everyone else. That you're better than some girl who may as well be quirkless and has to use knives to even the score."

"That's not–" Emily protested.

"Then what made you think you could take both of us?" Himiko demanded. "It certainly wasn't because of Oda - he could have brought the whole damned building down around you if he wanted to!"

Emily looked like she was punched in the gut, her face darkening. "You're right."

"What?" Himiko found herself shocked into silence by the other girl's admission.

"You said it yourself - your quirk is best suited for underground work. For stealth and infiltration. It wasn't going to do anything in a fight, so if I forced you to engage me quickly, I thought I could take you out and then focus on Oda."

Himiko saw red. "I knew it! You just completely ignored that I might have additional training. That I was able to pass UA's entrance exam, even though my quirk was useless in it!" She jabbed a finger accusingly at the school building behind Emily. "That I spent months training under our homeroom teacher! It doesn't matter what my quirk is, because it doesn't define me!"

Emily grimaced, crossing her arms and breaking eye contact with the other girl as she looked at the ground. "When I grew up on I-Island, I was surrounded by the children of heroes and researchers. Half the class didn't care about their quirks, because they were going to become scientists just like their parents. The other half - the children of heroes - often had quirks even stronger than their parents, and wanted to become heroes themselves."

"You didn't fit either group," Atsuko said, earning a glare from Himiko.

Emily lifted her head and looked at Atsuko, grateful for the lifeline even if she would never show it. "My parents are the lead researchers of their support company, and I inherited their minds. Of course everyone was expecting me to follow in their footsteps. But their quirks - both utility quirks at best - I got the best of both, and my quirk was strong. The quirk of a future hero."

"Everyone told you how great your quirk was, didn't they?" Himiko asked, wanting .

"It's different on I-Island!" Emily protested. "When you're surrounded by strong quirks every day! Hearing that yours stands out-"

"Must be nice," Himiko said. "You want to know what happens here? Do you know how many kids are allowed to get away with whatever they want because of their quirk? Because their teachers want to say they taught a future hero?"

"No, I don't." She admitted.

Himiko narrowed her eyes. "Meanwhile I was forced to hide who I was for a decade because of my quirk."

Once again, Emily surprised Himiko with her response. "I'm sorry," she responded softly. "Your quirk - everyone's quirk - is so cool! Nobody should be judged by their quirk - they should be allowed to do what they want!"

"At least you've got that right," Himiko said. "That's why I'm here - to make sure the next person with cute little fangs and a blood-based quirk knows that they don't have to hide. That they can be a hero if they want to. That their quirk isn't a curse!"

"I guess I really did underestimate you," Emily said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Yes, you did."

Himiko spun on her heel and began to walk away. Seconds later, she felt Atsuko catch up to her, her friend's eyes already on her. "I know what you're going to say, and I don't want to hear it."

"This isn't like you. What's gotten into you?"

"Her," Himiko said as if that explained everything. "Just - she acts like she's better than everyone in the class! Just because she's a recommendation student! Someone needed to tell her that!"

"Himi, I'm surprised you haven't noticed."

"What's there to notice?" Himiko grumbled.

"You know more about masks than I do," Atsuko pointed out. "And I saw it yesterday."

Taking her friend's advice, Himiko glanced back at Emily. She was surprised to see the blonde girl standing there, but sure enough, now that Atsuko had pointed it out it was clear as day.

Emily was wearing a mask, just like she used to do.

Izuku sat at his desk, the sound of his pen against paper the only noise as he focused on his new notebook - his personal one.

Next to him, two notebooks lay open - his notes on All Might, as well as his own personal notebook, labeled 'My Hero Career #1." Started after Himiko settled in, it was filled with pages upon pages of potential support items and ideas to compensate for his quirklessness. It even had a section about different martial arts styles he could learn after he had grown comfortable with Bajiquan.

While most of this was still useful, meeting All Might changed everything.

Izuku was furiously copying all of his notes on All Might's quirk into his new notebook, updating it with new information that he had learned yesterday - while being very careful to omit the truth about One For All and All Might's condition. Instead, he started a section about late blooming quirks, a rare condition where someone's body is unable to handle their quirk, and so their body subconsciously suppresses it until later in life.

He's still got a lot of holes in his story, but he's got ten months to figure those out at least.

His concentration was interrupted when he heard someone come in, followed by Himiko announcing herself with all of the joy of someone awaiting execution.

"Izu, I'm home!"

Izuku couldn't help but smile. As much as Himiko teased him about his hobby, she still supported him. In turn, he promised her he'd only ask her questions in small doses, knowing how much it bores her. Shoving the three notebooks into the back of his drawer, Izuku grabbed the second of his new notebooks "Hero Analysis for the Future: UA Edition #1."

"Coming, Himi!"

Chapter Text

If Izuku had to choose a word for returning to school, it would be surreal.

He knew there was going to be fallout after the Sludge Villain incident. Even though both he and Katsuki were minors, and therefore they wouldn't be identified, it wasn't hard to figure out who was involved in the attack. Two students in Aldera uniforms, one with an Explosion quirk and the other with distinctive green hair? For their classmates, it was obvious who was involved.

As Izuku walked through the school the next day, he felt the eyes on him and heard the hushed whispers. But they weren't the usual whispers that followed him around whenever Katsuki got involved - quite the opposite. People looked at him with new eyes, and a few people even appeared genuinely impressed. Then there was his homeroom. The first day back three of his classmates came up to him and told him that what he did was really heroic, risking his life like that. He responded with a nervous grin and a 'thanks'.

If only they knew the full story.

And then there was Bakugo's response. Apparently he wasn't taking it well - at all. No matter how much Izuku tried to avoid him, Bakugo felt like he was everywhere, going out of his way to ensure everyone knew just how strong he was. That he had everything under control. That he didn't need any help. Considering his behavior, Izuku couldn't help but worry that Bakugo was going to confront him - to find some way to blame the incident on him.

But he didn't.

By the end of the day, Izuku had begun to realize that Bakugo was trying his hardest to ignore his very existence. As he packed his bag at the end of the day he felt the knot in his stomach slowly coming undone as he realized he was safe from the school bully - for now. Thinking it over, Izuku realized that Bakugo didn't want anyone else drawing the connection between them and the attack - and to confront Izuku meant acknowledging that he tried to help him. Knowing Bakugo, that's the last thing he wanted to do.

It may be a small victory, but it was one Izuku would gladly accept as the week continued. He had more important matters to attend to, after all! During the day he redoubled his focus on school work in preparation for UA's entrance exam. According to Himiko the entrance exam was the hardest thing she has ever done, but he refused to back down.

And in the evenings, Izuku traded text messages and phone calls with All Might. The hero did his best to assess Izuku's current state to prepare him for eventually receiving One For All. However, when Izuku laid it all out for the hero, he felt like he had so far to go. He was always small and wiry, and most of his training had been focused on speed, agility, and technique because that was Himiko's focus. He had neglected his strength training, and despite All Might's assurances, he couldn't help but worry that he would disappoint his idol-turned-mentor.

At the end of every phone call, Izuku couldn't help but look at the photo on his desk. It was one Himiko insisted on taking on the first day of their training, and he remembered the promise they made that day.

"Izu," Himiko said, biting her lip. "Promise me - promise me we're going to make it into UA together!"

"Huh?" Izuku asked, confused by her uncharacteristic nervousness.

"I'm… scared," Himiko admitted. "That I'm going to let Kan down. That I'm going to let you down-"

"Himi," Izuku cut the girl off. "You won't let me down."

"See! That, right there!" Himiko pointed a finger at him. "That confidence. I- if you have that confidence in me I feel like I can do anything. But I don't want to do it alone. If I make it to UA - then you have to too! So promise me we'll both go to UA - and we'll both become heroes together!"

Izuku stared at the girl in awe. He took a moment to recover, he couldn't help but offer her a reassuring smile. "Himi, you'll make it to UA! And then next year I'll join you there!"

Himiko broke out into a wide smile as she jumped on him, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you, Izu!"

Remembering his words, Izuku clenched his fist.

"Don't worry Himi, I'll join you at UA soon!"

"I'm going to talk to her," Atsuko declared.

"Wait, seriously?" Himiko asked her friend.

Today was their first time visiting the USJ, and they currently waited in line along with their classmates to board the shuttle that would take them to the massive complex to learn about rescue heroics.

"Yes, seriously," Atsuko turned toward her friend. "You've seen it - when she's not barging in on other conversations she's always by herself."

"Maybe if she was less of a jerk people would be more interested in talking to her," Himiko grumbled, as she watched Emily board the bus.

"Or maybe she just needs some friends to help her out."

Himiko gasped and whirled around, glaring daggers at her friend. "Don't you-"

Atsuko merely crossed her arms and stared back. She'd spent enough time around Himiko that she was immune to her best friend's methods. "I know you don't like it, but I need to know for sure."

Himiko groaned and turned away, facing the front of the line. The two boarded the bus in silence, with Atsuko slipping into the seat next to Emily at the front of the bus while Himiko continued to where her friends were sitting.

"Did something happen between you and Hotoko?" Tomoe asked as Himiko sat down next to her on the shuttle.

Himiko glared toward the front of the bus, letting out a small huff. "She's being 'Suko is what's going on."

"Can you translate that to Japanese for us?" Habiki asked.

Himiko turned her glare toward the boy before she let out a frustrated sigh. "Suko she-" Himiko bit her lip. "-finds the best in people and tries to draw it out."

"That sounds-" Habiki looked momentarily awestruck. "Really cool, actually!"

"So what's the problem?" Tomoe asked.

"Besides the obvious?" Himiko replied, her voice full of resentment.

"Maybe she was just nervous?" Habiki asked as he looked toward the front of the bus. "She did just move from I-Island to Japan, after all."

Himiko crossed her arms. "There's nerves and then there's… whatever her attitude was."

Habiki and Tomoe looked at each other in defeat and decided to drop the topic. Himiko meanwhile continued to stare at the front of the bus, her eyes narrowing as she watched the two girls.

If you're wearing a mask, Song, why did you choose one that reminds me of Izu's old bully?

After surviving the week, Izuku woke up bright and early on Sunday.

Today he was finally going to begin training! As he looked up at his collection of All Might models, part of him worried that this was just a dream - that he could wake up at any moment and would just be his usual quirkless self.

"Stop thinking like that!" A voice in his head yelled at him, sounding suspiciously like Himiko's.

"Right," Izuku shook his head and shifted his gaze to a poster of All Might. Looking down at his hand, he closed it into a fist. "Today my real training begins!"

But first, they had to survive giving the cover story to his family.

As the clock rolled over to 8 AM, Izuku was busy typing out a message thanking Froppy: he had told his friend that he found a new person to train him and they had wished him good luck on his first day. He was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a knock at the door.

Rushing over he opened it, revealing the form of All Might. Or rather, of the emaciated skeleton of Toshinori Yagi, a retired hero who worked at Might Tower. Smiling up at his idol, Izuku let him in. Toshinori was busy taking off his shoes when Inko finally arrived to meet their guest. Pausing to examine the woman, Toshinori bowed.

"Good morning ma'am, do you happen to be young Midoriya's mother?"

"I am. My name is Inko Midoriya. And you are?" Inko skeptically examined the man. She knew Izuku was expecting his trainer, but she wasn't expecting him to look like- like- that!

"I am Toshinori Yagi, one of All Might's assistants at Might Tower. As young Midoriya has hopefully explained, I was asked to assist him in his training."

"I'm sorry, I know you're supposed to be a retired hero," Inko said apologetically. "So I need to know - what happened to you?"

Toshinori smiled nervously at Izuku as he rubbed the back of his head. "I was injured in the line of duty, and the resulting years have not been kind to me."

"I see that," Inko said somberly.

"But don't worry!" Toshinori quickly said. "Young Midoriya won't have to worry about such dangerous criminals! All Might is working hard to ensure foes like the one I faced can't threaten Japan anymore."

Inko softened slightly at that. "I keep forgetting how dangerous Japan was when I was young."

"You still remember those dark times?" Toshinori asked cautiously.

"I try not to," Inko admitted. "Not with two children seeking to become heroes themselves."

Toshinori's eyes shifted down to young Midoriya. "Which is precisely why All Might has done what he has. He wished to make Japan a better place - one where everyone can feel safe and children can pursue their dreams. And eventually, those very children will rise up to build upon the legacy he left them."

"And I'm forever grateful for that," Inko said as she looked at her son. "Izu and Himi. They're both trying so hard to become heroes to help others." She looked at Toshinori and bowed deeply. "Please take care of my son and train him to become a great hero!"

"Mom you didn't tell me-" Himiko's voice came from around the corner, only to suddenly cut off as she saw Toshinori for the first time. "You're Izu's trainer?!"

"Y-yes Himi," Izuku said quickly. "Meet Toshinori Yagi."

"Is he really associated with All Might?" Himiko asked skeptically as she examined him. "I was expecting someone a little more… muscular?"

"Himi!" Izuku tried to protest, but her name came out too high-pitched and strangled.

"It's alright, young Midoriya," Toshinori assured him as he offered Himiko a bright smile. "I understand the impression I can give off thanks to my appearance, but I have many years of experience working as a hero!"

Himiko examined him critically before she saw Izuku's face silently pleading with her. It was enough to get her to back down. After all, if Izuku was willing to trust him, who was she to argue? Her expression softened, she closed her eyes and gave him a warm smile. "Please take care of my brother!"

"I promise I will young er… Midoriya?" Toshinori said awkwardly before looking at Izuku. "Your brother is in good hands!"

"Great!" Himiko's eyes opened slightly as her smile turned into a predatory grin. "Because if anything happens to Izu I will find you, and you won't like what happens when I do."

Toshinori let out a bellowing laugh. "Young Midoriya, I like her! You should have told me your sister was this enthusiastic!"

Izuku rubbed the back of his head as he laughed nervously. Holy shit! Himiko was actually threatening to take on All Might if anything happened to him.

"I think we've been rubbing off on each other. Oh! I don't think I told you, but Himi's actually attending UA too! She's a first-year!"

"Oh really?" Toshinori turned toward Himiko. "That's wonderful news! Japan's future will surely be in good hands with people like you and your younger brother protecting it!"

"Why don't we go sit down?" Inko asked in an attempt to steer the topic of conversation back to the original topic.

"Of course!" Toshinori allowed himself to be led to the living room, where he sat down in the recliner while the Midoriya family sat down on the couch.

"So what will his training entail?" Inko asked. "I already know what Vlad King taught them - will it be like that?"

"It will be similar, yes," Toshinori explained. "But much more frequent. While Vlad King only trained him one day a week, I will be training him a full five, with two rest days. In addition, the majority of my training will be focusing on strength and endurance."

"What about his martial arts lessons?"

"I have accounted for those in the schedule," Toshinori continued. "On days when he attends his lessons, he will have a reduced training schedule in the afternoon, and a full schedule on days that he doesn't."

"And what do you need from us?" Inko asked, relaxing slightly at the answers.

"The primary thing is your permission to train him, of course. As well as moral support - I will be pushing him hard during his training. Oh! And one more thing!" Toshinori held a finger in the air before he opened his briefcase and handed a packet of papers to Inko. "I have also prepared a meal plan for you, to ensure that he is getting proper protein and nutrients during his training."

Inko's brow furrowed as she looked through the meal plan, examining its contents before looking up at Toshinori. "If it's for Izu, we can follow this."

"Excellent!" Toshinori clapped his hands together. "So do I have permission to begin training your son?"

Inko looked at Himiko to see if she had any complaints before turning her fond gaze toward her son. "Izu's always been chasing his dream of becoming a hero. No matter how hard things got, he never let his dream go. Of course you can train him."

Izuku started tearing up. "Thank you, Mom! I know it's going to be hard, but I'll make you proud! I promise!"

Inko turned her gaze toward Himiko. "You already have."

After reviewing the meal plan, Toshinori and Izuku were finally able to leave the apartment. As the door closed behind them, Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry about Himi, she means well."

"You don't have anything to worry about," Toshinori laughed. "You're lucky to have such a supportive family!"

"Thanks," Izuku said softly. "I don't know where I'd be without them."

"Now then," Toshinori placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "We've wasted enough time on formalities, it's time to begin your training!"

Twenty minutes later a pickup truck pulled up to Takoba Municipal Beach Park. Although given its current state, Izuku decided landfill was a more accurate name for the place. When his mentor parked the truck they both got out and Izuku followed All Might down into the mountains of trash.

"What are we doing here?" Izuku asked, his head darting back and forth as he took in the piles of scrap that surrounded him.

Toshinori suddenly stopped and laughed, disappearing in a puff of smoke as he switched to his muscle form. Jumping to the top of a nearby pile, he spun around and looked down at Izuku. "Why, training of course!"

"We're training here!?"

"Precisely!" Toshinori jumped back down with a laugh before poking Izuku's arm. "This will offer us the perfect place to build your body up and prepare yourself to hold One For All!"

"How?" Izuku asked.

Toshinori picked up the briefcase he had abandoned and opened it, handing Izuku a stack of papers. "The sheer variety of objects on the beach means it's the perfect place to train. As you can see, I have tailored exercises that will allow you to develop all of the muscle groups you will need!"

Izuku quickly leafed past the various diagrams that explained what he would be doing and found the schedule and milestones. As he scanned the page his eyes went wide before he looked up at Toshinori. "Y-you want me to clear this entire beach?"

"Not the entire beach!" Toshinori chuckled. "Merely a single kilometer of it!" Toshinori looked out at the tainted view and let out a weary sigh. "Don't think of this as training. Think of this as your first lesson in heroics!"

"How so?" Izuku asked, confusion lacing his words.

"Something many modern heroes have forgotten is that being a hero isn't just about defeating villains. There are other aspects as well. Such as community service!" Toshinori exclaimed with a sweep of his arm. "That is just as important."

Izuku nodded along to his idol's words, thinking about Bakugo - how he's exactly the type of person All Might is describing. How he keeps berating Izuku because he didn't fit that mold. He almost wished he was able to record this conversation - perhaps hearing All Might say such things would change his mind.

"And by cleaning this beach, I am helping the community," Izuku put his thumb on his chin. "While this doesn't directly help people, the whole community benefits. It gives people a place to gather and build a community just like my forums…" His face lit up as he looked up at Toshinori. "I think I get it!"

"Excellent! This used to be a beautiful beach, years ago when I was a student," Toshinori spoke with a nostalgic fondness in his voice. "However, over time the ocean currents deposited trash here, and it soon fell into neglect. As the trash began to pile up, people made it worse by quietly adding their own trash and well, here we are." He swept his hand to emphasize the amount of garbage that littered the beach.

Izuku looked down at the papers in his hand and reviewed them. "And I have ten months to clear one kilometer of beach."

"Yes! That should be sufficient time to build your body up enough to use One For All. However," Toshinori gave him a grave look. "You will only be able to use a fraction of its power at the end of this training. Unfortunately, ten months is simply not enough time to get you into proper shape to use One For All at its full power. But, we have a deadline to meet!"

Izuku nodded. "The UA entrance exam."

"Exactly!" Toshinori beamed at him. "Once you take the exam, there will be plenty of time and opportunity to gain full mastery over its power. And then when the time is right I can step down and you will take my place."

"Just like you stepped up forty years ago…" Izuku spoke with a sense of awe in his voice.

"Indeed."

It was only one word, but Izuku felt the weight behind it. Looking down the beach, he tried to get a sense of just how much stuff covered even one hundred meters and already felt like he was carrying the weight of all that detritus on his shoulders.

But he refused to give up! This was his starting line, and he was determined to see it to the end. Himi, mom, even the mysterious Froppy- he'd become a great hero, for their sake. He turned to All Might.

"So, where do we begin?"

Toshinori gave him a warm smile before he dashed off to his truck, only to return carrying a bundle of rope. "First things first, we are going to load that fridge onto my truck!"

Several hours later, Izuku collapsed onto a recently cleared patch of sand. He lay there as Toshinori disappeared from view, only to return with a pair of bento boxes and several large bottles of water.

Gratefully taking one of the offered bottles, Izuku drank half of it immediately, before finally accepting the meal from the hero. Retrieving his bag, he sat down in the sand and made himself comfortable, fishing out his notebook between bites of the meal.

"All Might, I know there's still a lot you haven't told me about your quirk. Could I…?"

Toshinori chuckled and gave his protegee a warm smile. "You never stop, do you?"

Izuku blushed and looked down at his notebook. "I just- quirks are so cool! I've spent so long thinking about other people's quirks, and now-" Izuku looked at his mentor. "-if I'm to inherit One For All, I want to learn everything I can about it!"

"Of course!" Toshinori nodded. Holding up his hand, a warm glow began to emanate from his palm. "Its origin lies at the dawn of quirks, almost two hundred years ago. Back then, there were two quirks - one that accumulated strength, and another that simply allowed itself to be passed on. Those two quirks were combined in the body of who would become the first bearer to become One For All. A quirk that gathers the strength from each user and stores it within itself. And then when the time is right? That collective strength is passed onto the next generation, growing stronger with each."

"That means-" Izuku dropped his pen. "That I'm going to be even stronger than you?!"

"Yes," Toshinori grinned at his successor. "When you unlock One For All's full power and master it, you will be even stronger than I was at my prime."

Izuku stared reverently at Toshinori. "Two hundred years of strength… No wonder you're so strong! Any normal physical enhancement quirk couldn't explain the feats you've accomplished!"

"Indeed. I have the power of seven generations of holders behind me. And you will be the ninth holder."

Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked down at his hands. "And you chose me as your successor."

"I did, young Midoriya. And I did not make that decision lightly - as you are aware," Toshinori rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I hope someday you can properly forgive me for what I said on that roof."

"There's nothing to forgive," Izuku said earnestly. "I- I get it. What Himi and I want- what we're setting out to do- it's going to be hard. But the hardest fights are the ones most worth it, right?"

Toshinori let out a fond sigh. For the second time, he felt like he truly understood how Nana must have felt training him. "And every day you show me why my choice was the correct one. Thank you, young Midoriya."

As they resumed lunch, Izuku continued to pepper Toshinori with questions between bites, his burning curiosity about his future quirk barely satiated by the answers he was provided.

It was mid-afternoon by the time he was done. Despite his legs feeling like jelly, he said goodbye to Toshinori and began the long journey home, each step sluggish. But the promise of a hot shower and his mom's cooking kept him going, and before he knew it he had arrived back at his apartment.

"I'm home," Izuku called out, waiting nervously for one of his family members to ambush him.

"Welcome home," Inko said as she approached him. "How was your training?"

"Exhausting," Izuku admitted.

Inko gave her son a fond smile as she held out her hand. Izuku gave her a grateful look as he gave her his bag. "Why don't you clean up, and then you can rest on the couch and tell us about it?"

"That sounds great," Izuku said, mustering as much enthusiasm as he could.

Twenty minutes later Izuku emerged from the shower, feeling some of his energy coming back to him. Returning to his bedroom, he sat down at his computer and caught up on his messages. He smiled at Froppy's words of encouragement and sent them a quick message saying that he survived as well as a promise to tell them all about it later.

Grabbing his phone, Izuku returned to the living room, where his family was waiting for them. Even though he was tired, he was already looking forward to telling them all about his training.

Chapter Text

Monday morning classes passed uneventfully, and Himiko made her way to the cafeteria with the rest of her class. Splitting off from the majority, she stopped at the station that served specialized meals. Smiling, she picked up a plate of blood sausage. While Lunch Rush only had a limited selection of blood-based meals, they rotated daily and the food was so good that she didn't mind - in fact, she was grateful for how accommodating the school was.

Placing her plate on her tray, she smiled at her classmate as she stepped aside, allowing him to get his meal. She watched as he took a plate piled high with insects before she continued onward. At the main serving area she grabbed a few side dishes before she found 'their' table. Hibiki, Tomoe, and Atsuko were already seated - the duo had joined her and Atsuko for lunch on that first day, and the four of them quickly became friends.

"So when are we going to do a movie night?" Atsuko asked, eyeing Himiko knowingly.

Himiko looked at her friend in confusion for a moment before she suddenly realized what was going on. Smiling back, she turned toward their two newest friends. "You know my schedule."

"A movie night sounds fun," Habiki agreed. "I'll have to check with…"

The boy's voice trailed off as everyone felt the presence of a fifth person approaching the table. Himiko had her suspicions but tried her best to give herself a few more seconds of blissful ignorance until their classmate started speaking.

"Do you have room for one more?" Emily asked, the undercurrent of uncertainty a sharp contrast to her normally boisterous personality.

Suddenly three pairs of eyes were on Himiko. They didn't have the same issues with the American girl that Himiko did, and knew she was the only one who would protest. The look from Atsuko, in particular, hit her particularly hard.

Do you remember how you felt when I reached out to you that first day?

Damn it, Suko. Why do you have to be so noble?! Himiko thought. The worst part is she knew her best friend was right. And what Izuku would want her to do.

With a heavy sigh, she looked up at the American girl. "Sure. But I can - and will - stab you if you annoy me too much."

Emily let out a strangled cry as her face twisted in horror. Everyone at the table laughed at her response, and even Himiko felt herself grinning at the uncharacteristic response from the blonde.

"H-Hey, don't joke about that! That's not funny!"

"No, it's hilarious," Habiki admitted.

"I agree with Hideo," Atsuko said as she smiled at Himiko. "Although Himi's mostly harmless once you get to know her."

"Mostly," Himiko said, glaring at her friend. Atsuko responded by sticking her tongue out, but Himiko refused to back down. Atsuko finally conceded, giving Himiko the minor victory.

Emily recovered while the two girls had their staredown and took a seat at the table, sitting as far away from Himiko as she could - which put the two girls directly across from each other. Once she set her tray down she looked at everyone, her gaze finally settling on Himiko. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said last week. And about what Hotoko told me. I'd…" She swallowed the lump in her throat. "like to start over."

Himiko felt at a loss for words, her gaze darting between Emily and Atsuko. In the back of her mind, she could already hear Izuku's voice, encouraging her to make the right decision.

If this doesn't work, Suko and Izu are never going to hear the end of it.

"Sure, we can start over," Himiko said, grabbing a piece of blood sausage with her chopsticks. "I'm Himiko Midoriya, class 1-B. My quirk lets me transform into others by drinking their blood, and I'm here to show all of Japan that I am just as much of a hero as everyone else in the class." Himiko shoved the bite of food in her mouth, making sure to emphasize her fangs as she did so.

If Emily was startled, she didn't show it. Instead, she replied in kind. "I'm Emily Song, formerly of I-Island Academy, now attending UA as part of class 1-B. My quirk is a powerful fusion of my parents' quirks, allowing me to generate spheres of light and shoot them at high speeds," She looked down at her hand, a warm glow appearing as she demonstrated. "On the Island, everyone expected me to follow in my parents' footsteps," She clenched her hand into a fist, the light pouring out from between her fingers. "I don't want to be shackled to my parents' legacy, I want to forge my own future with my own two hands."

Himiko stared at the other blonde-haired girl as she swallowed her food, looking at her with new eyes. Sure she was loud and brash, but her hopes and dreams…

Maybe I was wrong about her.

The first half of the week was fairly uneventful. The students of 1-B were starting to get into the rhythm of their classes, learning how to improve their quirks and the fundamentals of what it meant to be a hero. A few people were even getting hyped up for the sports festival - while it mattered more for second and third years, it was the first chance for them to really show off their quirks to the world.

However, on Thursday morning, everything changed.

The students of Class 1-B were in small groups, enjoying their last moments before homeroom until Tomoe arrived, ashen-faced. Everyone stilled as their Class Representative slammed the door open with uncharacteristic forcefulness before she took a moment to compose herself. Looking over at her classmates, Tomoe walked up to the podium and stood behind it.

"I don't really have any better way to say this, but as of yesterday the entirety of Class 1-A has been expelled."

She tried to control her voice, to remain calm in the face of the news she had just delivered, but all of her classmates could hear the undercurrent of panic in her voice. It stood in sharp contrast to the normally reserved personality that she had shown her classmates and added weight to her announcement.

The classroom was still for several heartbeats, the silence total and oppressive. Then the room erupted into chaos.

"QUIET!" Emily shouted, slamming a book into the desk with a loud BANG that reverberated through the air. Everyone looked at the blond girl as she glared around the room. "She's not done yet!"

"Thank you," Tomoe said quietly as she regained her composure. "Yesterday, Class 1-A was visiting the USJ for their weekly lessons, and there was an accident. We weren't told the specifics of the incident, but in its aftermath, Aizawa-sensei expelled his entire class."

"That means-" Daisuke Oda began "-that we're the only hero students left in our year?"

"For now," Tomoe replied. "UA has always allowed other students to transfer into UA's hero program from other schools, or for someone in our own General Studies and Support tracks to transfer to the hero program. This is normally rare, because it requires a slot to be open in one of the two classes, however…" Tomoe set her face in a hard line.

"Little Sakura is correct," Kan said, taking all of the attention from Tomoe as he stood in the doorway. "Please sit down, I'll take over from here."

A brief moment of relief passed over Tomoe's face as she nodded in acknowledgment before she sat down at her desk. The rest of the class followed suit, taking the opportunity to break apart from their groups and find their seats to give their teacher a chance to explain.

Looking at his class in satisfaction, Kan took his position behind the podium before he continued. "While I won't go into specifics of what happened, Aizawa deemed the incident was severe enough to warrant the punishment," He let out a weary sigh. "Do not take this as license to relax. If anything, it means you are under even more pressure to show the world why you are different. I'm sure the media would love nothing more than to destroy our school for expelling an entire year's worth of hero course students."

"What about their records," Someone asked as their hand shot up. "Won't that cause problems for them?"

Kan looked at the student. "That is a matter between Nezu, Aizawa, and the students. Many of the students have already been re-enrolled in the General Education department, and may even rejoin class 1-A in the future. But as of now, for the rest of the semester 1-B is the only active hero course at UA."

In the back of the class, Himiko felt her fist clenching.

I've come so far - I'm not going to get expelled! Izu, Mom, even Nezu and Kan - they all worked so hard to let me get here, I refuse to disappoint them!

Her eyes darted over to her best friend. Atsuko gave her a nervous smile, but Himiko knew the other girl long enough to see what she was really feeling - dread and worry.

Don't worry Suko, we're in this together! If I'm staying, that means you're staying.

She looked over at the rest of the class, seeing mixed reactions on their faces before her eyes drifted to Song. The other girl was shaking. Himiko stared at the other girl, trying to glean the reason for her actions until she suddenly turned, their eyes locking. In that moment Himiko knew exactly what the other girl was feeling.

I'm not getting expelled, and none of you are either.

Himiko felt her lips curl upward, a fang exposing itself as she smiled at the American girl.

For the first time since school started, they both agreed on something.

Politely banging some papers on his desk, Vlad declared the topic of discussion was over as he began his morning announcements. Despite the class's best efforts, a suffocating blanket had settled over the class. Morning classes felt stifling as teachers came in and taught their lessons, and everyone was thankful to escape the room when the bell rang to signal it was lunchtime.

Even in the open air of the cafeteria, the somber mood settled over Himiko and her friends as they sat down at their table. At first, the five of them appeared content to sit there quietly, but the silence was quickly broken by a glass being slammed onto a tray.

"Oh come on, is nobody else going to talk about it?" Emily finally asked, looking exasperated at her companions.

"What else is there to say?" Tomoe asked.

"I'm just sitting here trying to think about why a teacher would expel his entire class," Habiki admitted. "How- that won't happen to us, will it?"

"No, it won't," Himiko said firmly as she crossed her arms.

"How can you be sure?" Habiki asked.

"You don't know how driven Himi is," Atsuko said, looking at her friend, before giggling. "You sure wouldn't know by looking at her."

"Gee, thanks," Himiko rolled her eyes at her friend, but the smirk on her lips revealed her true feelings. Finally, she turned her eyes to the girl sitting across from her. "And you're going to help too, whether we like it or not."

"See? You get me," Emily said, a proud smirk on her face.

"What's the plan?" Habiki asked, folding his hands as he leaned forward to see what the two girls had to say.

"For starters, this atmosphere needs to go," Emily declared. "If we're just sitting here dwelling on what happened to 1-A, our grades are going to slip."

"She's right," Tomoe said, before looking across the table at Atsuko. "You said your dad's ok with us coming over this weekend right? I think I could use a movie to take my mind off of things."

"Yep," Atsuko replied before looking at Emily and Habiki. "What about you two?"

"I'll make it work," Emily said.

"Sorry, I still can't make it," Habiki said. "As much as I'd love to, you four have fun and think of me while you're having fun."

"Next time then," Atsuko said definitively before looking at the others. "So it'll be a girl's night then. Those are always fun!"

"I know just the-"

"Himi no," Atsuko said, cutting off her best friend. "This calls for rom-coms."

"You're no fun," Himiko grumbled as she crossed her arms and pouted.

"What's that about?" Tomoe asked.

"You'll find out," Himiko said, giving an innocent smile. "Eventually!"

"Now I'm scared," Habiki said.

"Oh come on, how bad can it be?" Emily asked from across the table.

Himiko and Atsuko looked at each other as they broke down in a fit of giggles, and the other three felt a wave of dread pass over them. It did the trick though. The five students felt themselves relaxing as the blanket of worry lifted. Returning to their meals, the rest of lunch felt almost normal as they spent their time talking and joking before the next period began - their own trip to the USJ.

As they walked back to their classroom Himiko looked at her friends and Emily and silently promised herself that they weren't going to suffer 1-A's fate.

"Don't have too much fun without me," Habiki waves as he says his goodbyes to the four girls.

"We'll try," Atsuko said before turning toward the others. "Well then, shall we?"

Nodding, the four girls left the school as they made their way to the train station.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" Emily asked.

"Rom Coms!" Atsuko said proudly. "Only the highest form of comedy."

"And barbeque!" Himiko added.

"Who said anything about barbeque?" Tomoe asked.

"I did, just now," Himiko grinned. "There's a great place near 'Sukos!"

"Just don't let Himi trick you," Atsuko smirked as she looked at her friend. "Half the time she practically eats the meat raw."

"Eww," Emily made a gagging sound.

Himiko glared at the American girl. "What's wrong with that? You've seen my lunches at school, haven't you?"

"Of course I have!" Emily defended herself. "But that's prepared blood! And this is-"

"Well, it also means that I like my meat really rare!" Himiko crossed her arms. "It just tastes better that way to me!"

"Maybe I would have known that if you told me about your quirk," Emily crossed her arms and glared back.

"Is this our life now?" Tomoe asked Atsuko, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

"Until one of them kills the other, yes," Atsuko said. "I'd bet five-hundred yen on Himiko, I know what she can do."

"No deal," Tomoe giggled.

"I can hear you, you know," Emily said as she turned her glare toward the others.

"We know," Atsuko smirked. "And if you are planning to spend time with Himi and me, you'd better get used to it."

"You two are really close, aren't you?" Tomoe asked.

"Yep!" Himiko threw an arm around her best friend's shoulder. "Suko here helped me out of my shell when I transferred to her school last year."

"Would you believe that Himi used to be timid and quiet?" Atsuko asked as she looked at her friend fondly.

"Wait, really?" Emily asked in disbelief.

"It's a long story," Himiko admitted, feeling her blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Maybe someday Himi can tell you her secrets," Atsuko said.

"Come on, you can't just say something like that and leave it hanging!" Emily insisted.

"I'm actually curious too," Tomoe added.

Himiko's eyes darted back and forth between the two before she let out a sigh. "As much as I wish mom was my real mom, I'm actually adopted. Last year I moved to Mustafu to live with Mom and Izu, and that's when I transferred to Dantin."

"That's-"

"I'm sorry," Tomoe said quietly. "I didn't know."

"It's okay!" Himiko said quickly, trying to shut down the conversation. "It was the best thing to happen to me."

Fortunately, they took the hint and dropped the topic. However, Himiko could feel Emily's eyes staring at her the entire rest of the way to the train station. She didn't like it.

They arrived at Atsuko's apartment to find her father had already left for the evening. Without waiting for the others, Himiko kicked off her shoes and ran into the living room to jump onto the couch, splaying herself across it.

"Dibs!"

"Himi, you're going to have to share," Atsuko chided her as she took off her shoes.

"I don't wanna."

"Midoriya certainly seems comfy here," Emily remarked.

"You two have done this a lot, haven't you?" Tomoe asked.

"Yep!" Atsuko smiled proudly. "In middle school, my place was always the most central in our friend group. So whenever we had our girls' nights we started here."

"I wonder if that's still true?"

"That depends on if either of you would be fine hosting," Atsuko responded.

"We've got plenty of room!" Emily said.

"My parents would be fine with it on occasion, but not as a regular thing," Tomoe responded.

"Hmm, maybe we can work something out?" Atsuko asked. "Or we can just keep coming here if that's fine with both of you."

"I don't mind," Tomoe said.

"Me neither!" Emily added.

"Your dad loves me," Himiko said as she sat upright on the couch.

Atsuko smiled at the group. "I guess we'll keep the tradition going."

"Do you think the rest of your friends would mind?" Tomoe asked.

Atsuko shook her head. "I doubt it. They both ended up renting apartments and moving away for high school."

"That's a little sad, isn't it?" Tomoe asked.

"Not if they're pursuing their dreams!" Emily responded sharply. "Sometimes you need to make a drastic change in your life to live your dream!"

Himiko couldn't help but look at the American, knowing the familiar feeling all too well. Even if her change wasn't exactly voluntary. Of course she caught Atsuko staring at her with a knowing smirk, and she responded by sticking her tongue out. It was a much better response than thinking about how the blue-haired girl was right.

Again.

Unphased, Atsuko turned to face Tomoe and Emily. "But in any event, you're our friends now, and that means our tradition can continue!"

"Thank you for letting us join you," Tomoe bowed politely.

"Don't be so formal!" Himiko protested. "You'll make me feel bad."

"I wasn't going to be formal," Emily countered. "But thanks."

"You're both welcome! Himi feels the same way, even if she won't say it out loud," Atsuko smirked.

"Hey!" Himiko protested, bolting upright and looking at the pair of newcomers. "I'm glad you both came. These are always more fun with others, anyways!"

Atsuko smiled at the girls before she grabbed the pile of movie cases. "Alright, we've wasted enough time. Now let's get down to business. I've got a few options here we can choose from…"

After choosing a movie, the four girls arranged themselves on the furniture, settling in for a relaxing evening and putting the expulsion of 1-A behind them. They knew they'd have to be diligent for the rest of the semester, but as long as they stuck together, they had nothing to worry about.

Chapter Text

The following week, the students of 1-B rallied around each other and attacked their schoolwork with renewed vigor. Things felt like they had almost returned to normal, with the news of 1-As expulsion a distant memory.

That is, until the sports festival arrived.

The morning of the sports festival, Himiko felt the nervous energy that permeated the air, practically suffocating her class. The twenty of them stood in the waiting area while the opening ceremonies plodded along in the stadium, waiting for their cue.

After an eternity, they had a brief moment of relief as Present Mic announced the first class to enter the stadium - theirs.

"And now it's the moment you've all been waiting for. It's time to introduce the Hero students of UA, Class 1-B!"

Himiko walked out into the stadium in silence, and she didn't need Tomoe's enhanced senses to feel all of the eyes on her and her classmates.

"And now introducing our General Studies courses, with classes 1-C, D, and E!" Mic continued. "With only one class of hero students, this is their chance to shine. Who will emerge from their ranks to impress us? Not only from them, but from our support courses as well. Now introducing classes F, G, and H!"

From her position in the central area, Himiko watched as the other students entered. It wasn't hard for Himiko to see that they were surrounded by the same nervous energy that she and her classmates felt. This year wasn't normal - with twenty seats in 1-A waiting to be filled, many ambitious students sought their chance to prove themselves.

And many of the former students of 1-A sought a chance to re-earn their seats.

Silence fell across the arena as Midnight ascended the stage in the center of the arena. "Oooh, look at all the youthful vigor on display this year!" A mischievous smile danced across her lips. "I can't wait to see it in action, and neither can they!" She indicated the crowd with a sweep of her baton. "But first, the opening address! It will be given by the student who scored the highest on the entrance exam. From 1-B, Habiki Hideo!"

Habiki smiled at his friends before he climbed up onto the stage. Taking the microphone he looked out at all of the participants, giving particular focus to the general studies classes. "I know this year's been strange for all of us. But it's like Present Mic said: this is an opportunity. One of the biggest things I've learned this year is that anyone can be a hero. It's not just about your quirk, but also your drive and passion." He pointed to the spectators in the stands. "For everyone watching, don't just ignore the students down here just because they're not Hero students. And to everyone here," His gaze swept over his fellow first years. "Now's the time to shine! If you want to be a hero, stand up and let the world know!"

The nervous energy that had settled over the first years had changed. Where there was once fear and uncertainty, now only excitement remained. Habiki felt it too. Smiling, he pumped his fist into the air "Plus Ultra!"

"Plus Ultra!"

As Habiki returned to his class, Midnight looked out at the stadium. "What a rousing speech! Now then, time to see what the first event of the year will be!" She held out her microphone as a giant display appeared, a wheel spinning on the screen before it finally stopped on 'Maze Race.'

"Behind the arena we have erected a two-kilometer-long maze. Your goal will be to navigate the maze and be one of the first to the end! But beware, the maze is full of obstacles and devious traps just waiting to catch careless students!"

Once Midnight was done, the students began their trek to the entrance to the maze. As Himiko was walking, she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder as Tomoe whispered into her ear. "Stay close when this starts."

Giving her friend a sideways glance, Himiko gave the barest perception of a nod, knowing that was more than enough. Tomoe didn't reply, and out of the corner of her eye, Himiko watched her move onto Atsuko. The other girl had a plan, and she was willing to trust her judgment.

A moment later the students arrived at the entrance to the maze. Or rather, five large gates. They didn't have any time to worry about that before a horn blared, announcing that the race had begun. Himiko's first instincts were to charge forward. Instead, she turned to find her friends, forcing her way through the rapidly moving crowd as they grouped up around Tomoe.

"There's nothing in the rules against working together," Tomoe explained as the crowds thinned out. "So why don't we work together?"

"We're in!" Emily stated definitively, speaking for everyone. "Sakura, you've clearly got a plan, don't you?"

Tomoe gave a slight smile. "Of course. I can't use my senses for echolocation, but I can help navigate," Turning her gaze to the gates, she pointed to one. "The fourth gate is the only one where people are making forward progress."

Everyone nodded in agreement before they made their way to the gate as one. Himiko took the lead alongside Atsuko, the pair scouting for traps that haven't been triggered yet and bypassing them with creative applications of Atsuko's quirk. Habiki and Emily helped when they ran across the occasional robot, and even created a shortcut or two by blowing a hole in a wall when they found a dead end.

Meanwhile, the four of them kept their guide safe, as Sakura did her best to make a mental map of the maze and lead them toward the exit.

By Tomoe's estimate, they were halfway through the maze when they heard Mic's voice come to life over the speakers. "We have our winner folks! Mawata Fuwa from General Studies! She is the first through the maze with an amazing lead! Things are sure to heat up though, since multiple teams have already passed the halfway point!"

"Wasn't Fuwa originally part of 1-A?" Atsuko asked

"Yes," Tomoe replied. "She was one of the twelve students who were re-enrolled in General Studies after her expulsion. Nezu ensured the transition was done before the sports festival. Judging by the prize, I can understand why."

"Come ON!" Emily urged. "We don't have time to worry about stuff like that. You heard Mic! We need to keep going"

"She's right," Himiko grimaced. "We're not the only ones this far in. We can worry about the former members of 1-A from the finish line!"

"R-right," Atsuko said. "Where to next?"

The group pushed onward, the traps only becoming denser and more dangerous as they pulled ahead of the other students. They felt like they were losing time after each trap, but Tomoe continued to assure them that they were near the front of the pack as they pressed onward - that there was only one team ahead of them. After what felt like an eternity they made it to the final challenge - an open room, the goal line, and entrance to the stadium waiting for them at the other end.

"Almost there!" Emily encouraged the others. "Let's go!"

"We've still got to be careful!" Tomoe insisted.

"She's right," Atsuko agreed. "We don't want to get caught this close to the end."

They proceeded cautiously, trying to deftly avoid the final room of traps when another group of students burst into the room. A group of their classmates who also had the same idea to team up.

"There's the exit!" Amaya called out. "We can still win! I'll detonate the traps for you!" As she spoke, she activated her quirk, her body turning into water before she collapsed into a living wave that raced across the room, detonating any trap that she passed over.

"We were too cautious," Habiki yelled. Charging up his quirk, he punched the ground, unleashing a massive shockwave and detonating the landmines, turning the ground in front of them into a sticky mess of glue. "Go!"

Himiko took one last glance at Atsuko before she took off, dodging and sliding to avoid the remaining traps, all the while hearing the onrushing sound of a tidal wave. Pushing herself to her absolute limit, she willed her legs to move faster, racing across the finish line. She continued all the way into the arena, not stopping until she was back in the open courtyard.

"Damn, Midoriya," Amaya exclaimed as she reformed into a human shape and shifted back to a body made of skin and bones. "I'm impressed - not many people can keep up with me when I'm like that."

"Yeah well," Himiko said between breaths, "I had a head start!"

"True!" Amaya smirked, "I guess next time you won't be so lucky!"

"We'll see about that," Himiko gave a fierce grin in reply.

As the others from their two groups trickled in, the students of 1-B congratulated each other, before they turned to the scoreboard to see their final standings.

1 - Mawata Fuwa - General Studies

2 - Kenji Ryo - Heroics

…

5 - Himiko Midoriya - Heroics

6 - Amaya Yuki - Heroics

7 - Habiki Hideo - Heroics

8 - Atsuko Hotoko - Heroics

9 - Emily Song - Heroics

10 - Tomoe Sakura - Heroics

"Yes!" Himiko cheered. "We did it!"

In addition to the entirety of 1-B, there were an unprecedented six students from the support department and sixteen students from general studies. To everyone's surprise, of the twelve former hero students, only eight of them made the cut at the end of the first round. These eight former members of 1-A would be fierce opponents as they sought a chance to rejoin the heroics department.

After a short break, it was time for the second round.

"What an exciting race!" Midnight said to the gathered students. "And many of you showed off your amazing teamwork skills! Those same skills will serve you well this next round when you'll be teaming up for our elimination match!"

With a flourish, she gestured to the screen. The roulette wheel spun a second time, only to stop on 'Capture the Flag.'

"You'll be forming teams of two to four, and then your team will be given a base and a flag worth a total determined by your standing in the race. After that, everyone will have fifteen minutes to capture as many opposing flags and return them to their base as they can. When time is called the top sixteen finalists will advance to the finals!"

No sooner was Midnight done speaking when Emily spun around to face Himiko, a smirk on her face. "So, we're teaming up, right? There's no way I'm letting anyone else grab you."

Himiko smirked back. While she could refuse the other girl, she knew that the stubborn blonde was one of her best options. "I guess someone's gotta watch my back for me."

"Hey!"

"Actually," Tomoe interrupted the pair, "My friend from the support course made it in, along with some of his classmates." She waved at a group of students, and one waved back. "I'm going to team up with them this round." She said apologetically. "After Hideo's speech, I think it would be better if I helped them out, to give them the best chance at advancing."

"But you'd be super helpful this round!" Emily protested.

"Exactly," Tomoe smiled. "And the four of you are all amazing. None of you need my help to make it to the final round."

"I think I'm going to follow Sakura's lead," Habiki added. "Even though my quirk won't tip the scales as heavily as Midoriya's or Sakura's, I'd like to think it's still pretty good, if I do say so myself. And if I can help some general studies students with my experience, all the better."

"What about you, 'Suko?" Himiko asked as she turned toward her best friend.

"Of course I'm going to team up with you," Atsuko smirked. "Someone needs to keep the two of you from killing each other." She couldn't help but laugh at the twin reactions of Himiko and Emily as they squawked in indignation. "But who should we ask for our fourth?"

"If you don't mind, I think I have a lot to offer," The trio turned and saw a pink-haired girl approaching them. "Allow me to introduce myself," She gave them a polite bow. "My name is Mawata Fuwa."

By the end of the selection period, the students had formed a total of thirteen teams, who were then ushered off the field, allowing it to be reshaped for the event. Massive doors opened up in the arena, as thirteen small bunkers rose to the surface. Each bunker was a standard shape, a small domed building consisting of three rooms: two smaller front rooms, and a larger back room with a flagpole for the students to guard.

Having Fuwa on the team was both a blessing and a curse, Himiko realized. Not only did she add ten million points to their score, guaranteeing that anyone who had her flag was guaranteed a spot in the finals, but they were also assigned the central structure of the makeshift complex. She was sure there was some lesson in there, but she'll let Izuku explain it to her later that evening. For now, she had to focus.

Their plan was a simple one. Emily, Fuwa, and Atsuko would all guard the bunker and the ten million point flag inside. Himiko, on the other hand, had the fun job - to cause as much chaos as possible. She was perfectly happy with her role, knowing it would give her a chance to show off.

When the buzzer sounded, Himiko took off, weaving through the chaos until she found a suitable target - a general studies student hurrying back to their base with an enemy flag. Taking a deep breath, Himiko used her disappearing technique before she dashed toward the student. Grabbing him in an arm lock, she flipped him over so that he landed with a heavy thud behind a building, away from his teammates. Not giving him a chance to recover she was on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

"I need a teensy little bit of blood," Himiko gave the boy an innocent smile. "I hope you don't mind." Not bothering with waiting for a response, she bit down on his arm. She immediately felt a few droplets of blood pooling around her fangs that she greedily swallowed, while simultaneously yanking the flag out of his hands. As he watched in horror, Himiko transformed into a perfect copy of him.

"I suggest you don't follow me," Himiko whispered in his ear before standing up. Taking a moment to look properly panicked and worried, she left the cover of the building, jogging back toward "her" teammates.

"That was scary!" Himiko said as she waved the flag. "I got ambushed but managed to escape with this!"

"Her" teammates congratulated her on a job well done and she almost felt bad when they happily let her into the bunker, expecting her to hook the flag on the pole inside. That feeling disappeared when she realized they weren't paying attention to her now that she was inside. How could they be so careless? Well, that made her job easy then. Grabbing their flag off the pole, she dashed back out of the bunker. "Sorry not sorry, thanks for the flag!"

She didn't bother looking back when she heard the shouts of protest, nor did she bother to check if anyone was following her. Instead, she ducked between two nearby bunkers, maintaining her full speed as she dropped her transformation. The gray sludge sloughed off of her as she burst out the other side, feeling herself speed up now that she was back in her natural form. Scanning the bunkers to find her target, she adjusted directions and darted directly toward Tomoe's team.

As she drew close to the bunker, a support student wearing a jet-black motorcycle helmet, much like the one Tomoe wore as part of her hero costume, noticed her and aimed a project launcher at her.

"Waitwaitwait!" Himiko held up her hands defensively. "I'm here to talk to Sakura! I know she's in there! And that she can hear me!"

Without speaking the student lowered their weapon and waved her inside. Taking the offer, Himiko entered the building to see Tomoe standing there, arms crossed as she guarded the door to the flag chamber. "Please tell me you're not here to steal our flag Midoriya."

"Actually, I came here to give you these!" Himiko held up the two flags in her hands.

"What's the catch?"

"You need to stay away from our flag."

"What's to stop us from just taking these from you and then going after your flag?" The student asked through a filtered voice behind her.

Himiko turned around so that the support student could watch her roll her eyes. "Oh please. Sakura can tell you exactly why that's a terrible idea."

"She's right," Sakura admitted. "Given who's on their team, if they went on the offensive, there's no way we could stop them from reclaiming their flag and taking all of ours in the process."

The support student sighed. "They're your friends Tomoe. What do you think?"

"I think it's a good deal," Tomoe admitted, looking slyly at Himiko. "Especially since it means we don't have to worry about this troublemaker."

Himiko let out a laugh. "See? It's a win-win!" Himiko released the flags, letting them flutter to the ground. "I'll see you next round!"

Having secured one temporary alliance, Himiko spent the rest of the time sowing confusion among the other teams. She was happily bouncing around, using her agility and stealth to ambush unaware students and gather a few drops of their blood, using their form to grab flags from her "allies" and sow distrust among the teams. Most of the flags she simply dropped on the ground, watching with a grin as opposing teams fought over the newly abandoned points, but she also made sure to sneak a spare flag to Tomoe and Habiki's teammates as well.

Her little game had the desired effect, and by the end she had practically everyone distrusting each other and focused on her. Meanwhile, her teammates were comfortably holding down their base, easily repelling any attempt to take their flag. Finally, the buzzer once again rang out, announcing the end of the round. Smiling, Himiko dropped her final transformation as she walked back to her base.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," Fuwa said as Himiko approached her teammates. "I've never seen one person cause so much chaos before.

"Thanks!" Himiko beamed at her teammate before she leaned against the wall of the building and took a moment to regain her breath.

"I should be thanking you instead," Fuwa said softly as she looked towards the door of the bunker. "I… needed this chance, and you gave it to me."

"You 'needed' this chance?" Emily asked skeptically, her eyes narrowing.

"No, you're right," Fuwa's face hardened in determination. "I might not deserve this second chance, but Nezu offered it to us, and I want it."

"If you get back in the hero course," Emily unfolded her arms as she jabbed Fuwa's shoulder. "You'd better become the best damned hero you can be. Or else!"

"Or else what?" Fuwa asked suspiciously.

Emily gestured towards Himiko. "Midoriya and I will make sure your life is a living hell."

Himiko didn't particularly like the idea of being dragged into whatever squabble Emily was brewing with Fuwa, but she had to agree with her classmate. Instead of speaking, she simply gave Fuwa a fanged smile when the other student looked at her.

"I'll… keep that in mind," Fuwa said softly.

"Great!" Emily replied. "Now come on, I want to see what the final bracket looks like!"

Returning to the mustering area with the other teams, the three rejoined their classmates while Fuwa rejoined the general studies students. Once they had all gathered, the scoreboard lit up, displaying the final tallies.

1 - Team Fuwa - 10,000,535 points

2 - Team Ryo - 1,165 points

3 - Team Sakura - 955 points

4 - Team Hideo - 685 points

"What a chaotic round," Midnight announced as she walked back onto the stage. "It was so exciting to watch!" Sweeping her hand, she gestured at the scoreboard. "But alas, we can only have sixteen students in the final round. These four teams will all be moving on to the final game of the festival! What will it be this year?" She asked mysteriously.

Suddenly the scoreboard disappeared, once again replaced with a spinning wheel. It seemed to spin for an eternity, before finally stopping on 'Sword Fighting'.

"Oooh, how exhilarating! Students will be dueling with reinforced foam katanas, and their objective will be to land a hit on their opponent a total of three times! Alternatively, you could force them to concede, instead. But where is the fun in that?" Midnight asked slyly.

"Given the makeup of finalists, that actually makes sense," Tomoe speculated. "This way our class is handicapped, allowing those without our training a shot to actually show off."

"Plus it forces us to get creative with our quirks!" Emily added. "It means Hideo and I have to think on our feet, rather than just overpower our opponents."

Himiko was uncharacteristically silent while her friends talked. Her brows furrowed as she tried to figure out how to show off her quirk. She might as well be quirkless for all the good Transform will do in this match!

But she still had to try! She just… needed to figure out how!

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. The final brackets!" Midnight interrupted. Striking a pose, she directed everyone's attention to the screen as it transformed, revealing the final round.

Himiko felt a lump forming in her throat as she stared at the screen.

Himiko Midoriya vs Atsuko Hotoko

This was the worst possible outcome for her!

"Suko," Himiko called out to her friend from the door of the locker room, "can we talk?"

Atsuko jumped out of her chair. "Himi, the match is going to start soon! Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"Yeah, about that." Himiko bit her lip, feeling the familiar sting as her fang pressed into the sensitive skin. "Can I ask you for a favor?"

"If you want me to throw the match, no," She crossed her arms and smirked at her friend.

"No!" Himiko protested. "It's just - we both know you're favored to win this match. We've sparred enough at this point," Himiko huffed in frustration. "I'm not going to make it easy on you! But that's not the real problem. It's my quirk! Even if I win, I won't get to show off Transform! Not against you or anyone else!"

"I get it," Atsuko softened as she looked at her friend. "So you want to put on a show before I kick your ass?"

Himiko barked out a laugh. "You'd better be careful, or I'll win just to prove a point. But yeah, I'd like to drink some of your blood."

"My, how bold of you." Atsuko giggled. The room fell into a heavy silence as she thought it over. "Of course Himi. As long as you promise no sneak attacks while I'm letting you put on a show."

Himiko gasped in mock offense. "Suko, how dare you accuse me."

"Himi," Atsuko gave her a flat stare.

Himiko dropped her act as she rushed in to hug her friend. "You're the best friend I could have asked for!"

A gentle smile danced across Atsuko's lips as she returned the hug. "What're friends for?"

"Begin!"

The crowd watched in anticipation as Midnight announced the start of the fight. However, Himiko and Atsuko confused everyone when they calmly placed their weapons on the ground before they walked to the center of the ring.

"Are you ready, 'Suko?"

"Of course," Atsuko replied as she offered out her hand. Himiko gently took it, cradling it as if it was a precious object before she opened her mouth, revealing her fangs to the world. She heard the crowd gasp as she bit down on her friend's wrist.

Don't listen to them.

They're just proving your point!

You're going to show them all!

So that nobody else has to suffer like you did.

Letting go of her friend's hand, she swallowed the mouthful of blood and activated her quirk. She felt the familiar feeling of warm hugs and late nights wrap over her as the gray slime wrapped around her and transformed into her best friend. She could hear Present Mic in the background but she was afraid to listen, instead focusing on the feelings of her transformation as she focused her gaze on her best friend, letting it anchor her.

When her transformation was complete, Atsuko closed the gap between them and hugged Himiko, feeling her best friend shaking in her arms. "It's okay Himi, they aren't saying anything bad."

"Thanks, Suko," Himiko took a deep breath before separating. She scanned the crowd and twirled around, showing off her perfect transformation before taking a deep bow.

"Think that was enough?" Atsuko asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Himiko smiled at her friend. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Himi."

Returning to their original positions, the duo retrieved their weapons and bowed to each other. Himiko dropped her transformation, feeling the form of her friend slough off of her as she slid into a casual fighting stance, watching as Atsuko fell into a matching stance.

Raising her foam weapon, Himiko charged.

"Hotoko wins! What an intense match!" Present Mic shouted over the loudspeaker as the crowd cheered.

"Owww," Himiko said from her position facedown on the concrete. As she pushed herself up, Atsuko offered her a hand.

"Sorry Himi," Atsuko apologized, a guilty expression on her face. "That was dirty of me."

"I'll forgive you," Himiko said as she grabbed her friend's hand. "Only because it worked though!"

"Of course," Atsuko said as she allowed her friend to pull herself up. "I can't let a villain trick me!"

"What an incredible display of sportsmanship!" Midnight called from her position on the platform. "Let's hear it for Hotoko!"

Descending to the arena, Midnight raised Atsuko's hand to the cheers of the crowd. Himiko gave her friend one final smile before she walked off the field, returning to the bleachers. Despite some bruises that she knew she was going to feel later, she didn't feel bad enough to go to Recovery Girl. After all, she couldn't rely on the elderly hero forever.

As she returned to her seat, Tomoe turned to her and waved. "Midoriya, that was great!"

"How are people taking it?" Himiko asked. "The transformation, I mean."

"Listen for yourself," Tomoe said, offering her hand.

Sitting down next to her friend, Himiko took Tomoe's hand and let her friend use her quirk, enhancing Himiko's hearing to superhuman levels.

"You know, a quirk like that would be really useful for information gathering. No villain would ever suspect a thing!"

"It's a shame that her method for transformation causes such a visceral reaction, she could be a top-ranking hero otherwise!"

"I wonder if she matches voice as well, or just appearance… There aren't many shapeshifters around the world who can do both. If she can, that would make her a rare treasure."

"I would love to have her as a sidekick at my agency. There's so many applications for a shapeshifting quirk."

"You're right, I feel a little bad about my reaction when she just bit her opponent like that."

"It's a shame she revealed herself on national television like that. Then again villains could use a little paranoia, thinking about the future shapeshifter hero training at UA!"

Tears ran down Himiko's cheeks as she let go of her friend's hand.

"You're smiling," Tomoe pointed out.

"Am I?"

"Yeah," Tomoe smiled at her friend. "Looks like you made your point."

"Yay!" Himiko cheered. "Izu was right! If these people can see that a blood-based quirk isn't bad, then I'll just have to show everyone else too!"

"And here I thought I won the match," Atsuko said as she sat down next to her friend. "Better luck next year Himi."

Himiko rolled her eyes and elbowed her friend. "You know damned well that if that wasn't an open arena I would have kicked your ass."

"A hero needs to be prepared to operate under any condition," Atsuko responded with a bad Aizawa impression. "More seriously, did it work?"

"Yeah, it did," Himiko said, her smile never fading.

Chapter Text

Despite it being the first day of Golden Week, Izuku sat at his desk working on homework. His training schedule didn't care about the holiday, so he hurried to finish his schoolwork. That way he could spend what free time he did have over the vacation on the highlight of Golden Week for him - UA's Sports Festival!

It was a time-honored tradition in the Midoriya household that the first three days of Golden Week would be spent watching the festival together. Inko would make drinks and snacks and then mother and son would sit on the couch to watch as the next generation of hero hopefuls were given a chance to show their quirks to the world. Last year they added Himiko to the tradition. Even if she sat on the side of the couch and paid more attention to the family that was fostering her, she was more than happy to just be included in the tradition.

Oh, what a difference a year made!

This year, Himiko was one of the twenty hero students UA that were the highlight of the whole festival! It was a testament to how far she had come.

Izuku knew that he'd pay for it later by pushing his exercise off until late in the evening, but he didn't care! Once he finished his homework and the three-day event was over, Izuku could take it easy and use his free time to recover. And so he pushed ahead, trying to get as much done before Himiko got home.

Fortunately, he had gotten through most of the work by the time he heard the familiar sound of their apartment door slamming open.

"Mom, Izu, I'm home!" Himiko called out from the entrance.

"Welcome back Himi! How'd it go?" His mom's voice drifted further away as she went to greet her daughter.

"No Spoilers!" Izuku turned his head and shouted, cutting off his sister's response. He knew his mom wanted to know. And of course Himiko knew, but he didn't! And what's the fun of watching if she told them what happened already?

"I'm happy," Himiko told her mother. A few seconds later she poked her head into Izuku's room, with a huge grin on her face. "If you don't want spoilers you'd better get out here! Otherwise, I'm going to start telling Mom everything!"

Izuku tried to muster up a glare, but it fell apart immediately, replaced with a smile of his own. Setting his pencil down to mark his place, he traded his schoolwork for his analysis notebook and followed his sister to the living room. There Inko had already set out a small tray of treats and drinks, and the three settled on the couch, Himiko wasting no time as she leaned into her mom's side.

Once they were settled and the tissues were ready, Inko pressed play on the recording, and they watched as Mic began the opening ceremonies.

"Oh no!" Izuku exclaimed when he saw the third-round pairings go up.

"You see it too huh?" Himiko grimaced.

"What's the matter?" Inko asked as she looked. "Why is Hotoko such a problem?"

"She's sparred with Himi enough to know exactly how she fights," Izuku said. "And Himi hasn't had enough time to truly become unpredictable yet."

"And Suko has a quirk to help her out," Himiko grimaced.

"Oh, I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be," Himiko assured her mom. "Just… watch and see what happens."

Inko grabbed a tissue and rubbed her eyes. "Okay."

Grabbing the remote, Izuku pushed the fast-forward button. While the next thirty minutes have Mic giving a brief biography of the students in the top sixteen, right now it matters more to him and his mom that they saw how Himiko did. Besides, Izuku knew how Himiko felt about his hobbies and she would be bored the entire time. He'd much rather watch that segment later tonight when he's by himself and able to focus completely on the segment.

As the match started Izuku felt his mom tense up as she gripped Himiko, watching the crowd's reaction to her using her quirk like that. He carefully looked at his sister, who didn't seem to be nearly as bothered by the response as he thought she would - that means something good must have happened. Afterward, they watched the match between Himiko and Atsuko. It was close, but in the end Himiko lost.

"I'm so sorry Himi," Inko said, tears streaming down her face as she wrapped herself around her daughter.

"I-it's ok Mom!" Himiko insisted. "I got to show off my quirk, and that's what mattered!"

"How did people take it?" Izuku asked.

Himiko smiled at him as Inko pulled away, as tears threatened to fall. "They- they were impressed! Even if they didn't find the blood part cute, they were excited by what Transform did!"

"That's great!" Izuku found himself getting excited.

"Yep!" Himiko grinned. "It's- there's a lot of work to do, but it's a start!"

"Oh Himi," Inko pulled her daughter into a hug. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Mom," Himiko felt tears falling. "I couldn't do it without you- either of you."

After a few minutes, everyone calmed down and they resumed watching the festival. The top sixteen didn't actually show off many quirks, much to Izuku's disappointment, as many students couldn't- or didn't- know how to leverage their quirks to an advantage.

In the second round, Izuku had to wince when he saw Himiko's two friends facing off.

"Hotoko's got training over Hideo, but Hideo's ability to absorb kinetic energy through the palms of his hands makes it really hard to move his blade," Izuku said as he watched Atsuko and Habiki both slide into a relaxed stance.

"Yeah…" Himiko trailed off as she watched the replay. "Suko's good, but Hideo's quirk is too good for this kind of thing."

Atsuko put up a valiant effort as they both used very defensive strategies, but Hideo eventually won. After the match, he bowed to his opponent as she was rubbing her arms.

"Hideo actually felt bad, Suko lost feeling in her left arm and needed to see Recovery Girl afterward," Himiko explained.

"Wow," Izuku breathed, "that must have been intense."

"It's different when you see it up close, isn't it?" Inko asked her daughter.

"Yeah," Himiko bit her lip as she watched her friends on television, "I know I wasn't paying attention last year but… it felt different being there."

"Everyone's ok, right?" Izuku asked.

"Yep!" Himiko admitted, "Recovery Girl is amazing!"

For the second round in a row, Emily won her match effortlessly, once again placing Himiko's friends against each other for the third round. Unlike Atsuko, however, Emily was willing to fight aggressively. She kept creating bright lights as she danced around him, throwing them in his face as she weaved around, watching his movements become more erratic and unsteady as he was blinded and distracted. She took full advantage of the situation, weaving in to score three quick points and claiming victory.

"Looks like Hideo found his match," Izuku muttered as he scribbled in his notebook. "Song knew better than to face him head-on and tried to disable him instead."

"Yep," Himiko grumbled. "Song knew that was the only way she was going to win and so she took it."

"You don't sound too happy about that," Izuku said.

Himiko rolled her eyes. "Keep watching, you'll understand eventually."

On the other side of the bracket, they saw Fuwa - a general studies student and former member of 1-A, defeat Kenji Ryo, Himiko's classmate with a Super Regeneration quirk.

"What kind of quirk is that," Izuku said as he watched the pink-haired girl intently.

"Some sort of cloud generation and teleportation quirk," Himiko muttered. "She can emit these thick clouds from her body and move in them freely."

"Is it like Yuki's quirk?"

"Maybe?" Himiko said uncertainly.

Izuku nodded as he began writing questions in the margins of the page. Even if he didn't get the answers from his sister, perhaps Mic would give a better explanation in the part that he skipped. Or he could ask his sister's classmates… eventually.

Or next year he could ask Fuwa herself.

Finally, after Mic hyped up the match, the finals began. As Izuku watched, a thick fog seemed to emanate from the pink-haired girl, only for a blaze of searing white light to cut it to ribbons. This set the tone for the final match - which became a race between Fuwa's ability to generate her clouds and Emily's ability to burn them away. Without her mobility advantage, Fuwa proved to be slower than the American girl, and Emily was able to eventually score three points, winning her the sports festival.

"And that's why I'm mad that Song beat Hideo," Himiko said as the crowd was cheering on the winner. "She's going to be so insufferable for months."

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Inko tried to assure her daughter.

"You haven't met her," Himiko crossed her arms as her eyes narrowed at the zoomed-in shot of Emily, her face radiating in joy.

"I'm sure it'll turn out okay," Inko said.

"I hope so," Himiko grumbled.

Izuku made the last notes in his notebook before closing it, then stood up and stretched. "Thanks for watching with us, Himi."

Himiko's pout disappeared as she looked at her brother. "Not like I had any choice, it's a Midoriya thing."

"Don't say that," Izuku protested. "You could've always hid in your room!" Himiko looked as if she bit into a lemon, causing Izuku to smile. He knew Himiko enjoyed spending time with him and their mom, even if she refused to admit it.

Inko smiled warmly at her two children as she stood up, and decided to take pity on her daughter. "I'm sure Himi is tired after her long day, why don't you go finish your homework Izu while I start dinner?"

"Yeah!" Himiko brightened. "I'm going to go take a nice hot shower and get into something comfy."

Returning to his room, Izuku saw a notification on his phone - he had a new message waiting for him on his support forums. Deciding he had a little bit of time before going back to work, he opened up his laptop and pulled up the site.

From: Froppy

Subject: UA Sports Festival

Hey SmallMight. I don't know if you've watched the Sports Festival yet but one of the first years made a big splash today. It turns out she has a blood-based quirk and used it on camera in the third round when everyone was paying attention to her.

There's already a thread talking about it here.

I don't know what that girl's situation is, but maybe you can show your friend a recording (yes I know you've recorded it) and let her know that she's not alone, and there's someone out there at UA, of all schools?

And before you ask, I'll be watching a highlights reel later tonight. I'll let you know when I'm done if you want to talk.

Have a good evening,

~Froppy

Izuku felt like he was punched in the gut as he read the message. Himi's already getting attention? And from the same support group he's on?

Fumbling with his touchpad, Izuku clicked the link to the thread and began scrolling. There were already dozens of posts! On this particular forum, there were only two people who openly admitted that they have blood-based quirks, and one of them, in particular, was praising her bravery, hoping she would set a shining example for other heroes. The other was much less boisterous, simply saying how they cried when they saw the footage themselves.

"Himi…" Izuku said, feeling a sudden weight in his stomach.

Look at all the good your sister is doing by being unafraid of who she is.

Izuku looked down at his hands before he closed his eyes, his memory of the day All Might flooding back to him.

"If I'm using One For All… can I really say I'm fighting for quirkless people anymore?"

Himiko found herself excited when she returned to school the following Monday. Not only was she going to get her internship offers, but they also were going to select their hero names!

After lunch, Kan-sensei handed out their internship offers. Himiko felt overwhelmed by the fact that she had almost a hundred offers! Plus the forty offers available to every student!

It's a good thing Izuku is so smart! He'd be sure to help her pick the perfect offer.

She hadn't even made it through the list of offers when Kan called everyone to attention and handed the class over to Kayama for the afternoon. While Tomoe passed out dry-erase boards to everyone, Kayama gave a brief explanation of what makes a good hero name. She then warned everyone that while the names they chose now weren't permanent, they would only have one chance to change them - when they received their provisional licenses next year.

"I believe that is everything." Kayama smiled at the students as she leaned on the podium. "Does anyone have a name chosen already?"

"I'm ready!" Emily's hand shot up before anyone else had a chance, and Midnight gestured for her to come to the front.

"Because my quirk is creation and manipulation of light, I decided to go with a star-themed name!" Emily explained before flipping her board over. "I am The Shining Light Hero: Polaris!"

"The name clashes with your costume," Midnight mused, "however it is thematically appropriate for your quirk, I like it!" Midnight nodded before she looked back at the rest of the class. "Is anyone else ready?"

Atsuko raised her hand next. "I'm ready." Standing up, she walked to the podium before turning to the class. "Much like Song, I've chosen a name based on my quirk. I want to be The Protection Hero: Skyshield."

"It is simple and to the point. I approve!"

Refusing to be outdone by her friends, Himiko raised her hand. "Me too!" Jumping out of her seat, Himiko raced to the front of the room. "Much like my costume, I'm keeping with a vampire theme. It just… feels right," Himiko explained as she revealed her card.

"Oooh, very striking," Midnight mused. "But the word bloody doesn't exactly have a positive connotation."

"What about Kan-Sensei?" Himiko asked. "He is literally the Blood Hero."

Midnight gave her a small smile. "You are correct. But there is an important difference between you two - while your quirk relies on blood, his quirk involves him manipulating his own blood." Midnight paused, deep in thought until her face lit up in inspiration. Uncapping her marker, she crossed out one of the words and replaced it. "What do you think of that?"

Himiko looked at the revised title and felt her smile grow. "I like it!" Spinning to face the rest of the class, she showed them her revised hero name.

"I am The Crimson Heroine: Carmilla."

Izuku sat at his desk, his personal hero notebook sitting on a blank page.

"Izu!" Himiko shouted as he burst into his room. "I need your help!"

"Himi!" Izuku squeaked out, grabbing his notebook and slamming it. "What are you doing here?"

Himiko laughed. "I was going to say I was sneaking up on you, but you're so stuck in your head that a bad guy could have walked right up to you." She crossed the room and draped herself over him. "Whatcha working on?"

"I was just thinking about what it means to be a quirkless hero," Izuku admitted. "After your stunt at the sports festival."

Himiko rolled her eyes. "Why do you have to make things so hard on yourself?"

"Huh?"

Himiko separated herself and spun the chair around, before jabbing a finger into Izuku's chest. "Izuku, you are what matters. You-" She let out a sigh, looking like she was fighting herself to get the words out. "We both know why I'm doing this. But you- you've been wanting to be a hero ever since you were little! Before you found out you were quirkless, even! You're so smart and driven! It'd be unfair if you had a quirk," Himiko laughed.

Izuku couldn't help but laugh, feeling a tiny bit better. "Thanks, Himi. I think… I needed a reminder."

"Well, good thing your big sister is here to help." Himiko grinned at him.

"I guess so," Izuku smiled back. "So why are you here?"

"Oh yeah," Himiko grabbed her bag and fished out a tablet. "I've got too many internship offers and need your help!"

Izuku extended his hand. "Let me see." Taking the tablet from his sister, he began scrolling through. "It looks like most of these are underground heroes."

"That figures," Himiko replied. "Good to know they were paying attention!"

"A hero-led detective agency sent you an offer as well, but you'd find that boring," Izuku mused before hitting the bottom of the list. "I don't see anyone with a blood-based quirk on the list."

"Of course not." Himiko sighed. "That'd make things easy." She leaned over Izuku again. "What are my options that aren't underground?"

"That doesn't sound like you," Izuku said. "What's up?"

"It's something Song said," Himiko admitted, looking like she was ready to gag. "How we shouldn't focus on the same type of heroics all three years. If I'm going to go underground, I should intern there later. Which means something different now."

"Oh," Izuku unlocked the screen and began scrolling, his face lighting up as he stopped on an offer. "Mr. Brave actually is an interesting option."

"Who's that?" Himiko asked.

"He's a hero in the 200's, but the important part is his quirk. He turns his hair into swords and other weapons."

"So he can teach me more ways to fight?" Himiko asked excitedly.

"Exactly!" Izuku said, "And he'd probably be able to help with image management. People don't really like seeing villains all cut up."

"Their loss," Himiko said.

Izuku rolled his eyes. "Himi…"

"Fine," Himiko sighed before she snatched her tablet from Izuku's hands and looked over the offer. A grin split her face as she read the blurb. "He sounds perfect. Thanks, Izu." Himiko hugged her brother. "You're the best!"

After Himiko left, Izuku spun around and opened his notebook again. As he stared at the blank page he thought back to his sister's words.

It'd be unfair if you had a quirk.

Was Izuku thinking about this the wrong way?

Putting his pencil down, Izuku opened his laptop and opened All Might's debut video. He's watched the video thousands- tens of thousands of times over the years, and it never grew old. He hadn't even pressed the play button yet, and he already felt the smile as it formed on his lips. Pressing the button, Izuku watched as All Might appeared with his signature "I Am Here."

Pausing the video, Izuku examined All Might. As he stared at him, his eyes suddenly went wide.

Of course! All Might was once weak, too!

All of All Might's feats - his role as the number one hero - according to him, none of that would have been possible if he didn't meet his mentor. His reach - his influence. All of it was because he was given One For All!

And now, All Might wanted to give it to him. To give them the strength to enact his vision.

Izuku pulled up the forum thread about Himiko and scrolled through it. He was really happy for his sister, but she was Himiko, and he was Izuku. She would inspire people in her own way. He, on the other hand…

He wasn't trying to be like that. He wanted to help everyone - not just those who are quirkless. He wanted to be like All Might. Someone who was a symbol - someone who inspired hope in people. No matter who they were. Quirked or quirkless, mutant or emitter, heroic or villainous quirk - they all deserved hope.

Izuku closed his eyes, once again confident that accepting One For All was the right answer.

"Thank you Himi," Izuku whispered.

Chapter Text

Shoving her favorite pair of stuffed animals into her bag, Himiko zipped it up and shouldered it. Grabbing her case, she left her room, only to see Mom and Izuku standing there in the living room, waiting for her.

"Oh Himi, I'm so proud of you!" Inko said, looking at her daughter. "Going on your first internship!"

"Be sure to take lots of notes!" Izuku reminded her.

Himiko looked like she bit a lemon. "I'm going to enjoy the week away from you and Song!"

"Aww," Izuku pouted. Himiko hated when he did that - she knew she couldn't say no to him when he was like this.

"Maybe I'll tell you about it when I get back," Himiko said with a pained sigh.

"Yay! You're the best," Izuku exclaimed.

Despite her feigned aggravation, she smiled as she hugged her family goodbye.

Exiting the train station, Himiko pulled out her phone. She followed its instructions as it led her to a generic-looking building, a small sign filled with logos the only indication that it was an agency. It was certainly less flashy than she was expecting, but given Mr. Brave's ranking, she probably should've expected this.

Shoving her phone into her pocket, she entered the building, only to be greeted by an unmanned front desk. The wall behind it was decorated with the same logos as she saw out front, only this time the image was blown up to fill the entire wall. There she saw Mr. Brave's logo, along with half a dozen others that she failed to recognize - other heroes who shared the building with him, no doubt.

"There you are Carmilla! Welcome to my agency," A voice called out from the elevators.

Himiko turned toward the source of the voice to see the hero himself standing by the elevators. She flashed him a toothy smile. "And you must be Mr. Brave!"

"Indeed I am," The hero chuckled as he approached. "I hope you didn't have any trouble finding my agency."

"Nope!" Himiko chirped.

"Great! Let's go upstairs and I can show you around," Mr. Brave gestured toward the elevator.

Nodding, Himiko followed him into the elevator. The first stop was the small suite of hotel-sized rooms. While most heroes don't live in their agencies, Mr. Brave explained, they often have to work late or odd hours and so it was nice to have a proper bed to sleep in. More often than not they were saved for visiting heroes or, during this time of year, interns.

"Since you're the first one here," Mr. Brave explained as he opened a small lock box, "you get your pick of the rooms. Which one do you want?"

"It doesn't matter to me," Himiko shook her head. "Unless one has a cute view!"

"Sadly not," Mr. Brave gave a low chuckle as he took out a key and tossed it to her. "I'll give you the corner room at the end then. Not the best view but it's the biggest. Why don't you go drop off your bags before we continue?"

Without another word Himiko took off down the hallway to the room number that matched her card. Swiping her card, she opened the door and stepped in, examining her new home for the week. It was barely larger than her room at home, but it did have a private bathroom! She wouldn't have to share like the other rooms would!

Dropping her bags on her bed, she returned to the hero mentoring her and they continued on their tour. The agency had all of the basic facilities she had expected to see - although the support staff, meeting area, and gym were shared between everyone. Mr. Brave did have his own private suite though, a pair of connected offices, complete with a wall that showed off his modest awards and newspaper headlines.

After showing off the small kitchen, stocked with cartons of blood to accommodate her, and the recreational area the pair returned to the elevator.

"And that concludes our tour," Mr. Brave said. "Ready to get down to business?"

"Yep!" Himiko chirped.

"Great! Change into your training clothes and meet me at the gym. I want to see what kind of things UA's been teaching you."

When she entered the gym, she saw Mr. Brave standing off to one side, near an open weapons locker. As she approached him, he gestured to the locker. "Pick anything you'd like."

With a grin, Himiko grabbed a pair of long knives, similar in length to those she had hidden throughout her costume. Much to her disappointment the blades were dull, but she should have expected that. Matching her choice, the hero grabbed a pair of shorter knives before they moved to an open sparring circle.

"Don't hold back," The hero said as he slid into an easy stance.

"I won't!" Himiko promised as she dropped into a semi-crouch, before leaping at her opponent.

Two hours later Himiko collapsed on a bench. She had been put through the paces at UA, but this was a whole other level!

"I'm impressed you held out that long," Mr. Brave said as he offered her a bottle of water.

"So am I," Himiko said as she opened the bottle and chugged its contents. "I'm going to look super uncute tomorrow when I see those bruises."

The hero laughed as he sat down next to her. "What, is there someone you're trying to impress?"

"No," Himiko shook her head. "But it doesn't matter! I always want to look cute!"

"I see," The hero examined her critically. "That's the risk you take by sticking to knives. They offer a distinct advantage over nothing but you've gotta get close, and if you're not decisive you risk getting hurt in return."

"Don't care," Himiko said. "That just means I need to get better!"

"I thought you might say that," The hero gave her a wry smile. "The good news is your fundamentals are solid. But you're lacking in experience - although I'd be worried if you actually had more!" He laughed.

Himiko giggled. "I've been practicing lots, but I haven't really had to fight anyone yet."

"Hopefully that doesn't change this week," Mr. Brave admitted.

"But then how will I get experience?" Himiko asked, disappointment creeping into her voice.

The hero smirked and held out one of the practice knives. "I have a few ideas to improve your techniques. Ready for round two?"

Himiko groaned. Izuku should have warned her what she was getting into!

After another hour Himiko felt a fresh round of bruises.

"You're getting better!" Mr. Brave complimented her.

"Thanks," Himiko deadpanned as she took the offered bottle of water. "It doesn't feel that way."

"It may not feel like it, but you're learning fast," The hero smiled. "I know we've only got a week together, but I think that's plenty of time."

"I hope so," Himiko grumbled.

The hero chuckled. "Now then, onto patrol! Why don't you grab a shower and meet me out front?"

"Okay!" Himiko perked up. The training was rough, but patrol should be fun!

As they began to walk along one of Mr. Brave's patrol routes, Himiko was filled with nervous energy. This is when the action's supposed to happen, right?

So why was she feeling disappointment every time they turned a corner, only for everything to be so normal and unexciting?

"You were expecting more excitement, weren't you?" The hero asked as if he sensed her discomfort.

"N-no," Himiko shuttered out, feeling her cheeks heating up.

"I know patrols aren't the most exciting thing," Mr. Brave explained as he waved to an old lady tending a vegetable stall. "But it helps the people you are protecting feel safe. And when they're safe, they trust you more."

"That's a problem?" Himiko asked.

"It is when you turn your hair into swords," The hero replied, pulling out a tuft of hair to demonstrate.

"Oh," Himiko said.

"Now do you understand how important they are?" The hero asked knowingly.

Himiko bit her lip as she saw a salaryman politely greet Mr. Brave as he passed by. They treated him as if he was normal, that his quirk wasn't weird or messy or scary.

"Can I be like that?" Himiko asked.

"Of course you can!" Mr. Brave replied. "You're a hero, just like me. Even if your methods aren't traditional."

Looking around, Himiko saw a couple of children staring at her. Deciding to try his advice, she gave them a polite smile and waved. The kids brightened at her response and waved back, prompting her to give them a toothy smile in return. They didn't flinch, nor show any signs of finding her creepy! Instead, they simply returned to playing their game.

"See what I mean?"

"Yeah," Himiko said as she watched the kids. "I'm starting to get it."

The smile never left her face for the rest of the patrol.

For her next patrol, she was filled with a different sensation. She felt like something was off - like she was being watched. Himiko spent most of the patrol on high alert, constantly searching high and low for the source of the sensation. If for no other reason then she wanted to know who was interested in her.

About halfway through the patrol, the sensation increased. Spinning around, she finally found the source of the sensation. Across the street, there was a tall woman standing there, staring at her. She was smart - she wore a baggy jogging outfit that concealed most of her features while not looking out of place, and she was wearing sunglasses, leaving her hair as her one defining feature. It was a two-tone pink and navy, a rather unique combination.

Himiko made a note of it as she tried to stare down the woman - which was hard to do when she was wearing sunglasses! But even with the barrier, she felt the other woman's eyes boring into her.

She refused to back down.

"Is something wrong Carmilla?" Mr. Brave asked, noticing her distraction.

Blinking, Himiko turned toward the hero. "I saw a woman-" When she turned her attention back across the street, she saw the other woman was no longer there. "-she's gone!"

"Hmm," Mr. Brave rubbed his chin. "What did she look like?"

"She had sunglasses and a jogging outfit," Himiko explained.

"Sounds like someone out for a run," The hero said. "Was she doing anything suspicious?"

"No," Himiko admitted. "It just… it felt like she was watching me!"

"Do you think she recognized you from the Sports Festival? You did make a splash on national television after all."

"Maybe…" Himiko bit her lip, feeling her fang sinking into the soft flesh. It could have been that, but it didn't explain the feeling she experienced.

"Let me know if you catch her watching you again. It might be nothing, but if your instincts are telling you otherwise…" The hero looked at his intern. "It's good to trust and hone them."

Himiko nodded. "I will!"

"Let's keep going then."

"Alright!" Himiko agreed before falling in alongside the hero.

She wasn't sure if she felt better or worse about the fact that the sensation didn't return the rest of the patrol.

On the third day of the internship, Himiko finally saw her first combat.

Partway through their patrol they heard a commotion. Himiko looked at her mentor and he returned her gaze. "Be ready Carmilla."

"Yes sir!" Himiko chirped.

The two raced forward, Himiko drawing a pair of knives while Mr. Brave pulled a tuft of hair out to form a sword.

Moments later they arrived at the scene, where a crowd of civilians were forming a loose circle around a pair of thugs - who were holding a hostage. Himiko looked over the thugs, trying to put her lessons to use as she evaluated them. One of the two had long ropey arms that he had wrapped around the woman, holding her up in the air. The other man was a large muscled figure with a huge shark-like mouth, and waving a knife menacingly.

"Lady, all you had to do was hand over your wallet. Then we would have left you alone and everything would be great. But now look at the mess you've made!" Shark-mouth complained.

"This is your one warning," Mr. Brave announced as he pushed through the crowd. "Unhand her now, before anyone gets hurt."

"This is just great," Rope-arms complained. "Now the heroes are here!"

"Stay back!" Shark-teeth ordered as he held the knife closer to the woman's throat. "Or else!"

Himiko looked at the villains, and an idea began to form in her head.

Maybe…

She slipped her knives into their holsters and raised their hands. "Fine, you win!" She began backing away from the villains.

"Carmilla, what are you doing?" Mr. Brave hissed.

"I'll make an opening for you," Himiko whispered back. "I just- need a moment!" Mr. Brave frowned, letting her know exactly what he thought of this idea. Himiko gave him a pleading look. "You said to trust my instincts, right?"

Mr. Brave stared at her, before giving her a single nod. He then turned his attention back toward the villains and took a sidestep to place himself between them and his intern.

"Looks like the girl's lost her nerve," Shark-mouth boasted. "What about you? Don't you care about this woman?"

"My intern is still young and inexperienced," Mr. Brave explained. "But I can't let you go! I have a job to protect these people!"

"Seems like you're doing a poor job of it," The villain taunted. "Admit it, all you really care about is putting villains away. Well guess what? We're not gonna let that happen to us!"

As her mentor kept talking, Himiko carefully picked her way through the crowd, trying to get as close to Shark-Mouth as she could. As she got closer, she tried to steady her breathing - her heart was pounding at the thought of what she was about to do! She's used her disappearing trick so often that it's become second nature to her, even in her mock battles at UA, but this is different! The woman was counting on her!

If she screwed up, the woman could be hurt… or worse.

I believe in you Himi! Izuku's voice silently cheered from the back of her mind.

"I won't let you down, Izu," Himiko whispered.

Well - if she didn't get kicked out of her internship. She didn't exactly tell Mr. Brave how she was planning to cause a distraction, after all!

Shoving all of her doubt aside, Himiko took several steadying breaths before she stopped breathing. Determination filling her face, she stepped out of the crowd towards Shark-mouth.

Everything happened so quickly after that. Reaching out, she grabbed his knife hand and twisted it, watching the knife clatter to the ground as she pulled his arm behind his back. "Sorry not sorry."

From the corner of her eye, Himiko watched as Mr. Brave leaped into action, charging toward Rope-arms. The villain yelped in surprise as he realized what was happening, and threw the woman between him and the oncoming hero. Mr. Brave anticipated the maneuver and pirouetted to the side, driving his sword into the villain's shoulder. Crying out in pain, the villain's grip loosened, giving the hero a chance to pull her free.

Unfortunately for Himiko, her moment of distraction gave Shark-mouth the time he needed to recover. Using his enhanced strength and durability, he wrenched his arm free and drove a meaty fist into Himiko's stomach, causing her to double over in pain. Backing up a step as she coughed, Himiko saw the man retrieve the knife from the ground.

"You'll pay for that," Shark-mouth growled as he took a swing at the young hero-in-training.

"Too slow," Himiko said as she brought up her own knife, blocking the blade. "You're gonna have to do better."

"Grr! I'll show you!" The man said, throwing out another punch and forcing Himiko to jump back.

As she landed, Himiko flashed a predatory smile as she drew a second knife. "I'd like to see you try."

Changing tactics, the villain opened his mouth wide and tried to bite down on Himiko's hand, seemingly uncaring about her knife. With an uncharacteristic cry (so uncute! The only person who's heard it has been family and she wanted to keep it that way!) she pulled her hand back, not wanting to test if a knife in his mouth would even work.

"Look at what you made me do," Himiko complained as she danced backward. "Now I've gotta make you pay!"

Dashing forward, Himiko cut a gash along the villain's arm, hoping to make him drop his knife - and to buy time for Mr. Brave. She saw the beautiful trail of crimson that she left behind on his muscled arm, but all it seemed to do was make her opponent angrier.

Guess that means he's got some sharklike instincts in him, oops.

The villain seemed to stop caring about his knife as he simply charged, focused on trying to bite Himiko. The good news for her is in this state his movements were sloppy and predictable, making it easy for her to dodge. The bad news is he was quick enough, and durable enough, that she couldn't find an opening to stop him herself.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Mr. Brave asked, grabbing a new tuft of hair as he joined the fight. As Himiko glanced behind him, she saw that he had disabled Rope-arms, whose hands were wrapped around his body before being bound in handcuffs.

It looked uncomfortable, but it did the job.

"I think I will," Shark-mouth growled before spinning around and charging at the hero. With his longer weapon Brave took the risk she didn't, forcing the villain to bite down on his hair-sword.

Himiko took the moment of reprieve for all it was worth and stood up. She had to do something to help! Her knives weren't working - she'd have to risk seriously injuring the villain if she wanted to stop him.

That's when she got an idea - of course! Eyeing her knives, she saw the rivulets of blood that still clung to them, and smiled.

Mr. Brave felt his weapon hold against the villain, but his strength was another story. He was forced to concede in this tug-of-war game, letting go of his hair blade and watching it collapse into a normal pile of hair as Shark-mouth stumbled forward, spitting out the mouthful of hair. He was already reaching for another tuft of hair, when he saw another Shark-mouth barrel into the first, slamming him into the ground.

"Carmilla?" The hero shouted in surprise.

"I'll keep him pinned," Himiko shouted as she grabbed his arm. With her quirk simulating the man's muscle mass, she found it much easier to hold him.

"Get off of me!" The villain growled from underneath her, struggling to get her off. For all his strength, he wasn't used to fighting someone as heavy - or as strong - as he was.

"Nope!" Himiko chirped, giving him a too-wide smile that she imagined looked incredibly creepy with the rows upon rows of teeth she had right now. "Why don't you surrender?"

The villain continued to struggle until he saw a pair of hair-swords enter his vision as Mr. Brave stood over him. "I agree."

Seeming to regain some of his senses, the villain looked up at the hero and thought about his options. It wasn't looking good, and with his buddy disabled, there wasn't a lot he could do. With a growl he finally ceased struggling, his body relaxing under Himiko.

Wasting no time, the hero kept one sword pointed at the villain while he pulled a pair of handcuffs from his belt and tossed them at Himiko. Taking a chance, she freed one of her arms to catch them, and quickly cuffed the villain's arms behind his back. Finally relaxing, she eased herself off of the villain.

"That was some quick thinking on your part," The hero complimented Himiko as he offered her a hand.

"Thanks!" Himiko chirped, taking his hand and pulling herself upright. Releasing her transformation, she felt Shark-mouth's large and uncute form slough off of her, disappearing into a pile of gray sludge around her feet. Padding back to her discarded attire, Himiko began pulling her boots back on - while her bodysuit was crafted to specifically survive when she used Transform, the rest of her costume wasn't, so she had to quickly rip her boots and jacket off. Once she zipped up her coat, she spun around to face the hero, who had managed to get both of them standing.

"Unfortunately for you," the hero continued, "we are going to have to spend time working on your communication skills."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Himiko said, feigning ignorance.

"Carmilla…" The hero said, in a tone that brooked no argument.

Himiko felt her face heating up as she tried to shrink into the collar of her coat. "Remember my stealth technique? It seemed like a good idea at the time!"

"But there were two of them, what if the other guy caught on? That could have ended badly for you - or for the hostage," The hero chided her.

"I know," Himiko sighed. "I considered it, but it still seemed like a good idea!"

"At least you understand what could have happened," The hero crossed his arms, but Himiko swore she saw the ghost of a smile on his face. "Go make sure the civilian's safe while I call the police."

Feeling herself relaxing, Himiko walked over to the lady who was currently sitting on the ground. Kneeling next to her, Himiko asked if everything was ok. The woman gave an unsteady nod before she spoke, saying she wasn't hurt - just shaken up. She was grabbed by one of Rope-arms arms and dragged into an alleyway where they tried to intimidate her into giving them her wallet. She tried to run, but they caught her, and then the heroes arrived.

Himiko recalled her training and tried to calm the woman down, reassuring her that everything was safe. It took some coaxing, especially since this wasn't one of Himiko's strong points, but eventually the woman began to relax.

At the sound of sirens, Himiko helped the other woman stand, guiding her to the waiting paramedics.

That was when she felt that sensation again.

Spinning around, Himiko immediately found her. The lady with the navy-and-pink two-tone hair and jogging outfit. Even through the sunglasses, Himiko could feel the piercing gaze, as if it was studying her, looking for something.

Making a decision, Himiko glanced back at the paramedics and saw they were now talking with the woman. Once she confirmed that she was safe, she turned her attention back to her mysterious watcher - only to see she had disappeared again. Unable to help herself, Himiko ran over to where she stood moments ago, but the woman was gone.

Confused and disappointed, Himiko returned to where the hero was speaking with the police.

"And there's my intern now," Mr. Brave said with a hint of pride in his voice. "Officers, I'd like you to meet Carmilla."

"We heard what you did," one of the officers said.

"Hey, I remember you - from the Sports Festival!"

"Yep!" Himiko said a little too quickly. "That's me!"

"It sounds like you've got a bright future ahead of you," The second officer said. "I can't wait to see what happens."

"Me neither!" Himiko said, feeling herself relax slightly. Looking at the hero, she saw him giving her an approving smile and felt her stomach unclench. Even though he didn't approve of her methods, he wasn't mad.

After giving her side of the story and answering some basic questions, the officers dismissed the heroes. As they walked away, Mr. Brave turned to his intern. "Unfortunately our patrol's gonna get cut short today. However! I figured out the perfect punishment for you disobeying me."

"W-what's that?" Himiko asked.

"When we get back to the agency, I'm going to give you firsthand experience in a part of heroics that I know you're going to absolutely love." Based on his cheeky grin, Himiko knew she was going to hate what he was about to say. "We're going to fill out this police report together."

Himiko let out a loud groan.

After her final training session, Himiko showered and donned her costume to participate in one last patrol with Mr. Brave. However, as she went to the lobby to meet with the hero, she saw he wasn't alone. There was a man dressed in business casual attire waiting alongside him… as well as a little girl who was hiding behind his legs.

"Ah, and there she is now," Mr. Brave smiled as he gestured toward Himiko. "You're lucky, today is Carmilla's last day before she returns to UA."

"M-me?" Himiko asked, confused and surprised.

"Yes," The hero gave her a knowing smile. "It turns out you made the news thanks to Wednesday's attack, and they found out you were here. So they called the agency and asked if they could meet you."

Himiko froze. "Why would you want to meet me?" She asked, feeling as nervous as her brother usually was!

"It's my daughter," The man said with a polite bow. "I am Dr. Andou, a trauma surgeon at the local hospital. My quirk," he held up one of his hands, which began to glow with warm red light, "is well-suited for my line of work. If I activate it, I can dull all sensations in the area I'm touching. It is quite an amazing gift, and I can use it to help so many people. My daughter has inherited my quirk - quite possibly an even stronger version of my quirk. However, her quirk also mutated - its activation condition is different from mine."

She didn't need Izuku to figure out what he meant. As the force of the information hit her, she knelt in front of the man, so she'd be closer to the little girl's height. "What is your name?"

The girl poked her head around her father's legs to look at Himiko. "My name's Kyoto."

As she spoke, Himiko's suspicions were confirmed when she saw them - four little fangs. She looked up at the girl's father. "Her activation trigger - it's drinking someone's blood, isn't it?"

"Yes," The doctor nodded. "If little Kyoto drinks someone's blood, she can completely control their ability to feel pain temporarily."

Himiko looked back at the little girl. "And you wanted to meet… me?"

"I saw you at the sports festival!" Kyoto replied as she stepped out from behind her father. "It was the first time I ever saw someone like me!"

Like me. Someone with fangs and a blood-based quirk.

Reaching out, Himiko pulled the girl into a gentle hug. She realized she probably should have asked as she felt Kyoto stiffen in surprise, but her worries quickly faded as the child hugged her back.

"When she saw you on the television, she broke down in tears," the doctor explained. "We know how uncommon blood-based activation for a quirk is. Kyoto's never met anyone like her before. To see someone else out there - someone trying to be a hero no less…"

Himiko pulled back to look at the girl in her arms. "Can you smile for me?"

Kyoto nodded before giving Himiko a wide smile, and Himiko could see her fangs. Himiko didn't even have to try - she already felt herself smiling back, her own fangs prominently on display. "You've got the cutest little smile! Don't you dare let anyone tell you you don't!"

"Thank you!" Kyoto cried out before attaching herself to Himiko again.

Wrapping her arms around the girl, Himiko stood up to look at the doctor again. "What about her… dietary needs?"

The father seemed to sense her concern and gave her a reassuring look. "Don't worry, we know all about them. When she started complaining about headaches - a little after her quirk finally appeared - we took her to a specialist. That's when we found out about her malnourishment and why her body was showing conditions that closely resemble anemia. Now she gets a glass of special juice at every meal."

"It's tasty!" Kyoka replied. "Mom and Dad say it keeps the headaches away!"

Himiko smiled fondly at the girl. "It'll help you grow up to be a big, strong girl someday. And if you want, you can use your quirk to help lots of people, just like your dad!"

"Yeah!" Kyoto said enthusiastically. "I want to become a doctor someday, just like he is!"

Himiko could feel the tears running down her face as she set the little girl down. "When you do I'll be sure to come and find you if I need surgery, okay?"

"Okay!" The girl said excitedly.

Standing back up, she swiped the tears away to look at the doctor. "I'm glad you came by, thank you!"

"Really, we are the ones who should be thanking you," Dr. Andou replied. "What you did… I think it's safe to say my daughter may be your first fan."

Looking down at the girl, Himiko smiled. "I promise I won't let you down!"

Once she got her tears under control, Himiko gave the family an autograph and took several photos with little Kyoto. She watched them leave in silence, the smile never leaving her face.

"How are you feeling Carmilla? Up for one last patrol?"

Himiko turned to face the hero, feeling a new energy invigorating her. "I'm looking forward to it!"

Chapter Text

As Himiko and Atsuko returned to class the following Monday, they saw their friends and classmates talking about their internships. Unfortunately, it appeared that Emily had already cornered Habiki and was questioning him, her hand flying across her tablet as she took notes. Spotting the two girls coming in, Habiki saw his opening and waved them over.

"Midoriya, Hotoko!" Habiki called out. "How were your internships?"

"What, our group chat wasn't enough?" Atsuko asked playfully.

"I'm sure Midoriya wants to tell us what happened in person," Habiki smiled at Himiko.

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood," Himiko said as she rolled her eyes. "And that little Kyoto was so cute." As she spoke, she was already reaching into her bag to retrieve her cell phone, before she showed her friends the lock screen. It was, in her opinion, the cutest photo out of all of them, with her kneeling and Kyoto standing proudly next to her, both of them flashing toothy smiles at the camera to show off their fangs.

"Hey!" Emily protested from behind Habiki. "I wasn't done yet!"

"I already told you all about the heroes at the agency," Habiki protested.

"Yes but what about that group of villains you fought? I want to know their quirks too!"

"Seriously?" Himiko gave the other girl a flat stare. "Who cares if they're locked up?"

"They won't be forever," Emily pointed her stylus accusingly at Himiko. "This could be valuable information in the future!"

"I could tell you about them later?" Habiki offered. "Personally I'd like to hear how everyone else's internships went."

Emily crossed her arms and glared at Habiki, before finally relenting. "Fine. Midoriya, what can you tell us about Mr. Brave's qui-"

"Nope!" Himiko declared. "I already had to deal with Izu yesterday, I'm not repeating myself."

"That's not fair! Why does your brother get that info while I don't?" Emily demanded.

"Do you seriously have to ask?" Himiko deadpanned as she glared at the girl through lidded eyes.

"Why don't I go first?" Atsuko suggested as she stepped between the two girls. "Maybe Himi will be willing to talk about it later this week?"

"I doubt it," Himiko said, grinning at her friend.

"We'll see about that," Emily countered.

"You know how she is," Habiki cautioned Himiko.

"And you know how I am," Himiko gave an all-to-satisfied smile before she looked at her best friend. "But yes! Tell us how your internship went!"

Atsuko watched Emily settle on a desk and prop her tablet up with her legs. Deciding to mimic her she sat down on another desk. "Takeshita was a bit absent-minded, but he meant well! His bamboo manipulation did give me a few ideas though!"

"Waitasec!" Emily said as she furiously hammered away at her tablet, pulling up something. "Ok, he can cause a small piece of bamboo to grow rapidly right? And he can manipulate its growth?"

"Yep," Atsuko replied. "He had these little bamboo kunai that he would throw into the ground, and then use them to grow all sorts of things! I saw him use them to capture a villain and to prop up a falling tree."

"He can grow things remotely?" Emily asked.

"Mhm," Atsuko nodded. "He needed to touch the bamboo to activate his quirk, but once he's done that he has a few minutes to manipulate it into any shape he wants."

Nodding along, Emily wrote down everything Atsuko told her. Himiko tried to listen intently but soon found herself getting bored of the quirk talk. "That's not important though. Tell us about what you did, Suko!"

"I thought you'd never ask," Atsuko smiled at her friend. "Lots of training, just like everyone else did. Takeshita liked doing early patrols, so we were out of the agency by 5 every morning."

"That sounds horrible," Himiko shuddered.

"It doesn't seem too bad," Habiki countered. "You'd be done nice and early in the day."

"If only it were that simple," Atsuko said. "Once patrol was done that's when the real training began."

"But you learned a lot, didn't you?" Emily asked, tapping on the screen to bring up her classmate's profile.

"Yep!" Atsuko agreed. "He would grow a simple shape out of bamboo and then he had me seal it in a barrier without disturbing the leaves. At first he started with simple shapes - cylinders and boxes, but then he started having me work with more complicated shapes."

"That's really smart," Emily said as she paused in her writing to look up at her friend. "And you're going to keep working at that, right?"

"Of course!" Atsuko feigned offense. "I may not be Little Miss Perfect like you are, but I'm not going to slack off either."

If Emily took offense to the jab, she didn't show it as she looked back at her tablet. "Were there any other heroes or interns at the agency?"

"Not that I ran into, no. Takeshita was very proud of the fact that he recently managed to start an agency by himself. It was small and he didn't have any full-time staff, but that didn't matter to him."

"If he's absentminded that could be trouble," Habiki pointed out.

"You caught that?" Atsuko smiled sheepishly at the boy. "I was a little worried, but he's hired a recently graduated business course student who comes by a couple hours a day to help out."

"That's a relief," Habiki said.

"Boring," Himiko interjected. "Tell us about the exciting stuff!"

Atsuko lit up as she looked at her best friend. "I was wondering when you were gonna ask about the fighting."

"Hey, nobody else got to participate in a raid," Himiko pointed out. "I want details!"

"Yes!" Emily agreed loudly.

"I sent you the news article," Atsuko playfully rolled her eyes. "Takeshita was contacted by Ingenium to act as crowd control and to keep the gang from escaping. So we never actually went into the building."

"Still!" Emily said. "You were there when the villains were arrested, what were their quirks? Who was there from Team Idaten?"

"Ingenium was there," Atsuko explained, "along with Enigma and Controller."

"Controller?" Emily's eyes lit up. "Did you get to meet her? I'd love to know more about her!"

"Who's that?" Himiko asked.

"How do you-" Emily scoffed and crossed her arms. "Her quirk is Machine Control. She fights via drones that she controls with her quirk! It's really cool!"

"I never thought that would be one of your favorites," Habiki admitted. "But when you explain it, I can see it."

"Of course," Emily had an all-to-satisfied look on her face. "There aren't many big-name heroes in Japan that rely on support gear - most prefer to simply use their quirks unaugmented."

"But doesn't she need the support gear to use her quirk?" Atsuko asked.

"Yes, but she has embraced it! Her whole outfit is full of support gear, not just drones," Emily explained.

"Once you're done fangirling, I'm sure Suko would like to continue," Himiko said.

"Fine," Emily rolled her eyes. "So what happened?"

"Once Controller verified everyone was inside, Takeshita and I blocked the entrances - well, Takeshita blocked all of them except for one back entrance, which we were both positioned by. Ingenium deemed that the most likely escape route, and so he had us monitor that one in person."

"So what happened?"

"Well Ingenium went in, and about five minutes later a pair of villains escaped - a man whose quirk allowed him to create razor blades out of his skin-" She paused to look at Himiko, seeing if her best friend wanted to respond. Himiko looked like she wanted to say something, but then she eyed Emily and thought better about it. Nodding, Atsuko continued. "And a woman who could cause anything she touched to rocket forward."

"That sounds like an amazing quirk!" Emily said. "Why would she waste it being a villain?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Atsuko said. "But I bet you can see where this is going…"

"I'd still like to hear it," Habiki said.

"Thanks," Atsuko smiled at the boy. "So Takeshita used his quirk to create a bamboo cage around them, and they quickly broke it, the woman even sent bamboo flying at us."

"That's how your arm got cut up, wasn't it?" Himiko asked.

"Yeah," Atsuko nodded solemnly. "But then as they were trying to run, Takeshita threw his second round of bamboo and told me that it was my turn. Just like our practice sessions, I built a cage around the bamboo.

"That's smart!" Emily said. "Because I bet neither of their quirks worked on your air barriers, did they?"

"Nope!" Atsuko smiled proudly. "Turns out that I can pretty much hard-counter any contact-based quirks with mine."

"That's great!" Habiki exclaimed. "I bet tons of heroes will be asking for your help once you graduate."

"Here's hoping," Atsuko said before she turned toward Habiki. "How about your internship?"

Habiki opened his mouth to speak when they heard the door open, revealing Kan and Tomoe. Turning to his friends, Habiki quickly whispered. "I'll tell you all at lunch," before he made his way to his seat.

Feeling slightly disappointed, Himiko went to her seat. Looking down at her phone, she smiled at the lock screen one last time before she shoved it into her bag. She'll just have to brag about her fan at lunch, then.

"I think that's enough for today!" Toshinori declared.

Relieved, Izuku collapsed onto the beach, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Toshinori took one look around the beach at the progress that he made today before looking at his student. While it was impressive, Izuku seemed even more worn out than usual. Deciding to get to the bottom of this, he retrieved a bottle of water before walking over to his student and offering it to him.

"Thank you All Might," Izuku said as he grabbed the bottle. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he cracked the seal and drank half the bottle in a single gulp.

"You really have been pushing yourself as of late," Toshinori observed. "Is everything okay?"

"You've noticed?" Izuku asked sheepishly.

"Of course!" Toshinori exclaimed. "What kind of mentor would I be otherwise?"

Izuku held up his hands defensively, accidentally splashing himself with water in the process. "I've just-" Izuku lowered his hands slowly. "Ever since Himi showed the world her quirk at the Sports Festival, I've been thinking about my own motivation."

"Oh?" Toshinori asked, kneeling to be on Izuku's level. "And what have you discovered?"

Izuku took another drink from the bottle, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "I guess I'm curious. I've read things about the time before All Might but - how bad was it?"

"Why the sudden interest in history?" Toshinori asked.

"It's just-" Izuku crushed the bottle in his hands. "I guess it's silly, but I was doubting myself. When I saw the real impact Himi was having on people's lives with her reveal at the Sports Festival, I was worried that by accepting One For All, I didn't think I was good enough."

"Young Midoriya-"

Izuku shook his head emphatically. "But I was thinking about it all wrong! I've realized- I want to do a lot more than Himi. So I guess, what I'm trying to say is that you were right, and I'm sorry for doubting you."

Toshinori gave a fond sigh as he looked at Izuku. "You're allowed to feel that way. There were times when I faltered as well."

"You too?" Izuku gasped.

Toshinori chuckled. "Is it so hard to believe?"

"I guess not…" Izuku admitted.

"The first few years were the hardest," Toshinori admitted. "When my mentor died, I was forced to flee Japan and finish my training in America."

Izuku gasped. "You fled?! But you always told people that you were simply studying abroad!"

"I did, and I was," Toshinori let out a weary sigh. "I had hoped to not trouble you with this because this has nothing to do with you, but there is far more to One For All than I have let on."

Izuku suddenly was laser focused on his mentor. "Is this about your battle from five years ago?"

Toshinori laughed so hard he had a coughing fit. Once he got under control he wiped the blood away from his mouth. "You are quite the perceptive one! Yes. You see, there is a counterpart quirk to One For All - a quirk called All For One. A quirk with the power to give and take quirks."

Izuku's eyes went wide. "That-" he pressed his thumb to his chin as he began thinking about the implications, "a quirk like that by itself is seemingly benign, but its power is entirely dependent on the quirks that the user was able to get their hands on."

"Precisely," Toshinori explained. "And there was one quirk All For One was unable to steal - his brother's."

"One For All," Izuku looked up to Toshinori.

"Exactly! And so the owners of those two quirks fought for almost two hundred years, since the dawn of quirks itself. Every time All For One inevitably overpowered the holder of One For All, killing them," He saw Izuku pale. "Until five years ago."

"You- you stopped All For One?" Izuku asked cautiously.

"I did," Toshinori nodded solemnly. "It was the culmination of thirty-five years of work, but I finally put an end to his reign of terror."

"That's… a lot," Izuku admitted.

"It was why I hoped to not burden you with it," Toshinori sighed. "Their conflict has cast a shadow over Japan for far too long, and it is time for Japan to move past that."

"I understand," Izuku nodded. "Thank you for telling me."

Toshinori smiled at his successor. "Now then, to continue my point - when I went to America I felt scared and alone. But I found friends and allies, people who believed in me. And when I faltered, I remembered their words. And I remembered Nana's words - to keep smiling. Before I knew it, I grew into the hero I wanted to be." Looking up, Toshinori's gaze swept across the beach. "Looking at how far you've come, I have no fear that you'll become a fine hero - that someday, you may even surpass me."

Izuku's face lit up in a bright crimson as he held his hands up defensively. "I- there's no way I could surpass you!"

"It's more likely than you think," Toshinori chuckled as he stood up. "As long as you don't hurt yourself before you even begin!"

"I-" Izuku dropped his hands in defeat. "You're right. I'll be more careful."

"Young Midoriya," Toshinori placed a hand on his shoulder. "Your desire to push yourself further is not bad. It is admirable even. But it is important to know your limits. You don't want to burn yourself out before you've even reached the starting line!"

Izuku nodded in understanding. "I promise if things get bad I'll cut back."

Toshinori gave his successor a warm smile. "That's all I can ask for."

Returning to his office at the top of Might Tower, Toshinori sat down at his desk with a weary sigh. Thinking back on his conversation with Izuku, he looked at the photos on the corner of his desk, until his eyes landed on one in particular.

With a fond smile, he picked up the photo and examined it. It was taken last time he was at I-Island visiting his friend David. Melissa had just gotten accepted into the Academy and he had rearranged his scheduled trip to overlap with her celebration. Toshinori was standing there in his muscular form, while his friend David was standing there smiling next to him, and his niece was standing in front of her dad.

"It really has been far too long since I have spoken with David. Perhaps… with All For One gone, I can take some time to see how they are doing," Toshinori smiled and nodded to himself. "And maybe I can see if he has any of his old designs lying around! Perhaps they could help Young Midoriya!"

Placing the picture back in its resting place, Toshinori picked up his phone and began making a long overdue phone call.

Chapter Text

Himiko found herself wandering the halls of UA after class, looking for Emily. Her annoying classmate had gotten particularly bloody in training, and she wanted to revel in that beauty. To share it with her.

As she walked, her fingers grazed the holsters hidden under her skirt, and she relished the familiar feeling of her knives. Emily was always a stubborn one, but she had the perfect way to recreate that beauty.

Turning the corner, she saw Emily. The girl was leaning against a window, the sunlight highlighting her radiance as she was busily scribbling away at her tablet.

"Emily~chan" Himiko said in a singsong voice as she held her hands behind her back.

"Himi?" Emily looked up at her classmate, confusion written over her features.

"You looked so pretty today Emily," Himiko said as she started skipping forward.

"I-what?" Emily asked in confusion.

"I'd like to see it again," Himiko said, knife in hand as she lunged toward her classmate.

Himiko woke up screaming.

Seconds later she heard her door slam open as her mom came in. "Himi-" Inko said.

Himiko blinked, trying to clear the water from her eyes as she looked down at her hands.

Clean.

Her hands were clean - there wasn't any blood on them.

She was so focused on her hands she didn't notice her mom sitting down next to her until Inko gathered her up in her arms. "Shhh. It's ok Himi. You're safe."

"I-" Himiko sobbed. Unable to stop the tears, she adjusted herself, leaning into her mom as she wrapped her arms tightly around the woman holding her, afraid of what would happen if she let go.

"You had those dreams again, didn't you?"

Not wanting to speak, Himiko nodded, trusting Mom to understand.

"I'm so sorry Himi," Inko assured her as she stroked her daughter's back, reassuring her that she wasn't going to let her go.

"Do you need anything?" Izuku asked as he peeked in through the door.

Himiko looked at her brother. Not wanting to escape the warmth, she raised a hand and pointed to her school bag. "My- my vials."

Nodding in understanding, Izuku walked over to her bag and pulled out a small metal container. He walked over to the bed and offered it to his sister, who quickly snatched and opened it. Her fingers located the vial in question, spinning it around to see the name on the label, even if she already knew who the blood belonged to.

E. Song

Her annoying classmate was the second person to volunteer blood to help Himiko with her quirk, right behind Atsuko. She didn't need to attack her to get her blood. All she had to do was ask.

"Is she who you were dreaming about?" Inko asked softly.

"Yeah," Himiko whispered as her finger ran along the vial. "We were training today and she willingly took a stab wound to give herself an opening. By the time I helped her to Recovery Girl, she had a lot of blood on her shirt."

Inko carded her fingers through her daughter's hair as she tried to soothe her. "I'm sorry that brought back bad memories."

Himiko closed her eyes and leaned into her mother's touch as she asked the same question she always did whenever she woke up from a nightmare. "I'm not a bad person, am I?"

She winced internally as she felt her Mom stiffen. "Of course not! After everything you've been through… you're one of the strongest people I've ever met."

"Really?" Himiko adjusted herself to look at her mother's face.

Inko gave her a warm smile. "Yes. And I'll give you the same answer every time you ask. You've come so far since we found you, and I'm so proud of you."

Himiko felt her eyes watering again - for a different reason this time. Closing them, she felt a smile forming on her face. "Thanks, Mom."

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, but eventually Himiko calmed down enough to let a loud yawn escape her. In response, her mother's soft laughter resonated through her. "Feeling better Himi?"

"Yeah," Himiko pushed herself upright to look at her mom. "Thank you." She turned to look at Izuku as he sat in her chair. "Both of you."

"We're here for you," Izuku assured her.

"Now come on, you two need to get to bed. Whether you like it or not, it's still a school night," Inko said softly.

"Actually…" Himiko looked at her mom. "Do you mind if I sleep with you?"

"Of course not," Inko said.

Gathering her things, Himiko silently padded behind Inko back to her Mom's room and crawled into bed after her. Nestling herself into Inko's arms, Himiko found that sleep came easily, and her mother's warmth kept the bad dreams at bay.

Himiko was thankful that her nightmare proved to be an isolated incident as school moved into finals. She knew that she was going to have trouble with the written exams already, and didn't need to add fitful sleep to her list of worries.

She had plenty of those already.

"Argh! This is pointless!" Himiko complained as she slammed the study guide on the cafe table.

"Midoriya!" Emily looked ready to jump out of her chair. "I spent hours putting that together! It's got everything that's going to be on the exam!"

"And It's not helping!" Himiko stood up. "What's the point if I can't remember any of it?"

"That's because you're not trying hard enough!" Emily stood up, looking ready to fight the other girl.

Himiko tensed herself, ready to take out her frustrations on her classmate when Atsuko appeared in front of her, hands firmly on her shoulders. "Himi- I think you should tell them."

"Tell us what?" Emily demanded, being similarly restrained by Tomoe.

"No," Himiko grumbled, eyes looking everywhere but at her friend.

"What happened to accepting who you were?" Her best friend asked sternly.

"Do you really think she isn't going to judge me for it?" Himiko grumbled as she threw a resentful look at the American girl.

"Midoriya. Whatever it is, I promise I won't judge you," Tomoe said, looking sternly at Emily. "And we'll fight Song if she does."

"Fine," Himiko said in a huff, looking at her friends before she took a deep breath. "I can't retain information by just looking at it." She jabbed a finger at the study guides accusingly. "So as nice as that is, I'm not going to get anything out of it by just sitting here reading it."

There was a long silence before Emily finally spoke. "So how were you planning to study?"

"Take it home and have Mom read it to me," Himiko admitted. "Then write down what I remembered and read everything I missed again."

"Why didn't you tell us before?"

"Because I don't want to make things harder for Sakura," Himiko grumbled.

Emily shot Tomoe a questioning glance. Seeming to understand, the sensitive girl let go of her and grabbed her bag, pulling out her music player and noise-canceling headphones. "If it helps you study, I don't mind wearing these. We agreed to study together, after all."

Giving the other girl a thankful glance, Emily sat back down and gathered up Himiko's study sheets, before giving her a pointed look. She then started reading the first page.

Himiko couldn't help but do a double take when she realized what Emily was doing. She felt Atsuko let her go, and she sat back down, her gaze never leaving the other girl. "What do you think you're doing?"

"If this is what you need to study, then this is how I'll help you study."

"Why?" Himiko shot her an incredulous look.

"What's the point of being top of the class if everyone else isn't also at the top of their game?" Emily asked pointedly. "Besides, I promised I'm not leaving anyone behind."

Himiko opened her mouth to protest, before closing it. Emily decided to take her silence as agreement and returned to reading. Atsuko sat back down next to her, mouthing a silent 'sorry' before she returned to her sample problems.

As the study session went on, Himiko felt herself calming down. She had to admit, it felt good being around people who didn't care about her problems.

And if Emily was willing to help her this much, maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

Much to Himiko's dismay, she discovered that for the most part final exams weren't much different from middle school.

It wasn't until the afternoon of the final day that things changed. After lunch, their class was directed to change into their costumes and meet in the outdoor assembly area, where Kan was waiting for them.

"Wonderful. Now that you are all here, it is time to explain your final exam!" Kan announced. "You have been grouped into teams of four, and much like your entrance exam, you will be facing robots! The goal, of course, is to see how much you have improved since your entrance exam."

Holding up a small device, he pushed a button only for a holographic map of UA to appear. Above five of the training grounds, there was an additional image showing the team of students assigned to it.

"Much like the entrance exam, each training ground will be filled with one, two, and three-point robots for you to fight - the same ones you fought almost six months ago. However! There will be several significant differences. The first major one is that you will be scored as a team. We will be tracking both your cumulative kill points as well as your ability to work together. The second is that each arena will have two Executor-class robots deployed to each arena at the start, and they will be roaming on preset patterns. It will be up to you to decide how to handle them.

Himiko's eyes darted around until she found her team.

Team 3:

Habiki Hideo

Himiko Midoriya

Emily Song

Amaya Yuki

Well, that worked out well for her. Her eyes darted to her teammates as she felt a smile growing on her face.

These robots won't know what hit them.

As they grouped up, Emily spoke first. "Ok, other than the Sports Festival I've never seen these robots before, so I need an explanation."

"The Sports Festival showed us the big three-pointers," Habiki explained. "There's a couple smaller ones, but they are only good in melee. They're faster than you'd think, though."

"And the Executor?"

"Those are almost as big as a building," Amaya explained. "Trust me, you won't miss them once we get there."

"During the exam they were supposed to be an obstacle," Himiko mused. "Sensei said the same thing now, but I wonder if we should try taking them down…"

"Why would you suggest that?" Habiki asked. "You saw what they did during the entrance exams!"

"She raises a good point," Emily came to her defense. "If we can take one down, it would make our job easier! And who knows how many points they're worth this time!

"But how do you propose we take one down? Actually, on that note," Amaya turned toward Himiko. "How did you take the robots down during the exam?"

"I stabbed them, of course," Himiko shot her rival a predatory grin. "How else would I do it?"

"Of course you did," Habiki laughed.

"Yep!" Himiko grinned as she pulled out a pair of wicked-looking daggers. "I had to rely on a pair of basic knives during the exam itself, but with these it should be really easy!"

"Is that what you should be doing though?" Emily asked skeptically.

"You're right," Himiko smirked back. "I should leave the firepower to you two."

Amaya looked at Himiko in confusion for a brief moment before her face lit up. "Oh! I get it. Since we're super fast, we can lure robots out and deal with any stragglers!"

"Yep!" Himiko chirped before giving Emily a predatory look. "That is if you're up for the challenge."

"Of course!" Emily exclaimed before looking at Habiki. "So what do you think about taking on an Executor?"

"Uhh…" Habiki froze in place. "I probably could take one down, but I might pass out in the process."

"If they're that tough, I'd wear myself out just as quickly," Emily mused as she turned to Amaya. "Unless you and Midoriya want to try getting inside one of them?"

"Pass," Amaya declared, "Unless Midoriya wants to."

"Eww, no," Himiko agreed.

"Then we'll try and avoid them," Emily decided. "It would be a waste of our resources to try taking one down then."

"Alright, so that's the plan then," Habiki said. "Song and I will use our firepower to blow up as many robots as we can. Midoriya and Yuki will bring us some bad guys to blow up and stop anything from getting too close for comfort."

"Yep!"

"Yeah!"

"Perfect!"

After settling on their plan, Emily extended her hand, palm down - a gesture she had picked up during her internship - and looked at the other three expectantly. Rolling her eyes, Himiko placed her hand on top of her friend's, before Habiki and Amaya followed suit.

"One, two, three, go team!" Emily shouted before everyone flung their hands into the air.

Ritual done, the four walked to their assigned bus and boarded it, using the few minutes it would take to arrive at Ground Gamma to hash out the details of their plan. The industrial nature of the zone, with exposed pipes and steel walls, could be used to their advantage. After all, nobody could recall the robots climbing, and if they found a particularly dense group of pipes, they could hide out where the robots couldn't reach them.

However, those same pipes could be dangerous if the zero-point robot came near them and knocked them loose, scattering them everywhere. It made Himiko wish her best friend was there. But Atsuko was part of the Beta team, so they had to make do without her quirk to protect them.

When they arrived they all went silent, checking their equipment and earpieces one last time as they waited for the signal.

Finally, the earpieces crackled to life, and Kan's voice could be heard loud and clear. "Heroes, you have thirty minutes. Good luck!"

The four rushed in, with Himiko getting ahead of the others just like they planned. She made it to the first intersection safely, her back slamming against a wall as she edged up to the corner of a building. Peeking out she saw their first target - a pack of one- and two-pointers.

Perfect.

Looking back at her teammates, she waved them forward. "You two ready?"

Habiki and Emily both nodded as they approached. Habiki clapped his hands a few times as he walked out while the lights on Emily's gauntlet began to light up one by one. The pair gave each other a knowing look before stepping out into the street.

Raising her arms, Emily fired a pair of Light Arrows at the pack of robots. The smaller of the two spheres of light incinerated a one-point robot, while the larger sphere, backed by her gauntlet's power, destroyed a three-pointer and damaged a two-pointer behind it. She didn't let up, and immediately began firing more Arrows at the robots, causing as much damage as she could.

Once the robots were aware of the threat, they quickly turned and charged the students. Habiki took that as his cue, and stepped forward, channeling all of his stored kinetic energy into his fist. Letting out a defiant roar, he punched the ground, releasing the kinetic energy and causing a shockwave to ripple forward until it crashed into the robots, destroying half a dozen and knocking others aside. Taking advantage of their disarray, Emily launched a fresh wave of Arrows, disabling and destroying more robots.

Encouraged by their early success, the group pushed further into their training grounds, looking for their next target of opportunity.

That was when they realized their mistake.

The number of robots grew surprisingly quickly, and the AI used by these robots was significantly more advanced than what they experienced at the entrance exam. Before they knew it, they had been surrounded.

"Midoriya!" Habiki called out.

Whipping around, Himiko saw Amaya was partially transformed into water, her hands and arms buried inside the head of a robot as sparks flew around her. That left two more robots advancing toward Habiki and Emily. Flipping her knife into a reverse grip, she charged the lead robot, kicking off the ground to land squarely on its back. In one smooth motion, her arm snapped out, cutting wires and tubes. Feeling the robot going limp underneath her, she stood up on its careening form and used the motion to launch herself at the other robot that was approaching Emily.

Given a moment to breathe, Habiki managed to build up enough kinetic energy to unleash another shockwave, clearing a path for them.

"Let's move!"

Nobody had to be told twice as they ran, ducking down a narrow alleyway. They had hoped it would offer a moment's reprieve, but that's when they heard it - the zero-pointer was nearby. Daring to look, Himiko walked to the end of the alleyway and poked her head out, only to see the mammoth robot rumbling toward them.

"It's coming this way!" Himiko warned.

"We can't go backward!" Emily protested.

"Where else are we supposed to go?" Amaya asked.

Looking around, Himiko spotted another alleyway across the thoroughfare, leading even deeper into the Training Ground. Making a snap decision, she turned toward her teammates. "Follow me, and hurry!"

Dashing across the street, Himiko was afraid to look back and see if anyone was caught by the robot until she heard three people slam into the wall behind her. Sighing in relief, she nodded. "Ok, let's keep going!"

The minutes stretched on seemingly forever as they continued, trying their best to avoid being surrounded again. Relying on Himiko and Amaya, they tried to strike hard and fast, destroying a pack of robots before moving on to their next encounter. The routine worked and they avoided any major incidents, but after twenty minutes, everyone was starting to get worn out.

Poking her head out of a side alley, Himiko looked around, trying to discern their next move. Deciding on a direction, she motioned for her teammates to follow her as she ran across another street and slipped into what she thought was a safe side alley.

Until she ran face-first into a pack of robots.

"Fall back!" Himiko cried, dancing backward as she avoided a massive metallic tale that struck the ground she was standing on moments before. The moment she landed she sensed another attack and was forced to move again, barely sidestepping a metallic claw of a one-pointer robot.

As she landed, she realized how much trouble she was in. The robots had managed to surround her.

"I can't help," Habiki called out in frustration. "Not without hurting Midoriya!"

Himiko wanted to throw a snarky comment back at her friend but was interrupted by a claw slamming into her torso, knocking the wind out of her. She stumbled back, raising a knife to defend herself only to feel another claw impact her arm. Gritting her teeth, she refused to cry out in pain as she stumbled.

"Midoriya," Emily's panicked voice cut through the haze. "Down!"

Trusting the other girl, Himiko let herself fall, collapsing onto the ground in a heap. If the robots decided to attack her she would be helpless against them, but she suddenly saw a brilliant wave of light. Screwing her eyes shut, she saw stars behind her eyelids from the flash of light as she waited.

But nothing happened.

Cautiously opening one eye, she saw no robots behind the stars. Opening the other, she saw her assailants were no more, charred metal the only evidence left behind. Carefully she pushed herself upright and looked at Emily.

"Thanks for the save!" She called out, seeing the panic on the other girl's face quickly fading. It was strange and unnatural and was gone so quickly that Himiko wondered if it was a trick of the stars still dancing in her vision.

"D-don't do that again!" Emily huffed as she crossed her arms. "You're supposed to be our spotter! We're blind without you!"

Himiko retrieved her dropped knives before flashing the other girl a playful grin. "Gotta keep surprising our enemies."

"I don't think that works on robots!"

Himiko stuck out her tongue before she looked around. The alleyway was clear, but everyone looked worn and spent. She didn't feel great either and knew she was going to be sore from the blows she took. With a loud sigh, she turned toward her classmates. "So what's the plan?"

"I don't know how much more I have left in me," Emily admitted. "That blast wore me out."

"Same here," Amaya said. To emphasize her point she grabbed the water tank she kept on her back and showed it to them, its lights blinking red. "I'm out of extra water. If I end up turning into water again… I'm not gonna be able to return to human form until you get me to a water source."

Habiki leaned against a wall, letting gravity do its work as he slid to the ground. "This test was brutal. Think we have enough points?"

"I hope so," Emily said. "Otherwise I will never forgive you."

"Thirty minutes," Habiki said. "They really wanted us to go all out huh?"

"Most fights are over in the span of one or two minutes," Amaya explained. "I don't know what they were thinking."

"Plus Ultra," Emily said. "It wouldn't be UA otherwise."

"Sometimes I wish it wasn't," Himiko sighed.

Coming to a silent decision, the four resigned themselves to wait out the last few minutes, remaining on high alert in case of any final surprises in the trial's last moments.

Fortunately none came, and they all sighed in relief as they heard the radio crackle to life. "The villain attacks have been successfully repelled, all students return to the staging area."

The four practically dragged themselves back to the bus, riding back in silence to rejoin their classmates. Time once again seemed to stretch on for eternity as they waited, until Kan appeared, a grave look on his face. He examined his twenty students, silently evaluating each one as they nervously awaited what he had to say.

Finally, his face shifted as a huge fanged smile split his face. "I am pleased to announce that everybody passed!"

With a sudden burst of energy, the students cheered!

Nobody in their class was getting left behind.

Chapter Text

"Come in," Nezu called out from behind the door.

Toshinori lowered his hand. He almost managed to knock this time. Grabbing the doorknob he turned it, pushing the door open to enter the principal's office.

"Nezu," Toshinori began. "I'd like to inform you that I am going to be taking a trip to I-Island for a week."

"But the Expo isn't for several more weeks," Nezu replied.

"I am not going to the Expo- not this year," Toshinori admitted. "My reasons for going are personal."

"I see," Nezu folded his hands in his lap as he looked at the hero. "And why bring this to my attention?"

"It's… my successor," Toshinori admitted. "His training is going well, but I was hoping to find someone to check in on him over the next week."

"Oh, is that all?" Nezu stood up and circled around his desk. "And is there a reason you decided to come to me about this, instead of one of your staff?"

"Because I suspect my protegee is someone you're familiar with. His name is Izuku Midoriya."

"I see," Nezu said.

"He has told me the story of his sister, and how you have helped her find her place among the UA student body," Toshinori continued.

"And now he is going to become your successor," Nezu concluded. "It seems that that young man wasn't done surprising us."

"Indeed," Toshinori agreed. "So will you be willing to check on him in my absence?"

"I believe I can make some time to pay the Midoriyas a visit, yes," Nezu said.

Inko looked at Izuku in surprise when she heard a knock on the door.

"I thought your trainer wasn't coming this week?"

"Me too," Izuku agreed.

Getting up from her chair, Inko walked to the door and cracked it open to see who was there. Her eyes went wide when she recognized who it was.

"Good morning! Am I a mouse, a dog, or a bear? It doesn't matter, for today I am your son's trainer!" Nezu announced from behind the door.

"Principal Nezu," Inko bowed slightly as she opened the door. "You said you're here to train Izu?"

"Of course," Nezu replied as he took the invitation and came inside. "I heard that his trainer will be out of town temporarily, and when I heard who he was training, my curiosity was piqued."

"I see," Inko said as she watched the principal remove his shoes. "Izu's managed to attract a lot of attention, hasn't he?"

"Indeed he has, although that isn't necessarily a bad thing," Nezu said as he gestured toward the living room. "After you."

Taking the lead, Inko led Nezu down the short hallway. "Izu, it looks like Mr. Yagi has arranged a substitute for you."

"Who-" Izuku began until he noticed who it was. "P-principal Nezu!?"

"Yes, it is I," Nezu chirped. "It appears our paths were destined to cross once again."

"B-but I haven't taken the exam for UA yet!" Izuku insisted. "That's still months off!"

"Indeed it is, and you certainly seem to be doing your best to prepare for it," Nezu said knowingly. "After helping Himiko out, which was a heroic action in its own right, you've gone on to attract the attention of no less than All Might himself."

Izuku laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "I just- wanted to do what was right."

"We have a term for people who want to do what is right, and that is hero," Nezu pointed out as he sat down.

"Would you like some tea?" Inko asked as she looked at the guest.

"Perhaps another time," Nezu waved at the woman. "We need to leave shortly to begin your son's training. However, I do have a request-" Nezu turned toward Izuku. "Yagi and Kan have both mentioned your quick thinking and analysis skills. I believe they made mention of some sort of notebooks you keep? I would be interested in seeing these firsthand."

"My notebooks?!" Izuku squeaked out. "I'm sure they wouldn't be that interesting to someone like you…"

"I disagree," Nezu countered. "As the principal of a hero school, I am always on the lookout for promising individuals - and that means being able to judge their talents. Besides, I am merely here to assure you are sticking to your schedule. I could use the distraction while you are performing your workout."

Izuku laughed nervously as he looked back and forth between his mom and Nezu, before standing up. "Let me get my latest notebooks."

"I believe that is all for today," Nezu announced.

Izuku finally stopped, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "H-how'd I do?"

"Your training is coming along nicely," Nezu said as he looked at the young teenager. "More importantly, I'm impressed by the quality of the notes you've taken."

"You've read them already?!" Izuku bolted upright, shock on his face.

"Of course!" Nezu chirped as he offered the notebooks back to Izuku. "And I must say, if you haven't already been chosen as All Might's successor, you would have a promising career as a quirk analyst ahead of you."

Izuku's eyes went wide and he started coughing, choking on air at Nezu's casual revelation. Taking a moment, he steadied his breathing. "Of course you know, you said Toshinori asked you to come."

"Indeed he did," Nezu agreed before retracting his hand, flipping through a notebook a second time. "These notes are not at the level of a professional, of course, but are leaps and bounds better than your average self-taught hobbyist."

"I've always been interested in quirks," Izuku admitted. "And since I didn't have one, this was the closest I could get."

"Until All Might offered you One For All," Nezu said thoughtfully, before turning toward Izuku. "Now that you will have a quirk, what do you plan on doing?"

"I-'m not sure," Izuku admitted as he rubbed his head sheepishly. He held out a hand and took the notebooks Nezu offered him, only to flip through one, landing on a random page. "I know how strong All Might is, but I've spent so long working on these skills, I don't want to give them up."

"An excellent answer," Nezu agreed. "Are you up for another challenge?"

Izuku's head darted up and he blinked owlishly at the principal. "A challenge?"

"While you were training, I've been thinking about how to best cultivate your skills. I know your free time is limited for now, but how would you feel if I were to loan you the textbook and study materials our first-year support students use."

"Study materials?" Izuku asked lamely.

"Yes. I would not be able to teach you directly, of course, but it would give you a chance to refine your technique ahead of taking UA's entrance exam. Depending on how you do with the materials, there may be additional opportunities once you arrive at UA - provided you pass the entrance exam, of course."

Izuku's face brightened at the offer. "I'll do it!"

"Wonderful," Nezu clapped his hands together. "Although you may change your mind when you see what the students of UA have to deal with."

"I don't care," Izuku insisted, shaking his head. "I'll do whatever it takes!"

"Very well then, I'll be sure to bring the material when I return on Wednesday."

"I'm looking forward to it!" Izuku said.

"So am I," Nezu admitted. As he watched Izuku today, he had begun to understand what All Might had seen in the boy. And he liked what he saw. It was only natural that he helped prepare the young man to grow into his role as All Might's successor.

Izuku was deep in concentration, reading the textbook Nezu had provided him and making notes when he suddenly heard an annoyed huff behind him.

"Of course you're not ready yet," Himiko didn't even bother to hide the annoyance in her voice as she glared at her brother. "We're gonna be late!"

"Sorry," Izuku said sheepishly as he bookmarked the page, before exchanging his notebook for two others. As he got out of his chair, he offered his sister an apologetic smile.

"I still can't believe I got stuck with you," Himiko said as she unfolded her arms. "You're already spending most of your summer on your workout, and now you're studying too!"

"This isn't for school though, this is a hobby!" Izuku insisted.

Himiko made a gagging face. "Right, a hobby that involves school textbooks!"

"You know you love me," Izuku said playfully.

"I can't believe you're picking up my habits," Himiko said as she rolled her eyes and playfully elbowed him.

Izuku deftly dodged the attack as he hurried toward the door, pulling on his shoes. "I thought you'd like that?"

"I do," Himiko admitted. "But why didn't you pick up my cute habits instead?"

Izuku gave his sister a nervous grin as he opened the door. While he had opened up around her in particular, he knew he still had a long way to go. It certainly didn't help that, despite being transferred to a new class at Aldera, his schedule has been so busy with his new training - and was now going to get even busier with his newest hobby.

Which is why Himiko was dragging him out to meet her friends.

Of course, that presented a new challenge for Izuku. After all, he was currently quirkless, and as far as anyone but three people knew, he was going to continue to be quirkless. Sure, people with late-blooming quirks were a thing, and he's never been tested for signs of that, but the more people who knew, the more risk there was.

"Nezu, how am I supposed to talk to people about UA's entrance exam?" Izuku asked the principal on the final day of his supervision. "I mean… Himi's already enrolled, Kan still visits sometimes, and then there's mom…"

"Oh, the answer is quite simple!" Nezu chirped in reply. "The less you tell someone, the better! In the absence of information, people will fill in the blanks themselves. As a result, they will deceive themselves!"

Izuku mulled the idea over in his head. "I think I get it. If someone asks about the exam, I just say yes?"

"Precisely! And people will look at your training and assume that will be everything. They don't need to know that you will possess a quirk at the time of the exam. If they ask more questions, then you can simply repeat facts that support existing biases - such as the fact that UA doesn't require you to have a quirk to take the entrance exam."

"I don't like it," Izuku admitted with a frown. "But…" He let out a resigned sigh, "I know it's important to keep One For All a secret."

Izuku hoped to tell Mom and Himi about One For All someday. But for now, he had to deal with the dull ache that came with lying to them. After three months, he'd like to think he's gotten good at it, however…

Meeting Himiko's friends was going to be an entirely new challenge.

"What's wrong?" Himiko asked as they walked to the train station. "You've never been this nervous about my friends before!"

"I-" Izuku found himself broken from his thoughts. "This is different! Now I'm meeting future heroes!"

"Of course," Himiko rolled her eyes. "You know you're trying to become a hero too, right?"

"I guess," Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I just - want to leave a good impression."

Himiko couldn't help but laugh at his response.

When they reached the train station Himiko began searching for her friends. She had expected Tomoe to spot them first and smiled when she saw her friend waving to get their attention. Grabbing Izuku's wrist, she dragged him along to meet her friends.

"There you are!" Emily said as the pair approached.

"Blame Izu," Himiko said as she let go of her brother.

"Ehehe," Izuku rubbed the back of his head as he gave them a crooked smile. "H-hi, I'm Izuku."

"I'm sure Midoriya-aaa I mean your sister's told you all about us, I'm Habiki Hideo," He greeted Izuku.

"I'm Tomoe Sakura, nice to meet you," Tomoe said as she bowed her head slightly.

"And I'm Emily Song!" Emily chirped before holding out a hand. "Now where's the notebooks?"

Izuku let out a nervous yelp at how direct Emily was, stepping back hesitantly and earning her a glare from Himiko.

"Song, you shouldn't be so direct," Atsuko said before she gave Izuku a sympathetic smile. "That's just how she is - you'll get used to her." She shot a sideways glance at Himiko. "Maybe."

"I think I get it," Izuku said as he turned back towards Emily. "You just caught me off guard. I don't really know a lot of people who love quirks."

"Their loss," Emily shrugged. "So lemme see!"

"Not here," Himiko said as she looked pointedly at Izuku. "Let's at least get to the shopping district! Then we can leave you two unsupervised."

Emily looked like she was about to protest, but she was cut off by the sound of Atsuko's laughter. "She's right. I've seen both of you once you get going. We'd never go shopping if you started now."

"Fine!" Emily crossed her arms and pouted. "Lead the way."

"I'm surprised it's taken you this long to introduce them," Habiki said as they began walking.

"It's for my own sanity," Himiko responded. "I don't want to get dragged into it! Besides, Izu's been busy training and you saw how busy our first semester was!"

"But you always help when I ask," Izuku said fondly as he looked at his sister.

"Hey!" Emily protested. "Unfair!"

"Izu!" Himiko whined. "I don't!"

Izuku couldn't help but smile as he glanced at his sister. They both knew that despite her complaints, he was right.

Unfortunately, he caused a small argument between Himiko and Emily as they bickered over how unhelpful Himiko was, and how unfair it was that she favored Izuku. The rest of the group (smartly) stayed out of the conversation, listening to the girls argue until they arrived at the Tatooin Station Shopping District.

Not missing a beat, the two girls continued arguing all the way to one of the food courts. Cutting Emily off, Himiko quickly searched the area until her keen eyes found a large empty table and rushed over.

"Here we go!" Himiko said proudly as everyone caught up with her. "Now I can leave you two alone and run away before I get dragged into this."

"You're no fun," Emily grumbled, glaring at Himiko.

Himiko's response was to stick out her tongue at the other girl. "I've gotta pick up supplies for summer camp! Maybe I can deal with you after I'm done."

"Rude!" Emily said as she sat down.

"If you two don't mind, I'd like to listen in," Tomoe admitted as she pulled out a chair of her own. "I don't need anything, and I'm curious to see how Midoriya does things."

"Of course!" Emily said. "You're better than some friends of ours. Do you mind Midoriya?"

"Me?" Izuku squeaked out, looking at Tomoe. "N-no, not at all!"

"Great, I'll see you later!" Himiko called out as she left, Atsuko and Habiki in tow as they left the others to their own devices.

"S-sorry about her," Izuku said as he set his bag on the table.

"Her loss," Emily said before she turned toward Izuku, face brightening. "Now hand them over!"

Izuku gave her a crooked smile as he offered her the notebook for her class. "I know this isn't as good as what you have but here's what Himi told me."

Grabbing the notebook, Emily flipped to Himiko's entry, her eyes going wide as she scanned the page. Her head jerked up as her eyes bored into Izuku. "This is amazing!"

"She's my sister, so we spent a lot of time figuring things out," Izuku admitted.

Emily dug her tablet out of her bag before she pulled up her virtual database. Opening the entry on Himiko, she passed it over to Izuku. "I'm more interested in support gear to enhance quirks, unlike you. It looks like you prefer lateral thinking?"

"I guess," Izuku said as he looked at the entry in front of him. It was less detailed than his own, but then he saw the laundry list of potential support gear. Everything from listening devices to a collapsible baton that ran an electric current through it. There even was an entry for what was best described as a dart gun with a hose attached to it, that allowed Himiko to extract blood remotely.

"I see. She's focusing more on Himi's stealth and infiltration, playing into her future role as an underground hero. Trying to best figure out how to draw blood without attracting attention and sneak into a location where she can defeat the villains with minimal risk of detection and fighting…"

He was shaken from his thoughts by a bright laugh. "I see what your sister means!" Emily exclaimed. "If you're going to talk you should speak up!"

"S-sorry," Izuku said as he felt his face heating up. "Most people don't like it when I think out loud, so I try to keep it down."

Emily and Tomoe shared a look before Tomoe decided to speak. "Is Song's analysis of your sister wrong?"

"You actually kept up with that?" Izuku asked sheepishly. He waited until Tomoe nodded her head before he continued. "The ideas here are actually good," he admitted, "even if I don't understand why she needs some of these things, like the 'anti-robot baton,' but nothing here changes how she would use her quirk in particular."

"That's because of how her quirk works!" Emily protested. "She has a binary state where she either assumes someone else's form or doesn't. There isn't a lot to work with compared to others!"

"I see," Tomoe mused. "I must admit, I am curious. I'm in a similar situation as you and your sister where I'm essentially fighting quirkless. I've got some martial arts training and tasers built into my costume, but I still feel like I'm falling behind everyone in combat," Izuku wasn't sure if it was real, or if he was imagining a sad undertone in her voice. "How would you propose I even the odds?"

Izuku lit up as he grabbed his notebook back from Emily. Flipping to Sakura's entry he pulled out a pencil. "Himi says you can enhance your senses, but she never told me how much you can, nor how fine your control is. Could you make your skin sensitive enough to detect the changes in air pressure caused by motion? Or!" Izuku made a quick note as he continued "Can you enhance your hearing enough to give yourself echolocation? That might require an additional support device though, which is Song's department…"

Emily caught on immediately and grabbed her tablet. "I see where you're going!" Opening up a catalog, she began searching for a particular piece of support gear.

"I've actually tried using echolocation a bit in training," Tomoe admitted, "although I'm not the best at it yet. I can't pick out something human-sized or something moving. In theory, I can also detect air pressure, but I don't really like doing it because it's easy to overstimulate myself if I enhance my sense of touch for too long - although depending on what you have in mind I could practice it."

"Here they are!" Emily exclaimed as she held up her tablet, showing an information page about high-volume smoke grenades. "What do you think of these?"

"Those weren't exactly what I had in mind," Izuku admitted, "but it's the same idea. If you are at a disadvantage, you can always blind your opponent. It's not quite the same as Himi's blanking technique, but it has the same benefit. If you can train yourself to use your other senses when you can't see, then you're at an advantage over your opponent when you're both blinded."

Tomoe took the tablet and read about the grenades, before setting it on the table. "That could work. I'd have to adjust my costume and training if I wanted to make it work, but maybe…"

"I'm not saying you should do it right away!" Izuku held up his hands defensively. "But it's something to think about! The other option is talking to Snipe. With your vision, some sort of ranged dart gun or taser would be a natural choice as well!"

"Oh, there's plenty of good options there!" Emily exclaimed as she turned her attention back toward her tablet.

With the ice broken, Izuku and Emily dove into their own world for the next several hours. Sakura watched with interest as the two seemingly created a feedback loop with each other: Emily would help Izuku with an entry on a classmate, which led to him speculating on new applications for their quirk. This in turn led to Emily proposing new support gear to enhance these theoretical applications.

"Is it safe?" Himiko asked as she approached the table, several shopping bags in her arms.

"I think so?" Sakura said quietly. "They've only stopped long enough to get drinks so far."

"I um, this is good," Izuku said as he looked at the notebook in his hands. "We're not done yet, but we can stop now."

"Good!" Himiko said as she plopped down in the chair next to Izuku, setting her bags under the table. "I'm getting hungry."

The six took turns ordering food and then settled into much more casual conversation - with Himiko and Atsuko forcefully steering the conversation away from any quirk talk. While he still felt like an outsider - these were his sister's friends, after all, not his! He had to admit that he enjoyed the company.

He just hoped that when he got to UA, he found friends like she did.

The second semester proved to be largely uneventful, and before they knew it, winter break had arrived.

And with it, the promise of a new year.

Himiko woke up early, despite her family staying up until one in the morning. Normally she took every opportunity to sleep in, but today was special. It marked her first anniversary as a Midoriya!

And what a year it was!

Himiko stared at the four plushies of her friends - she even put Emily's plushie on the bed! - and felt a smile split her face. While she had naturally drifted apart from her middle school friends, she was closer to Atsuko than ever!

And they had found new friends among their classmates at UA. Even if Emily was still annoying.

Hugging the group of plushies, she set them aside to look at the foot of her bed, where the three most important ones rested. There a green bear and green rabbit sat, leaning against a tan cat that was pinned between them.

"Good morning Mom. Good morning Izu," Himiko whispered. Shifting around, she scooped them up and held them to her chest, feeling happy memories of the past year coming back to her.

Finally deciding it was time to get up, she got out of bed and quickly made it, arranging the pile of plushies so they'll be waiting for her when she returns. With a content smile, she grabbed her outfit - the same one as last year - and went to get ready for the day.

"Do you remember what to do Himi?" Inko asked her daughter as they approached the shrine.

"Yep!" Himiko happily chirped. "First we check our luck, then we get the new photo, then we pray!"

"That's right," Inko smiled proudly. "Let's get going."

The trio didn't have to wait in line long before it was their turn to select figurines. Scanning the selections, Himiko looked to see if any of the cats were chipped or broken. The one at home deserved a companion, after all.

There

Off to one side was a cat missing a paw, the paper hanging loose. She decided on that one for herself, cradling the figure gently in her hands as she slipped the piece of paper out.

Luck in the future.

She wondered what that meant when she heard Izuku gasp. "Oh no!"

"What'd you get?" Inko asked her son.

"Half-luck," Izuku said as he held up the piece of paper. "That's the lowest one!"

"Well don't worry, we won't bring that home with us," Inko assured him as she chose a bird figurine for herself. "Moderate luck."

"So what'd you get Himi?"

Himiko held the paper out and let her family see. "Hopefully it doesn't wait too long."

"I'm sure it will be worth it," Inko assured her. "Now why don't we go discard Izu's bad luck."

"Okay!" Himiko said.

Walking to the tree, they saw it had once again begun to fill up with slips of paper. Finding a spot, Izuku held the paper almost guiltily in his hands.

"Sorry, I'll try making my own luck this year."

With that, he tied the paper to the string, waving the fortune goodbye.

After that Himiko pulled out her camera as they went to get their family portrait. Finding 'their' spot, the three lined up and, with the help of a friendly passerby, got the photo that will sit in their living room for the next year. As the passerby returned the camera, Himiko couldn't help but smile at the photo.

"We've come a long way, haven't we?" She asked.

"We really have," Izuku agreed as he peered over her shoulder.

The family in this photo was vastly different from the one last year. Inko had begun to slim down, regaining some of her youthful beauty as she stood a little straighter. Himiko was excited by her growth spurt over the past year - she was a full 162 centimeters now! And she could see the long-term effects of having a proper diet - complete with blood - and exercise. She looked healthier, and the uncute bags under her eyes had fully faded, leaving her golden irises to shine brightly. Much like his sister, Izuku also stood taller - Himiko remained annoyed that she was shorter than him, even though she was older. He had also filled out throughout his own training, muscles thickening and shoulders broadening.

While they didn't look like heroes yet, they were certainly on their way.

"Do you like the picture, Mom?" Himiko asked as she showed it to her mother.

"It's perfect," Inko said. "Now then, why don't we go pray?"

Walking to the main part of the shrine, Himiko followed her mom to a spot and knelt beside her, while Izuku knelt on the other side. Closing her eyes, Himiko began to reflect on the past year.

So much had happened over the past year, it almost made her want to believe in spirits. Almost.

What she is starting to believe in are people.

While there are many bad people in the world - the Togas, her old quirk counselor, the teachers and staff of her old school - there are just as many good people in the world. People like Izuku. Like Kan. Like Atsuko.

As Himiko sat there, she reflected on all of the good people in her life who were making up for the years of neglect and abuse she suffered. As she felt a single tear escape her eyes, she quietly thanked all of them.

And she vowed to follow their examples as they entered this new year. For little Kyoto, and others like her.

Chapter Text

No matter how much he tried to sleep that night, it evaded him. How could he?

Everything he's been working toward these last ten months has led up to this!

Tomorrow was UA's entrance exam. Which means that in the morning, All Might was going to give him One For All!

As much as he would have liked to have more time to practice with it, All Might wanted to maximize his potential. After all, what good would it be if Izuku's body could barely contain its power?

It didn't give him much time to figure out how to use One For All, but All Might didn't seem concerned. He said an afternoon would be plenty of time to get a handle on the basics ahead of the exam.

Looking at the clock for what may be the hundredth time, he saw that it was finally 5:30 AM. Deciding that was close enough, he rolled out of bed and grabbed his tracksuit. If he was quick about his morning jog, he'd be able to catch the sunrise on Takoba Beach while waiting for All Might.

Twenty minutes later, Izuku sat cross-legged on a sand dune as his gaze stretched out over the ocean. Despite promising All Might that he wouldn't push himself to the point of collapse, he still managed to clear almost another one-hundred and fifty meters beyond the initially proposed kilometer. As his gaze drifted along the beach he saw a pair of volunteers in the distance, trash bags in hand as they walked along the shore. The sight made him smile.

One morning people were curious about who, exactly, was cleaning the beach, and had sought him out. They were shocked to discover it was only a single kid, doing it as part of a training regime. Before long volunteer groups formed, working to clear other parts of the beach outside of 'his' area. And then another group appeared - one solely dedicated to maintaining the beach, preventing it from reverting to its previous state. Both served as reminders of All Might's early lessons, that there was more to being a hero than simply punching bad guys.

His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar hand on his shoulder. "Admiring your handiwork?"

"Mhm," Izuk looked up to his mentor. "Is that bad?"

"Not at all!" Toshinori exclaimed as he bulked up to his muscle form, his hand sweeping along the beach. "This is your accomplishment. You've managed to undo years of neglect in ten months, and more! Take pride in that fact."

Izuku felt a warmth filling his stomach as his lips tugged upwards. "Thank you, All Might."

"Don't thank me, as I said all those months ago. I am merely giving you an opportunity. The rest is all you, Young Midoriya."

Izuku stood up and nodded vigorously. "Y-yeah!"

"That's the spirit!"

"So now what?" Izuku asked, feeling the previous evening's excitement come rushing back.

"And now, it is time for your reward," Toshinori explained as he plucked a strand of hair from his head and offered it to Izuku.

"Umm," Izuku took the hair in his hand. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Isn't it obvious? You should eat it!"

"Huh?!"

"Look," Toshinori began awkwardly, "the process to pass on One For All involves you ingesting my DNA, and this is the easiest way to do that!"

"Actually, I have another way," Izuku said as he let go of the hair, letting it flutter away in the morning breeze. Grabbing his bag, he rummaged through it until he pulled out a sealed bag containing a needle and a couple of empty blood vials.

"Y-young Midoriya!?" Toshinori sputtered. "Why do you have something like that in your bag?"

"Mostly in case of emergencies," Izuku admitted. "If something happened and Himi needed blood, I wanted to have a way to draw it on hand."

"I see," Toshinori said thoughtfully, his earlier awkwardness forgotten. "Well if you are more comfortable with that," he deflated and held out an arm. "A few drops should suffice."

Nodding his head, Izuku worked quickly and efficiently as he broke the seal on the bag and took a sample of Toshinori's blood. After he was done and carefully repacked the needle for disposal, he held the vial in his hand almost reverently.

I wonder if this is how Himi feels when she drinks our blood.

Unstopping it, he drank the blood, the metallic taste leaving him unphased as he swallowed it.

"And now…"

"Now," Toshinori let out a resigned sigh as he plopped down on the beach. "We must wait. It will take several hours for you to digest it, and then we can begin the next step."

As Izuku returned the equipment to his bag, Izuku froze as he realized he had forgotten something very important.

"So, um… About the part where it's passed through ingesting DNA?"

"Is something the matter Young Midoriya?"

"H-how does that work exactly?" Izuku asked awkwardly. "I kind of have a sister who keeps a few vials of my blood on her."

"Oh," Toshinori said solemnly, "I had missed that as well. Fortunately, there is more to it!"

"There is?"

"Indeed," Toshinori nodded. "I had hoped we wouldn't need to discuss this for many years, but there is a second component to the transfer process. Not only does the person have to ingest your DNA, but you also have to will One For All to them. Without that desire to pass it on, it will remain with you."

Izuku let out a sigh of relief as he sat down next to his mentor. "That's great news! That would have been really awkward if I had to explain why Himi couldn't drink my blood anymore."

Izuku sat on the dune, pen scratching away at his notebook as his phone played a video when he finally felt it. Gasping, Izuku looked down at his chest.

"Is everything alright Young Midoriya?"

"Yes!" Izuku exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. "I-I feel it!"

In the center of his chest, in the very core of his being, he felt a new warmth as it began to grow. It slowly expanded outward, filling his very being with something new. Something different. Something powerful.

"Oho," Toshinori stood up. "So the transfer is a success then?"

"Yes!" Izuku exclaimed as he slapped his chest. "I feel something, right here!"

"Wonderful!" Toshinori said as he disappeared in a puff of smoke, returning to his muscle form. "That means it's time for training!"

Descending the dune, the student and teacher jogged to the middle of the beach where they faced the ocean.

"So how do I use it?" Izuku asked, excitement lacing every word.

"It's easy!" Toshinori replied. "Just clench your butt cheeks and yell smash!"

Izuku's face dropped, unable to hide his disappointment. "R-really?"

"That is how it works," Toshinori laughed awkwardly. "When I tense my muscles, I feel One For All expand outward to wrap itself around them, lending me its power." He wound up and threw a mock punch in demonstration.

Looking down at his hands, Izuku balled his fists. Looking up at his mentor, he nodded. "Mhm, okay then! I'll try it!"

"That's the spirit!"

Settling into a fighting stance, Izuku clenched his fist and reeled his arm back, trying to emulate how All Might punches. As he pulled his arm back, he felt muscles tense as the warmth in his chest flared. Gasping, Izuku felt the barest tendril of power as it extends outward, creeping along his arm.

And then without warning, the warmth suddenly vanished.

"W-what?" Izuku blinked owlishly as he looked at his fist. "I started to feel it but then it just… stopped?"

"Well, this is awkward." All Might sad, as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Did- did it not work?" Izuku asked, wondering if something would change if he stared at his fist long enough.

"No, the way you describe it means you now possess One For All. I can confirm that as well - the quirk has appeared to move on, leaving an echo and embers in its wake. Which means something else is holding you back…" Toshinori mused as he held his chin.

"What do you mean holding me back?" Izuku asked, a hint of panic in his words.

"I don't know how else to describe it," Toshinori said apologetically. "While it is clear you now possess One For All, something seems to be missing still. This - this never happened to me."

"Does that mean something's wrong with me?" Izuku asked, trembling slightly.

"Nonsense," Toshinori assured him. "I'm sure we can figure it out! Maybe we rushed things, and you just need more time to let One For All settle in?"

"I hope so," Izuku said nervously.

Hours later Izuku lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling of his room. After barely sleeping the night before and with exams in the morning, he should have been asleep a while ago. But the incident. Or, more appropriately, the lack of incident weighed heavily on his mind.

Is something wrong with me?

Holding his hand in front of his face, he balled it into a fist, tensing his muscles. Just like before, he felt like something should be happening. But it just… wasn't.

With a weary sigh, he let his arm fall, dropping onto his face and covering his eyes. His thoughts started over, repeating the cycle until exhaustion finally claimed him.

Opening his eyes, Izuku gasped as he found himself standing amidst an ocean of stars. Looking down, he didn't see what he was standing on - it was simply more of the endless expanse of space. It took him a moment, but eventually he found a landmark. There, in the distance, was a door. Its simple brown color stood in stark contrast to the swirling colors of the sky.

That was when he heard it. Vague whispers from indistinct voices. He didn't know what they were saying, but he knew the answer lay behind that door. Unsure of how things worked in the dream world, he tried to take a step toward the door.

Four-year-old Izuku stood on a playground, placing himself between Bakugo, and two of his lackeys and another kid who had just been knocked over. Determination filling his face, Izuku spread his arms out to block Bakugo's path.

Izuku shook his head and looked down. He saw the surface he was standing on appeared to ripple from the contact. Much like dropping a rock into the water, he watched as a small wave distorted the image below as it expanded outward.

Well, whatever he was standing on was solid, so that was a start. Looking forward again, Izuku saw the door was slightly closer now. Feeling newfound confidence, he took another step.

Izuku couldn't stop the tears from falling as he stared at the computer monitor. On the screen, a video of All Might's debut played, but even that video did nothing to relieve the crushing weight of sadness he felt.

As he heard his mom come in, he spun around in his chair and pointed to the screen.

"Mom, can I still be a hero?" He asked, desperate for her to say one simple word.

"I'm sorry," Inko replied as she collapsed in front of him.

Izuku felt his heart shatter all over again as she hugged him, her tears flowing freely as she repeated the phrase over and over again.

That wasn't the answer he so desperately needed to hear.

Izuku felt hot tears building in his eyes, threatening to spill out. He felt his resolve wavering, but the door awaited him. Shoving his doubt aside, he continued onward.

Seven-year-old Izuku crossed a log bridge as he followed Bakugo toward the woods. Then, without warning, Bakugo slipped and fell off the edge, landing in the shallow river below. While everyone else stared in disbelief, Izuku was already on the move. He scrambled down the bank without regard for his own safety, only to see the other boy laying there, looking more annoyed than hurt. Reaching out, Izuku offered him a hand to help him up.

What's going on? Why was he remembering these memories in particular?

Eleven-year-old Izuku was on a different playground, once again defending someone from Bakugo and his lackeys. After Bakugo insulted Izuku and walked away, Izuku turned toward the kid behind him. Rather than thanking Izuku, the kid just took one look at him before walking off.

He's always been like this, sacrificing himself for others. For years he's had no sense of self-worth, between his quirkless status and Bakugo's constant reminder of how futile his dream was. His value was entirely based on what he could do to keep others safe.

Thirteen-year-old Izuku was maneuvering around the crowd to get a better view of the villain's attack. However, that wasn't what caught his attention.

There! Out of the corner of his eye.

Turning his attention toward an alleyway, he watched as a distressingly thin and pale girl stumbled toward him. Her clothes were torn and covered in blood, and she was muttering incoherently to herself. He didn't know what happened to her or how he could help, but he still found himself reaching out to her as she fell, asking if she was ok.

And then this happened. This one singular event permanently altered his course of history. He wasn't acting any different from usual, but this time something different happened.

He never expected his life to change so drastically by helping one person.

Fourteen-year-old Izuku saw Bakugo fighting desperately against the Sludge Villain. Looking around, he saw the heroes as they stood there helplessly, claiming that none of them had the right quirk for the situation. After everything he had been through that day, nobody would have blamed him for staying a faceless member of the crowd. After all, he was just a quirkless Deku. Without a quirk, what could he possibly do to protect people?

None of that mattered when he saw Bakugo's face. Without giving it a second thought, he felt himself pushing through the crowd, his feet carrying him toward his classmate.

This was the first time things felt different. What little confidence and sense of self-worth he had been carefully cultivating was sorely tested that day. Despite their words, despite knowing the impossible odds, he knew he had to try.

It almost cost him his life, but it bought Bakugo and All Might the valuable time they both needed. And once again he found his life had completely changed by simply being selfless.

Looking up, Izuku saw how close the door was. One more step…

Izuku felt himself on his knees crying. All Might's presence hovered over him as he apologized.

"I'm saying that I was wrong. You, Young Midoriya, have what it takes to be a hero!"

Izuku found himself standing in front of the door. It was so close now!

Filling with anticipation, he reached out and grabbed the handle. He tried to turn it, but gasped in surprise when it wouldn't turn - the door was locked!

He didn't have any time to think about it as an impossible wind began to blow, seemingly coming from the door itself. He grabbed the handle with both of his hands, trying to fight back - to stay anchored. But the wind was too strong. Hands slipping, he found himself thrown backward, the invisible walkway gone as he was thrown out amongst the sea of stars.

"Show us your resolve."

Izuku bolted upright, breathing heavily as those words echoed in his head.

Heart racing, he looked around the room, assuring himself that was where he really was. Several intense moments later, he finally let out a quiet sigh. That felt so real! It was so different from every dream he's ever had before.

Looking over, he let out a strangled cry as he saw his clock.

7:02 AM

Crap! He'd slept in!

Scrambling out of his bed, he grabbed his uniform. He didn't have time to think about it, UA's entrance exam awaits.

Only once he reached the train station did he begin to relax. Checking his phone, he saw he had a message from Froppy, wishing him luck today. With a crooked smile, he sent them a reply wishing them good luck as well - it turns out they were both taking entrance exams today and while Froppy had several more planned, today's exam was for their first choice of school.

Izuku, on the other hand, was scared to tell his digital friend that he didn't have any backup plans in place.

Putting his phone away, Izuku couldn't help but begin to review the strange dream last night. What was that dream? Did it tie into the fact that he couldn't use One For All yesterday?

These questions and many more plagued him as he boarded the train, body moving on autopilot as he continued his journey onto UA's grounds.

That dream felt so real last night! At least, I'm pretty sure it was just a dream, right? Is it related to my inability to use One For All? All Might assured me that it's there, but I-

Izuku was so focused on his thoughts that he missed the loose stone in his path until he felt himself dragged from his thoughts, literally, as gravity asserted his dominance.

Instincts taking over, he loosened his muscles and prepared to fall into a roll, until his stomach lurched as he suddenly found himself floating instead.

"I know I should have asked before I used my quirk on you, but when you tripped I just acted," A brown-haired girl with blush marks on her cheeks said. As she sheepishly pulled her hand back, Izuku noticed that she had pink marks on the end of each finger as well. "But it's bad luck to fall before a test, right?"

"Y-yeah," Izuku felt his face heating up in embarrassment. "Sorry - that you had to use your quirk, I mean! I don't mind."

"Oh, here-" The girl extended her hand. Taking it, Izuku swung himself upright before the girl pressed the tips of her fingers together.

"Release!" The girl said.

Izuku felt a small lurch as gravity reasserted itself, and he once again stood on solid ground. Rubbing the back of his head, he gave the girl a nervous smile. "Thanks for the help. I'm Izuku Midoriya, nice to meet you."

"I'm Ochako Uraraka, nice to meet you!" She smiled at him. "You must be really nervous about the test, huh?"

"Y-yeah," Izuku said, unable to voice his real concerns.

"I get it, it's pretty stressful for me too," She gave him a wobbly smile. "We should get going though!"

"Right!" Izuku rapidly straightened. "We don't want to be late."

"Just watch your step!" Ochako said with a light giggle.

"T-thanks," Izuku said sheepishly.

The pair took off, sprinting the rest of the way to the entrance of the building. Once there, Ochako pointed to a registration desk down the hall. "Well, I guess this is where we part ways. Let's do our best, okay?"

Izuku smiled at the girl's enthusiasm. "Yeah, good luck!"

As Izuku and Ochako split up to get registered for the exam, Izuku felt the smile lingering on his face.

That girl was really nice. I hope she makes it in.

Once inside, Izuku was able to successfully suppress his worries as he took the written exam, the time flying as he worked his way through the pages. After lunch and a presentation by none other than the hero Present Mic, Izuku felt all of his worries coming back as he made his way to the bus that would take him to the exam site.

"Midoriya!"

Looking around, he spotted a familiar brown head of hair quickly approaching him. "Uraraka?"

"Looks like we're in the same test group!" Ochako said with a smile. "What are the odds?"

"Pretty high actually," Izuku said. "There's only so many test sites…"

"I guess you're right," Ochako's smile faltered. "Are you feeling any better?"

"A little," Izuku admitted. "The written portion went great, how about you?"

"I don't think I did as well as you," Ochako admitted, "They didn't tell me there was a whole section on English!"

"At least you can make up for it with points from the practical portion," Izuku said.

"Yep!" Ochako said a little too loudly as a too-wide smile spread across her face. "That just means I'll have to destroy the most robots. Sorry Midoriya, I won't leave any for you!"

"Ehehe," Izuku rubbed the back of his head nervously before he looked down at his free hand.

I just hope I can score at all.

Izuku had been talking to Ochako when they suddenly heard a loud buzzer go off. The two jumped, confusion written across their faces as they stared at each other when Present Mic's voice suddenly crackled to life over the loudspeakers.

"What are you waiting for? Real life doesn't give you any warnings!"

Determination suddenly filled both of their faces.

"I'll see you at the finish line!" Izuku said as he began racing toward the gate.

"I'll be waiting!" Ochako called back.

Turning his attention forward, Izuku joined the pack of students racing toward the first wave of robots - and feeling the pit in his stomach return with a vengeance.

This is it! Izuku thought as he ran toward the nearest robot - a two-point Imperial class.

Charging forward, he balled his fist, winding up to throw a punch with the full force of One For All… hopefully.

"Smash!" Izuku yelled as he planted his feet, skidding forward as he swung with every fiber of his being-

-and promptly felt his bones creaking as he smashed his fist into the metallic shell of the robot.

"Owww!" Izuku yelped, flinching back and instinctively cradling his hand to his chest.

He was so distracted by the pain, he didn't notice the robot as it raised its massive tail, ready to strike him down. Fortunately, the attack never came as a laser shot a hole through the robot, causing it to explode in front of him.

"Thanks, monsieur!" A flashy blond-haired Frenchman said as he came up behind him. "We should team up, you'd provide a great distraction while I take out the robots!" The student didn't give Izuku a chance to reply, however, as he left with a sparkling flourish.

Left alone with an aching hand and doubt in his mind, Izuku felt Bakugo's taunts at the edge of his mind.

What do I do?

I- I can't control One For All! Something's still wrong!

So how am I supposed to pass the test?!

"I am merely giving you an opportunity. The rest is all you, Young Midoriya."

Izuku gasped as he heard All Might's words echo in his head. Head jerking upright, he saw his fellow examinees all around him, trying their hardest to score as many points as they could - no matter what their quirks are.

What am I doing?

I've-

I've always intended to take this test quirkless before! Did I become so dependent on One For All that I'd forgotten everything just because I've now got a quirk?

Izuku looked down at his sore hand.

Is this what One For All is trying to tell me?

Ignoring the pain, Izuku clenched his fist.

No. Quirk or no quirk, I'm going to do it. I'm going to get into UA, and show All Might that he made the right choice!

Looking down at the corpse of the robot in front of him, Izuku got an idea. There were several wicked-looking plates from where that other student's laser shot through the robot. He could use those! Feeling along the edges, Izuku smiled as he saw that several panels were loose. Placing a red shoe on the robot's side for leverage, he grits his teeth and pulled.

With a loud screech, the screws gave way and Izuku found himself stumbling backward, two improvised weapons in his hand. Turning, he saw a Victory Class robot ambling along. The others must have ignored it because it was only worth a single point, but for Izuku it was everything. Ignoring the pain in his hand, he gripped his weapons and charged the robot.

The robot noticed him immediately and tried to swing at him with an armored arm. Ducking beneath it, Izuku lunged forward, jamming a weapon into the creature's exposed torso. He heard a grinding sound as the robot tried to maneuver, its internal components tearing themselves apart on the makeshift weapon. Finally, the red light of its eyes dimmed as the robot fell over.

"Yes!" Izuku cheered. "I can do this!"

Pulling the metal out, Izuku took off in search of his next target.

I won't let you down All Might!

And I won't break my promise Himi!

Izuku managed to regain his confidence as more and more robots fell to his makeshift weapons, and he had managed to reach a cumulative twenty-eight points so far.

Then he heard the two-minute warning sound.

As the buzzer sounded, an almost eerie silence seemed to settle on the battlefield as the robots seemingly dispersed, only for a low rumbling to be heard.

"There!"

"Seriously?"

"We're supposed to avoid that?!"

There, rumbling slowly toward them, was the gigantic zero-point Executor robot.

All around him, Izuku heard the other students fleeing. He was prepared to join them when something caught his eye - or rather, someone.

There, trapped under a pile of debris was Ochako.

She looked like she was struggling to escape, but she was so worn out the debris wasn't moving. Had she reached her quirk's limit? Was she hurt worse than he could see from here?

It didn't matter why she was there, all that mattered was that she was in serious danger! The robot didn't have any intention of stopping, and she was trapped right in its path.

This time, Izuku didn't need his body to make a decision for him. As his makeshift weapons clattered to the ground, Izuku broke out in a run toward her.

That's when it happened.

As his foot touched the ground, the core of energy that had been sitting inside him exploded. He felt a raging fire expanding outward, filling every corner of his very being with new strength and energy.

Speeding up, he let his instincts take over as he took a running leap skyward, his height rapidly increasing as he approached the robot's head.

I- this is it!

Determination filling him, Izuku balled his fist and wound up, feeling the rush of power as energy rolled down his arm and reinforced his muscles.

I can do this! I can end this in a single punch. Just like All Might!

"Smaaaaaash!"

Time seemed to slow down around him as his fist connected with the robot. The green light surrounding his fist almost seemed to explode outward as the metal plating imploded, the force enough to knock the robot backward, toppling toward the earth.

Izuku didn't have time to celebrate his victory, however. Despite the adrenaline in his body, he felt a spike of pain in his arms and legs. A quick glance at his limbs was all he needed to know that his arm was definitely broken, his skin a mass of bruises and burst blood vessels as it hung at an odd angle. While his legs were covered, the sharp pain he felt told him a similar story - they weren't shattered the way his arm was, but something was wrong with them.

And then gravity began to assert himself, pulling him from the heavens back down toward the earth.

Oh no! I'm going to die!

Izuku's mind worked in overdrive as he tried to come up with a solution. His arm was useless and he didn't trust his legs. That left him with one good arm to work with. Looking down he began to plan a solution.

If I use One For All close to the ground, the recoil should be enough to stop my fall. It'll send me skyward a little bit, but the impact will hurt a lot less. I just need to time it right…

Balling his hand into a fist, Izuku prepared to use One For All once again-

-until he felt a sting on his face as Ochako slapped him. Once again he felt the sudden lurch, and once again his downward momentum vanished as she removed his gravity.

"Ura-raka-" Izuku said in shock as he looked at the brown-haired girl.

Looking like she was fighting herself, Ochako gave him a wobbly smile as she struggled to push her hands together. "R-release!"

Suddenly the debris Ochako was on, and Izuku, fell the last few meters to the ground. Flipping himself around, Izuku tried to land on his feet, only to feel the bones in his legs shatter as they touched the ground, sending him toppling over with a pained cry.

Pushing himself up with his free hand, he saw Ochako's back as she turned away from him, the poor girl vomiting from the strain of overusing her quirk.

As much as he wanted to say something he suddenly heard the thirty-second warning.

Oh no, I don't have nearly enough points!

Struggling, he used his good hand to push himself to a kneeling position. "I need… more… points." Tears stung his cheeks from the pain, but he refused to give up. He had come so far! He can't fail! Not here, not with the finish line in sight!

His strength gave out when the final buzzer sounded, telling him that the exam was over. Unable to move, he knelt there and cried. Through his tears, he saw Ochako eventually recover and start walking toward him, but Recovery Girl got to him first.

"Oh no, what happened to you?" Recovery Girl asked as she looked him over. "Don't worry, I'll fix you right up."

Izuku tried to protest, telling her to wait, but the pain made his words unintelligible as her lips extended, kissing him and activating her quirk. Feeling a wave of exhaustion overcome him, he promptly passed out.

As his eyes opened, Izuku once again found himself amongst the field of stars. It was this dream again.

However, something was different with the door that stood in front of him. Last night, it was closed. Now, it stood open, the darkness beyond beckoning him forward.

Izuku began walking toward it. Unlike last time, he wasn't transported through his memories. Instead, with every step, he saw a glowing pair of eyes appear in the doorway. One… then another… and another. Each a different color, each looking at him until eight pairs of eyes were staring at him from beyond the door. Likewise, the whispering grew louder with each step, until he had reached the threshold.

"You are worthy of our power."

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Izuku gathered his courage and stepped through the doorway. As he did so he found himself swallowed by darkness. The stars vanished completely, only to be replaced by the eight pairs of glowing eyes as they surrounded him.

"We can't wait to see how you use it, ninth."

Izuku jolted upright, waking up in what appeared to be a cross between a nurse's office and an infirmary.

"Oh, you're awake!" A familiar voice said from beside his bed.

"Uraraka?" Izuku asked, confused at the sight of the girl sitting next to it.

"I- I felt bad about what happened and wanted to apologize. I tried to push myself to make up for my low test scores and I guess I overdid it," She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as the blush marks on her cheeks expanded outward. "I'm sorry that you got hurt saving me, but I really appreciate it!"

"But you saved me!" Izuku insisted.

"Only because you got hurt because of me!" Ochako countered.

"Will you two both quit it," The annoyed voice of Recovery Girl said as she approached the other side of the bed.

"Sorry!" the two students said in unison.

"Good, now then," Recovery Girl turned toward Izuku. "I don't know what you did, but you managed to shatter three of your four limbs out there. I was able to repair the damage, but considering how extensive your injuries were it took quite a toll on you. You've been asleep for almost two hours recovering." She waved her cane toward Ochako. "She's been here most of the time waiting for you to wake up, so you should thank her."

"I just wanted to make sure he was okay," Ochako said sheepishly.

Izuku felt his face heating up as he looked at Ochako, only to quickly turn his attention back to the hero. "S-so is everything okay now?"

"Of course it is," The hero assured him. "You're probably still gonna be exhausted for the next day or two, so no strenuous activity and eat lots of calories."

"Yes ma'am," Izuku said politely.

"Now then, you're free to go."

"That's it?"

"That's it," The woman said, sounding annoyed. "The test is over."

"I picked up your stuff," Ochako said helpfully as she offered him his backpack. "I hope you don't mind."

"Oh. Thanks," Izuku said as he gave her a grateful smile too. "We should get going. My sister's probably worried about me."

"You have a sister?" Ochako asked curiously.

"Yeah! She's actually a first year here at UA…"

The two continued talking as they exited the building, only for Izuku to hear another familiar voice once they were outside.

"Izu!" Himiko called as she raced toward him, her eyes filled with concern. "What took you so long?!"

"H-hi Himi," Izuku said timidly. "I was sorta-kinda in the nurse's office?"

"WHAT?!" Himiko exclaimed. "What happened? Did the zero-pointer get you?!"

"You could say that," Izuku said nervously, a knot weighing heavily in his stomach as the moment he had feared finally arrived. "I um… ehehe. So it turns out I may have been a late bloomer, and I manifested a quirk during the combat portion of the exam?"

Himiko opened her mouth, but no words came out. None were needed - the feeling of betrayal was written all over her face. Izuku may as well have just taken one of her knives and stabbed her in the back with it.

"I um-" Ochako said awkwardly as she looked between the two. "I don't want to interrupt anything. Text me later?"

"Y-yeah," Izuku said awkwardly in reply, not even watching as Ochako crept off in her attempt to give the siblings space.

Reaching out, Himiko wrapped her hand around Izuku's wrist before she turned back toward the school gate. "Come on, Mom's waiting for us."

"Yeah…"

Not knowing what else to say, Izuku let his sister drag him home in awkward silence.

Chapter Text

Himiko lay on her bed, her arms wrapped around her stuffed green bear when she felt a familiar weight sit down behind her.

"Go away, Izu."

"Himi… I need to talk to you. There's- well, there's something I need to tell you."

"I don't care," Himiko closed her eyes, trying to blink the water away.

"It's about my quirk."

"I don't care about your stupid quirk!" She spun to face him, eyes ablaze with a golden fury that caused Izuku to wince. "You lied to me! You said you were quirkless! We spent two years supporting each other! Promising to make the future better for people like us! And now-"

Izuku's face fell. "And now I have a quirk."

"H-how do you think that makes me feel?" Himiko choked out as she felt hot tears rolling down her face. "Knowing that- that you lied to me for so long. That you- that everything was a lie!"

"That's why I'm here," Izuku said as he started to curl in on himself. "I- I need to tell you something. Something that I shouldn't tell anyone - I can't tell Mom. But you deserve to know."

Himiko felt a knife twisting in her stomach. "What could you possibly tell me-"

"I really was quirkless," Izuku blurted out.

"That doesn't make sense!" Himiko threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Himi, please," Izuku begged his sister. "I didn't lie to you about that."

"Then how can you have a quirk if you're quirkless?!"

"I was given one-"

"Stop lying to me," Himiko hissed out. "That's impossible!"

"I-it's true," Izuku said, not backing down as green eyes met gold. "Back when I met All Might ten months ago. When I came home so happy? I left out part of the conversation. My training wasn't just to prepare for UA's entrance exam. It was also to prepare my body to hold a quirk."

"Are you saying that there's someone out there who can just - give quirks?" Himiko asked in disbelief.

"Sorta," Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "The quirk I have - it's transferable."

"And All Might just knew someone willing to transfer this quirk to you?"

"Y-yeah," Izuku said. "I know it's hard to believe but it's the truth. It's… it's why it's so important that nobody knows. If the wrong person found out about my quirk, I'd be in danger. Not only me but those I'm close to - the people I care about," He slowly reached out, only to watch as Himiko yanked her fist away. Closing his eyes, he let his hand drop to the bed, filling the space between them. "They'd be in danger too. People would stop at nothing to try and gain a second quirk."

"Izu…" Himiko felt the tears flowing freely again as she broke her brother's gaze and looked down at the bed. "Why?"

"Why what, Himi?"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because," Izuku looked down at his hand. "You're right. I shouldn't lie to you. I've been dreading telling you about this for ten months. Because it meant I had to lie to you. And keep lying to you."

"Damn it, Izu," Himiko choked out. "Why do you have to be so- so- you!?"

"Huh?"

She dared to raise her attention back to Izuku's face. "You! You're trusting me with- this big important secret! Because I'm mad at you!" She didn't even realize she had done it, but when she looked down she saw she had hooked her index finger around her brother's thumb. "It's unfair."

Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You're allowed to be mad at me. I did kind of lie to you for ten months."

"That's not what I mean." Himiko shook her head. "I mean you're- you're you. You're the most selfless, caring person I know," Himiko bit her lip, feeling blood welling under her fangs. "If anyone deserves some special quirk it's you. It's- I'm- just- I'm scared."

"Scared of what?" Izuku asked softly.

"I don't want to lose you," Himiko admitted, curling in on herself as she felt her blush marks spread. "Now that you have a quirk - one that's so strong you literally broke yourself using it. I- I don't want to lose the Izu I know and love."

She gasped as she felt warmth envelop her, Izuku wrapping her up in a warm hug. "You almost lost me today," He admitted. "But then in the practical exam I remembered - I don't want to be that kind of hero." Pulling away, he tried to give his sister a shaky smile - the kind that he gave her when he was trying to be brave enough for both of them. "There's more than just saving people from villains. I want to be the hero who can tell a quirkless four-year-old that he can be a hero too. I want to be the kind of hero who will save a little girl calling for help - who is being abused because her parents don't like her quirk. They need heroes too."

"Izu." Himiko sobbed as she wrapped herself around her brother, tears flowing freely again. "You-you're- too much."

"I'm sorry Himi," Izuku held his sister as he felt her shaking. "I hope you can forgive me."

He felt the shaking change as Himiko let out a wet laugh. "You know I will. Just- not yet."

Izuku nodded and pulled away. "I understand. I'll… give you the space you need."

"I know," Himiko said as she swatted away tears, "that's what makes it worse. So how'd you do it?"

Izuku laughed nervously. "I didn't omit anything about my part in that attack. I just - I met All Might on the roof before the attack, and we talked. He told me that my dream would be impossible, that I should be more realistic." He winced as he saw Himiko tense up. "Then he saw me in the attack. When I acted the way I did after that talk… All Might realized he was wrong." Izuku looked down at his hand. "And he offered to give me a quirk, to make the impossible a little more possible."

"Or he realized you'd kill yourself running into danger anyway," Himiko gave her brother a fond smile. "And wanted to make sure you didn't die."

"He said that too…" Izuku admitted sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

Himiko let out a short bark of laughter. She was about to continue when the siblings heard a quiet knock on the door before Inko poked her head in. As she surveyed the situation, both saw the worry etched into their mother's face.

"I don't know what happened today, but I made Izuku's favorite katsudon. It's ready if the two of you are."

"O-okay!" Izuku said a little too loudly. "We'll be out in a minute!" Izuku watched nervously until his mom closed the door, then she spun around to face his sister again, new panic settling into his face. "I haven't told Mom about my quirk yet!"

Himiko let out a frustrated sigh. "And you're sure she can't know the truth?"

"Other than me and All Might, there's 7 people in the world who know this quirk exists, including you," Izuku quickly explained. "That's how secret it is."

Himiko's eyes went wide as she realized the full weight of what he told her. "That's it?!"

"Yeah," Izuku laughed nervously. "It's that important."

"Ugh," Himiko crossed her arms. "You know I hate this, right?"

"I don't like it either," Izuku admits. "I um, promised myself that I'd tell you and Mom someday - when it's safe," He gave her a shaky grin. "You just found out a lot faster than I was expecting?"

"Fine," Himiko let out an irritated sigh and gave him a look that let him know they would be having another conversation about this. "So what are you going to tell Mom?"

"The same one I tried to tell you at UA," Izuku explained. "Most people get their quirks by age four or five at the latest, if they aren't born with them. But late bloomers exist - people whose quirks are so powerful their bodies suppress them until their bodies can handle the strain."

"Doesn't that happen when you are eight or nine?" Himiko asked. "Not fifteen!"

"That's true, but me breaking my bones actually helps sell the story," Izuku let out a nervous giggle, ducking his head to avoid his sister's glare. "Since I hurt myself using it, it proves that my body wasn't ready for it before now. And Mom never had me tested for Late Bloomer status because well… you know." Izuku looked back up at his sister. "So that's the story I'm going to use when I register my quirk."

"That sounds simple enough- and nerdy enough- to be believable." The ghost of a smirk appeared on Himiko's lips. "I'd ask what kind of quirk it is, but I know I'll hear all about it later." She stood up and offered out an arm that Izuku took and used to pull himself off of her bed. "Let's get cleaned up and talk to Mom."

A few minutes later the siblings joined their mom in the kitchen, letting an awkward silence fill the air as they helped her serve their food. It wasn't until all three of them sat down that Inko finally decided to break it.

"Are you ready to talk about it, or should it wait until after dinner?"

Izuku looked at Himiko, feeling a tightness in his stomach as his eyes drifted to his food. He knew he wasn't going to be able to eat - not with this hanging over him. Letting out a sigh, he looked at his mom.

"I hurt myself today." Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat. "Really badly. If UA didn't have Recovery Girl there, it would have taken me months to recover." He hung his head, unable to look at his mom as he lied to her. "Himi was really upset at me because of how badly I hurt myself."

Inko's eyes widened as she stared at her son in horror. "W-what happened? Himi's had injuries while training, but she- nothing that would have taken months to recover from!"

Picking up his chopsticks, Izuku started poking at his meal. "I manifested a quirk during the combat portion of the exam. It turns out I was a late bloomer," He laughed nervously as he forced himself to look at his mom. "Since I didn't know how to control my quirk in the middle of a combat trial, I um, broke both of my legs and one of my arms from backlash."

Inko's chopsticks clattered to the plate as her hands covered her mouth. Her face was a complex mixture of emotions as tears began to leak out of the corner of her eyes. "You have a quirk? All this time…"

"Yeah," Izuku gave his mom a crooked smile. "I've been thinking about it a lot. Trying to figure out how we missed it. I think my body was trying to keep me safe because I never had the muscle mass to survive using it. Like a built-in failsafe? And I just finished those ten months of intensive training…"

Izuku heard the sound of wood scraping against wood as Inko slid her chair back and stood up slowly. Circling the table, she placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder, her touch light - as if she was afraid of him breaking again. "How did your quirk break three of your limbs?"

"I have a theory," Izuku admitted. "I need to test it more, but I think it's an energy storage and enhancement quirk. Which if that's true… I think I've been storing energy since I was little without even realizing it? So my quirk's got a lot more power than my body knows how to deal with."

Inko looked horrified. "I-if your quirk can't control it, are you going to be okay? Do we need to call a doctor?"

Izuku shook his head quickly. "No! It's okay! Really!" Izuku spun around and held up his hands. "See? I'm perfectly fine. I just- need to find a way to test it safely."

"Do you think Mr. Yagi will be able to help?" Inko asked.

"Yeah," Izuku gave his mom a confident smile. "I'm pretty sure he can."

Moving with surprising speed, Inko grabbed Izuku, pulling him out of his chair and wrapping him in a hug. "I- you- this is everything you've ever wanted."

"Yeah," Izuku said softly as he wrapped his arms around his mom. "It is."

"It's a miracle," Inko said as tears flowed freely down her face. "I'm so happy for you."

The two held each other in a silent embrace for a few minutes as Izuku silently assured his mom that he was okay. That everything was okay. That he wouldn't break simply by having a quirk. That he was actually excited by this development!

Once she had recovered, Inko finally let go before turning to her daughter. Himiko watched the scene pensively from her seat. Judging by the expression on her face, Inko could tell that her daughter felt like an outsider intruding on a private moment, and she hated that. Stepping around the table, she repeated her action, pulling her daughter into a hug.

"You're a part of the family too, Himi. Never forget that."

"Thanks," Himiko said as she returned the hug, desperately clinging to Inko. "I know I should be happy, but I feel like I lost something special between me and Izu."

"You're allowed to feel that way," Inko said as she pulled away from her daughter, looking into her face. "I'm overwhelmed too, and I don't have the same bond the two of you have."

"I know," Himiko bit her lip. "I just… need time."

"Take all the time you need," Inko assured her. "We're here for you."

"And I- we still love you," Izuku added as he approached the pair.

"Thank you," Himiko sobbed before pulling her family into a hug. She felt them return her embrace, each reminding the others that they were there for them. That despite the fundamental shift that happened today, they were a family beyond blood. And today hasn't changed that.

Finally letting each other go, the three returned to their meal. After taking her first bite, Himiko turned toward her brother. "You never told me how you did on the test! Other than breaking yourself."

"Oh, right," Izuku's face fell as he looked at the piece of katsudon between his chopsticks. "I only managed to get twenty-eight points before well…" Izuku shoved the piece of food into his mouth, not wanting to belabor the point.

"What about hero points?" Himiko asked.

"Huh?" Izuku asked.

"Don't you remember my entrance letter from last year? There were two scores. The villain points and something called 'hero points,'" Himiko pressed an index finger to her chin as she thought about it. "Then again Kan didn't really say anything in the letter. I guess he wanted to be careful in case you were listening.

"I-" Izuku thought back to the exam. The only thing he could think of is. "-Uraraka."

"Who?" Inko asked curiously

Himiko's eyes went wide, then narrowed as a predatory smile appeared on her face. "Who's that?"

"I-" Izuku suddenly felt a fresh wave of worry. "The girl I was walking out with. Her name's Ochako Uraraka. She um- stopped me from tripping," Izuku began. "Then I saw she was in trouble and went to rescue her. That's when my- my quirk came in." Izuku whispered, feeling a sense of dread wash over him as Himiko's grin split her face.

"You were walking with a girl?" Inko asked curiously, looking at her son with renewed interest.

"That's adorable!" Himiko squealed. "It must be fate! Two lovers having their destined meeting-"

"Himi," Izuku squeaked out. "Life isn't like one of your rom-coms."

"Oh come on," Himiko said, "let me have my fun. Besides!" Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, like a predator hunting her prey. "You owe me."

"S-she's the only one I helped," Izuku stammered out, attempting to steer the conversation back to the original topic. "So I don't know if that'll be enough!"

"Oh no," Inko exclaimed.

"Yeah," Izuku said softly as worry filled him. "I thought I was doing well but some of the scores I was hearing-"

"I think you'll be fine," Himiko said confidently.

"What makes you say that?" Izuku asked nervously.

"Because we promised to attend UA together!" Himiko chirped. "And since I made it in, that means you have to! Besides," she leaned across the table. "Uraraka's going to be there, isn't she?"

Izuku groaned.

How long has Himiko been waiting for this opportunity?

The tension in the air slowly faded as they ate. And by the end of the meal, both Izuku and Himiko both felt better. That they were still there for each other.

Once he was done cleaning the dishes, Izuku returned to his room and collapsed on his bed, pulling out the small scrap of paper Ochako had tucked into his phone case. Adding the number to his phone, he proceeded to type out a long message apologizing to the girl. She didn't have to wait for him the way she did and he felt terrible about what happened.

It only took a few minutes for her to reply. She insisted it was okay, and that it was really cool that his sister cared that much about him. With the ghost of a smile, Izuku thanked her before wishing her goodnight. Collapsing on his bed, he stared at his ceiling.

"Hopefully the worst is over."

Unfortunately, Izuku's temporary mood was quickly quashed the next day when he woke up and saw that All Might still hadn't gotten back to him. With growing worry, Izuku sent another message before going for his morning jog.

The feeling only grew over the next several days. Despite both Himiko and Ochako assuring him that he would be okay, All Might's silence continued. Much like a raging storm falling on loose soil, it wore away at his fragile confidence, exposing previously buried insecurities.

Worse, All Might's silence meant Izuku didn't have a chance to figure out how to use One For All safely, either.

The days began to drag on as Izuku tried to keep his hopes up but feared that the worst had happened.

Himiko sat at her desk, idly doodling in the margins of her notebook to try and clear her mind. Izuku's nervousness at the exam results was contagious, and she had begun to worry. So did Mom, even if she was trying her best to hide it.

And then there was his quirk. He still acted the same, but her decade of abuse had left her with some deep scars. Even if Izuku deserved it, she still felt old wounds that had reopened And despite her outward demeanor, she needed time and assurance that this time was different.

She yelled at the sound of a hand slamming on her desk, her reflexes almost sending her to the floor in response. Recovering quickly, she glared at Emily, who stood over her with her arms crossed.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Midoriya, something's up! You and I both know I should never be able to walk right up to your desk and startle you like that." Her face softened almost imperceptibly as she gestured toward the rest of their friends. "We're worried about you."

"Thanks," Himiko found her lips curling upward as Atsuko gave her a small wave. Turning her attention back to her blonde classmate, she continued. "Things with Izu have just been… rough. Ever since he took the entrance exam."

"What'd your brother do?" Hideo asked as everyone joined the two girls. "I got the impression you'd stab someone for him."

"I would," Himiko let out a loud huff. "But I can't stab anxiety. He's worried he failed, and until the disk with his exam results shows up…"

"That sounds like your brother," Atsuko said, before leaning over to hug her best friend. "I'm sorry it's getting to you."

"I know how much you care about your brother, but you need to take care of yourself as well," Sakura added.

"In that case, it's decided!" Emily slammed her hand back on the desk. "This weekend we're going out! Whether or not your brother is feeling better."

Himiko stared at the other girl, her permanent blush slowly spreading. "That- yes!"

"Great! Anyone else?" Emily looked at the rest of their friends.

"Sorry, I'm going to be spending the weekend with my family," Hideo explained, "I haven't seen them for a few weeks and this might be the last chance before finals."

"You shouldn't feel bad for that," Atsuko gently said as she offered him a comforting smile. "Himi and I know a thing or two about girls' nights."

"We do!" Himiko chirped. Feeling uplifted by her friends, she decided that now was as good a time as any to tell them the other, bigger, issue. "That's not the only thing. Something else happened with Izu during the exam…"

"Oh no."

"What else could he have possibly done?"

"Welllll…" Himiko felt a small knot in her stomach and wondered if this is how Izuku felt last night. "It turns out he's not actually quirkless like we thought? He's technically a late bloomer, and his worry about the exam is because he broke himself in the middle of it when his quirk manifested."

Stunned silence filled the air as her friends stared at her, processing the news. Himiko's gaze darted between them, wondering who-

"WHAT?" Himiko swore she heard something crack with how hard Emily slammed her fist into the desk. "Details. Now."

And there it is.

Himiko let out a long groan as Emily planted herself on the desk.

Like he had every day this week, on his way home from school Izuku detoured to the mailboxes. Unlike the other days, however, when Izuku opened the box he saw a thick envelope sitting on top. Stomach churning in anticipation, he pulled it out, feeling its weight in his hands as he saw the UA logo emblazoned on the corner.

This is it!

The rest of the mail forgotten, Izuku rushed home, bursting into the apartment.

"Mom! My letter's here!"

"Is it?" Inko called out.

"Did you open it yet?" Himiko called out from her room.

"N-not yet," Izuku confirmed as he kicked off his shoes and ran into the living room. There he was greeted by his mom and sister, the latter partially changed as she prepared to head back out for the evening.

"What are you waiting for?" Himiko asked impatiently.

"It's up to him," Inko gently reminded her daughter. "If he wants to wait and open it in private, he can."

"No, it's ok." Izuku shook his head. "I want to watch it with you."

Flipping the letter over, he felt the weight as he broke the seal, revealing the holographic disk inside. Pulling it out, he placed it on the table and pressed the button to play the message.

"I am here!" All Might's face appeared on the screen. "As a recording! I must apologize for keeping your trainer preoccupied, but my staff has been busy while I was caught up in paperwork! You see, next year I will be joining the UA staff as a heroics teacher!"

He heard a gasp from Himiko behind him.

Right, I was the only one who knew that. Izuku reminded himself.

The projection of All Might continued. "But that is not why you are here! You would like to know how you did on the exam. For the written portion of the exam, you scored a 93%! This is the second-highest written score among all examinees. This is a testament to your bright mind. However, that alone is not enough to get into the hero course. There is also the matter of the practical exam!"

Izuku braced himself. Here it comes.

"For villain points, you were able to take down a respectable twenty-eight points. An impressive score, but unfortunately that is not enough on its own. However, it is not the only metric we use to determine your final score! Allow me to demonstrate with a video."

The video switched to a camera in Present Mic's office. Izuku gasped when he saw Ochako enter the office. "Um, Excuse me, Mic-Sensei?"

"What is it, little listener?"

"There was someone in my group - Izuku Midoriya. He hurt himself really badly trying to save me. And despite his injuries, he was trying to score more - he said he didn't have enough to pass. It doesn't feel right for him to fail the exam because of me. Could I give him some of my points? He at least deserves to have the points he would have gotten if he didn't save me!"

"Sorry! No-can-do!" Mic said from behind his desk. "Even though your heart's in the right place, rules are rules! You don't have to worry about him though! He may not have that many villain points, but he's going to have a good score anyways!"

"What?" Izuku was shaking at the revelation. Was this what Ochako was trying to tell him all week?

"Your actions are already an inspiration to others! As Nezu is fond of saying, it would be irresponsible of us to let that go to waste. And it would be irresponsible of UA to test on only a single metric. You see, there is another score - when there is serious danger and someone is in trouble, what do you do? These are the types of questions that go into our second score - Hero Points. And this year, you have set a new school record of 50 points!"

All Might paused for dramatic effect as a billboard appeared on a screen behind him. Much like the one they saw last year in Himiko's letter. And there, in first place, was his name. "Congratulations Young Midoriya. This is your Hero Academia!"

Izuku heard Himiko cheering behind him right before she and their mom latched onto him, all three crying as they hugged each other."

"I-I did it! I'm going to UA! We're going to become heroes together!"

Chapter Text

"Sorry I'm late!" Himiko shouted as she slammed open the door to Atsuko's apartment.

"I'm surprised you got here so quickly," Atsuko said as she stood up to greet her friend. "When I got your message I thought you were going to cancel on us."

"Song would never let me hear the end of it," Himiko pointed out, before she bit her lip, feeling her fang pressing against the soft skin. "Besides… I think I need this."

"You certainly don't look like you just came from a celebration," Emily chimed in as she stood up,

Himiko looked down at her choice of outfit for the night. She was in a cute black dress with black leggings, with the only color coming from the red bracelets on her wrist and the dark red scarf she had wrapped around her neck. A stark contrast to the other girl's attire, which was simply a UA uniform with a fluffy cream sweater replacing her jacket.

Returning her gaze to Emily, she shrugged. "After this week I deserve to look cute." She failed to catch the heat rising to the blonde girl's cheeks as she turned toward Atsuko. "So do you have a plan?"

"Of course," Atsuko smiled knowingly. "We're gonna get some dinner, and then we're gonna embarrass ourselves until you feel better."

"Embarrass ourselves?" Tomoe asked curiously.

"Remember when I told you to bring your earphones?" Atsuko asked. She waited for her friend to nod her head before she continued. "Well, the plan is to go to a karaoke bar. I hope you two don't mind."

"Wait! Really?" Emily asked, and they swore they saw lights dancing in her eyes, as if under the effects of her quirk.

Himiko and Atsuko looked at each other and realized they may have made a grave mistake.

After a quick dinner at a nearby ramen shop, Atsuko led the group to a karaoke box. It was small but well-maintained and, most importantly, close to the apartment she and her dad lived in. Because of that, it became a regular hangout spot for her and Himiko along with the rest of their middle school friends.

Now it was time to introduce their new friends to the venue.

After they checked in for their reservation, the host led them to one of the rooms. Once the four settled in and ordered drinks, Atsuko finally decided to deal with the elephant in the room. She turned to her best friend.

"How are you really feeling, Himi?"

"Well Izu's letter was a huge relief," Himiko admitted. "Izu was worried because his trainer ghosted him-"

"What the hell is wrong with him? Leaving Izuku hanging like that!"

Himiko grimaced as she remembered All Might's apology during Izuku's acceptance letter. There was a reason for it, but something didn't quite sit right - some lingering doubt about his quirk. She hated feeling that way about Izuku.

"It turns out All Might is going to be a teacher at UA next year," Himiko explained. "And so-"

"WHAT?!" All three of her friends exclaimed.

"Why didn't you tell us that sooner!" Emily demanded, slamming her hand down on the table. "That's big news!"

"Do you know what he's teaching?" Tomoe asked with an uncharacteristic bout of excitement in her voice.

"We've gotta tell Habiki," Atsuko said as she was already reaching for her phone. "He's gonna be so excited!"

Himiko huffed and crossed her arms, looking away from her friends. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you at all."

Atsuko froze and looked up from her phone. "No, you're right," She said apologetically as she sat the device back on the table. "Sorry, we just got carried away."

"It's big news!" Emily tried to defend herself, earning a glare from the blue-haired girl. "But we can talk about it later!" She added quickly.

"I'm sorry as well," Tomoe said. "Back to the more important topic. How did your brother feel when the number one hero apologized to him?"

"Better," Himiko bit her lip. "He and Mom were going out to celebrate him getting first place on the entrance exam." She glared at Emily, cutting her off before she could interrupt again. "So that's one problem down. But it's not the only one…"

Atsuko seemed to understand immediately. Her face softening she reached out a hand toward her best friend. "Himi you don't have to -"

"No," Himiko let out a sigh. "I think they deserve to know."

"Know what?" Surprisingly, it was Tomoe who asked the question.

Himiko's eyes darted between the two. "You two both remember how I was adopted, right?" She waited until both girls nodded an affirmative before she continued. "What I didn't tell you was… what happened before that."

"What happened?" Emily asked with uncharacteristic quietness.

Himiko closed her eyes and took a breath.

They're your friends. You know them. They would never judge you for this. It'll go just as smoothly as it did in middle school.

Opening them, she looked at Tomoe and Emily. "The people who gave birth to me. They abused me." She heard the audible gasps but pushed on. "Physically and mentally. They forced me to suppress my quirk. To try and act like a Normal Girl." She spat the words with venom. "Including the part where I needed to drink blood regularly."

"Those monsters!" Emily was already standing, a look of unbridled rage on her face.

Tomoe was more composed, but Himiko could see the look of heartbreak on her face. Their reactions gave her the strength to continue.

"I - I wish I ran away. But that's not what happened, not really. I suffered a quirk backlash. There's a hole in my memory - I just don't know what happened for several weeks." She let out a bitter laugh. "There's a sealed police report that knows more about what I did than I do. Somehow I managed to travel several hundred kilometers and ended up in Mustafu." She felt a fond smile tugging at her lips. "Funny how the first thing I actually do remember is a kid with freckles and messy green hair - right before I passed out in an alleyway."

Despite her training, she let out a startled cry as Emily slammed into her, nearly knocking her over as she hugged her.

"That's- that's monstrous!"

"What kind of parent would do that to their child?" Tomoe asked, surprising everyone as her legendary composure cracked.

"I thought that's just how things were," Himiko said in a shaky voice, feeling Emily's arms tighten around her. Relenting, she wrapped her arms around the other girl, savoring the uncharacteristic warmth of her body. "At least until I woke up in the hospital and saw that kid and his mom sitting in the room with me. Before I knew it, I had the best family I could have ever asked for."

Giving her one final squeeze, Emily pulled away to look Himiko in the eye. "Remind me to thank your brother the next time I see him. But I still don't get it. Why is it a problem that he developed a quirk?"

And there she goes.

Himiko huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms. "Since I apparently need to spell it out for you. Quirk Discrimination sucks when you're on the receiving end. Something you'll never understand. Unlike some people, Izuku got me. He had to deal with being quirkless and bullied," Her face morphed into a sad smile. "And he's still so optimistic and hopeful. It's why I want to be a hero - to try and be like him. To inspire hope in others the way he inspired hope in me."

"I think I get it," Tomoe said softly. "And then he comes home with a quirk."

"Not just any quirk," Himiko exclaimed. "A super strong one, too!"

"I see."

"I still don't get it," Emily said matter-of-factly. "How is this a problem?"

"Are you serious right now?" Himiko didn't bother hiding the sheer exasperation in her voice as she glared at her friend. Although Emily was dangerously close to losing the title at the moment.

"Of course I am," Emily fired back with a glare of her own. "Everyone thought he was quirkless up until the Entrance Exam, right? Nobody had any clue that he's had a late blooming quirk before then?"

Himiko hesitated, thinking about Izuku's words. Technically he and All Might have both been planning this for ten months. But she couldn't say that part.

"No," She replied, shaking her head.

"That's what I thought," Emily said, sounding uncharacteristically serious, with none of her usual tone bleeding into her voice. "So how does his extremely late-blooming quirk suddenly invalidate everything that happened before the Entrance Exam? He still had to deal with everything thinking he was quirkless for years. Do you really think that him getting a quirk is going to change all of that?"

Himiko broke eye contact, suddenly finding the table very interesting as she buried the lower half of her face in her scarf. Mentally she once again went over her conversation with Izuku. How he came to her because she was upset. How he tried to reassure her. And further back, how excited he was that day he was caught up in a villain attack - the day he met with All Might.

The day he was offered a quirk.

Nothing in the past ten months suggested her worst fears would come true. He was still Izuku. Her Brother.

"No," Himiko said. "Izu's not like that." She let out a fond sigh.

"Of course he isn't," Atsuko giggled. "You know he still cares a lot about you."

"Yeah…" Himiko smiled fondly into her scarf. She knew how hard it was to get Izuku to put his own feelings first. It constantly exasperated her and Mom.

Even if there was a small, selfish part of her that liked him acting that way.

"I'm still waiting," Emily interrupted her thoughts - again. "How is this a problem?"

Himiko glared at Emily but with half of her face hidden behind a crimson scarf the look lacked any bite. Finally raising her head out of its hiding place, she sighed. "It shouldn't be! That's the problem!" Her voice dropped to barely a whisper as she showed a rare moment of vulnerability. "I'm just scared. I don't ever want to be alone again."

"You-" Emily said, taken off guard by the admission. "Do you really think we'd abandon you?"

"You've helped me so much," Tomoe gave her a gentle look. "I'd never do something as thoughtless as that."

"It's middle school all over again," Atsuko said as she stood up. "You're stuck with me. With us. And I'm sure Habiki feels the same way - he'd agree if he was here."

"I know how important your brother is to you," Tomoe added, "but if anything did happen you'd still have us."

"Exactly!" Emily said as she regained some measure of composure. "You don't think you're gonna get rid of us that easily, do you? And if he hurts you he'll - he'll answer to us!"

"I'd be careful if I were you, Song," Atsuko smiled playfully. "I'm pretty sure Himiko would kill for Izuku, no matter who it is."

Himiko barked out a stilted laugh at the joke. "You're not wrong." Like a switch had been flipped, she jumped out of her seat and pulled all three into a hug. "Thank you!" She cried out.

"I'm glad we could help," Tomoe said as she tried to adjust herself.

"And if you keep being an idiot about it we'll just keep reminding you," Emily said as she let herself melt into the other girl's embrace.

"I'll hold you to that," Himiko let go of the three and smiled at them. "I know it'll all work out. Just-"

"You don't have to say it," Tomoe said softly. "We all understand."

"If I ever meet your genetic donors though…" Emily said darkly, a storm brewing in her eyes.

"You'll have to get in line," Himiko let out a curt laugh as a predatory glint filled her eyes. "Mom's got first dibs."

"And there she is," Emily exclaimed. "There's the Himiko that we love and are terrified of."

Himiko rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue at the other blonde, who fired back with a smirk of her own. Deciding now was the right moment to end the conversation, Emily walked over to the touch screen and found the cheesiest song she could think of. Grabbing the microphone, she shoved it in Himiko's hands before slamming her fist on the Play button.

"Ok, serious time is over. Let's embarrass ourselves!"

As they left the karaoke booth, Himiko grabbed Atsuko and Emily. Wrapping her arms around their shoulders, she pulled them into a side hug. "Thanks! I needed this!"

"Even Song's bad singing?" Atsuko asked playfully.

"Hey! I made up for it!"

"Song," Tomoe said as she turned towards the three of them. "Enthusiasm doesn't make up for lack of tune. It actually makes things worse."

"I tried my hardest!" Emily protested, before going uncharacteristically quiet as she looked at the others. "Actually, that reminds me. I'd like to think we're close enough now that you can call me Emily. Hideo too."

Tomoe looked taken aback for a moment before she offered the others a smile. "I think so. In that case, you should start calling me Tomoe."

"Only if you call me Atsuko."

Himiko looked at the two girls and felt like she was wrapped in a blanket of warmth. They were her friends - there was no judgment for her past, only anger at the people who abused her. Giving them a fanged smile, she finally spoke. "As much as I love being called Midoriya, you can call me Himiko too."

After a quick stop at Atsuko's place to retrieve their things, the three girls finally said their goodbyes.

"Thanks again," Himiko said as they stood outside the door of the apartment.

"I had fun tonight." Atsuko smiled from the doorway. "And I'm really glad you're feeling better Himi. I'll see you all Monday!"

"Bye!" The three called as the blue-haired girl closed the door.

As they turned to leave, Himiko suddenly felt a hand wrap around her arm. "Mido- Himiko, wait!"

From her position several meters away Tomoe noticed the proceedings out of the corner of her eye. She could watch if she wanted to, but something told her Emily wanted privacy. Not that anything said would stay secret for long, given those two. The ghost of a smile appeared on her face, she kept walking as she pulled out her noise-canceling headphones and put them on.

Silently thanking their mutual friend for not interrupting, Emily watched as Himiko spun around, her face betraying her confusion. Taking a deep breath, She bowed.

"I'm so sorry about earlier!"

"Huh?" Himiko asked, confusion written all over her face.

"In homeroom. When I demanded to know about your brother's quirk!" Emily felt her face heating up. "I didn't know what you were really going through!"

Himiko opened and closed her mouth, once again rendered speechless by the girl in front of her. Finding her voice, she finally spoke. "Who are you and what have you done with Emily?"

Emily let out a strangled cry as she straightened upright. "Hey! I'm trying to be nice!"

Himiko's face softened as she gave the other girl an earnest smile. "I know." Without warning she pulled Emily into a hug, the girl letting out another surprised cry.

"Just - I'm here for you. I know the others are too but-" Emily rested her head against the other girl's shoulder. "I- you helped me figure out a lot about myself this year."

Himiko side-eyed the other girl. "Thank Suko, not me."

Emily pulled away to glare at Himiko. "Hoto-Atsuko may have started things, but you had a huge part in it too!"

"Good!" Himiko chirped. "I don't know if Japan could have survived otherwise."

"Hey!"

Himiko laughed, only to realize her mistake as she saw the flash of pain behind the other girl's eyes. She hid it well - her mask was just as good as Himiko's used to be - but Himiko knew that pain. Cutting herself off, she bowed her head. "I'm sorry. That was too far."

"You should be!" Emily crossed her arms and huffed.

Raising her head, Himiko's expression softened. "I'm glad I listened to Suko. I like this version of you much better."

Emily slowly uncrossed her arms, feeling her neck heating up. "Me too."

Slowly, awkwardly, Himiko picked up the bag she dropped. "I'll see you Monday?"

"Yeah… Have a good night, Himiko."

"Have a safe trip back. Emily."

"Oh they'd regret messing with me," Emily laughed.

Himiko answered with a laugh of her own. "They would." Giving the girl one last fanged smile, Himiko turned around and dashed toward the stairwell, feeling invigorated and ready to celebrate Izuku's success.

Emily watched Himiko leave before letting out a longing sigh.

"You've done it again Emmy. You just can't ever make it easy on yourself, can you?"

Shaking her head she slowly made her way to the stairwell, descending slowly to give Himiko plenty of time to disappear from her sight.

Not that she could get the image of Himiko's cute fanged smile out of her mind even if she tried.

She didn't know when it started - certainly not at the beginning of the year. She was so focused on becoming a hero. To prove that she wasn't letting her parents down. She had inherited their keen intellect and curiosity, but that wasn't all she inherited from them. Her father's weak light generation quirk and her mother's weak fluid manipulation quirk combined to give her a powerful light manipulation quirk.

Even though I-Island catered to the residents' every whim, Emily found the whole atmosphere stifling. She wanted freedom - she planned to leave as soon as she could. So when her parents told her they were moving to Japan to open a new branch of Windsong Industries, she jumped at the chance. After they settled in, she finally admitted to them that she didn't want to be a scientist - she didn't want to follow in their footsteps designing support gear. They had given her more than one amazing gift, and she wanted to be a hero - a shining beacon to those around her.

They took it well. She knew they would because they're wonderful! But still… she had a lingering sense of guilt.

She wanted- needed to prove to herself that she made the right choice. To show her parents - to show the world! That she deserved to be a hero too. That she was more than capable of stepping out of her parents' shadow.

And she thought she proved it when she managed to get into UA! On the recommendation exam, no less! Facing off against Japan's best and brightest!

Then seven weeks later classes started, and she realized how far she still had to go.

That wasn't all she realized.

During middle school, she never really was interested in romance or boys like her classmates were. She was too busy focused on getting good grades, on trying to practice with her quirk, and on building support gear to prepare for the future.

And then Himiko Midoriya crashed into her life.

Her knife-wielding classmate wasn't perfect. Far from it. She was loud, crude, rude-

-and she was strong, determined, and painfully cute.

In the beginning, they were always at odds, each a regular source of frustration for the other. But over time they formed a strange partnership. When Aizawa expelled his entire class both girls were determined to get their classmates through the year, no matter what. Finding common ground, the two began to work together, finding common ground between them as their frustration transformed into playful banter and teasing.

The groundwork had been slowly building for a long time, but something was always missing. Until tonight, when the final piece fell into place. When Himiko opened up - shared a rare moment of vulnerability. That was when Emily found Himiko's true beauty.

The girl was like a piece of Kintsugi. She had been hurt by the genetic donors who dared call themselves her parents and suffered abuses that nobody should have to live through. But she survived. And the girl that had emerged, Himiko Midoriya, was so, so beautiful.

"Argh!" Emily threw her hands in frustration. "You don't even know if she likes girls! Not like you stood a chance anyway. You ruined that chance before you even began." She stopped in front of a lamp pole and banged her head against it before she slowly reached up and pressed the button to activate the crosswalk.

Lifting her head, Emily let out another sigh.

"Well Emmy, you vowed to become a hero no matter what. You're certainly not going to let something silly like a crush get in the way of that, are you?"

Watching the sign light up, she crossed the street and continued onward.

A smile still on her face, Himiko opened the door to her family's apartment.

"I'm home!" She called out.

Seconds later Inko came flying toward her, crashing into her as she wrapped her arms around her. "Welcome home!" She felt her daughter wrap her arms around her, hugging her back and keeping her from crashing to the floor.

Himiko gave her mom a fanged smile before she lowered her to the ground. "Izu's feeling better?"

"Mhm," Inko smiled back as she let go, one hand resting on Himiko's arm. "Much. How about you dear?"

Himiko nodded. "I think tonight was exactly what I needed."

"I'm glad," Inko said as she gave her daughter's arm a gentle squeeze. "We bought a cake to celebrate but I wanted to wait until you got back."

"That sounds great!"

Slipping off her shoes, Himiko followed her mom into the living room, where she saw Izuku sitting on the couch, looking intently at his phone. Quietly disappearing, she snuck around the couch only to crash into her brother, wrapping her arms around him. His shout of protest was exactly the reaction she was looking for, and she relaxed as she leaned into his side.

Things are going to be different now that Izuku has a quirk. And that's okay!

She just needed a reminder.

Chapter Text

After he received his acceptance letter, Izuku felt like his life had started moving again.

He went out to dinner with his mom, stopped at a hero merch store - they had nothing new, of course, but it was the principle that mattered, and finally picked up a small cake at a bakery. And later, when Himiko got home she was almost back to her usual self around him. The three of them celebrated properly this time before they finally called it an evening.

Back in his room, Izuku checked his messages. He smiled when he saw Ochako's excited congratulations waiting for him. Unfortunately, she hadn't received her letter yet so he couldn't celebrate with her yet. No matter how much he wanted to, he knew it would be better for her to hear it directly from All Might! But with her scoring fourth place on the entrance exam, he was confident she also made it - bad English score or not!

Now he just had to wait and hope that they would end up in the same class together!

Sitting down at his computer, he saw a similar message waiting for him from Froppy. They have only heard back from their second choice of school so far and were still waiting to hear back from their first choice. He wished them luck before closing his laptop for the night.

That left just one more person he was waiting on. With a resigned sigh, he opened up his phone to see his string of messages to Toshinori. Biting his lip, he sent him one more message, asking if they could talk now that he was done with a mountain of paperwork.

Dropping his phone onto his desk, Izuku crawled into bed. He had to be up bright and early for his training, and now that he had been accepted into UA he had all the more reason to not slack off!

The next morning Izuku awoke to a new message on his phone. Toshinori had finally gotten back to him!

Throwing on his outfit, Izuku began his jog to the beach to meet his mentor. Hopefully he'd finally be able to figure out how to use One For All properly!

When he made it to the beach, Izuku was given a very painful reminder. Toshinori, for all his strengths, was still human. While he had been a great mentor to Izuku, he wasn't exactly the best teacher.

Toshinori was waiting there, smiling in the morning light as he stood next to the same refrigerator that he had saved for Izuku's initial training. After another round of congratulations, Toshinori bulked up into his muscle form, and they restarted with his initial lesson on how to wield One For All safety.

This time Izuku was able to successfully punch the fridge with One For All. He sent it flying across the ocean, a wave following in its wake as it sped out to the open sea.

He also shattered his hand in the process.

Gathering his successor up, All Might rushed Izuku to UA where Recovery Girl once again healed him. After Izuku watched the nurse chew out Japan's number one hero, he decided that maybe Toshinori's lessons weren't going to be as helpful as he had hoped.

Which meant he was still stuck with the problem of figuring out how to control One For All properly.

After several days of brainstorming - and constantly returning to the same answers - Izuku decided that it was time to solicit outside help. If nothing else, having someone to bounce ideas off of might be enough to stop him from running in circles.

That just left the question of who.

Ideally, he'd have liked to go to Principal Nezu over it. But from his limited experience with the enigmatic principal, Izuku knew he'd likely be told to figure it out - as a lesson. The next option would be to have Himiko talk to Kan on his behalf. While that option was appealing since Kan was an actual teacher, Izuku felt like he'd be intruding even more into Himiko's space. While his relationship with his sister was finally mending, Kan was her mentor, just like All Might was his. He knew he'd be hurt if someone tried to use him to get lessons from All Might, and he'd never do that to her.

Which led him to the next best option, and how he ended up sitting in his sister's bedroom with Himiko and Emily.

"...and while he was excited to find out that his suspicions of my Late Bloomer status was true, Mr. Yagi didn't give the best advice," Izuku admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Even now, despite experiencing it firsthand, he still felt awkward voicing concern over his mentor's ability to teach.

"Really," Emily asked skeptically as she folded her arms across her chest. "He spent decades as a hero! How bad could it be?"

"Umm…" Izuku laughed nervously. "When I asked him how I was supposed to punch the refrigerator, he told me to 'clench my butt cheeks and yell SMASH!'"

The two girls stared at him in stunned silence, before they burst out laughing. Himiko fell backward as she clutched her chest, causing several of her stuffed animals to go flying as she crashed onto the bed. Emily meanwhile, doubled over and lost her balance, falling out of the chair she was sitting in. It didn't stop her, however, and she continued giggling on the floor.

"I- how can he be so bad at this!" Himiko exclaimed. "That's almost insulting to you!"

"That's quite possibly the worst advice I've ever heard!" Emily choked out. "No- no wonder you broke all of those bones when your quirk finally manifested!"

"Y-yeah," Izuku said softly as his eyes darted between the two. "So that led to a quick trip to Recovery Girl. I tried talking to him afterward but his new suggestion wasn't much better. Although I'm not much better…" Izuku admitted.

"Wait!" Emily jumped up off the floor and shoved Izuku off of the bed, causing him to stand with a startled yelp. "This is gonna be good and I don't want to end up on the floor again."

Izuku frowned at the American girl, only to receive a smirk in response. Relenting, he sighed as he flopped into the chair.

Mine as well get this over with…

"We talked about how my quirk is some sort of storage and enhancement quirk, and the way he described it I, well…" Izuku said awkwardly. "this sounded better in my head, I swear! But I keep thinking of it like trying to cook an egg in the microwave. You hit it with just enough energy and it cooks, but if you let it cook for too long it explodes."

While Himiko blinked at the explanation, Emily broke out in another round of laughter, leaning on her friend to keep herself from falling off the bed again.

"Just for that, I'm claiming the title of quirk analyst from you!" Emily said between fits of giggles. "I'm also gonna need all those books you got from Nezu - clearly they aren't doing you any good!"

"Sorry Izu," Himiko said apologetically as she tried to restrain her own laughter. "That may be the dumbest metaphor I've ever heard."

Izuku felt his cheeks heating up from embarrassment as he let out a resigned sigh. "I guess I deserve that…"

"No, actually it makes sense," Emily said as she saw Izuku's response. "You've spent so long looking at other people's quirks and theorizing about potential additional applications, but you've never really thought about basic applications. Why would you? It would be insulting."

"I guess you're right," Izuku admitted.

"And you've had your quirk for less than two weeks and used it twice. Most of us have had years to figure out how our quirks work and get the basics down," Emily winced as she gave Himiko an apologetic look. "Sorry, Himiko."

"It's okay," Himiko assured the other girl.

"So what I really need to do is think like a little kid," Izuku mused as he looked at his hand.

"And stop emulating All Might!" Emily said.

"And stop- WHAT?!" Izuku's head shot up to look at the American girl.

"Admit it, your first thought is to use your quirk to emulate All Might."

Of course, because I have All Might's quirk. Izuku thought to himself

"Yeah," Izuku said softly, breaking eye contact with the other girl. "When my quirk came in during the exam, my first thought was to stop the robot with a single punch, just like All Might would have."

"That sounds like something you would do," Himiko said with a teasing tone in her voice. "But All Might doesn't break his bones with every punch."

"Ehehehe," Izuku rubbed the back of his head, remembering what the hero said about hiding his injuries.

"No, he doesn't."

"But! All Might's so strong he can change the weather with punches," Emily continued. "There's no way he can hit a villain with one of those - at least not without turning them into a bloodstain."

"Oh," Izuku said. It looked like a lightbulb had gone off in his head. "I think I get it!" His finger darted between the two girls. "Himi's quirk quirks in a binary state, where it's either 'on' or 'off'-"

"I'm trying to work on partial transformations!" Himiko protested, crossing her arms.

"You're right, sorry," Izuku apologized, "but Song's quirk works differently since she can control the intensity and brightness of her Light Arrows. You can create a laser but you can also dial it down to be harmless."

"Exactly!" Emily said proudly. "This is where your microwave idea sucks. You're pumping full power into your arm, but you're only focusing on the length of time. It doesn't matter if your body is forced to deal with it for a second or a minute, it's still gotta deal with the stress of handling all of that energy. Besides, your quirk shouldn't be all or nothing like that."

Izuku nodded in understanding. "So not like an on-off switch and more like a faucet."

"That's it!" Emily jumped upright and grabbed the siblings' arms. "Come with me!"

Ignoring the protests of Izuku and Himiko, Emily dragged them to the bathroom. Finally letting go she turned on the faucet before she spun around and faced the pair. Raising her left hand, she created a dull sphere of light. "Assuming your quirk follows the normal rules of emitter quirks, you've got the ability to dial how much energy you're pumping into your limbs."

The girl then turned the faucet more while the sphere in her hand grew brighter. "Most of us had years to figure out how to do that, as well as our bodies limits. We instinctively know how far we can go without hurting ourselves, and it takes a conscious effort of will to push past those limits. But since your quirk just came in, you don't have any of that!"

"Yeah…" Izuku said softly. "Plus, if I'm right that means I've been storing energy ever since I was little. So I've got a lot of excess energy to use."

"Right," Emily said flatly. "So we need to find out exactly how far you can go before you break anything. Again." Emily closed her hand and snuffed out the orb of light as she turned off the faucet. "Otherwise Recovery Girl's not gonna be too happy with patching you up after every class. Not to mention if you're stuck with Aizawa…" The girl shuddered.

"He should be more afraid of Mom and me," Himiko glowered at Izuku. "We'd kill him if he doesn't stop hurting himself."

Izuku laughed nervously at his sister's threat before he turned his attention to the faucet. He slowly turned the faucet until the drops turned into a faint stream of water. Staring at it, Izuku began to repeat a mantra in his head. Don't use a short intense burst, use a small steady tendril.

When he felt more confident, he finally looked down at his hand. Closing his eyes, he tried to picture the connection in a new way. Clenching his hand into a fist, he felt his muscles tighten. Then he pictured One For All as if it was the doorway in his dreams. Rather than throw it open, he pushed it open slowly, stopping when he felt a small bit of energy extending outward.

His eyes snapped open when he heard Himiko gasp. Looking down at his fist, he saw a faint green light traveling up his arm until it surrounded his fist. Feeling encouraged, Izuku tried to "open" the door a little more. As he did so they saw the light brighten and solidify as small red veins began to manifest on his arm. Smiling, Izuku tried to open the door further. The three watched as the light continued to brighten and the veins thickened-

-until Izuku felt his arm burning.

"Oww!" Izuku cried as he unclenched his fist. Concentration broken, the light quickly faded.

"Izu!" Himiko reached out and grabbed his arm. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Izuku offered his sister a reassuring look before he looked down at his hand. "It still stings a little, but I think I stopped it before anything really bad happened."

"Good." Relief washed over Himiko's face as she let his arm go. "I don't want to explain to Mom why we're rushing you to the hospital."

"Ehehehe," Izuku rubbed the back of his head as he stared at his hand. "I think that was maybe a tenth of my quirk's potential. If it was enough that I felt it without actually doing anything, I'll need to dial it back even more when I'm using it."

"Only ten percent?!" Emily exclaimed.

"Emily, be nice," Himiko warned.

"I am being nice!" Emily said before she returned her attention to Izuku. "That's amazing! Not to mention that glow - you come with your own special effects!" Stars danced across her eyes. Just wait until you can get used to your quirk and use even more power!"

Izuku imagined the feats All Might did and smiled. "Yeah!"

"So what'll you do now?" Himiko asked.

"I need to check with Mr. Yagi," Izuku said excitedly as he looked down at his hand. "I still need to practice before my first day at UA, but I don't want to be rushed halfway across town again if I break something." He laughed nervously.

"Oh yeah!" Emily's face lit up. "The teachers have those Quirk Assessment Exams on the first day. It would really be embarrassing if you broke something during those."

Returning to his room, Izuku grabbed his phone to message Toshinori with the good news. When he picked up the phone he saw he had a new notification.

1 Missed Call.

Izuku's eyes went wide when he saw it was Ochako. She must have gotten her acceptance letter!

He wanted to call her back, but he had a mission first. Bringing up his messenger app, he typed out a message to Toshinori saying he may have had a breakthrough and asking if they could meet at UA or Might Tower to test something. After reviewing his words to ensure it was vague enough to avoid suspicion, he pressed the Send button.

Switching over to his call log, he pressed the redial button next to Ochako's name. Lifting the phone to his ear, he heard her pick up on the second ring. "Hey Uraraka, sorry I-"

"I did it, Midoriya!" Ochako cheered on the other end of the line. "I got into UA!"

"Congrats!" Izuku replied, "I knew it!"

"Oh yeah, you would have," Ochako laughed on the other end. "If they showed you the top ten scores too."

"Y-yeah," Izuku admitted. "You don't know how hard it's been not telling you!"

"Well, I appreciate it," Ochako said, and Izuku could practically hear the smile in her voice.

"Think we'll be in the same class?"

"I hope so!" Ochako said. "It'd be nice to at least know somebody on the first day!"

"Yeah," Izuku said. "I know what you mean."

At least someone besides Bakugo. Izuku silently appended.

The two talked for a few minutes to catch up before Ochako had to go. After saying their goodbyes they hung up, and Izuku checked his messages one last time. Still nothing from Toshinori.

"I guess it's only been a few minutes," Izuku said with a sigh before he set his phone back down. Hopefully he'll have an answer soon.

In the meantime, he wouldn't mind theorizing more about One For All with Emily… if Himiko let them.

Toshinori got back to him quickly, and a mere couple of days later Izuku stood in front of the entrance to UA waiting for him. After talking with Emily he was excited and impatient and had hoped to try things as soon as possible. Sadly his mentor was busier than ever now that he was preparing to teach at the prestigious school. He hoped that-

"Surprise!" Himiko said as she slammed into Izuku, tackling him and sending him to the ground.

"H-hey Himi," Izuku said as he looked up at his sister. "You cheated this time!"

"Did I?" She asked innocently, giving him a too-sweet smile. "Or were you stuck in your head again?"

Izuku opened and closed his mouth as he realized she had caught him. He couldn't fully argue if she had actually used her vanishing trick or not. Letting out a sigh he relented. "Fine, you win!"

"Of course I did!" Himiko said with far too much satisfaction as she scrambled off of him. Once she was upright she offered Izuku her hand, and he took it, using the leverage to pull himself up.

"So Mr. Yagi's meeting you here?" Emily asked with far too much excitement. "Can we watch?"

"Sorry, not this time," Izuku said apologetically as his eyes drifted to his sister. "I um, don't really want you guys to see what happens if I break my arm again."

"Aww, you're no fun!" Emily pouted. "Next time! And you'll have to try the thing with Habiki that we talked about!"

"Wait - how did I get involved?" Habiki looked lost.

"She didn't tell you?" Izuku asked.

"Of course she didn't," Himiko rolled her eyes as she turned toward her friend. "Emily wanted to try and convince All Might to hit you with one of his smash attacks to test the limits of your Shock Absorption. After realizing she probably couldn't do that, she realized Izu's quirk also lets him throw crazy strong punches. So she settled on trying to get him to punch you instead. Ignoring the fact that Izu would shatter his arm." She shot a glare at Emily.

"We don't know that!" Emily protested. "In theory, Habiki's Shock Absorption could negate the feedback from the attack and help Midoriya keep his arm intact!"

"And what if you're wrong and he breaks his arm?" Himiko's eyes narrowed.

"It's for science! Besides, we know Recovery Girl's quirk is enough to repair the damage if I'm wrong - which I'm not!"

"While that sounds cool, I'm not sure I want to risk Midoriya breaking his arm like that," Habiki laughed nervously.

"Oh come on!"

"Maybe later?" Izuku asked helpfully. "Once I've got a bit more control over my quirk?"

"Izu-" Himiko's glare redirected itself to Izuku, telling him all he needed to know.

Laughing nervously, Izuku quickly bowed out of the conversation, leaving Himiko to her friends. His sister quickly said her goodbyes as the other four walked off, leaving her alone with her brother. Himiko watched them go, waiting until the group was out of earshot - which took a while thanks to Tomoe - before she spun around and faced her brother.

"Are you sure I'm allowed to be here?" She asked nervously.

"Yeah," Izuku nodded and gave her a reassuring look. "I need to at least tell Mr. Yagi so that he knows you know."

"Okay," Himiko nodded, her demeanor softening. "Hopefully he doesn't keep us waiting too long!"

Fortunately, he didn't and a few minutes later Toshinori stepped out of UA's main building and walked to the gate to meet them.

"Young Midoriya! I thought you were coming alone?"

"Yeah…" Izuku gave his mentor an apologetic look. "Can we - is there someplace we can talk in private?"

"Did something happen?" Toshinori asked as his gaze danced between Izuku and Himiko.

"That's what I want to talk to you about," Izuku said awkwardly.

Toshinori's eyes narrowed as he gazed at his student, before nodding his head once. "There's someplace safe to talk inside." He offered Izuku a guest pass.

Taking the pass, Izuku and Himiko followed Toshinori into the main building of UA. There, he led them to a teacher's lounge and instructed them to sit. As they watched he went to a control panel and activated something. They heard a faint rumbling in the background as a machine started up before he finally sat down across from the pair.

"Alright Young Midoriya, it is safe to talk now."

"Please don't get mad," Izuku winced as he looked at his mentor. "But I told Himi the truth about my quirk."

"W-what?!" Toshinori exclaimed before he descended into a coughing fit. He held his hand up to his mouth as he coughed up blood.

Himiko picked up the scent of the crimson liquid immediately, her eyes darting between the skeletal hero and her brother. Just how badly was this hero injured?

Izuku meanwhile, quickly continued his explanation.

"She was bound to find out sooner or later! I just- she needed to know now, instead of later. Besides, having her in on it means she can help with my cover story!"

Toshinori quickly recovered and looked at his student. "And you trust her with the secret?"

"Of course," Izuku said as he gazed at Himiko fondly. "I trust her with my life."

Himiko felt her cheeks heating up as she looked at Toshinori. "If anyone deserves a quirk - a chance to change things. It's Izu."

"I see," Toshinori said as he examined Himiko's expression. He saw the conviction in her eyes - she believed in her brother. Turning back to Izuku, he continued. "I believe you have chosen well for your first confidant."

"You-you do?" Izuku asked, dumbfounded.

Toshinori chuckled. "You cannot simply rely on my network. Eventually, you will need to find people to support you - people who know the truth behind your quirk, and what it means. I just did not expect it to happen so quickly!"

"Thank you!" Izuku cried as he bowed to his mentor.

Toshinori smiled at the scene. His student really was growing up so quickly! It just reaffirmed that he had made the correct choice of successor. "Now then, was there anything else?"

"No!" Izuku's head shot up quickly as he began shaking it. "Well, no more surprises - I still have to test my quirk! That's the reason I'm here after all!"

Toshinori chuckled as he stood up. "Well then, what are we waiting for?"

An hour later, Izuku was elated as he exited Recovery Girl's office.

"Himi, I did it!"

"Izu," Himiko deadpanned as she glared at him. "You still ended up with a dozen microfractures all along your arm!"

"Only for that last swing!" Izuku insisted as he looked down at his arm. He felt some fatigue from Recovery Girl's quirk, but the excitement he felt from the afternoon's success more than made up for it. "And now I know how much energy I can safely use!"

"That's true," Himiko let out a pained sigh. "If you didn't find out this way you'd probably find out doing something dumb."

"I wouldn't-" Izuku began, only to wither under the look Himiko gave him. "Yeah…"

Himiko's gaze softened as she wrapped an arm over his shoulder. "I'm glad Emily was able to help you."

"Me too," Izuku said. "Who knew quirks were so hard?"

Himiko let out a loud laugh. "That's- coming from you-"

Izuku looked at his sister before he joined her in laughter. "Y-yeah, you're right."

Once he recovered, Izuku began thinking about his quirk again. "Only five percent of my power… I wonder how long it'll take before I can improve that."

"Oh please," Himiko rolled her eyes. "The fact that you've got a quirk at all means you're gonna leave the rest of us in the dust."

"But that's not what I want to do!" Izuku insisted. "I want to be strong enough to help everyone."

Himiko felt herself smiling as she glanced over at her brother. "That's so you. Come on, let's go home and tell Mom the good news."

Chapter Text

Unfortunately for Himiko, school didn't care about Izuku's quirk and before she knew it, exam season was upon her.

Much like the last two semesters, she struggled through the written portions. However, thanks to Emily's help she felt more confident in getting a passing grade by the end. Even if it was in the lower end of the class, that was fine for her - she wasn't looking to jump to a big-name hero agency when she graduated, after all!

Fortunately after what felt like an eternity the written exams were finally done. And after a large lunch, it was time for the exciting part - their hero course exam!

Once they changed into their costumes Himiko and her classmates walked out to the staging area. There they were surprised by the sight of Present Mic standing next to their teacher as well as a group of second years also in their costumes. Once the forty students were accounted for, Mic turned toward the class and began speaking.

"Good afternoon little listeners! Are you ready for your final exam?!"

The second years responded with cheers while the first-year students looked on awkwardly. Taking pity on his students, Sekijiro stepped forward and continued. "Just as in previous semesters, you will fight alongside your classmates. But the format this time is different from what you are used to." He held up his hand to indicate the second years. "This time, you will also be working alongside your seniors."

Present Mic held up a small remote and activated it. A large hologram displaying one of the training grounds appeared in front of them, with four blue dots standing at the entrance. "Today's exam is a joint operation between first and second years." As he spoke one large angry face and two smaller ones appeared on the opposite end of the hologram. "One of your instructors will be acting as a villain for you to face! But that's not all. They will also be accompanied by two third-year students who are acting as their henchmen!"

Mic pressed another button and a dozen green dots appeared scattered throughout the arena. "And that's not all! Fresh from the USJ, we have imported the rescue dummies to act as guest stars!" He turned his head to Sekijiro.

Taking his cue, the first-year homeroom teacher continued. "Much like an active combat scene, you will have multiple objectives. For my students, your primary goal is to evacuate the civilians to the designated safe zone. Then you will have to keep them safe from enemy attack - after all, they are an easy target, and it is our job to protect them. For the second years, your primary goal is defeating the villain and their henchmen."

"But that's not all!" Mic chimed in. "There is no partial credit here. You can only pass if both objectives are met. If one of your groups fails, then you both fail."

"That means work together," Sekijiro roared. "While you each have your own objectives, that doesn't mean you have to focus on them. Much like in the real world, you each have different quirks that give you unique strengths and weaknesses. For some groups, that may mean that a first year would be more suited to taking down the villain. Or perhaps one of the second years is specialized in rescue efforts! Once you graduate, you will need to recognize these strengths quickly and adapt accordingly. Just like in real life, where people will be counting on you to make these split-second decisions."

Himiko listened intently, but she couldn't help but feel excitement when she found out her opponents were going to be live! No matter how much Emily and Izuku explained to her why they used as many robots as they did against first-year students, it still frustrated her. Her skills and quirk meant she was focused on stealth and shapeshifting! She couldn't show those off against robots!

The excitement didn't help her impatience, and she rushed forward the moment Mic brought up the teams. Stopping in front of the hologram, she quickly scanned the list until she found her name.

Training Ground Beta:

Instructor: Snipe

Third Years: ? ?

Class 2-A:

Nejire Hado

Class 2-B:

Mirio Togata

Class 1-B:

Himiko Midoriya

Tomoe Sakura

She was working with Tomoe? Himiko quickly whipped around to find her friend, and when she made eye contact she gestured with her fingers to indicate that they were both on a team together. Tomoe understood her meaning, and shared in Himiko's confusion. Neither of their quirks are suited for combat, so who are these second-years?

Quickly making her way to her friend, the pair began searching until they found a tall muscular boy alongside a shorter girl - or she would be shorter if she wasn't floating alongside him. As he saw the two girls approaching, the boy smiled and waved.

"You must be our teammates! I'm Mirio Togata, better known as the future hero Lemillion!"

Himiko's eyes went wide as she recognized him. "Wait! Weren't you the kid from the sports festival who flashed everyone on national television?!"

"He what?!" Tomoe asked with uncharacteristic shock.

"Ehehe… I've gotten a lot better since then!" Mirio insisted as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Himiko groaned - what kind of game are the teachers playing on her?

"And I'm Nejire Hado," The floating girl said. "The future hero Nejire-chan!" She threw her arms in the air for emphasis before she seemed to laser-focus on Himiko. With an excited squeal, she floated over to the other girl. "Oh, you're so cute! You've got cat eyes and fangs! And then you've got your hair in buns like that! It's like you're a giant kitty!"

Himiko's eyes narrowed as she looked at the hero, swatting her hand away as she tried to touch her hair. "I'm Himiko Midoriya. The future hero Carmilla. The vampire, not a cat!"

"But you'd look so good as a cat!" Nejire pouted. And while Himiko silently agreed, she had a reputation to maintain, damn it!

Fortunately, her friend took pity on her and stepped up and politely bowed. "I'm Tomoe Sakura, the future hero Oracle. Let's do our best!"

"So what are your quirks?" Mirio asked. "Nejire and I are two of the strongest students in our year, so we're surprised to find ourselves partnered together."

"You're not the only one who thought that," Tomoe replied. "My quirk is sensory enhancement. I can boost any of my senses to superhuman levels. I can also temporarily do the same to someone else through physical contact."

"And my quirk is Transform!" Himiko chirped. "If I drink someone's blood, I can copy them perfectly! Speaking of…" She gave them a bright smile as she looked them over. "I should probably drink some of your blood before the exam."

"Are you going to bite me?" Nejire asked curiously.

"Only if you want me to," Himiko's eyes narrowed before she laughed and produced a pair of syringes from a hidden pocket. "I've gotten really good at this, don't worry."

A few minutes later, they stood in the holographic 'starting point' in Ground Beta, waiting for the signal to begin. While they brainstormed some initial ideas, they knew that the test would be about their ability to work together and adapt on the fly.

"It's quiet," Tomoe observed as they waited.

"Too quiet," Nejire shivered. "I don't like it."

"Doesn't this give us an advantage?" Himiko asked.

"Not really," Tomoe admitted. "Or more specifically: it doesn't give us any advantage that I don't already give us."

"I'm sure they're just trying to psych us out!" Mirio punched his open fist. "We'll just have to show them we're not falling for it!"

Suddenly the earpieces in their ears crackled to life as they heard Present Mic's voice. "Students, start!"

Without hesitation the students took off, racing through the training ground until they found the hologram representing the 'safe zone.' The sight was surprisingly complete with a pair of ambulances and still images of EMTs along with stretchers.

"We've reached the medics," Mirio announced. "Now let's save those civilians!"

With Tomoe's guidance, they managed to secure the first six 'civilians' quickly and efficiently. As Himiko stood her second dummy upright she looked toward Tomoe, her friend's face currently hidden behind a black helmet.

"This is almost too easy, isn't it?"

"You're right," Tomoe agreed. "But I still haven't heard anything from the villains yet."

"Nothing?" Himiko asked in disbelief.

"Nothing," Tomoe confirmed.

Mirio's brows furrowed before his eyes went wide. He looked like he wanted to speak - but no sound came out.

Himiko didn't have time to figure out what was going on before she found herself inflicted by the same condition. She found herself enveloped in total silence - she couldn't even hear the sound of her heartbeat or the muffled sounds of items as they shifted in her costume. The whole experience was disorienting. She felt herself stumbling, her hand latching onto the training dummy in an attempt to stabilize her.

"What is going on?" she asked silently.

Looking around she saw Nejire was similarly disoriented, trying to steady herself. At least Mirio and Tomoe appeared to be unaffected by whatever was going on and were already on alert, their heads sweeping back and forth as they searched for the source of the problem.

Tomoe quickly pointed, and when Himiko looked she saw two fellow students approaching. Two boys: one tall boy with an average build, wearing a bodysuit of purple with gold highlights, similar to Mirio's, and the other a short, muscular man who wore a white jacket and looked more at home in a DJ booth than on a battlefield. They must be the third years that are assisting Snipe! Mirio responded first and started moving to engage them, with Tomoe hot on his heels. Himiko took a step but almost tripped.

"Damn it!" She hissed. Adjusting to a lack of sound was harder than she thought it would be!

She steadied herself only to watch the purple-suited student step in front of the other and engage Mirio. Clenching her fists, she saw Nejire slowly moving forward to help. Not wanting to fall behind, she did the same. Placing one foot in front of the other, she began marching forward, her own pace increasing as she adjusted to the total silence.

While Nejire moved to help Mirio, Himiko saw Tomoe had slipped past the first student and was engaged with the second. Deciding that her classmate needed help, Himiko used her vanishing technique (would it even work under these conditions? Guess she'd find out!) and silently drew a knife as she approached the other hero.

As they fought Himiko noticed that Tomoe's opponent didn't appear to be using a quirk either. However he was definitely stronger and clearly the more skilled opponent, and was slowly overpowering her friend. Grip tightening on her blade, her eyes narrowed as she watched the fight.

There!

Darting forward, she threw a calculated slash, a line of crimson blossoming out along the white of his jacket. She saw his mouth open in a scream, but no sound came out. Instead, he looked at her with a fiery anger in his eyes, and she gave him an impish grin in response. Good, she thought. If you're angry you're gonna get sloppy.

Working together with her teammate, they managed to turn the tables on him, his movements slowing down until Tomoe was able to land a taser-powered kick to his side. The electrical discharge caused the student to crumple as they went flying, landing several feet away.

"-won't stop us!"

"-OOOOWER!"

"-imiko!"

Himiko found herself assaulted by a rush of sound that threatened to overwhelm her all at once. She winced and instinctively covered her ears, taking a moment to adjust. Several seconds later she felt Tomoe's fingers ghosting over her arm.

"Carmilla, are you okay?" Tomoe asked.

"Y-yeah," Himiko gave her friend a shaky smile. "I guess you're used to dealing with rapidly changing sounds like that, huh?"

"Who would have guessed it would be useful here?" Tomoe asked before turning toward the remaining student. "One down, one to go!"

As they carefully approached they saw Mirio trying his hardest to punch his opponent, but every time he hit him, his fist rocketed away from his foe. Similarly, whenever Nejire tried to fire her blast it was sent flying back at her, forcing her to dodge.

While they were holding their own, the three were locked in a stalemate, which meant…

"Nejire look out!" Tomoe shouted.

Nejire reacted instantly, dodging and narrowly avoiding two bullets that had been shot at her.

"Snipe's here!" Tomoe shouted as she pointed at a nearby building. "He must have gotten close when we were dealing with that zone of silence!"

"What do we do?" Himiko asked.

While Nejire had already floated away trying to keep the rest safe from Snipe, Mirio chanced a glance toward his juniors. "This is Rebound! His quirk lets him deflect any force applied to him!"

Himiko stared in disbelief. "No wonder he… although…" Her brows furrowed. "If that were true, how's he wearing a costume…" She watched carefully as Mirio threw a punch, the fabric of his opponent's suit lifting slightly as his quirk responded and reversed the force of the blow.

"I've got an idea!" Himiko exclaimed as she turned toward Mirio. "Lemillion, you go after Snipe, we'll stop Rebound!"

Mirio looked at them and gave them a thumbs up. His opponent tried to take advantage of this, but his punch phased right through Mirio's torso before he disappeared underground, only to launch himself skyward toward the building Snipe was on.

"Tch," The third year turned his attention toward the first years. "Think you can take me where that other hero failed?"

"Yep!" Himiko chirped brightly.

"Oh?" He adopted a casual fighting stance. "What do you think you can do that he couldn't?"

"I've got knives," Himiko flashed a fanged smile as the bladed weapon appeared in her hand. "And I know how to use them!"

Their opponent charged, and Himiko dodged effortlessly. Throwing her arm out, she held a knife but didn't move to stab her foe with it. Instead she watched as he ignored it, the difference in speed enough to send the knife flying. She let it go rather than try and hold it, hearing it clatter in the distance. "Oracle!"

"I don't know if I'm going to do much better!" Tomoe protested as she stepped up and engaged, hoping the tasers in her gauntlets could maybe do something.

Himiko grinned before she stopped her breathing, hoping the distraction was enough to give her the moment she needed. Watching the fight, she waited patiently until Rebound's back was to her, and then she jumped, landing on top of him.

"Hey!"

Himiko felt the force of his quirk as it tried to eject her, her arms wrapping around his neck as she let out a very catlike (shut up Nejire!) yelp. "Got you!"

"G-get off of me!" The hero said as he tried to reach up and throw Himiko off of her.

"Sorry not sorry," Himiko responded as she tightened her grip. Once she felt as secure as she could be she looked over his shoulder at her friend. "Now!"

Tomoe's face hardened in resolve as she charged her tasers to their maximum power. Walking forward, she gently placed her fist on the struggling third-year's chest, watching as the full force of discharge was unleashed. She felt sparks flying and was thankful for the protection of her suit, but enough force was transferred to the third year that he was staggered.

This gave Himiko enough time to put him in a proper suppression hold, where she held on tightly as the hero began to lose consciousness. She eventually felt him go limp underneath her, slumping over to the ground.

"You saw it too huh?" Oracle asked as Himiko carefully lowered the student to the ground.

"Don't you dare tell Emily," Himiko paused in retrieving her handcuffs to glare at her friend.

Tomoe was glad for her opaque helmet as she gave her friend a knowing smile. "I won't."

"So how are the others doing?" Himiko asked. Once she had secured the third year in handcuffs she turned her attention up toward the building where the fighting was still ongoing.

"Snipe is good, but Lemillion has managed to completely negate his quirk. It's just a matter of time," Tomoe said confidently before she turned toward Himiko. "I guess we should get back to work rescuing civilians."

Himiko gave her friend a toothy grin. "Lead the way!"

Tomoe directed Himiko to the hiding place of the next robot before the two split up to retrieve the 'civilians'. They quickly managed to find them and return to the rescue area before their earpieces came to life.

"Snipe is down!" Nejire cheered into their ears.

"We did it!" Himiko replied.

"Don't celebrate yet!" Mirio warned. "We've still gotta rescue the last civilians to finish the test!"

"Right," Himiko deflated before turning to her friend. "Where to next?"

Under Tomoe's direction, the four quickly retrieved the last of the robots and returned them to the safe zone. As soon as the last robot crossed the threshold, the zone turned bright green and a buzzer sounded. Seconds later Present Mic cut in on their earpieces.

"Beta team has finished their exam! They are the first team to finish!"

The four broke out in cheers.

Recovery Girl arrived a few minutes later to help with any injuries. After healing everyone, the students uncuffed the third-years and Snipe.

"I couldn't believe you tried to grapple me like that," Rebound admitted as Himiko removed his cuffs. "Most people don't figure out my quirk that quickly."

"Yeah well…" Himiko felt the heat rising to her cheeks, "when you're surrounded by nerds like I am, you pick up a thing or two."

"You know a quirk analyst?" Nejire asked curiously.

"Two of them," Himiko let out a long-suffering sigh. "One of our classmates - Emily - moonlights as an analyst. And then my younger brother Izu does it 'for fun.'" A fond smile spread across her lips as she thought about him. "He's a genius!"

"You have a younger brother?" Mirio asked. "Is he gonna be a support student or something?"

"Nope!" Himiko chirped. "He actually got accepted to UA as part of the hero course! He'll be joining us next year."

"These kids are so smart," Nejire said as she turned toward her classmate. "I wonder if we should pick up analysis so we don't fall behind?"

"Maybe I can ask Sir about it?" Mirio replied.

"Sir?" Tomoe lit up. "As in Sir Nighteye?"

"Yep! He took me on for an internship and work studies this year," Mirio rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "He's done a lot to help me get my quirk under control and figure out how to fight as well as I do."

"He's my favorite hero!" Tomoe said with far more excitement than Himiko was used to. "I'm hoping to get an internship with him next year!"

"I hope so too!" Mirio agreed with a thumbs up. "Your quirk would be so useful at his agency."

"Exactly! And he'd teach me so much about starting my own investigative agency…"

Himiko shook her head and turned away from her friend only to feel Nejire float up beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "So what about you? Who's your favorite hero?"

Unable to escape her fate, Himiko groaned.

After their final class of the year, Himiko saw her friends gathering around Emily's desk. Atsuko shot her a questioning glance, only for Himiko to nod her head in the direction of her teacher. A look of understanding filled her best friend's face as she mouthed the words 'Meet you outside.'

Packing her bag slowly, Himiko waited until everyone else had left before she finally stood up and approached her teacher.

"Kan-sensei," Himiko started. "Thanks for everything you've taught me!"

Much to her surprise, Sekijiro laughed. "Why so formal? You make it sound like you'll never see me again!"

"Yeah well," Himiko blushed as she crossed her arms and quickly looked away, but it was too late. "This is the last time you'll be my teacher! You've taught me a lot!"

"Little Midoriya," Sekijiro circled his desk and placed a massive hand on her shoulder. "I've taught you all that I can, now it is time for you to move on."

"Don't say that," Himiko grumbled. "I'm sure there's a lot left!"

"Perhaps," The hero chuckled. "But it's not like you won't see me again. You're still going to attend the school after all."

"But it'll be different."

"Different doesn't mean bad," Her teacher said softly. "You will broaden your horizons and learn so much more. Besides," His tone returned to a normal volume. "I'm sure you'll be spending plenty of time with your brother!"

"That's true," Himiko looked at her teacher, a mischievous smile on her face.

"And you can always find me after school," Sekijiro offered. "My door will be open if you want to catch up or if you want advice. I may not be as good as All Might-"

Himiko's eyes darted up to her mentor's face. "So you found out about that huh?"

"I must say I was surprised to find out," Sekijiro admitted. "After the entrance exam. But I am glad your brother found a mentor much in the same way I became yours."

"He deserves it," Himiko admitted. "But you're still better!"

Sekijiro threw his head back in laughter. "I'm glad you think so highly of me."

"I'll come find you next year," Himiko promised.

"I'm looking forward to it," Sekijiro admitted. "I'd be sad if my favorite student abandoned me now."

"I thought you said you weren't allowed to play favorites?" Himiko teased.

"Only when you were my student. Now that you are becoming a second year, I am allowed to play favorites again."

Himiko grabbed the teacher in a surprise hug, feeling tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "You'll always be my favorite teacher too. You've done so much for me! I'll never forget that."

"You've grown into a fine young woman, little Midoriya," Sekijiro said as he returned the hug. "And I can already tell you're going to be an amazing hero as well. I'm glad to have been a part of that."

Quickly pulling away, Himiko rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. "Thank you. I'll see you next semester!"

"Enjoy your break, little Midoriya."

Turning away, Himiko reluctantly left the room, taking in the empty classroom one last time. She had so many memories here. She wanted to selfishly hold onto them one last time. It wasn't until she left the classroom that she was reminded that she wasn't done yet - that she still had so much further to go.

And people were waiting for her.

With a smile on her face, she took off to find her friends - it was time to celebrate!

Chapter Text

"Itadakimasu!"

Once Himiko reunited with her friends outside of school, the group went out for dinner to celebrate surviving their first year. And since Himiko won the debate on where to go, they were currently sitting in her favorite all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant.

"Save some for us!" Habiki exclaimed as Himiko began loading her plate with the half-cooked beef and pork from the grill.

"We've already ordered the next round of plates," Himiko said with a grin. "Although by then I may be done with all of this."

"You're a monster," Emily complained.

"No," Atsuko added. "That's only when Himi gets to pick movies."

"Don't remind me," Emily banged her head against the table, causing Himiko to throw her head back and laugh.

"This is why you should let Atsuko pick more often," Habiki said, sending a smile to his girlfriend.

"You don't get a say in girl's nights," Himiko shot back. "Even if you're dating Suko now."

"Himiko's right," Tomoe agreed as she looked at the couple. "As much as she has… questionable tastes in humor, she has to put up with our choices so it's only fair."

"Sometimes it sounds like you four try to torture each other on your movie nights," Habiki observed, earning him a laugh from the four.

"It's not that bad," Atsuko insisted as she eyed her friends playfully.

"Exactly!" Emily agreed. "Besides, it's never about the movies anyway!"

"She's right," Tomoe added. "Half the time it ends up devolving into background noise while we talk."

"Like when we got together after Valentine's Day," Himiko said pointedly as she looked at the couple. "I still can't believe you waited until White Day to respond to him."

"Oh Himi, I thought you knew me better," Atsuko replied in mock-offense.

"Right," Himiko rolled her eyes. "If anyone would go all in on something like that it would be you."

"I'm surprised she held out that long," Emily added. "I wouldn't have bothered waiting."

"I think I'd wait as well," Tomoe admitted. "It was actually kind of cute."

"Not you too!" Emily gasped.

"Emily," Atsuko mock-gasped. "Are you jealous?"

"No, of course not!" Emily insisted a little too loudly, her cheeks turning pink.

"She's probably gonna just tell someone they're dating now," Himiko smirked. "I'm actually surprised she hasn't tried that on Izu yet."

"I'm not. Izuku would die," Atsuko countered.

"Eww! Gross!" Emily made a gagging motion as if to emphasize her point. "He's like, little brother material at best!"

"I agree," Himiko grinned. "But I'm not sharing! He's my little brother."

"Besides, I'm pretty sure she doesn't like me like that," Emily muttered as she picked up her plate and chopsticks, ready to battle for the remaining meat as it finished cooking.

The words were missed by everyone but Tomoe, who gave her friend a hard stare. As much as she wanted to encourage her friend, she didn't really know how to help. Instead, she decided to shift the topic away from her.

"I don't think I'm gonna find anyone at UA," Tomoe admitted.

"Why not?" Emily asked, her head shooting up. "You're smart, super observant, considerate, and pretty!"

"You've met our classmates," Tomoe replied with a faint smirk. "I've grown so much over the year thanks to everyone, but all of our classmates are just too much for me. I think I'm looking for someone more quiet and reserved."

"I remember that," Atsuko said proudly. "You're all about those quiet romantic evenings."

"That sounds lovely, yes. Two people, warm tea, and a good book." Tomoe smiled fondly at the thought.

"What about your friend in the support department?" Habiki asked.

"What about him?" Tomoe asked as she was caught off guard by the question. Sure they've been friends since elementary school, but she's never really thought of him that way before!

"I can see it," Atsuko said. "You two already spend so much time together. But It's okay if you don't like him like that!" She insisted, shooting a look at her boyfriend.

"Thanks," Tomoe said quietly.

"I'm sorry," Habiki bowed his head in apology. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"It's okay!" Tomoe insisted. "You just caught me off guard." As she picked up her plate she turned toward Himiko. "And what about you? You haven't said anything yet."

Himiko shrugged as she shoved a piece of half-cooked pork into her mouth. Chewing it quickly, she swallowed the bite before she finally spoke. "As much as I'd love to find someone, I haven't had a chance yet." She gave a helpless shrug as she found her plate very interesting. "In another life, I may have actually fallen for Izu. He accepted me for who I was, even at my lowest. I know I'm not exactly the easiest person to get along with, but I think I want to date someone like him - someone who likes me for who I am."

"Don't give me another reason to go after your parents," Emily responded darkly.

"Emily is right," Habiki assured her. "There's plenty of people who are like that! And any one of them would be lucky to date you!"

"See Himi? I'm not the only one saying it," Atsuko added.

"You're right," Himiko looked up, giving her friends a bright smile. "I just need to make time to find them!"

"There's our Himi." Atsuko smiled.

Silence fell over the table as everyone began eating, and turned to lighter topics between servings as the five enjoyed their celebratory dinner.

After their time was up, the five friends said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. With a content smile, Himiko walked through the thinning crowds of Mustafu, making her way back to the train station. She was casually walking through the markets when she heard someone call out to her.

"Carmilla!"

Himiko froze at the sound of her hero name. Training kicked in as she began scanning the area. She wondered what was going on when she saw a woman jogging up to her. It was only when the woman got close that Himiko realized who it was.

This time she was wearing a sweater with its hood pulled up, and she was wearing a different pair of sunglasses, but it was her - the woman with two-toned hair that she saw on her internships!

Except this time she was approaching her.

Himiko was already on guard as she planned possible escape routes. As much as she wanted her burning curiosity sated, she still didn't know about the woman's intentions and wanted to plan for the worst. She had a few knives hidden on her, so she wasn't defenseless, but there were still people on the streets. It would be a problem if she was attacked and had to defend herself.

"Yep! That's me!" Himiko chirped as she forced a smile to her face. "Although most people don't call me by my hero name yet."

"What can I say?" The woman stopped in front of her and gave her the ghost of a smile. "You impressed me at the sports festival. Then I read about your internship in the news."

Or you were there. Himiko thought.

"I guess I have more fans than I thought," Himiko said in an unsteady voice. While she didn't sense any hostility from the woman, she still didn't fully trust her. She was up to something.

"More than you realize," The woman said cryptically before she pulled her glasses down and peered at her with purple eyes. "Do you have a few minutes?"

"Depends on who's asking," Himiko replied.

"Me," The woman smirked. "I guess you could say I'm a curious fan."

Looking around, Himiko mentally weighed her options before she shrugged. "Sure, I've got a few minutes."

"Thanks," The woman's face morphed into a smile that Himiko swore was almost genuine.

Turning, Himiko began walking down the street, deviating from her route by turning down a road toward a different part of the commercial district. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"I was curious. Why do you want to be a hero?"

"Huh?" The question was enough to get Himiko to stop in her tracks and look at the woman again.

"You're a student at the top school in the country," The woman explained. "It means you've gotta be pretty motivated, right?"

"Yep!" Himiko chirped. "Although I didn't really know what I wanted to do for the longest time."

"What changed?" The woman asked, and Himiko could hear the genuine curiosity in her words.

"My brother." Himiko said earnestly.

"Oh?" The woman raised an eyebrow.

"He always wanted to be a hero," Himiko said with a fond look on her face. "But nobody believed he could do it. Then he helped an unwell little girl. Not by punching villains or moving mountains. But by being there when she needed someone to reach out to her." She looked down at her hands. "And that's what made me realize… it didn't matter what my quirk was. I could be somebody's hero, too."

"I see," The woman replied thoughtfully. "Guess I didn't have anything to worry about."

"You were worried?" Himiko asked.

"There's plenty of people in the world who forgot what's important about being a hero," The woman explained. A frown crossed her lips. "Including me."

Himiko shot a glare at the woman as the comment struck a nerve. How dare this woman judge her like that! She didn't know anything about her!

Reaching into her bag she grabbed her phone and pulled it out, showing the woman the image of her kneeling next to Kyoto. "I'm never going to be a top ten hero, I'm not even sure I'll ever make the top one hundred. But if I can help one little girl feel like she's not alone…" Her eyes narrowed. "If you think I don't know what it means to be a hero, then I don't want you as my fan. I already have people who believe in me."

The woman let out a small gasp. Slowly raising her hands to her face, she removed her sunglasses and looked at the photo. She tried to hide her face in the shadows of her hood, but Himiko studied it intently, trying to memorize the details.

"I'm sorry for doubting you," The woman whispered. She gave Himiko the briefest glance before putting her glasses back on, but it was enough to make the girl gasp. "I think you have what it takes to be a great hero."

Himiko blinked, recovering from what she had just seen. "Thank you. I'll try not to let you down."

"I don't think you can," The woman said. "Thanks again for humoring me. I hope I'll see you around."

Not waiting for a reply, she gave the smallest wave and turned away. Himiko watched her turn around and start walking away before she held out a hand. "Wait! What's your name?"

The woman stopped and gave her a sideways glance, her purple eyes visible from behind her glasses. "I'll tell you the next time I see you."

With that, the woman turned away and left, leaving Himiko alone with her thoughts.

And the memories of the woman's eyes. It was only for a moment, but Himiko knew that look in her eyes. It was one she was intimately familiar with.

The look of rekindled hope after it had long been forgotten.

Despite his last year at Aldera being relatively tame, he couldn't help but be relieved when he exited the school for the final time. He was finally done!

More importantly, that meant that in three short weeks, he'd be starting his first year at UA!

That wasn't the only thing he had to look forward to, however.

For the last three weeks, he'd been talking to Ochako far more than he thought he would be. It started off slowly, but after a week they were trading messages regularly. It quickly felt like the conversations he had with Froppy when the two of them got going. Except with one significant difference. Unlike Froppy she wasn't just a name on the screen. She was going to be his classmate!

Their messages only increased in frequency over the break now that they no longer had school taking up their time. Before Izuku knew it, a whole week had passed and Ochako was moving to Mustafu.

"Why are you so nervous?" Inko asked her son as they waited on the platform for their train to arrive.

"Is it because she's a girl?" Himiko asked with a teasing lilt in her voice.

Izuku let out a strangled noise before he glared at his sister, who broke down in laughter. Sighing, he shook his head. "It's not that. I'm just… worried about a repeat of Aldera."

Himiko sobered up immediately as she looked at her brother. "Izu, what has Uraraka done to possibly give you that idea?"

"Nothing it's just–" Izuku shifted nervously. "-old habits die hard."

"Oh Izu," Inko said guiltily as she placed a hand on her son's shoulder, "she sounds like a wonderful girl from everything you've told us. I don't think her friendship is fake."

"F-friendship huh?" Izuku said softly.

"Mom's right," Himiko agreed. "You two talk more than 'Suko and I do!"

"But you two also see each other regularly," Izuku pointed out as he looked at his sister.

"True!" Himiko smiled as she threw an arm around her brother. "And now that Uraraka's moving to Mustafu, you can hang out with her too!"

"What are you implying?" Izuku squeaked out.

Himiko gave her brother a suggestive look and laughed when she saw his face turning bright red. Letting him go she shook her head. "I'm gonna have fun with this."

"H-Himi!" Izuku whined.

"Be nice to Izu," Inko gently chided her daughter.

"Fine," Himiko huffed before looking at her brother, sincerity filling her features. "I'm glad you found someone. Suko's done so much for me… I hope you find someone like that too. If not Uraraka, someone else at UA."

"Thanks, Himi."

"And if she turns out to be like Bakugo," Himiko had a sinister look in her eyes as she had drawn one of her hidden knives.

"Himi!" Inko warned her daughter.

"What? I can't protect my little brother?" Himiko asked innocently before she put the knife away.

"Is this what the next two years are gonna be like?" Izuku asked in disbelief.

"Yep!" Himiko grinned. "It's working, isn't it? You're not nervous anymore, are you?"

Izuku opened his mouth and stopped, before closing it and shaking his head. "I guess I'm not."

"Good! Because our train's here!"

Izuku smiled at his sister as the three boarded the train. As exasperating as attending school with her was going to be, he appreciated how much she cared. Even if it was in her own unique way.

When they arrived at the student apartments, Izuku saw a beat-up construction van parked outside one of the buildings, with the logo for 'Uraraka Construction' emblazoned on the side.

"Her family owns a construction company?" Inko asked as they approached.

"Yeah," Izuku said as he pulled out his phone and sent a text to Ochako.

A few minutes later he saw the main entrance open and a familiar-looking brunette girl stepped out. Spotting Izuku, she smiled and waved. "Hey Midoriya!"

"Hey Uraraka!" Izuku called with a smile before he turned toward his family. "Let's go."

As they approached, Ochako cautiously examined Himiko before turning toward Izuku. "We're not gonna have a repeat of the Entrance Exam, are we?"

"No!" Izuku held up his hands defensively. "It's all okay now! Himi was just! My quirk! Showing up like that!" Izuku turned helplessly toward his sister.

Himiko looked annoyed at her brother before she turned toward Ochako. "Izu's right, we worked it out. I… It's complicated." She glared at her brother. "And then finding out he broke so many bones in the process."

"Well I'm grateful for it," Ochako insisted. "He saved me from that giant robot!"

"So I heard," Himiko's face transformed into a sly grin. "He's always trying to save people." She turned back toward the brunette girl. "I'm Himiko Midoriya by the way."

"And I'm Inko, I'm sure Izu's told you all about us."

"I'm Ochako Uraraka," the girl bowed politely, "Midoriya hasn't actually told me much, really!"

"Really…" Himiko narrowed her eyes as she looked at her brother.

"I'm sure she'll know more than enough before we're done with the first week of school," Izuku pointed out.

"True!" Himiko laughed.

"Is there anything we can help with?" Inko asked as she looked at the moving van.

"I actually don't have too much," Ochako admitted. "We've already moved everything inside. Why don't we go in?"

Ochako led them into the building and down the hallway to a door with a planet sticker on it. Knocking once, she opened the door. "Mom, Dad, the Midoriyas are here!"

Turning back to the three she looked apologetic as she continued. "Sorry if it's a little crowded. The student apartments aren't really big."

"How small are they?" Inko asked.

She had her answer a moment later when she stepped inside. The ground floor of the apartment was smaller than their bedrooms! The apartment itself was a mere twenty-four square meters. The fact that the apartment was a split-level with a loft area to sleep in was a small blessing, but she was still surprised by how small the space was.

The next thing she noticed was just how empty it was. There was a small table with two folding chairs pressed up against one wall with a small laptop resting on top. Behind it sat a half-sized bookshelf with a few astronomy books and a single manga volume sitting on its shelves. By the kitchen, two adults were standing shoulder-to-shoulder next to a half-unpacked box containing mismatched dishes and cutlery.

"Oh you must be the boy that our little 'Chako's been talking to," The man said as he looked at Izuku.

"And the one that helped her at the Entrance Exam!" The woman reminded her husband before giving Izuku a polite bow. "Thank you for saving her."

"Moooom," Ochako groaned.

"What? I'm not allowed to care about my daughter's safety?" The woman asked as she straightened. "My name is Miu, and this old lug here is Katashi."

"We were surprised when Chako came home and said she met someone at the exam," Katashi admitted as he examined the newcomers. "But I'm glad she isn't going in totally blind."

"I understand," Inko said sympathetically. "I'm lucky that both of my children can still live at home."

"Chako's had her heart set on becoming a hero for years," Miu said. "It'll be hard having her away from home, but we're proud of her for making it into UA!"

"No wonder she gets along so well with Izu," Inko smiled fondly at her son. "He's the same way."

"M-mom!" Izuku whined.

"A-anyway!" Ochako quickly interrupted as she turned toward her guests. "Since things are under control here, I was wondering if you could show me around a little bit? I saw a convenience store a few blocks away, but I still don't know my way around." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she continued, and Izuku wasn't sure if he heard her correctly. "I guess I should have warned Midoriya that I wasn't bringing much."

Izuku didn't have any time to ask her about it before his mom replied.

"Of course!" Inko said as she was already turning back around. "There's actually a market nearby we can show you which caters to students…"

Several hours of walking later, the two families finally made it back to the apartment, with several bags of groceries in hand.

"Thank you for showing us around today," Miu said to Inko as they passed through the gate.

"Oh it was nothing, I'm glad to help," Inko replied as she turned toward Ochako. "I know you want to spend tonight with your family, but maybe once you're settled in you can come visit for dinner."

"R-really?" Ochako blinked in surprise. "I don't want to impose…"

"It's nothing," Inko replied as she eyed the bags filled primarily with rice and ramen. "I'm already cooking for three, so we always have plenty of extra food."

"That's mighty gracious of you," Katashi said.

Ochako's eyes danced between Izuku and Inko. "Well I was planning on asking Midoriya to show me around more… but only if you're sure it's alright!"

"It is," Inko said firmly. "I wouldn't be offering otherwise."

"Okay…" Ochako awkwardly agreed before she turned toward Izuku "I'm starting to understand where you get it from," she giggled, "you take after your Mom, don't you?"

"I guess I do," Izuku said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"And All Might!" Himiko added with an impish grin.

"Himi," Izuku complained.

"What? She's gonna find out sooner or later if she hasn't already?" Himiko asked.

"I already know," Ochako admitted before she gave Izuku an apologetic look. "Sorry Midoriya, you do spend a lot of time talking about All Might."

Izuku flailed as he felt his face heating up, trying to think of a good excuse when he was saved by the laughter from Ochako's dad.

"Well, as fun as it's been, we should get back to work," Katashi said. "Miu and I need to get back to Nabari, and we don't want to start driving too late."

"I understand," Inko said. "Don't hesitate to call me if there's anything I can do to help."

"We wouldn't want to impose," Miu replied. "Just knowing Chako's got a friend already puts us at ease."

"It's the least I can do," Inko said. "I know that if my children had to move for school I'd sleep easier knowing someone was keeping an eye out for them."

Ochako gave Izuku an apologetic smile. "Thanks for coming by today Midoriya," she then turned toward Inko, "and thank you for showing us around."

"You're welcome Uraraka," Izuku smiled back at her. "I'll talk to you later once you're settled in?"

"Yep!" Ochako replied. "I'll call once my parents leave."

After getting home and facing a whole new round of questioning from Himiko, Izuku finally retreated to his room where he collapsed on his bed.

"A friend, huh…" Izuku said as if the word was foreign to him.

The last person he considered a friend was Bakugo, but that friendship was broken years ago. Ever since then, he has mostly kept to himself and never really had a close friend. Sure there were Froppy and Emily, but his mind made excuses for them. Despite their regular conversations, Froppy was still kept at arm's length by necessity and someone he'd never know in person. And Emily was Himiko's friend first and foremost - he was just her analysis partner.

Izuku was pulled from his thoughts when his phone informed him he had a message. Grabbing it, he felt himself smiling as he saw the message from Ochako thanking him for visiting. He typed out a reply admitting he had fun and asked when she wanted to spend more time hanging out. As his finger hovered over the send button, he reread his message.

"I guess she really is my friend," Izuku said as if to confirm his family's observations.

Pressing the send button, he laid the phone back down and closed his eyes.

"I'm glad. Maybe… maybe UA won't be bad if there are more people like her in my class."

And less people like Bakugo.

Chapter Text

"Have fun~" Himiko's teasing lilt could be heard down the hallway as Izuku slipped his shoes on.

"It's not like I'm going on a date or anything," Izuku sighed.

"Don't care," Himiko poked her head around the corner and gave him a predatory smile.

Izuku shook his head as he wished he had something to throw at his sister. He knew it was coming, but still! He'd have to figure out some way to get back at her later. "I'll call Mom when we're winding down?"

"Sounds great!"

"And Himi," Izuku looked at his sister earnestly. "You were right. I think… I like having Uraraka as a friend."

A silent gasp escaped Himiko as she stepped around the corner. Rushing down the hall, she pulled her brother in a hug. "Don't worry, I won't mess this up for you. I know what having Suko in my life did for me."

"I didn't think you would," Izuku assured her as he returned her embrace. "But I know I'm going to pay for that later."

"Maybe," Himiko gave her brother a mischievous smile as she lightly danced backward down the hall. "We'll see."

Giving his sister a small wave, Izuku left, leaving Himiko alone in the hallway. As she stared at the door, her smile turned genuine as she thought about her brother.

"Just this once I'll let you off the hook."

"That market was great!" Ochako said as she looked down at her bags. "Thank you Midoriya."

"You're welcome," Izuku said. "I know a lot of the places closer to UA are catering to visiting heroes rather than students but there's…"

"There you are Deku!"

Izuku froze while Ochako looked at him with concern and confusion.

"Midoriya, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah." Izuku offered her a shaky smile before turning toward the offending voice. "Kac- Bakugo, what do you want?"

"I want to know what the hell you did!" Bakugo said as he stormed forward.

"I'm showing my friend around," Izuku said, gesturing to Ochako as if to emphasize his point.

"You managed to find a friend huh?" Bakugo turned toward Ochako. "You might want to rethink that, he's a fucking cheater!"

"WHAT?!" Ochako exclaimed, horror spreading across her face as she looked at Izuku. However, his response wasn't what she expected. He looked just as confused and horrified as she did.

Izuku recovered first and faced his former bully. "What are you talking about?" Izuku asked, his voice low and even.

"UAs entrance exam!" Bakugo exclaimed. "You're such a loser you couldn't even save a notebook ten months ago! There's no fucking way a quirkless loser like you–"

"He's not quirkless!" Ochako yelled back, defending her friend.

Suddenly everything made sense to her. Izuku called him Bakugo. This must be Katsuki Bakugo, the person who took second place in the practical portion of the exams!

"You're just jealous that he got a better score than you! But to accuse him of cheating–"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me asshole!" Ochako balled her fists by her side. "I was trapped by debris and the zero-pointer would have hurt me - or worse - unless Izuku used his quirk to save me!"

"There's no fucking way–"

"It's true, Bakugo," Izuku said quietly, steel in his eyes.

"You're telling me that you've been hiding a quirk from me for ten fucking years?!" Bakugo took a menacing step forward.

"And make my life harder?" Izuku shook his head. "I'm a late bloomer, Bakugo."

"There's no way. You're lying!" Bakugo pointed a finger accusingly. "I know the stats! Late bloomers usually come in between nine and twelve! We would have figured it out years ago!"

"Usually. And mine didn't come in until I was fifteen," Izuku said softly. "Only after I finally started intensive training, and it took eighteen months to show up."

Bakugo gritted his teeth at the implications. "Liar!" He barked out, but it lacked the previous venom in his words.

"Believe what you want, it's the truth. I passed the entrance exam, same as you, and I'm going to become a hero!"

"You may have fooled them, but not me!" Bakugo exclaimed defiantly. "I'm going to prove it!"

Izuku stood there as a fresh wave of worry washed over him. What would happen if Bakugo found out the truth? Would he really go so far as to expose All Might's greatest secret to the world to prove a point?

"I just see someone who's jealous and unheroic," Ochako snapped back. "Unlike Midoriya!"

"What's that Round Face?" Bakugo's voice went cold as his eyes narrowed.

"You heard me!" Ochako took a step forward. "What kind of hero accuses someone of cheating like that?"

Bakugo took a menacing step forward, small explosions popping in his palms. When he saw neither Izuku nor Ochako back down, he closed his fists and lowered his hands.

"Tch, fine. I'll show you. And then you'll be thanking me for exposing this fraud."

Spinning on his heel, Bakugo stalked away, leaving Izuku and Ochako alone. Still angry, Ochako spun toward Izuku.

"Why'd you just let him go like that?"

Izuku didn't turn his attention toward Ochako, instead focusing on Bakugo's departing form.

"Because he's not worth it," He replied, hoping she wouldn't hear the fear in his voice.

If it was just me it would be one thing, but if he finds out about One For All…

"What do you mean? He–"

"He accused me of cheating because I was quirkless. If that was true I'm sure UA has the resources to find that out," Izuku explained nervously as he turned toward Ochako. "It's just like you said. He's jealous I beat his score. And he's stubborn enough that nothing will convince him otherwise… at least not until we're at UA."

"That makes sense," Ochako said, her anger starting to dissipate. "Still! To say something like that!"

"I know." Izuku let out a resigned sigh. "I just hope I'm not in the same class as him. The last year's been nice."

"You two were classmates in middle school?"

"Yeah," Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "And elementary. Until last year really… Then we were finally separated and we haven't talked since."

"I can't imagine having classes with him," Ochako shuddered. "Is that where the name Deku came from?"

"Yeah," Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "It's a nickname he gave me when we were kids. He misread the kanji of my name and it just sort of stuck once we thought I was quirkless."

Ochako saw the flash of sadness across Izuku's face and frowned. "That sucks. I kind of like the name." Ochako admitted.

"Wait, you do?"

"Mhm!" Ochako nodded. "It reminds me a lot of Dekiru!"

"Dekiru?"

"Yep!" Ochako pumped her fist in the air. "And hearing how much work you've done, it kind of fits you, you know?"

"I'm glad you enjoy it," Izuku said apologetically, "but the name… doesn't have a lot of great memories for me."

"Aww," Ochako started, but then she saw how sad Izuku looked.

All because of a name?

"That's not right," Ochako declared.

"Huh?" Izuku blinked as he looked at her.

"Names should have happy memories associated with them! Not bad ones! I just wish…" Ochako's brows furrowed. "I wish there was something…" She began thinking about the name, rotating through different variations and honorifics, something close and different, something like…

"Dekkun."

Izuku blinked in surprise. "Dekkun?"

"Sorry!" Ochako threw her hands up defensively. "I was just trying to think of a name to replace Deku."

"Uraraka…" Izuku stared at the girl in awe.

"I-if it's too much I can–"

"No!" Izuku shook his head and offered her a bright smile. "I really like it. Thank you, Uraraka."

Ochako gave him a bright smile in return. "You're welcome, Dekkun! Now where were we?"

Izuku placed his thumb on his lips for a moment before he pointed in a different direction from where Bakugo went. "Why don't we go that way? There's a great used bookstore that's always well stocked with manga that way."

"That sounds great!" Ochako admitted. "Lead the way!"

The two resumed walking, Bakugo already becoming a distant memory as Izuku continued giving Ochako a tour of Mustafu.

Once their tour was concluded and they dropped Ochako's (meager, Izuku couldn't help but notice) purchases off at her apartment, they returned to Izuku's place for dinner.

"This is delicious!" Ochako exclaimed, her eyes wide after she ate her first bite of omurice.

"Mom's cooking is amazing!" Himiko chirped.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Inko said. "Himi's friends come over sometimes, but it's been a while since Izu's had anyone over."

"I heard," Ochako said quietly, her eyes darting over to Izuku.

Izuku responded with a nervous smile. "So what're your plans for the next ten days?" He asked quickly, not wanting to revisit the subject.

"Not much," Ochako admitted, her attention returning to her food. "Mostly reading the books and watching the movies I picked up at the library. Trying not to go stir crazy."

"I understand the feeling," Izuku assured her.

"Just wait, once you're at UA you'll be looking forward to breaks," Himiko said, stretching for emphasis. "Classes are rough!"

"Says you," Izuku shoots back.

"That's because I'm not a nerd," Himiko rolled her eyes and gave her brother a playful smile.

"Horror movies," Izuku replied.

"Horror movies?" Ochako asked curiously.

"Himi loves them," Izuku explained, earning himself a death glare from his sister.

"I also love romance films!" Himiko said before she got a dreamy look on her face. "Two people, destined to be together despite all odds…"

"I see what you mean," Ochako giggled as she gave Izuku a conspiratorial look.

"Hey!" Himiko glared across the table.

"Sorry Himi, you're just proving that you're a nerd too," Izuku said with a lopsided grin on his face.

"Are you going to spend any more time with Izu?" Inko asked Ochako, unphased by her children's bickering.

"Maybe?" Ochako looked timidly at Izuku. "I don't want to take up too much of your time…"

"I don't mind!" Izuku insisted. "I'm just reading up on quirks in my free time."

"In that case," Ochako said, "maybe you could show me some parks and scenic spots? Maybe a place to see the stars?"

"I'm not sure if you could see anything here," Izuku admitted. "There's too much light pollution."

"That's sad," Ochako's face fell. "One of the nice things about Nabari was it was so easy to see the stars at night."

"Maybe the beach?" Izuku asked quickly, thinking back to his days of predawn training.

"That could work!" Ochako agreed, a hint of excitement in her voice. "I could take a towel and lay on the beach to watch the stars rise!"

"It sounds like you can plan a few days with Izu," Inko said with a gentle smile on her face.

"Mhm!" Ochako nodded as she turned toward Izuku. "If that's alright with you Dekkun?"

"That sounds fun," Izuku agreed, already feeling Himiko's eyes boring into the back of his head.

"You two should enjoy the break while you can," Inko added. "And my home is always open if you want to eat dinner with us."

"I wouldn't want to impose," Ochako said, her permanent blush spreading as she looked down at her food.

"Nonsense," Inko said. "It wouldn't be right for you to spend all day with Izu only for him to leave you all alone for dinner."

"I guess that makes sense…" Ochako mumbled. "I think I'd like that…"

Izuku gave his mom a thankful glance before turning his attention back to Ochako and asking her about her favorite heroes. Changing topics, they began discussing rescue heroes as the four enjoyed the meal together.

"Thanks for today," Ochako said as she slipped her shoes on. "I had fun.

"Me too," Izuku admitted, "text me when you get home?"

"Of course!" Ochako said as she opened the door. "See you Thursday?"

"Mhm," Izuku nodded. "See you then!"

The door hadn't even fully closed yet when Izuku felt a presence standing in the hallway behind him.

"So… Dekkun huh?"

"We ran into Bakugo today," Izuku said softly.

"That asshole?" Himiko frowned. "What did he want?"

"He accused me of cheating on the entrance exam," Izuku looked down at his hands. "He wanted to expose me as a fraud because I'm quirkless."

Before he knew what was going on he felt the warmth of his sister pressing against his back as she wrapped her arms around him. "You think he suspects anything?"

"No," Izuku sighed. "My late bloomer story's been accepted by both Nezu and Recovery Girl, and you're there to back me up. Uraraka thought he was just jealous. I just hope everyone else feels the same way."

"I'm sure they will," Himiko assured him. "After all, who are they gonna believe? Him, or Nezu?"

"You're right," Izuku gently spun around to face his sister. "Thank you."

"That's what family's for," Himiko gave him a warm smile that quickly turned predatory. "So, Dekkun, what else happened?"

Izuku felt his face heating up. "Uraraka, she–" Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat. "Asked me about my old nickname of Deku. And when I told her she insisted on helping me replace the name with one that has happy memories."

"That's… so sweet!" Himiko untangled herself from her brother, only to hook her fingers around his wrist. "Come on, I want to hear all the details."

"Himi…" Izuku whined as he allowed himself to be dragged to her room. He knew he was about to be questioned, but right now he didn't mind.

It felt nice being the one who could gush about his friend, for once.

Izuku sat at the dining room table, his pencil dancing along the page as he copied the page from his notebook. Next to him sat Ochako, who was deep in concentration as she focused on her costume form. Meanwhile across from them sat Himiko who was lazily scrolling through a tablet.

"So how are your costumes coming along?" Emily asked as she poked her head between the two future first-years.

"Aaah!" Ochako jumped, flinching away.

"Song…" Izuku sighed as he looked down at the ruined kanji. He flipped his pencil over and began erasing it before lifting the paper.

Emily leaned in over his shoulder to take a look. "Himi finally managed to get you to drop that All Might mask design?"

"Yes!" Himiko exclaimed. "It was harder than it should have been."

"It made sense to younger me!" Izuku said defensively.

"All Might design?" Ochako asked curiously.

Himiko got a predatory grin on her face as her eyes danced between the two younger students. "Why don't you show her, Izu?"

Izuku's face heated up as he buried his head in his notebook. "You've already made your point Himi… Besides," He quickly added as he showed her the helmet he had drawn, "after seeing the designs Sakura and Atsuko went with, this works better!"

"What about you?" Emily turned toward Ochako.

"I've got a few suggestions here…" Ochako pointed to the small list of support items. "But the most important part is making sure my gear helps with the nausea I get when using my quirk." She rubbed the back of her head as her permanent blush spread. "I don't want to end up in the same situation as the Entrance Exam again. I shouldn't expect Dekkun to save me!"

"Hmm," Emily turned her attention toward Ochako's notes, quickly reviewing them. "And you're ok with a skin-tight suit?"

"Wait. WHAT?!" Ochako exclaimed as she grabbed her notes back.

"Oh yeah!" Himiko looked up from the tablet. "Companies are annoying about that."

"Says the girl who does wear a skintight bodysuit," Emily pointed out.

"It's for my quirk!" Himiko retorted before she stuck her tongue out.

Izuku swore he saw the back of Emily's neck heating up as he turned toward Ochako. "If you don't specify the style of outfit you want they assume you want a skintight suit."

"Oh," Ochako said. Without any warning, she reached out and grabbed Izuku's papers. "Let me see what you're doing!"

"H-hey!" Izuku said, holding his hand out but it was too late. "I would've just told you…"

"S-sorry!" Ochako squeaked, her face turning bright red as she looked down at Izuku's notes.

"I'm actually doing a bodysuit underneath and a second, looser suit on top," Izuku's eyes drifted over to Himiko. "Better to protect myself against knives and small objects."

"That sounds great!" Ochako said as she found the proper description and started copying it onto her form.

"Just be careful, otherwise you'll end up with a green jumpsuit," Himiko pointed out.

"R-right," Ochako said. "What made you pick that color anyway?"

"I thought it would be obvious," Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Given our last name is Midoriya."

Three heads turned as they heard Himiko gasp. As they watched, it looked as if she was having a revelation.

"Why didn't I ever think of that before?!" Himiko exclaimed. Standing up, she bolted over to the growing wall of pictures, each containing two green-haired individuals… and one ash-blonde. Spinning around, she shouted down the hallway. "Mom! Can I get my hair dyed green?"

Inko poked her head out of her office. "Of course! Any reason why?"

Himiko gave a sideways glance at the photos. "I want to match you and Izu!"

Inko chuckled. "I was wondering if you'd ever ask. We can schedule an appointment later tonight?"

"You're the best, Mom!"

Izuku definitely saw a blush creeping up to Emily's cheeks now. Shaking his head he turned his attention back to Ochako. "So yeah… that's why."

"I see," Ochako said. Her brows furrowed and Izuku saw her lips moving, but no words came out until he saw her face light up. "I got it!" Turning her attention back to the paper, she began writing out the description of a pink-and-black costume design underneath. Once she was done scribbling out her notes she offered Izuku his papers back. "Sorry about that!"

"It's alright!" Izuku assured her as he took his forms back. "I'm glad you caught that early."

"Y-yeah," Ochako rubbed the back of her head. "That would have been awkward to find out when I tried the costume on! So what's next?"

Flipping his notebook to another page, Izuku began reviewing support equipment with Ochako. As he finished up, he looked over at his sister to see Himiko and Emily squabbling over her tablet and felt a smile tugging on his lips.

The year hadn't started yet, but he was already looking forward to it.

Chapter Text

Izuku was giddy with anticipation as he donned his uniform.

This was it!

As of today, he'd officially be a student attending UA!

When he finished his tie, he finally reached out and grabbed the jacket that was on his bed and donned it. As he did so he let out a sigh that he didn't even realize he was holding. Turning toward one of the many All Might figures that were located around the room, he gave it a shaky smile.

"I did it. I'm gonna follow in your footsteps!"

Walking to the door of his bedroom, Izuku opened it and stepped out into the living room. As his sister saw him, her eyes went wide before she burst out laughing.

"Izu! Your tie!"

"Wha- oh," Izuku looked down at his tie before his eyes drifted over to Himiko's. Face heating up, he rubbed the back of his head. "I've never had to do this before!"

With a soft chuckle, Inko walked over to her son and straightened out his tie for him. "I know you're just excited. You'll have to practice it later." Once she was done and smoothed it out she grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. "My baby boy is growing up so fast! I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Mom," Izuku said softly as he returned her embrace.

Once she pulled away, Inko turned her attention to Himiko, giving her daughter a similar hug before watching the two depart. The siblings quickly made their way to the train station and boarded their train. When they arrived at the station, they found Ochako already waiting for them.

"Good morning Dekkun!" Ochako waved as she rushed over to them. "Are you ready for today?

"Yeah!" Izuku pumped his fist in the air.

A few minutes later Atsuko arrived. Once introductions were made the group of four made their way to campus. As they approached the building the second years stopped and turned toward the first years.

"I'll see you after school," Himiko told her brother.

"Wait, after school?" Izuku froze.

"What about opening ceremonies?" Ochako asked.

Himiko gave the two a fanged smile. "I know what I said!"

Izuku watched Atsuko mouth a silent 'sorry' before the two girls retreated to the building, leaving a very confused Izuku and Ochako in their wake.

"What did your sister mean?"

"I'm… not sure," Izuku admitted. "She's been very tight-lipped about exams and certain lessons. Something about integrity and surprise."

"I see," Ochako gave him a nervous smile. "Well, it can't be that bad, right?"

"You're right," Izuku matched her smile with a similarly wavy smile. "Let's go find our classroom?"

"Yeah!" She replied a little too loudly.

"So do you think we got lucky?" Ochako asked as they approached the absolutely massive door to their homeroom.

"I guess there's only one way to find out…" Izuku said as he grabbed the handle of the door. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he pulled the door open and dared to look inside.

"Shit!" Ochako exclaimed from beside him.

There, right in the middle of the classroom, was Bakugo. He was leaning back in a chair with his feet propped up. Worse, he was arguing with that tall blue-haired student from the entrance exam over proper decorum.

The pair gave each other resigned looks before Izuku pointed to the back of the classroom. Ochako nodded in understanding, and they attempted to sneak in…

…however, their efforts were in vain as the blue-haired student noticed them immediately. Giving up on his argument with Bakugo for now, he rushed over to the doorway. "It's you two! You were the girl who was injured! And you were the one who figured out there was more to the test!"

"Yeah…" Ochako fidgeted awkwardly as her blush spread. "I'd rather not talk about that…"

"Very well then!" The student turned toward Izuku. "I wanted to apologize for my rude remarks during the presentation. I had misjudged you. You risked your score to save someone whom you had just met." He closed his eyes and bowed his head. "My name is Tenya Iida and I hope that our school year will be less tumultuous."

"I hope so too…" Izuku said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm Izuku Midoriya. Nice to meet you."

"And you must be very talented as well," Iida said as he opened his eyes and turned his attention to Ochako. "Able to rescue him from falling out of the sky like that."

"I uh…" Ochako flailed awkwardly. "I just got lucky I guess, ehe…"

Fortunately, she was saved from further explanation as the group heard a voice behind them.

"It took ten seconds for someone to notice me."

Izuku and Ochako whirled around and looked down. There, lying on the ground was a scruffy-looking man in a yellow sleeping bag. As they watched he pushed himself upright, towering over the students.

"That's unacceptable if you want to be a hero." The man said as he unzipped the bag and stepped out. "In an emergency, a few seconds can mean the difference between life and death. Consider this your first lesson.

All of the students quickly hurried to their desks as the teacher picked up his sleeping bag and walked to his desk. Setting the bag down, he exchanged it for a box that had been hiding behind the desk and set it down.

"Here are your gym uniforms. I want you to put them on and follow me."

"But what about the opening ceremony?" The girl behind Izuku asked. She had shoulder-length pale blue hair, and her eyes were narrowed behind her glasses.

Aizawa gave the girl a flat stare, but she didn't seem to back down. "They're a pointless waste of time. The principal has given us a lot of leeway in how we run our classes, so we're going to do something more productive instead."

Without any more questions, the students slowly stood up and shuffled to the front of the room, each one receiving their uniform from Aizawa before they exited the room.

It didn't take long for everyone to change, and a few minutes later everyone had reconvened on the training field outside the school. There they found their teacher standing with a softball in his hand.

"Midoriya, you were the top score on the practical portion of the exam. Come here," Aizawa instructed as he gestured toward the painted circle next to him.

Nodding slowly, Izuku walked to the designated spot, pointedly ignoring the glare Bakugo was sending his way. Once he was in position, Aizawa casually tossed him a ball. "You've all done the standard physical assessment tests in middle school. Today we're going to be doing them again. What was your furthest throw in the ball toss?"

"About 50 meters," Izuku said, remembering the last time he took them was still early in the year.

"Hmm," Aizawa examined him. "Let's see how you do today. But unlike middle school. I want you to throw the ball with your quirk."

Izuku's face lit up. "Really?"

"Yes," Aizawa sounded annoyed. "The laws may be illogical, but because of them you've never had a chance to test your limits with a quirk before. That may be fine for normal people, but it doesn't fly for future heroes." He turned toward the rest of his students. "Starting today, you're operating under different rules."

"Mhm," Izuku smiled as he wound up.

Channeling a mere five percent of One For All in his hand, he threw the ball, watching it go flying. When he saw it disappear he turned his attention toward the teacher, who was holding a monitoring device. Seemingly satisfied by the results, he held it up to display the results: 620 meters.

"This sounds fun!" A pink-skinned student shouted.

"Yeah! It'll give us a chance to really go all out!" A tall boy with strange cylinders for elbows added.

"You think this is fun and games?" Aizawa asked as he glared at his students. "It's time for your next lesson. These tests exist to test your potential. The person who comes in last place clearly has none, and will be expelled."

A hushed silence fell over the class at the proclamation, before chaos broke out.

"You can't do that!" Ochako protested. "That's not fair!"

"You're in the wrong line of work if you want fair," Aizawa closed his eyes. "Let this be your second lesson: Society isn't fair. As heroes, it's your job to push back and fight the unfairness."

"Can he really expel someone?" An invisible girl, defined only by the gym uniform she wore, asked.

Aizawa opened his eyes and turned toward Izuku. "Tell them, Midoriya."

"Tell them what?" Izuku asked nervously. He had a strong suspicion of what Aizawa wanted him to do, and would rather not if he could avoid it.

"Your sister's in 2-B, isn't she?" Aizawa asked. "I'm sure she told you what happened last year."

"What happened?" Iida, taking the bait, asked Izuku directly.

Izuku felt the gaze of twenty pairs of eyes on him and his throat went dry. Swallowing to wet it, he began to speak. "Last year Aizawa– he expelled his entire class over a training incident."

"What?!" A tall girl with a long ponytail exclaimed. "I swore he was bluffing?"

Ochako looked a little pale as she asked her next question. "That– he did that?!"

"I did," Aizawa confirms, returning attention to himself. "Those kids weren't taking things seriously and I did Japan a favor by weeding them out early.

"But what about me?" Izuku heard the invisible girl speaking to nearby classmates. "My quirk is invisibility! It doesn't help with these tests!"

Izuku looked down at his own hands.

"This… isn't right," Izuku muttered. "Everyone tried so hard to get here…"

Suddenly his eyes went wide as he put the pieces together. Balling his hands into fists, his head jerked up to stare at his teacher.

"No."

"No?" Aizawa lazily turned toward Izuku to glare at him.

"You - you just said it!" Izuku exclaimed. "We should fight the unfairness of the world! And it's not right to expel someone before school has even started!"

"Yeah!" He gasped as he heard Ochako's voice. Stepping forward she had her fists raised. "We all worked so hard to get here!"

"I agree," the girl with pale blue hair and glasses added, "I didn't intend to apply to UA because I thought my quirk wasn't good enough. But seeing the students at last year's sports festival inspired me to try! If they deserve to be here, then so do I!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku saw Iida hesitating for a moment before he also stepped forward. "I must also agree. While I understand a school of UA's status holds its students to a higher standard, this is going too far." He punctuated his statement with a sweep of his arms.

"Hmph." Aizawa closed his eyes and… was that a faint hint of a smile on his face? "I see." Opening them, he turned his gaze to the four students who called him out, landing on Izuku last. "You figured it out. Good."

"Wha–"

"It was a test?!"

"For real?"

"Yes," Aizawa confirmed. "Nobody will be expelled today. However, that doesn't mean you can goof off. If I find out someone's not giving it their all, there will be consequences."

Silence filled the air as the students felt the weight of his words before they spoke as one. "Yes sir!"

"Now then, follow me," Aizawa instructed as he led them toward the fifty-meter dash.

Izuku breathed a sigh of relief as he saw their teacher walking away from them, only to jump at the sound of Ochako's voice from behind him.

"Are you okay Dekkun?"

"Y-yeah," Izuku turned and gave his friend a shaky smile. "I just… wasn't expecting that."

"Me neither," Ochako shook her head before offering him a smile. "You were so cool though!"

"T-thanks," Izuku said, feeling the heat rising to his neck. Was this what it was going to be like as a hero? Receiving praise for simply doing what's right? He wasn't sure how he was going to handle it. "But we should get going. I don't want to know what Aizawa has in store for us otherwise…"

"R-right!" Ochako said, not wanting to find out either. Turning, the two took off to catch up with their classmates.

Despite the tension that hung in the air over the first two tests, eventually, the class started getting into it. By the end, a few students were even cheering each other on. When they didn't get in trouble, more students followed, and soon the majority of the class was getting into it, praising each other as students came up with new and creative ways to use their quirks. The encouragement eventually grew to the point that even those students whose quirks didn't help found themselves thinking about new applications for their quirks.

For Izuku, this was the first real test of his concentration. Sure he had been practicing channeling five percent of his power to a single limb for things like punches and kicks, but this was forcing him to practice under new conditions. He'd have to keep that in mind for the rest of the year.

And before they knew it, they were finally done with the tests. Gathering around their teacher, everyone watched in silent anticipation as their teacher raised the device. Holding one end out, he pressed a button, and a hologram appeared displaying everyone's scores.

1st place - Momo Yaoyorozu

…

3rd place - Katsuki Bakugo
4th place - Izuku Midoriya
5th place - Tenya Iida

…

11th place - Ochako Uraraka

…

20th place - Toru Hagakure

Looking over the results, their teacher focused on the invisible girl. "Hagakure, I'm going to recommend additional fitness training for you. UA offers an after-school program for students. You don't want to be caught struggling when lives are on the line, do you?"

"N-no sir!" Toru said, visibly shaking but with relief in her voice.

"The program is available to the rest of you as well if you wish to improve further." Closing his eyes he dismissed the chart and lowered the device. "Now change and return to the classroom. There will be syllabi and other paperwork waiting on your desk, and we still have several presentations explaining all of the benefits UA has to offer this afternoon."

Izuku sighed in relief and turned to join his classmates as they returned to the locker room until his teacher called out from behind him.

"Midoriya, I'd like to talk to you."

"Y-yes sensei?" Izuku asked, turning stiffly toward their teacher.

"I saw you out there today. Why didn't you use your full power?"

"Full power?" Izuku repeated lamely.

"The entrance exam," Aizawa crossed his arms. "I saw what you could really do."

"Then… you know what happens when I go all out," Izuku said quietly. "Is that what you wanted me to do today?"

"What do you think?" Aizawa asked cryptically.

Izuku's brows furrowed as he looked toward the ground as he realized this was another test.

"I think you don't want me visiting Recovery Girl after every lesson."

"Hmph." A smile ghosted over Aizawa's lips. "But what if you're facing a foe where this level isn't good enough?"

"Then… I guess I'll need to go Plus Ultra?" Izuku said with a shaky smile.

"Good, it seems that oaf wasn't totally useless. That's all."

Izuku raised his head to continue, but he already saw Aizawa's back as he was returning to the building. Letting out a soft sigh, he shook his head. "I guess the teachers found out huh? Hopefully, it won't be a problem…"

Turning, Izuku began to walk toward the building, only to be interrupted a second time as Bakugo stepped out from behind a tree.

"Deku…"

"Just my luck," Izuku grumbled.

"I can't fucking believe it," Bakugo said as he stomped forward. "You really do have a quirk!"

"I told you–"

"And what a weak-ass quirk!" Bakugo crossed his arms and shook his head. "I feel bad for you, waiting ten years only to get… that."

"It's not weak!" Izuku clenched his fist as he took a step forward.

"To you maybe. But after spending so long being quirkless anything would seem powerful!" Bakugo had a smug look of superiority on his face. "It's still not enough to be a real hero like All Might!"

You're already a hero. Himiko's voice reminded him in his head.

"That's what you think… Just you wait!" Izuku declared, raising his fist. "I'm going to take this power and become a hero. Just like All Might!"

Quite literally. Izuku silently appended.

"Hmph," Bakugo scoffed dismissively. "I'd like to see you try. Just try not to embarrass me along the way."

"He won't," a new voice came from behind them. Turning, Izuku saw Ochako's face as she glared at Katsuki. "He'll surpass you!"

"Ha! That's rich!" Katsuki said. "Still conv–"

"What are you three doing?" Aizawa asked, his hair standing on end as he glared at the three of them.

"N-nothing," Izuku said quickly, placing himself between Ochako and their teacher. "Just… a disagreement is all."

"That better be all it is," Aizawa warned them before his hair fell back into a messy tangle. "Now get back to the classroom."

"Yes sir!" Izuku and Ochako called before the three made their way to the locker room.

After Aizawa dismissed them for the day, Izuku felt a gentle tapping on his shoulder.

"Sorry if I'm being rude, but I've been wanting to introduce myself all day!" The girl who sat behind him explained. She bowed her head. "I'm Kashiko Sekigai. Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"N-no! What is it?" Izuku asked.

"Mhm," She gave him a faint smile as she nodded. "So I couldn't help but notice your last name is Midoriya and Sensei said you have a sister in class two. Is she the one with a shapeshifting quirk?"

"Yeah, that's Himi," Izuku said cautiously, unsure where this was going.

"That's great!" Sekigai replied with far more excitement than Izuku had expected. "Your sister's one of the girls who inspired me to apply to UA in the first place."

"Oh," Izuku's face lit up as he remembered her comments from earlier. "I remember that. I'm guessing the other one is Sakura then."

"Yes!" Kashiko smiled. "I always thought you needed a strong quirk to get in, but they showed me otherwise."

"What kind of quirk do you have?"

"It's called Chart," the girl replied proudly. Holding her hand out, a hologram of the classroom appeared in front of it with dots representing all of their classmates. Currently, two dots were blinking - she and Izuku, judging by their position. "It lets me search for and track people over a large area, as well as check on people's status."

"That's an amazing quirk!" Izuku stared at the diagram in awe, a dozen questions filling his mind.

"I agree," She said proudly. "But you can see why it's not a quirk normally associated with a UA Alumni."

"Yeah," Izuku nodded.

"But then I watched the sports festival last year and saw these girls with much more subtle quirks, like Chart, and they were competing as equals! So I decided to apply and here I am," She gave a smile as she waved her hand, dismissing her quirk.

"I'll let them know," Izuku said as he returned her smile. "I'm sure they'll love to hear it."

"Do you think I could meet them sometime?"

"Meet them? Ehe…" Izuku rubbed the back of his head as his smile turned awkward. "I'm sure they'd love to meet you but Himi…"

"What's this about your sister?" Ochako asked curiously as she came up to the desk.

"Sekigai wants to meet her," Izuku explained.

"Oh," Ochako said as she turned to stare at the other girl. "Just to warn you, she's a lot."

"She's not that bad…" Izuku said defensively.

"You're only saying that because she's your sister," Ochako giggled.

"Ehe…" He turned his attention back to the other girl. "I'll let her know? Usually, we meet up after school so I'm sure you'll run into her sooner or later. But not today."

"I understand." Sekigai nodded. "I'm looking forward to it!" Picking up her bag she gave a small wave to the two students. "See you tomorrow!"

With that Sekigai walked off, leaving Izuku and Ochako alone.

"Ready to go, Dekkun?" Ochako asked.

"Almost," Izuku said as he stood up and grabbed his bag. He piled all of the papers on his desk before shoving them into one of his notebooks, then placed everything back into his bag before shouldering it. "Now I am."

As the two were walking to the exit they heard someone call out their names. Pausing, they turned to see Iida approaching them.

"Midoriya, Uraraka. Would you two mind if I accompanied you to the train station?"

"Huh?" Ochako asked.

"What for?"

"I am ashamed to admit it," Iida began, appearing as if he had bitten a lemon, "but I have a wide gap in my knowledge. First at the entrance exam you ran toward the Executor robot to save Uraraka. It happened again today when you understood the lesson Aizawa-Sensei was trying to teach us."

"I just… wanted to do what's right," Izuku admitted. His eyes darted to Ochako and he saw her cheeks heating up at the mention of the exam.

"Precisely," Tenya delivered a swift chop to his palm. "You have a strong sense of right and wrong," He turned to face Ochako. "You both do. And you have internalized it in such an admirable way. If you do not mind, I wish to learn from the two of you."

"I don't mind," Izuku said awkwardly as he turned to Ochako. "What about you Uraraka?"

Ochako shook her head. "Me neither!"

"Thank you," He politely bowed to the duo.

"Think we'll have any more interruptions before we finally escape?" Ochako asked lightly.

"I hope not," Izuku said nervously. "Himi did promise to wait until tomorrow…"

Ochako laughed nervously as the three made their way out the door and began their journey to the train station.

Slowly, carefully, Izuku pushed open the door to his apartment and stepped inside.

"I'm ba– ack!"

Before he knew it, Himiko had tackled him to the ground and he was sprawled out in the entryway with her on top of him. "Yay! You survived Aizawa's silly test!"

"You knew that was coming, didn't you?"

Himiko's response was to give him a playful grin. "Fuwa may have told Emily who told us." She admitted as she scrambled off of her brother. "Besides, it wouldn't have been fair if I warned you and Uraraka that it was coming!"

"I managed to impress him at least? Or… I think I did?" Izuku said nervously as he pushed himself to a standing position. "He apparently knows that All Might's been training me though."

"I'm sure all the teachers know," Himiko pointed out.

"You're right," Izuku sighed. "I hope it doesn't cause any problems."

"I doubt it," Himiko laughed. "Maybe if you weren't so you."

"Thanks, Himi." Izuku gave her an awkward smile.

"Come on," Himiko hooked an arm around Izuku. "I'm sure Mom wants to hear all about our day!"

Letting himself get pulled along, Izuku couldn't help but smile at his sister's enthusiasm. Sure his day may have been a lot stranger than he expected it to be, but he couldn't wait to share it with his family.

Chapter Text

The second day of school started much better for Izuku. He walked to the station with Himiko, and their group of two became a group of four as they continued to UA, this time without any ominous warnings. They made it to their classroom without incident and the morning classes ended up mostly being introductory material. Finally, they were dismissed for lunch and the class made its way to the cafeteria.

After buying their meals, Izuku and Ochako found an empty table off to one side of the cafeteria and sat down. Soon they were joined by Iida and Sekigai, and the four settled in for lunch.

It was only when he heard his sister's voice did Izuku realized his mistake.

"I~"

"Zu~"

"Ku~"

"Kun~!"

The span of four syllables wasn't enough time to brace himself before he felt Himiko slam into him, wrapping her arms around him in a deep embrace. It took all of his reflexes and strength training to keep the both of them from crashing to the floor in a tangle of limbs, but Izuku knew Himiko wouldn't care if that was what happened.

"How's your first real day at UA so far?" Himiko asked, pulling back just far enough for him to see her far-too-wide fanged grin.

"H-hi Himi," Izuku said as he tried to recover. "It's been going okay."

"Good!" Himiko pulled away from her brother to look at the other three around the table. Smiling at Ochako, she gave the other girl a small wave. "Oh, Uraraka's here too! That means the rest of you must be Izu's new friends!"

"Yeah," Izuku said, trying to control his blush. "They're my classmates!"

Did she have to lay it on so thick?! Izuku mentally asked. He'd have to find a way to get back at her… later.

Standing up straight, she gave them a fanged smile – a genuine one, Izuku noted in relief. "Hi! I'm Himiko Midoriya, Izu's older sister. I'm a year ahead in Class 2-B. It's nice to meet you!"

"H-hi Midoriya," Ochako gave Himiko a broken smile as she looked at her nervously.

"You're…" Sekigai blinked, her eyes darting between Himiko and Izuku. "...not what I expected."

"I'm not?" Himiko asked with a faux-innocence as her smile turned predatory.

"Running. Ignoring personal space. Ignoring the safety of others!" Iida suddenly spoke up. "I can't believe an upperclassman at a school so prestigious would be so–"

He was cut off when Himiko burst out laughing. "Oh, if you think this is bad I can't wait for you to meet the rest of my friends."

"There's more?" Sekigai looked like she was being crushed by the revelation.

Izuku shot the poor girl a sympathetic glance. "Sakura isn't like this at all."

"Tomoe?" Himiko asked, pausing for a moment as she put the pieces together. "Oh! You must be Sekigai! Izu told me about you!"

"He did?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yep!" Himiko's smile once again turned genuine as she looked at her. "I'll have to introduce you later."

"And you're sure she's not like this?" Sekigai asked Izuku.

"I promise," He assured her before shooting his sister an annoyed glance. "Neither is Himi."

"Says you!" Himiko stuck her tongue out at her brother before turning towards Iida. "And that means you must be Iida."

"Indeed," Iida adjusted his glasses. "I am Tenya Iida. But how–"

"It was nice meeting you!" Himiko said, once again cutting him off. Turning toward her brother, she threw an arm around his shoulder and gave him an awkward sideways hug. "But I've gotta get back to my friends." Standing up, she shot one final glance at the other students. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you around!" She said with a predatory glint in her eyes.

Turning around she skipped away from the table, leaving one embarrassed brother and two very confused first years behind. Izuku watched as she returned to her group of friends. Of course, he spotted Habiki as he sat there with his phone out, recording the whole thing. When she sat down she gave him a playful smile before she turned her attention to her meal.

With a weary sigh, he turned around and picked up his chopsticks.

"I-is she always like that?" Sekigai asked nervously.

"No," Izuku admitted. "She's just playing it up today. Uraraka's seen what she's like normally."

Ochako blinked in surprise, her eyes going wide as she darted from Izuku to Himiko's table in the distance. Swallowing the bite of food she was eating, she looked at the others. "Y-yeah! She wasn't so… extreme when I met her."

"That's a relief," Sekigai sighed.

"Still!" Iida exclaimed. "I must question how someone like that managed to survive their first year here!"

"She can be kind of overwhelming," Izuku admitted as he grabbed a bite of food. "But I promise she's a great person! And…" Izuku turned toward Iida. "There's all types of people trying to be heroes, not just the stereotypical ones you see on television."

"I see," Iida adjusted his glasses as he looked at Himiko's table. "In that case, I will attempt to keep an open mind about things when I meet these other upperclassmen."

Breathing a small sigh of relief, Izuku took a bite of food as Ochako asked a question about their morning classes. Thankful for the topic change, the four descended into casual conversation as they continued the rest of their lunch uninterrupted.

When lunch was finished they returned to their homeroom. Anticipation filled the air as everyone was excited for their first Heroics class to begin, and nobody was more excited than Izuku. It certainly didn't help that he knew who their teacher was going to be.

Suddenly, twenty heads turned toward the door as they heard a muffled voice from behind it.

"I am… walking through the door normally!" The door slammed open to reveal the smiling form of All Might, dressed in his costume. "Good afternoon aspiring heroes! I Am Here! As your teacher!"

"Wow!"

"So Cool!"

"I can't believe All Might is our teacher!"

Quickly crossing the room, All Might stood behind the desk and seemed to fiddle with a couple of small squares of paper. Once he was set up properly, he looked up at the students. "Today we will be evaluating your skills against live opponents!" He held up his hand, revealing a small card with the word 'COMBAT' written across it in red letters.

"For this exercise, we will be holding mock two-on-two team battles. But before we begin!" He raised a small remote and pointed it at the wall. "You must look the part!" He pressed a button and hidden panels in the wall slid aside to reveal twenty cases that extended out of the wall. "We will reconvene in the training area, where we will conduct costume checks before we begin today's exercise."

Izuku couldn't keep the grin off his face as he stood up and followed his classmates to the wall, grabbing his case. Looking over, she saw Ochako was just as excited as they took off towards the changing rooms, ready to see how they looked.

Izuku held his helmet in his hand as he checked over his costume and verified everything was there when he heard Ochako's voice from behind him.

"Your costume looks amazing Dekkun!"

Turning around, Izuku saw Ochako and was momentarily stunned by how pretty she was in her costume. "T-Thanks Uraraka, your costume looks great too!"

Ochako wore a fitted tracksuit, much like his own, that clung close to her body. Unlike his green suit, hers was a blank-and-pink design of her own creation, with bubble-shaped gauntlets, a bulky belt designed to store equipment and apply pressure, and a pink choker around her neck. Finally to complete the look she wore two massively oversized boots. They were a pale pink with thick pink soles made out of a special shock-absorbent material Emily had shown her that both gave her stable footing on the ground and would cushion any landing she was forced to make after using her quirk on herself.

All-in-all Izuku found the design very fitting and very her.

"Thanks!" She smiled brightly at him. "I'm really happy with how it turned out! You and Song were lifesavers!"

"No fair!" Their invisible classmate, Hagakure, exclaimed as she walked up behind them. "Your costume's so cool and mine is…"

Izuku couldn't help but stare as he saw Hagakure's costume. The poor girl was wearing nothing but a pair of gloves and boots! He opened his mouth to speak but All Might was faster.

"Young Hagakure! Please tell me you are wearing an infused bodysuit that is adapted to your quirk right now."

"Infu- what's that?" The invisible girl asked, one of her gloves touching the spot where Izuku assumed her face would be.

"It is a recent technology, but extremely helpful for heroes in situations such as yours," All Might explained. "In simple terms, the company requires that you send them your hair, and then they process it into the base material for fabric, which can then be woven into a suit that works along with your quirk. In your case, it would be rendered invisible while still offering you the protection you will need in the field."

"Part of Himi's costume is made from the material," Izuku offered helpfully. "My sister, I mean! Her quirk destroys any normal clothing when she uses it, so she had a special body suit made that won't get destroyed."

"I wonder if that would work with my quirk?" Yaoyorozu speculated.

"I believe there is an easy test, Young Yaoyorozu," All Might pointed to her head. "Why don't you try producing something out of the back of your head, through your hair?"

Nodding, Yaoyorozu closed her eyes and concentrated. A moment later the assembled students saw a Russian nesting doll sitting on top of her head. Opening her eyes, she reached up and plucked it off, a bright smile on her face. "I've never thought to try that before."

"I hope you consider a costume change as well," All Might smiled at her. "Like Young Hagakure, your costume is impractical for field work where you will be dealing with many small cuts, scrapes, and burns that would be easily avoided by wearing a protective layer." He then pointed to the dictionary hanging off of her back. "However, no matter what you decide I must insist that that be replaced. You are one bad fall away from a serious injury, and it is a massive weak point for the enemy to exploit."

Yaoyorozu's cheeks heated up as she looked at the book. "I had always used this dictionary to practice at home, so I just assumed that it would be suitable for fieldwork."

"Don't worry," All Might assured her. "That is why we have these checks! To spot problems that you may have missed when submitting the designs. Now then, young Kirishima–"

"But I don't need a shirt when I have my quirk!" the fiery redhead said, activating his quirk and hardening his skin to demonstrate.

"That is a reasonable argument, but I would like to point out that you are wearing pants to protect your legs," All Might pointed to the baggy black pants. "Doesn't your upper half deserve similar protection?"

Kirishima put a finger on his lower lip as he thought about it before his face lit up. "Good point!" He slammed his fist into an open palm. "Do you think I could get some of this fabric to harden just like my quirk?"

"I do not know," All Might admitted. "But we can get it tested by a support company to find out!"

"Don't forget about me!" Toru exclaimed. "When can I get a suit made?!"

"We can speak to Power Loader as soon as class is dismissed," All Might said with a bright smile before his eyes found all of the other students. "That applies to all of you! If any of you come up with immediate changes for your costumes, you may join us after class. Now then, does anyone else have any questions?"

Seeing none, All Might waved the students on as he led them toward one of the school's training grounds.

Once they had arrived at the training ground, All Might explained to the students how the trials worked. After he was finished and answered any lingering questions, he had the students draw lots to determine the teams.

"Yes!" Ochako cheered when she pulled a numbered ball out of the box. Turning toward Izuku, she held it up. "We're partners, Dekkun!"

"That's great!" Izuku agreed, finding her enthusiasm infectious.

Enthusiasm was quickly lost the moment All Might drew their opponent.

"For our first round, Team Midoriya and Uraraka will be the heroes, attempting to disarm the bomb planted by the dastardly villains on Team Bakugo and Iida!" Their teacher announced as he held up two of the numbered balls in his hand.

Dropping them into a basket, he turned toward Bakugo and Iida. "Villains, you have ten minutes to set up and hide the bomb. Heroes," He turned towards Izuku and Ochako. "Here are the blueprints for the building, you have ten minutes to plan your mission."

Taking the blueprints, Izuku and Ochako walked over to a quiet alleyway and knelt.

"Good, finally a chance to punch that jerk!" Ochako exclaimed as Izuku laid out the map.

"You really don't like him, do you?" Izuku asked.

"I'm surprised you're letting him off so easily!" Ochako exclaimed. "After everything he's done to you."

Izuku gave her an awkward smile as he panicked internally. "I just he–" Izuku sighed and looked down. "It's… complicated. "

"I don't get what's so complicated," Ochako huffed and crossed her arms.

Izuku looked at the girl and felt his stomach sink. She was glaring at him and rightfully so. She was willing to fight on his behalf, and she seemed genuinely hurt that he was being so evasive about the whole thing.

But I can't tell her the real reason why!

Wracking his brain for a half-truth, Izuku finally started to speak softly. "It's because of All Might."

"All Might?" Ochako asked, a hint of skepticism in her voice.

"Mhm," Izuku nodded as he turned away from her. "At the start of school last year there was an attack and I… well, got All Might's attention. He sent someone to help me train and he's been keeping tabs on me."

"That's so– why aren't you proud of that?!" Ochako whisper-shouted at Izuku.

"I am," Izuku admitted. "But I don't want anyone to think I'm getting special attention. Especially Bakugo. He…" Izuku's eyes darted toward the building before he returned his gaze to his teammate. "So that's why I'm trying to downplay things. I just… don't want anyone to get the wrong idea."

"Dekkun…" Ochako stared at him, lowering her arms. "Is that why you were afraid to tell me?"

"A little, yeah," Izuku admitted.

"Well I don't," Ochako confirmed. "I've only known you for a few weeks, but I know you're not the type of person to just relax and rely on the success of others. I'm sure everyone would see that too! If Bakugo's head is so far up his ass that he can't see that, then fuck 'm."

Izuku stared at his classmate in awe. As he fought back happy tears, he gave her a warm smile. "Thank you. For believing in me, I mean!"

"Of course Dekkun! It's what friends are for," She matched his smile with one of her own before it morphed into a more serious expression. "But we can talk more later. For now, we've gotta figure out how to win this fight!"

"Right!" Izuku said, turning his attention back to the map. Pointing at the stairwell, he continued. "I can guarantee Bakugo is going to come straight for me. That means he'll probably be waiting for us in the stairwell. We can use that to our advantage…"

"Heroes, you may begin!" All Might announced over their earpieces.

Nodding together, Izuku and Ochako both secured their helmets and walked into the building. They cautiously made their way through the first floor, reaching the stairwell without incident. Quickly ascending to the second floor, they began making their way down the main hallway when they heard explosions.

"Where the fuck are you Deku?" Bakugo exclaimed from further down the hallway.

Izuku turned his head toward his teammate. "Go Uraraka!"

He watched Ochako's face harden behind her translucent mask before she gave him a single nod and broke off down a side hallway, taking a long way around. Turning his attention back toward where Bakugo was, he knew he only had seconds before he'd have to face his opponent.

Taking a steadying breath, he looked down at his gloves.

It's gonna be different this time.

You're no longer the quirkless Deku that he thinks you are. And…

His eyes drifted to the hallway that Ochako retreated down. I have people who believe in me!

Returning his attention to the hallway, he took a deep breath and yelled. "Kacchan, what's taking you so long? I thought you'd be here by now!"

His words hit home and seconds later Bakugo whipped around the corner, riding an explosion as he landed in front of him.

"Deku. You think you've got what it takes to be a hero? Now that you've got some weak quirk? You'll never be strong enough to be a top-ten hero! Let alone become the new number one! That'll be me!"

"You're wrong, Bakugo," Izuku stood up straight as he looked at his classmate. "I may be behind everyone, but I'm just getting started!"

"Don't make me laugh!" Bakugo snorted. "You're still the same as ever, and I'll prove it. DIE!"

Firing off an explosion, Bakugo launched himself forward. Tensing, Izuku watched his movements as he quickly approached. At the last possible moment, he deftly sidestepped his opponent's punch, reaching out to grab his gauntlet and using his momentum to slam him into the ground.

"You're too predictable. You always open with a right hook."

Calling upon One For All, Izuku wrapped his fist in its green glow as he responded with his own attack, hoping to land a disabling blow. But Bakugo was too fast and used a quick explosion to send himself sliding along the floor, causing the punch to hit the ground instead.

"See? You're too slow Deku!"

Izuku grimaced.

Crap! He must've noticed it takes me a moment to use One For All without hurting myself!

Once he was several meters away Bakugo changed directions, launching himself toward a wall where he kicked off and propelled himself forward, aiming another punch at Izuku. Izuku tensed up, ready to counter again, but this time when he sidestepped he saw Bakugo launch himself sideways before he felt his back burning from the force of an explosion.

"And learning your opponent's moves isn't anything special!"

Izuku stumbled forward, his costume keeping him safe but not enough to prevent the force of the blasts from shoving him around. Regaining his footing, he began jogging down the hallway.

Just gotta buy Uraraka a little more time…

"Get back here Deku!" Bakugo called from behind him before he heard a pair of explosions propelling his opponent forward. Looking around, he mentally reviewed the map.

A little further… and… Here!

Skidding to a halt, Izuku spun around and channeled One For All into his arms, ready to face his opponent. He saw the rage in Bakugo's eyes as he flew toward him, ready to strike another blow. Dropping into an impromptu combat stance, Izuku threw a right hook of his own.

Katsuki's eyes went wide as he tried to dodge, but Izuku had planned for it, opening up his fist and grabbing Katsuki's arm to redirect the explosion, sending him crashing into the wall and causing cracks to appear.

"Fuck–" Katsuki spat out. Eyes narrowing as he saw Izuku charging forward, he placed his palms against the wall and launched himself off, further weakening the already damaged wall.

"Thanks!" Izuku shouted as he folded his arms in front of him and crashed through the wall, causing a large hole to appear as he entered an office space.

"You–!" Katsuki growled as he turned around and followed him into the room. "Don't think you're getting away from me!"

Spinning around, Izuku dropped into a combat stance. "Who said I was running?"

"Grr, DIE!" Katsuki leaped into the air, firing off an explosion to propel himself forward.

Izuku held his arms up as One For All's power ran through them. Rather than try to counter, he simply blocked the blow, taking a step back to steady himself from the force of the impact.

"What was that? Giving up already?"

"Just waiting for my teammate," Izuku shot back.

Bakugo's eyes narrowed, then went wide for a moment as he spun around only to see Ochako standing there, holding a desk like an oversized club.

"This one's for Dekkun!" Ochako said as she hit Bakugo, the force of the blow enough to send him flying into a wall.

Izuku saw the grin on her face as her attack worked, before she charged forward, ready to hit their opponent a second time. Brandishing the table like a battering ram, she dove in for the killing blow…

…only for the table to shatter into countless splinters from an explosion, causing Ochako to slam ineffectively into Katsuki.

"That was cute, but you're not getting a second chance," Katsuki said before he fired another explosion, sending Ochako flying.

"Uraraka!" Izuku called out.

Stepping away from the wall, Katsuki spit on the ground. "Tch, of course you'd do something underhanded like that. Fine, no more games." He pulled the pin on his gauntlet, and Izuku suddenly smelled the distinct odor of his sweat in the air. "First I'll deal with her, then we'll finish this."

Eyes going wide, Izuku saw Ochako struggling to her feet.

She's not gonna be able to dodge that!

Charging forward, Izuku felt One For All surging through his legs and torso as he closed the distance in milliseconds. Wrapping his arms around Ochako, he saw the open door a mere meter away.

"Sorry, Uraraka," Izuku apologized as he shoved her through the safety of the exit.

And then he felt the heat of the explosion wash over him.

Ochako stumbled and fell to the ground, just in time to hear the massive explosion behind her as a wave of heat chased her out of the door.

"Dekkun!" Ochako cried out, quickly scrambling to her feet before she heard her earpiece blare to life.

"The trial is over, villains forfeit and the heroes win."

"What?!" She heard Katsuki exclaim from inside the room.

"Young Bakugo has caused too much structural damage to the building and ruined his own hideout," All Might continued to explain. "As a result, the villain team has failed the exam."

Tearing her helmet off, Ochako stomped into the room. "Serves you right!" She yelled at Katsuki. "After what you did to Dek…" She turned and saw the hole in the wall where the explosion impacted it. "...kun."

Rushing over to the hole, she saw Izuku lying on the ground unmoving. She felt her stomach protesting as she pressed a hand to herself, but she forced it down as she leaped out the window.

"R-release," Ochako said as she approached the ground, feeling her gravity suddenly come back as she landed, her soles absorbing the kinetic energy perfectly as she used her momentum to carry her forward until she reached her friend. "Dekkun!"

"I'm glad you're safe," Izuku said weakly as he tried to lift his head before it slumped back down on the ground.

With a sad sigh, Ochako carefully removed his helmet, confirming he had fallen unconscious. She didn't see any visible injuries from the explosion, but that didn't mean that he was okay. Once she heard their teacher confirm that medical bots were on their way, she sat there until they arrived to carry him to Recovery Girl's office.

After changing out of her costume, Himiko pulled her cell phone out of the locker and frowned.

1 Unread Message.

"Who's it from?" Atsuko asked curiously as she peaked over her friend's shoulder.

Swiping to unlock the screen, Himiko saw the name and frowned.

"Uraraka? Why would she…"

Tapping the message, she opened it and stiffened.

"Oww," Izuku said as he woke up, staring at the ceiling of the school Infirmary for a second time.

"I hope you don't plan on making this a regular thing," Recovery Girl said as she walked over to his bed.

"What happened?" Izuku asked as he pushed himself upright.

"You took your opponent's quirk head-on," Recovery Girl explained. "While it's a testament to your costume that you managed to avoid taking burns, you were still launched through a wall, out of the second story of a building, and landed about thirty meters away."

"That bad?" Izuku winced.

Recovery Girl shook her head. "I'm just glad you were wearing that helmet of yours. It probably saved you a lot more pain that I couldn't fix."

"I-I'll keep that in mind," Izuku sighed. "But you were able to fix everything?"

"This time," She confirmed. "You might not be so lucky next time."

"Ehe," Izuku rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"You're free to go back to class," The nurse said. "Since you've only been asleep for an hour. Probably want to drop your helmet off with Power Loader though." She gestured to his pile of support gear in the corner. "In its current state, I don't think it'll save you next time."

Katsuki saw All Might waiting for him outside of the teacher's office. Keeping a neutral expression he walked forward, refusing to show weakness. "You called for me?"

"Indeed I did, Young Bakugo. Come inside please," The hero said, gesturing toward the open door.

As he was led into the room he saw Aizawa sitting in front of a computer. Hearing them coming in, his homeroom teacher slowly spun around in his chair and lazily looked at his student.

"Did you give your Gauntlets to Power Loader?" Aizawa asked.

"Of course," Katsuki crossed his arms. "Although I don't understand why–"

"As of right now, you are barred from using them, until I say otherwise," Aizawa said.

"WHAT?!" Katsuki yelled.

"Your equipment is dangerous, and while we trust students' judgment in selecting their support gear, we expect them to be responsible with it." All Might said with uncharacteristic quietness. "You were lucky Young Midoriya's costume was designed the way it was. His injuries could have been even more extensive, and then…"

Katsuki paled at the implied threat. "I-it's not my fault! If he wants to be a hero he should be able to fight at that level!"

"That's not true," Aizawa crossed his arms. "And this leads to the second part of your punishment. As of today, you've been enrolled in Support Equipment Safe Usage and Ethics."

"What's that?" Katsuki asked, tilting his head slightly.

"It's a course taken by first-year Support Course students," All Might explained. "There just so happens to be a section that lines up with your free period."

"Why would I care about a course for Support students?"

"Because you clearly don't understand the proper use and application of force," Aizawa explained as he stood up. Picking up a book from his desk he held it out to Katsuki. "With a quirk such as yours, you need to be especially mindful of that."

"Proper use of force?" Katsuki glared at the book. "Who cares? It's not like I'm gonna fight weaklings and need to–"

"Young Bakugo," All Might cut him off. "You were there a year ago and saw me change the very weather with a punch. Do you remember that?"

"Of course I do," Katsuki replied. "No point in pretending otherwise."

"Do you think I use that much force against the common villains I fight?"

"Really? You expect me to believe you waste your time dealing with thieves and gangs?"

"I do," All Might confirmed. "And I would gravely injure, possibly even kill, those villains if I were to hit them with my full power. I have had to learn to control my strength and use it only when appropriate."

"And since you clearly need that lesson, that is why you've been enrolled in the course," Aizawa confirmed. "You will be graded as a support student and it will affect your class ranking accordingly. Only once you've proven that you have satisfactory control over your quirk will you be allowed to use your gauntlets again."

Katsuki growled and grabbed the book out of Aizawa's hand. "Fine, I'm going to ace this stupid class, and show you why I'm the best!"

After changing out of his costume and back into his uniform, Izuku took a quick detour to drop off the damaged pieces of his costume with Power Loader. When he was finally done, he returned to his homeroom. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and saw his classmates as they reviewed the results from the Battle Trials.

Wait, not everyone.

"Where's Bakugo?" Izuku asked.

"All Might spoke to him after class, and then he left," Iida told him as he looked up from his desk. Ochako looked up from her position next to him and looked at Izuku with concern-filled eyes.

"That's just like him," Izuku sighed as he stepped into the room.

He didn't make it far before he was interrupted by another of his classmates.

"Uhhh. Midoriya? This is gonna sound kind of weird but why are you down there?" Denki asked as he pointed out the window.

Worried, Izuku rushed over to the window. Looking down at the school's entrance he saw what his electrical classmate was talking about. Katsuki was walking toward the gate with his bag slung over his shoulder – right toward Himiko.

Except Himiko was currently Transformed and looked exactly like him. And even from the distance, he could tell she was angry as she stood there with her arms crossed.

"Oh no."

Chapter Text

Bakugo scowled as he walked toward the figure of Izuku. "Out of the way Deku."

"Or what?" The face of Izuku twisted into a scowl. "You'll hit me with your quirk again?"

"Don't you dare!" Bakugo growled as he raised his palms and began to generate little explosions, the pops punctuating his words. "I'm now taking some pointless Support class because you're too weak!"

"I'm too weak?" Izuku unfolded his arms and stepped forward. "What's it say about you that you're blaming me for your failings?"

Bakugo took a step back involuntarily. Something was wrong with Deku and he couldn't quite figure out what. "Yes, damn it! I'm supposed to be training to be a hero! I don't have time for all this…"

"This what?" Izuku asked the leading question, acting like a matador to Bakugo's raging bull.

"This pointless busywork!" Bakugo spat.

"Clearly the teachers disagree," Izuku said as his eyes narrowed. "Or do you think you know better than them?"

"Don't give me that crap!" Bauko threw an arm out dismissively. "Aizawa's just trying to hold me back, not that it'll matter once I'm out of here."

"Hold you back?" Izuku threw his head back and laughed.

"Deku…" Katsuki growled darkly as he took a step forward. "Just because you've got some weak-ass quirk doesn't mean you've got what it takes to be a her–"

The sound of skin-on-skin contact rang out throughout the school grounds as Izuku's hand made contact with Bakugo's cheek.

Slap!

"Don't you fucking dare," A feminine voice hissed.

As Katsuki felt his cheek stinging from the slap, he watched the face of Izuku melt away in a pile of gray sludge, revealing Himiko's face, her eyes ablaze with golden fury.

"You– you were given everything!" Himiko spat. "A strong quirk, a loving family. A school that catered to your every whim. It was the perfect recipe for success! And yet…" Her eyes darkened. "Here you are. Still harboring an inferiority complex towards your old friend. The same kid who everyone thought was quirkless for eleven years. The same person you told day after day that he could never be a hero." Her lips twisted into an unsettling smile. "It's impressive, really. You've known all this time that he'll always be a better hero than you. That he's already a better hero than you'll ever be. And you don't even know why."

Bakugo's vision turned red.

"How dare you!" He pulled back his fist and launched himself forward, ready to deliver an Explosion-powered punch.

Himiko deftly sidestepped as a pair of knives seemingly materialized in her hands. "Be careful, unsupervised fighting's not allowed on school grounds." She said in a too-sweet singsong tone.

"Good thing school's out," Bakugo growled as he clenched his fist. He prepared to launch another attack when his attention was broken by the sound of a voice he was very familiar with.

"Well this is awkward," All Might said from behind Himiko. "I decided to check up on the two of you after what happened. However, it turns out that Young Midoriya is the wrong Midoriya."

"Don't get in our way, All Might," Bakugo growled. "She started it and I intend to finish it."

He didn't even see the hero move, but he certainly felt All Might's grip on his shoulder as Japan's top hero held him in place. "You don't want to do this."

"Like hell I don't!"

"Do you think you'll be the top hero if you're so easily provoked?" All Might asked pointedly.

Bakugo froze before his head and his eyes slowly shifted so that he could look at his idol behind him. "What're you talking about?"

"From where I'm standing, Young Midoriya's been in control this entire time," All Might explained before he turned his attention to Himiko. "Although did you really have to bring weapons into this?"

"I dunno," Himiko smirked as she slid the knives into her thigh-holsters with exaggerated motions. "Did he have a reason to bring his quirk into this?"

"You're just jealous because my quirk is actually useful," Bakugo replied with a prideful smirk.

"If that's how you feel better about yourself," Himiko gave him a playful smile. "But you and I both know the truth. And that's what's important."

"Grr!" Bakugo growled, only to feel All Might's grip tighten on his shoulder. As angry as he was at her, he knew this wasn't the time or place to finish this. He looked at Himiko dismissively. "Tch, you're not worth the trouble. Besides, I don't need Aizawa breathing down my neck more than he already is."

Rotating his shoulder, he freed himself from All Might's grip. Walking over to his bag in tense silence, he picked it up and shouldered it, before he turned away from the others and silently walked away.

All Might looked awkwardly at Himiko. "Were you really okay with taking a suspension for fighting him on school grounds?"

"Yes," Himiko crossed her arms and looked up at the hero. "I was."

"You… really care about Young Midoriya, don't you?"

"Isn't it obvious," Himiko snorted, but her face softened as she watched Bakugo's retreating form. "Bakugo spent years telling Izu that he couldn't amount to anything. That he needed a bright, flashy quirk to be a hero. And Izuku kept proving him wrong…"

"And then his quirk came in," All Might said.

"Yep!" Himiko chirped before side-eyeing the hero. "But Izu still feels the need to push himself. To show that he deserves it." Her gaze shifted skyward as she thought about her brother. "Not that he needs to." Her words were barely a whisper.

"The Battle Trial!" All Might's eyes went wide.

"Of course he wouldn't tell you. Every day I remind him that he doesn't need to do any of that to prove himself but…" Himiko sighed and shook her head. "Nevermind. I guess I should get back to class. Don't want to get into any more trouble."

All Might watched as Himiko began walking back to the school before calling out to her. "Young Midoriya!"

"Yes?" Himiko paused mid-strike to look at the hero out of the corner of her eyes.

"Thank you for telling me."

Himiko cracked a faint smile before she continued walking back toward the building.

When the students of 1-A saw Himiko walking back toward the school, they knew it was over. Suddenly Izuku found himself the center of attention as Denki spoke for the class.

"So… what just happened out there?"

"Ehe," Izuku looked at his classmates nervously. "Where do I begin…" He rubbed the back of his head as he thought. "So for anyone who doesn't know, that's Himi– Himiko. My sister. And her quirk… lets her Transform into other people."

"Like you?" Another student, Sero, asked.

"Like me," Izuku confirmed.

"Was she really gonna fight Bakugo?"

Izuku looked out the window. All Might stood there alone, his brows furrowed deep in thought. "Yes, she was."

"Holy shit!"

"Remind me never to get on Midoriya's bad side."

"I knew it, kero."

"Why?" Iida asked as he adjusted his glasses. "Surely she must know it is a violation of school rules…"

"She does," Izuku confirmed, cutting off his classmate. With a weary sigh, he walked back to his desk and sat down. "It's a long story," he admitted. Looking around at his classmates, his eyes eventually settled on Ochako. The gravity girl already knew his cover story, and she gave him an encouraging smile.

"They'll understand, just like I did."

"The short version is that Bakugo and I… we thought I was quirkless."

"But you have a quirk!" Kirishima pointed out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yep!" Izuku replied a bit too loudly. "It turns out I'm a late bloomer!" Taking a breath to steady himself, he continued. "I needed a lot of muscle for my quirk, otherwise I'd hurt myself when I used it. It's sort of like a built-in safety measure?"

"But you hurt yourself during the entrance exam!" Iida exclaimed.

"Ehe, don't remind me…" Izuku said with a wobbly smile. "That… I've still got a long way to go to use my quirk properly. I've been storing energy to enhance my body my entire life, but I've only been able to use it for about two months."

"Don't doctors usually discover signs of late bloomers early on?" Yaoyorozu asked. "That way those children can be put into special programs so they can train their bodies to meet their quirk's specialized needs."

"Y-yes," Izuku hid his head. "I um… never got tested."

"Why not?"

Izuku looked back out the window. "I um… my school kind of gave up on me."

"That's horrible!" Ochako protested.

"What kind of school would do that?" Ashido added.

"It's okay guys," Izuku said quickly, trying to cut off too many complaints. "It… well it worked out in the end?" He tried to emphasize his point with a laugh, but it came out far too high-pitched for his liking

"So when did you find out about your quirk?" Iida asked.

Izuku's eyes drifted to Ochako. "The day of the exam."

"Wait," Iida continued. "Does that mean you intended on taking the entrance exam quirkless?"

"I um…" Izuku swallowed a couple of times to wet his mouth. "...actually took half the exam quirkless."

"Ok, both Midoriyas are officially terrifying," Denki exclaimed.

"How is this related to Bakugo, kero?" Asui asked, her eyes intense as they bored into Izuku despite her impassive gaze.

"He… well… I never gave up on my dreams to be a hero, no matter what." Izuku looked down at his hands, calloused and worn from all of the time on the beach. "I knew it would be hard, but I had to give it a shot. And Bakugo he… has a very narrow definition of what it means to be a hero, and I wasn't it."

"And he's stupid!" Ochako exclaimed. "You're brave! And smart! And…" If Izuku was paying attention to her he would have noticed her permanent blush growing. "Even if you didn't have a quirk, I'm sure you'd have figured something out!"

"Yeah, that sounds super manly!"

"I will admit, I am hesitant about the idea of someone who is quirkless becoming a hero," Iida said, "But that doesn't change the fact that what Bakugo did was wrong!"

"Why not, kero?" Asui turned her attention to Iida.

Izuku breathed a sigh of relief as the admission seemed to spark a debate amongst his classmates, led by Asui and Iida, over the concept of a quirkless hero. It was a debate Izuku wasn't personally ready to have yet, so he was content to sit out.

He wasn't the only one, however, and was soon joined by Ochako as she sat down at the desk next to him.

"I didn't get to thank you earlier," Ochako began, "but I really appreciated the save back there."

"Ehe," Izuku looked at her awkwardly. "It's nothing, really! I was just helping my teammate…"

"It's not nothing!" Ochako shook her head. "Your quirk is amazing! Letting you take a powerful attack like that!"

"Umm… I wasn't actually sure what was gonna happen, to be honest. I knew my costume would help but I–"

Ochako gasped. "If you didn't know then why'd you jump in front of me like that?" Ochako asked, her eyes going wide.

"Because…" Izuku looked down at his desk, unable to face the concern behind her eyes. "I know what would have happened if you got hit by it."

"Dekkun…" Ochako whispered, suddenly overcome by a storm of conflicting emotions as she saw her classmate with new eyes.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to–"

"No! It's okay!" Ochako said far too loudly. "Someday I'll be strong too! Just like you! And then I can protect people too."

And maybe… I'll be able to return the favor. She silently appended.

Izuku's head jerked up as he saw Ochako, in awe of the fierce determination in her eyes. He was momentarily struck dumb by the sight, his mind and mouth moving uselessly as he tried to come up with a response. Finally recovering his wits, he gave her a faint smile.

"I can't wait."

After school, Izuku was once again joined by Ochako and Iida as they left the classroom. Once they were outside he insisted they wait for his sister to arrive. While Iida was hesitant he discovered that Ochako was more than happy to wait, and was outvoted. And so he reluctantly waited with them until Atsuko walked up to them.

"Hey Midoriya, Uraraka," Atsuko waved to the two.

"Hey Hotoko," Izuku replied. "Where's Himi?"

"Oh, she'll be along in a few minutes," Atsuko replied. "Mic-sensei is lecturing her on not trying to start fights at school." She let out a resigned sigh. "She's lucky All Might stepped in when he did, otherwise…"

"I'm glad too," Izuku let out a soft sigh.

"Well maybe if you weren't shot out of a building and had to be carried to Recovery Girl's office on a stretcher," Atsuko said playfully. "Maybe your classmates won't do that anymore."

"I won't let them either!" Ochako said, punching a palm into an open fist.

"H-hey now," Izuku said nervously. "Even Himi's gotten hurt in training…"

"You're right," Atsuko confirmed. "Bakugo's just a special case."

"Yep!" Ochako said, speaking both far too loudly and dragging out the word in a way that made Izuku nervous.

Izuku looked at Ochako nervously before Iida thankfully spoke up.

"I hope that such incidents are rare! It wouldn't behoove such a prestigious institution to allow such injuries to occur on a regular basis!"

"Behoove?" Atsuko shot Iida a questioning glance before looking at Izuku. "Where'd you find him?"

"Ehe… This is Tenya Iida! Ingenium's brother!" Izuku said, introducing his friend.

"Indeed!" Tenya held out his hand. "I come from a long line of heroes and hope to continue the family tradition! And you are?"

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Atsuko Hotoko. Nice to meet you!"

"Don't worry, she's a lot more normal," Ochako joked before she shot the older girl a nervous glance. "At least I think so?"

"We all have our moment," Atsuko smiled, "You just got to see Himi's right away."

"I still am forced to question how she managed to survive an entire year with the attitude she displayed today!" Iida said. "First at lunch and then her encounter with Bakugo!"

"Oh, I get it now," Atsuko laughed lightly. "The Hero course, by its very nature, attracts people with strong personalities. Including you." She pointed at Iida. "I'm sure you'll ask the same question about a lot of the students here, not just Himi."

Iida opened his mouth as if he wanted to respond, but simply stood there for a moment before he closed it and nodded. "You have given me something to think about. I will have to take that under consideration!"

Atsuko giggled as she shook her head. "Hopefully you'll get what I mean. Anyway–"

"Sorry I'm late!" Himiko shouted as she raced down the path towards the group. "Mic-sensei was relentless!"

"Did he use his quirk on you?" Atsuko teased.

"No," Himiko skidded to a stop and grimaced. "He can be plenty loud without it."

"You didn't have to do that," Izuku said.

"Nope!" Himiko chirped as she gave Izuku a too-wide fanged smile. "But I did it anyway!"

"Himi…" Izuku whined.

Hooking her arm over her brother's shoulder, Himiko pulled him into a side hug. "You got blasted out of a second-story window! Allow me to care about you!"

"Not like that though! What if you got in trouble?"

Himiko rolled her eyes. "It would have been worth it if Blasty got in trouble too."

"Not to me it isn't," Izuku insisted as he wormed his way out of her grip and spun to face her, crossing his arms. "He's not worth it!"

"Izu…" Himiko sighed as she saw his face. She knew he was right, no matter how good it felt in the moment. "Fine, I won't try provoking Blasty like that again. Unless…" She placed her index finger on her lips as she fell deep in thought.

"Unless?"

Himiko gave her brother a predatory grin before she broke out in laughter, and all of the first years were overcome with a sense of dread.

"Mind if I join you, kero?"

The four students at the table looked up in surprise as their classmate stood there, tray in hand.

"Not at all!" Ochako said as she slid her seat around the corner to make room for Tsuyu Asui. "Anyone else?"

The others shook their heads. Finding no objections, Asui sat her tray down before she retrieved a chair. "Thank you. I didn't really have anyone to sit with yesterday."

"I'm sorry," Ochako apologized, "if I knew…"

"It's okay, kero," Asui said.

As the girl sat down and opened her chopsticks, Izuku couldn't help but notice her meal. It resembled a noodle dish, but upon closer inspection, it was covered in a variety of insects. Similarly, her desert looked like a jello mold, but he could see different bugs floating suspended in the gelatin.

"Asui, you've got a specialized diet too?"

"First, call me Tsu," Tsuyu said as she gave him a flat stare. "And second, what do you mean by 'too'?"

"My sister…" Izuku trailed off. "She needs blood in her diet."

Tsuyu gave him a hard stare, and Izuku wished he could understand what she was thinking. While he had gotten good at reading people, his classmate's expressionless face remained a mystery to him. The best guess he could come up with was that she was searching for something? But what? And why?

"I see," Tsuyu finally croaked before returning her attention to her food. "Is that how she uses her quirk?"

"Y-yeah!" Izuku said, caught off guard by the sudden change.

"It was only broadcast on live television last year," Sekigai pointed out.

"I know, but…" Izuku looked over at the table where his sister sat and watched as she licked something off her finger before Transforming into Emily.

I'm glad Himi's more comfortable with her quirk. Izuku silently admitted.

"But what?" Ochako asked curiously.

"It's nothing," Izuku shook his head and returned his attention to the table. "Just thinking about when Himi was younger."

"Since you're curious about my diet, I've got a question for you," Tsuyu said.

"What's that?" Izuku asked curiously.

"Your quirk," Tsuyu said as she pointed a chopstick at Izuku.

"What about it?" Izuku asked nervously, feeling a lump forming in his throat.

"I've just never met a late bloomer before," Tsuyu explained. "I know it's a rare condition, so I was curious what it felt like."

"What it felt like?"

"When it came in," Tsuyu tilted her head.

"Ehe…" Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "I… wasn't really thinking about that. I was kind of focused on the test…"

"Oh," Tsuyu sounded… almost disappointed? Izuku wished she was easier to read.

"Is this about being a quirkless hero again?" Tenya asked.

"No," Tsuyu shook her head. "I know growing up being quirkless can be hard – much like being a mutant. Being a late bloomer–"

Tsuyu never got to finish her statement as the alarm rang out.

Chapter Text

"Emily," Himiko didn't bother to hide the annoyance in her voice. "It's the second day!"

"Exactly!" The other girl exclaimed as she looked up from her tablet. "It's gonna take time to build profiles for all of the first years! I need to start early."

"You knew this was coming," Hideo pointed out as he separated his chopsticks.

"I know," Himiko sighed as she glared across the table. "That doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Oh come on!" Emily crossed her arms and glared across the table. "You're seriously gonna keep this up for another year?"

"Maybe. And next year!" Himiko replied playfully. "I still tease Izu about it, too."

"Yes, but he's your brother!" Emily replied. "You're supposed to do that!" She threw her hands in the air as if to emphasize her point.

As Himiko watched the American girl rest her hands on the table, she was struck with a mischievous thought. Reaching out, she scratched her friend's arm with a sharpened fingernail, drawing a singular drop of blood and collecting it.

"Wh– ow! Himi!" Emily protested as she realized what was going on.

With a far-too-wide smile, Himiko licked the blood off of her nail and activated Transform. She felt the usual sense of warmth, like a ray of sunlight, as her quirk wrapped itself around her and changed her appearance to match the other girl.

"There!" Himiko said as she crossed her arms to match the other girl's previous pose. "Now we're twins! So sibling privileges now apply!"

"That's not how–!"

Emily's protest was drowned out by the sound of the alarm going off. As their instincts kicked in, the group of five jumped out of their seats as they prepared for danger.

"What's going on?" Atsuko asked as she raised her hands, ready to defend herself and her friends.

"This is a level three alarm," Tomoe said. Himiko shot her friend a quick glance and saw that she was shaken by the sudden noise, but she already had a pair of earplugs in her hands. "That means someone's breached the campus walls!" With practiced ease, she inserted the plugs and the effect on her posture was immediate as her shoulders untensed. Feeling better, she turned around to face her friends. "We should head to the shelter."

The group surrounded Tomoe protectively, knowing that the noise and crowds made her the most vulnerable of the five. They then began to move as one towards the exit, only to see it was crowded, with dozens of first-years and upperclassmen from other departments caught in a disorganized mess.

As they regrouped to come up with a new plan Himiko noticed a blue-haired student that had suddenly begun floating. A moment later she recognized it was Iida, one of Izuku's new friends! The real stuck-up one who was far too concerned with how things should be for Himiko's liking.

Personal opinions aside, she watched as he ignited his leg Engines and spiraled over the crowd until he slammed into the exit sign. Unphased, he pulled his head away from the wall enough to turn toward the students and called out that it was a group of reporters who had made it through the gate.

Himiko tapped on Tomoe's shoulder and the group walked over to the windows, where they looked out and examined the scene for themselves. Sure enough, there was a large crowd of reporters currently being contained by Hound Dog and a group of Ectoplasm clones.

"How'd they get in?" Habiki asked.

"I'm not sure…" Atsuko said, looking at the destroyed wall. "Something happened to the wall?"

"I'm sure the teachers will tell us all about it," Emily said.

"Or they'll tell the student council, and I'll report it to you," Tomoe agreed.

"So, crisis averted," Emily said as Himiko felt the other girl grab her by the wrist. "Now then, time to deal with this."

She began to lead Himiko to the restroom, the two girls weaving through the crowd as people slowly returned to the cafeteria. Once there she guided her twin-in-appearance to the shower stalls and slammed one open with her free hand before finally letting the other girl go.

"Ok, time to drop the Transformation."

"What?" Himiko gave her friend an innocent smile. "It's not like I've never been you before!"

"I know!" Emily protested and Himiko swore her neck was turning red. "That's for training though! It's weird seeing me just… like this!" She gestured wildly before she turned around to give Himiko privacy. "Besides, you're cuter than me." She muttered under her breath.

Himiko's jaw dropped.

"What was that?"

Did she really just…

"I said hurry up!" Emily spun around and threw her hands in the air. "We're already missing lunch and our food's gonna be cold!"

Giving her friend a knowing smile, Himiko finally relented and stepped into the shower. She dropped her transformation and felt the other girl's form begin to slough off of her, the relief immediate as the fabric of her uniform was no longer fighting to contain her shorter, slimmer form.

"So how long have you been waiting to go off on that Bakugo kid?"

"Huh?" Himiko blinked as she spun around. She saw Emily had once again turned away from her, guarding the shower door as if to give Himiko privacy – not that she needed it.

"Tomoe told us what happened," the other girl replied with uncharacteristic quietness, "and I couldn't help but think about last year."

Himiko sighed. She hoped she'd just be able to avoid this conversation. She had grown closer to the American girl, but they never really reconciled over their early differences, both in silent agreement that it was better to just move on.

"You know what my life was like," Himiko said quietly as her fists clenched at her side. "He… his mom's well-known in the fashion industry, and– you heard what I said! He had all of that and still–" She let out a frustrated growl.

Emily turned around, her piercing blue eyes locking with Himiko's gold. "And when we first met you thought I was just like him, didn't you?"

Himiko opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Closing it, she wondered when her throat and mouth dried out. She really should probably drink something. Swallowing a few times, she managed to wet her mouth enough to finally speak.

"Yes," Himiko felt her cheeks burning, but she refused to back down. "I… what was I supposed to think?" She found herself regaining her composure with every word you spoke. "You were this loud, boisterous rich girl who had it all! And you just came in like a typhoon saying you were going to be the best."

"Aren't you glad I defied expectations and turned out to be wonderful instead?" Emily asked as she crossed her arms and leaned on one foot.

Despite the bravado in her tone, Himiko could hear the threads of uncertainty woven into her question. She felt a surge of mixed emotions as she realized just how important her opinion was to Emily. It felt… good, but also confusing. It was so unlike her!

She would have to figure out what was going on later, though, because right now the girl in question stood there waiting for an answer.

"Somehow," Himiko giggled and wondered why it came out far more high-pitched than she intended. "You've got us to thank for that, though!" She felt her lips curling into a fanged smile. "And Aizawa, I guess."

"But that's what I like about… all of you," Emily admitted as her arms slowly uncrossed. "You… you're the first person to really call me out like that." She hesitated for a moment before she continued quickly. "And Atsuko reached out to me and Tomoe's so patient with all of his and Habiki's good at disarming the tension between us and…" She deflated slightly.

"I'm sure someone would have called you out," Himiko replied lamely. "Or Fuwa, once you and she started up your whole rivalry thing."

"Maybe," Emily tore her gaze away. "I'm not sure it would have worked though."

"I'm sure you'd annoy each other enough that she would have said something."

"Himi!" Emily huffed as she turned back to glare at the other girl. "I'm trying to be–" She let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm trying to say I'm glad it was you. I… don't want to be like that Bakugo kid."

"Me neither," Himiko agreed before she snickered. "Although then I'd have more excuses to stab you."

Emily took a reflexive step back as she let out a strangled noise. "H-Himi!"

Himiko's snickers were replaced with full-throated laughter at the girl's response. "Oh Emmy, never change." She gave the girl a warm smile before she looked down at the sludge surrounding the drain. "There, no more transformation."

"Great!" Emily said before she reached out and grabbed Himiko's arm again. "And Himi. Next time you want to confront that Bakugo guy, tell me. I can hold him down for you."

Himiko froze at her admission, unable to form a coherent response as the other girl dragged her out of the bathroom and back toward their table.

Am I really getting to her that much?

—-

That afternoon the second years donned their costumes and made their way to one of the training grounds. There they were to meet with their Heroics instructor for an afternoon of practice sparring so that he could gauge how far they've come from their first year.

As she walked she spotted their teacher, an aging hero who went by the name of Skywalker. His rugged features, salt-and-pepper hair, and unkempt gray beard told of a hard life, but she saw the fire behind his blue eyes as he went over the syllabus on the first day. Today he stood there in his old costume - a battered and worn set of dark brown monk's robes with an oversized belt lined with pouches.

Himiko couldn't help but wonder what kind of gear he used, but she did make note of the sword hilt that hung off his right side. Like her and Tomoe, his quirk didn't seem particularly heroic. It allowed him to walk on the air as if it were solid ground, but he leveraged it into a long career before finally retiring to teach at UA.

Himiko made a note to ask Izuku about him later. And maybe Emily – once she had profiled his support gear.

"Well, you certainly look the part of heroes," Skywalker spoke with a gravelly voice. "But looks aren't enough, are they?" He nodded toward the path leading to Training Ground Gamma. "Time to show me what you've learned."

Himiko was caught off-guard by his attitude. Didn't Hado say he was really strict and eccentric? Looking towards Tomoe she shot the other girl a questioning look, only to receive a shrug in response. She decided to trust her instincts anyway and kept her guard up as the group made their way to the training ground.

Once they arrived the hero called for the students to halt. Spinning on his heel, he once again looked at the class. "Do we have any volunteers?"

Himiko's hand shot up instantly. "I'm facing Ryo!"

If her enthusiasm caught the teacher off-guard, he did a great job of hiding it. Turning a wary eye towards Kenji, he spoke. "Are you okay being volunteered?"

"Of course!" Kenji replied confidently as he took a step forward. "It's not like I'll have a choice out in the real world, right?"

"I see," Skywalker said with a noncommittal tone. "Show me."

Himiko glanced over to her classmate and met his gaze, only to watch him tilt his head past their teacher. She gave him a curt nod before the two of them walked into the open street past the teacher, giving the two of them plenty of room to maneuver.

There weren't any good places for Himiko to vanish on her opponent, but she'd figure something out.

Drawing her knives, she twirled one idly in her left hand as she struck a casual pose. "You ready?"

"Bring it on, Midoriya," Kenji boasted as he slid into a casual stance, his hands spread out in front of him.

Here I come! Himiko announced in her head as she dashed forward.

As she approached, she saw Kenji's massive palm lash out as he sought to use his larger range to land a palm strike that would knock her hand away and open her up for a counterattack. Dropping to her knees, she used her momentum to carry her under the attack, retaliating with her knife to land a deep cut along his stomach. If it was a normal opponent she'd have to be more precise with her strike, but given Kenji's quirk and the teacher's instruction, she knew she had to go all out.

As Himiko scrambled back to her feet, she imagined her classmate gritting his teeth while his quirk healed him. She was proven partially right when she spun around only to see his hand pressed against his side.

"You think a little cut like that's gonna stop me?" Kenji asked as he removed his hand, to reveal the wound already stitching itself closed.

"Nope!" Himiko chirped back before she leveled a knife at her opponent. "I know you still get tired though!"

"I guess I've gotta beat you before then," Kenji shot back with a smirk on his face before he charged forward.

The two continued their deadly dance, Himiko slowly cutting away at her classmate, causing streaks of beautiful crimson to appear. Unfortunately, the fight wasn't as one-sided as she would have liked, and she felt every one of Kenji's hammer blows as he connected, each successive hit threatening to send her to the ground. And then she'd really be in trouble!

After one such blow, Himiko felt herself losing her balance. Using the momentum of the blow she continued to stumble backward, putting some distance between them until she was able to finally plant her feet and steady herself. Her classmate wasn't giving her any chance to recover, however, and was already moving toward her. Her eyes darted to the knives she had thrown away on the ground as her hands moved toward her holsters when she suddenly felt the hair on the back of her neck standing up.

The strange metallic hissing sound was Himiko's only warning. Whirling around, she held up her pair of knives in a defensive 'x' position, only to catch a glowing black blade.

"Good," Skywalker said as he hopped backward. Now that she had a moment she saw that the black blade was attached to the hilt that was previously on his belt and he held the weapon in both hands, his style reminiscent of an ancient Samurai. "Your instincts serve you well."

Himiko would have loved to say something, but with Ryo behind her she opted to drop to the ground instead, falling under his palm strike. She rolled to the side and sprung to her feet, only to see Skywalker step in, attacking Kenji next.

"Ryo," Himiko called out. "Stop his sword for me!"

"Why do you get the easy job?" Kenji snarked back.

"Because if I get hit by that it'll leave a nasty cut and I'm too cute for those," Himiko replied.

Kenji groaned at her reply. "Fine, but you owe me!"

"Of course!" Himiko replied.

She knew Skywalker would take the bait and turn his attention toward her. As she darted forward she watched his eyes following her, taking a step back to point his blade in her direction.

It was all the opening her classmate needed.

"Not so fast!" Kenji roared as he stepped forward, grabbing the black blade with his hand. He let out a roar of pain, but the move did the job and surprised Skywalker. The hero's eyes turned toward her classmate, giving her the moment she needed.

Taking a deep breath, Himiko cleared her mind as she rushed forward. Flipping her knife in her hand, she hit the hero in the back of the knee with the hilt of the weapon, causing him to stagger backward. Kenji didn't waste the opening, swinging in with his free hand to hit the instructor's shoulder with a palm strike and send him to the ground.

"Coordination and on-the-fly thinking," The hero called out from the ground. Before Himiko or Kenji could respond he kicked himself off the ground, flipping in the air until he was standing again. "I've seen enough."

"Are you sure," Himiko asked warily as she held her knives defensively in front of her.

"Yes, I'm sure," The hero gave her a crooked smile. "I've already had my fun."

"What about the rest of us?" Habiki called out from the crowd.

The hero turned toward the class. "You'll have to see when it's your turn to spar. Who's next?"

—-

As the rest of her classmates proceeded to spar, Himiko watched from the sidelines. In some matches their teacher jumped in with a new and creative way to attack the students, but in other matches he simply stood and watched, until he inevitably called for the match to end – or one of the students surrendered. There was no rhyme or reason for his decisions, which frustrated Himiko.

She was sure it was intentional.

Himiko wasn't the only one frustrated. As she stood next to Emily, the American girl grew similarly agitated by the teacher's inconsistency.

"He didn't attack the students for the last two rounds, which means…" Emily mumbled to herself before her hand shot up. "I volunteer for the next match."

Skywalker turned toward Emily with the same calm expression he had given all of the other students so far that day. "Do you have someone to spar against?"

"Nope!" Emily shook her head. "It's better if it's someone random, isn't it?"

"Just because you don't have a regular sparring partner," Himiko needled, her voice quiet but still loud enough that she knew her classmate would hear.

Emily glared at Himiko out of the corner of her eyes before she turned toward her classmates. "Any takers?"

"Sure," one of the boys, Hayato Riki, stepped forward. "We haven't sparred in a while."

"Perfect," Emily shot the teacher a confident smile. "Does that work?"

Instead of saying a word he simply shrugged and gestured towards the area where all of their fellow students had been sparring.

Himiko watched as the tall lanky boy dressed in blue spandex with fingerless red gloves and dark red boots matched Emily's stride as they walked to the unofficial starting positions the class had made. Riki did not attempt to hide what he was doing, his head darting every which way as his black irises searched out debris that would be suitable for his Personal Magnetism quirk. Emily, on the other hand, was perfectly content to give the perception that she was casually strolling to her starting position.

Once she reached the designated spot, she finally turned her attention to her opponent. "Just so you know, I've upgraded my Gauntlet over break!"

"And I've got a new maneuvering system thanks to your suggestions!" Riki said. He then raised his hands for emphasis, showing the wrist-mounted cable launchers he now sported on the back of each. "I've also upgraded my supply of cubes. If they hurt you've only got yourself to blame."

"That's fine," Emily tossed her hair back confidently. "I don't plan on getting hit."

Himiko had a good idea of what Emily was doing and looked over at their teacher. She saw his hand resting casually on the hilt of his weapon, but for now, he felt content to watch the duel play out.

Or he knew Emily wanted to face him.

"Let's see about that!" Riki said as he opened a pouch on his belt.

His hand reached in and pulled out a handful of small metallic cubes. As his fingers grazed over the surface of each cube, they became attuned to his personal Magnetic field and attached themselves to his palm. When he was ready, he could reverse the polarity on each of the cubes, turning them into deadly projectiles as they launched themselves away from him.

Emily started running sideways, her free hand already raised as she fired orbs of coherent light at the cubes, each one leaving a dazzling trail in their wake as they flew through the air. Each orb found its mark and caused the cubes to explode in the air, small fragments of superheated metal falling harmlessly to the ground. Finally, she raised her left hand and activated her Gauntlet, the device splitting her Light into a dozen small lasers that flew toward her opponent, filling the space around him.

Riki was already on the move. He easily avoided the lasers as he ducked behind a large piece of debris, placing his hand on it to Magnetize it. Activating his quirk a second time, he pushed the block forward, the massive chunk of stone rumbling toward Emily. She easily dodged out of the way, but it bought her classmate the time he needed to start running again.

"Stop moving!" Emily exclaimed, firing another laser-like burst in a wide pattern as she hoped to catch her classmate, but to no avail.

The battle descended into a game of cat and mouse. Riki was running around and touching as many loose objects as he could get his hands on. Some pieces, like a manhole cover, he attached to himself to form makeshift armor and a shield, for all the good it would do him. But most of them were simply thrown at his Light-wielding classmate.

Emily was staying similarly mobile as she ran around, dodging and destroying as many of the impromptu projectiles as she could. She didn't manage to stop them all, but she refused to let any injury slow her down as she relentlessly attacked her opponent. Whenever one of her Arrows connected, it left a searing black mark behind, a grim reminder of the wounds Riki slowly accumulated.

Unfortunately, their deadly dance couldn't go on forever, and the class watched and waited to see who would be the loser.

And this time it was Emily.

Riki launched a cloud of debris at his classmate and despite her best efforts, she missed the small, dense cube that was mixed in. So instead of simply being pelted by dust and pebbles like she anticipated, Emily cried out in pain as a cube slammed into her leg, connecting just below her kneecap. Losing the stability of her leg, her momentum carried her forward, sending her crashing to the ground in an ignoble heap.

Himiko's eyes darted to their teacher as she wondered what he would do. She saw his hand hovering over the hilt of his weapon as if he were asking himself the same question. After several agonizingly long seconds, she saw the hero's hand loosen up before it fell limply to his side.

He's not attacking? Himiko thought to herself. What is he looking for?

Himiko was so lost in thought, trying to work out her teacher's motivation that she had momentarily lost track of the fight until the sickening sound of meat slammed against concrete brought her attention back to the duel going on in front of her.

"Where's… Emily?" Himiko asked herself as her eyes darted to and fro across the battlefield. She saw Riki with his hand outstretched, and followed the direction it was aimed until she found Emily.

Or, more precisely, she found the massive cement block that had currently pinned her to a wall.

Is she okay?

Himiko felt her heart speeding up at the sight. The block looked far too close to the wall - there's no way a human could be back there, could there? Emily's somewhere else, right? She's not–

"Do you yield, Song?" Riki asked as he slowly walked toward the block, his hand still held up, palm out as he kept up the constant pressure on his opponent.

Himiko's eyes darted to their teacher. Skywalker casually stood there with his arms folded across his chest.

Why isn't he doing anything? Emily isn't responding! She could be hurt or–

Himiko knew the irony of worrying about her classmate. If the boisterous girl ever heard her thoughts, Himiko would never hear the end of it. But right now worry was overriding her concern for their petty bickering.

Despite the worried thoughts that plagued her, Himiko continued to watch the scene play out. With his free hand, Riki reached into his pouch, pulling out another cube and Magnetizing it. The cube stuck to his palm as he paused about half a meter from the cement block.

"I know you're in there Song, there's no way–"

He was cut off by a brilliant light that suddenly spilled out from around the edges of the cement. Himiko instinctively threw an arm in front of her face, causing her to miss the sight of the concrete exploding. But the sound was more than enough to tell her what had happened.

Lowering her arm, she saw Emily and gasped.

Himiko was very proud of herself. Over the past two years, she had worked very hard to separate out her emotions. Ever since she discovered how much her quirk had influenced her, she had vowed to never let something like that ever happen again. Sure she occasionally indulged in some bloodlust, letting her control slip at the sight of blood in the middle of a fight, but it was her choice. Not the other way around.

The fact that she could do that and quickly reign those feelings in at the end of class made her feel accomplished! It meant she was in charge of her life.

When she saw Emily limp toward Riki, bloody and bruised but unyielding, her heart began to race. Her mouth hung slightly open as she took in the sight of the other girl's face, her bright blue eye shining even brighter through the beautiful red that stained the right half. Her blush marks spread as her eyes trailed down to the Light-wielder's right hand, where two crimson trails ran down a pair of her fingers, accentuating her pale skin.

"Emily…"

Himiko's eyes were transfixed on the beautiful angel stubborn classmate as she approached the downed Riki and raised her Gauntlet, a bright light already swirling around her palm as she spoke to her classmate. While she didn't hear what was said, she heard their teacher saying he'd seen enough, only for Emily to give their teacher a satisfied look before she collapsed on the ground, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Himiko was so focused on the scene that she instinctively jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder before she spun around to come face-to-face with Tomoe.

"Are you okay Himiko?"

Himiko blinked twice and opened her mouth, only for an awkward yowl to come out. Taking a moment to compose herself, she tried again. "Yeah…" She glanced over her shoulder at the two students on the ground, medical robots already moving in. "Just worried about Emmy. That was much worse than usual."

It was a lie, and she was silently thankful that Tomoe appeared to accept it. The girl peered around her to look at their wounded friend before she returned her attention to Himiko.

"She'll pull through, you know how stubborn she is."

"I know…" Himiko let her voice trail off as she returned her attention to the girl on the ground.

As she saw the stubborn girl refuse assistance as she pulled herself onto the stretcher, leaving a bloody handprint on the side of the white metal, her heart continued to race.

Why did her quirk and emotions suddenly decide to betray her like this, working in concert to make her feel this way?

And why, out of all people, did it have to be Emily Song?

Chapter Text

Izuku knew that the first week would be eventful as they learned all aspects of being a hero, and that was going to continue today with their mini-field trip.

Once they were done with lunch, he and the other boys went to the locker room to change, eager to start their afternoon. As Izuku opened his case and stared at the empty spot in it he let out a soft sigh. While most of his suit had survived, his helmet had to be shipped off campus for proper repairs. The USJ would be a perfect place to test his helmet to see how it held up in different environments!

Maybe next trip.

Once everyone was assembled in the parking lot, Izuku directed his classmates onto the bus. Once everyone was accounted for, he and Yaoyorozu boarded last, and Izuku found that his friends had saved him a seat in the middle. Giving them a grateful smile, he slid into the seat next to Tenya right before the bus started moving.

It didn't take long for the students to break down into conversation, and they had barely gotten off the starting line when Ashido turned around in her seat.

"You're really excited about this class, aren't you Uraraka?"

"Yep!" Ochako replied as she pumped her fists in the air. "I want to be a rescue hero when we graduate. And Thirteen's one of the best! There's no better hero to learn from!" She flashed a bright smile at her classmate.

"I'm a little surprised," Ashido admitted. "I can't think of many dedicated rescue heroes."

"That's because their job isn't as glamorous," Izuku pointed out. His eyes darted to Bakugo, wondering if his classmate would interject with his own opinions on heroics.

"More like they're not good enough," Bakugo scoffed. "Who cares about a bunch of heroes who can't take down bad guys?"

"There's more to being a hero than fighting!" Ochako snapped back.

"Oh yeah? Then why don't we hear about them more often?"

"Contrary to your belief," Aizawa finally spoke up. "Sometimes it's more about what happens before the cameras start rolling… or after they turn off."

"Tch, is that how the underground heroes justify it?" Katsuki asked.

"Underground heroes?" Ashido asked as she looked toward the front of the bus.

"You don't know?" Izuku asked his classmate, only for the pink-skinned girl to shake her head. "Aizawa is the hero Eraserhead!"

"I see now," Todoroki mused from behind Izuku. "He specializes in ambushes and takedowns, often dealing with villains before they get a chance to act."

"I knew it!" Bakugo had a satisfied look on his face before he turned towards Ochako. "See? You'd be holding yourself back if you focused on rescue. You're all but admitting your quirk is weak."

"Don't listen to him," Izuku sighed as he turned toward the gravity girl.

"I'm not," Ochako growled as she folded her arms and intentionally turned her head away from Bakugo. "My quirk is meant to help people and that's what I intend to do with it!"

"I can totally see it!" Mina agreed. "Your quirk would be great for clearing debris and preventing buildings from collapsing!"

"Yep!" Ochako said far too loudly.

This sparked a conversation among most of Izuku's classmates where they discussed the pros and cons of each of the hero styles as it applied to them. Izuku let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding and turned toward the gravity girl, but Tsuyu was faster.

"Speaking of the different styles of heroes," the frog mutant began. "Is there a reason you fight like All Might?"

"Actually yeah…" Izuku laughed nervously. "I'm kind of a fan of All Might?"

Nearby, Ochako could be heard giggling. "Kind of? I've seen your room Dekkun!"

"Ehe. ANYWAYS when my quirk manifested I… didn't exactly have a lot of time to figure out how to use it so I just sort of… copied his style?" Izuku saw Tsuyu was still staring impassively at him and wished he could get a read on her, especially since this was an important part of his cover story. "His style was actually really easy to replicate with my enhancement quirk – at least it feels that way! So I just kept using it?"

"I see, kero," Tsuyu croaked.

"Don't you want to have your own signature moves though?" Kirishima asked. "So people think about you as well, you and not as just another All Might? I mean, I want people to know I'm inspired by Crimson Riot! But I also want people to know I'm my own hero too, you know?"

"Of course!" Izuku said far too quickly. "But isn't that what we're here for? To figure that out? Besides…" Izuku looked down at his gloved hands. "You've all had years to figure out how your quirk works."

"You're learning fast though!" Ochako insisted. "I'm sure you'll catch up in no time!"

"Thanks, Uraraka."

Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Tsuyu changed the topic of conversation, but Izuku couldn't help but feel like he was missing something. It was almost like the girl was searching for something, but he couldn't figure out what.

He just hoped it was his imagination.

The trip passed quickly and before they knew it, the bus had stopped in front of the massive facility. Under Izuku and Yaoyorozu's instruction the students of 1-A quickly exited the bus and followed Aizawa into the facility, where they were greeted by the rescue hero, Thirteen.

"Isn't All Might supposed to join us?" Aizawa asked as he walked over to his fellow teacher.

"He's tied up with paperwork," Thirteen replied, signaling the true answer with hand gestures. Thanks to his practice with Himiko, Izuku picked up the basic meaning behind her signs. All Might had spent far too much time helping people around Mustafu earlier and was near his limit.

"What a pain," Aizawa sighed as he reached his fellow teacher.

"He sent a message earlier saying he hoped to join us later for part of the class, at least."

"No point in waiting then," Aizawa grumbled before he spun around to face his students. "Welcome to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. So far you've been figuring out how to use your quirks to fight villains. Today there are no villains to fight. Instead, you'll be learning how to use your quirks in other ways."

Aizawa gestured to Thirteen, who stepped forward and bowed with a flourish. "I am Thirteen, the instructor in charge of the USJ." She held up a remote and with the press of a button, a holographic map of the facility appeared. "This facility has six different environments and is designed to simulate some of the most common disasters you will encounter here in Japan."

The hero then went on to explain both how the facility works and how the students would be using it for the afternoon. When they were done they waited patiently to see if anyone had questions, before they continued.

"One final word of advice before we begin," The hero began as they scanned over the class. "As some of you may know, my quirk lets me generate a black hole from my hands." The hero held up a gloved hand, and despite their steady tone, the class could feel the weight behind their words. "If I chose to turn this against another person, you can imagine what it would do to them. Instead, I decided to use my quirk to save lives. How you use your quirk is just as important as what your quirk is capable of."

"At the end of the day," Aizawa added, "As a hero, your job is to save lives. That doesn't always mean defeating a villain." He shot a glare at Bakugo as if to emphasize the lesson. "For the next three years, we aren't teaching you how to defeat villains, but how to save lives. Remember that."

When Aizawa finished, everyone heard a clapping sound coming from the base of the stairs. Quickly turning around, the two heroes and twenty students saw a smokey black portal. And in front of it were two people: the first was a gaunt figure covered in pale, preserved hands, and the second was a tall figure in a server's uniform surrounded by a thick black mist.

"What a wonderful cutscene!" The gaunt figure called out. "Too bad it was delivered to a group of NPCs."

"Sensei…" One of the students called. "Who's that?"

"I'm glad you asked," The gaunt figure bowed. "My name is Tomura Shigaraki, head of the League of Villains. Today we're going to announce ourselves to the world…" He stood up straight, and even beneath the mask glimpses of a manic smile could be seen. "...by killing All Might."

While a third of the class looked confused, all it took was one look at Aizawa to know that this wasn't some script or ruse.

This was real.

"But I don't see All Might," Shigaraki complained as he stepped forward and scratched his neck. "The schedule we stole yesterday said he was supposed to be here!"

"Sorry, but we're not going to cater to some villains with delusions of grandeur," Aizawa shot back.

"Very well, we'll just have to show we're serious," Shigaraki sounded almost resigned as he glanced over at his companion. "I guess we'll just have to kill these NPCs then."

As the students on the dais watched in horror, more black portals appeared as seemingly dozens of villains stepped out.

"Sekigai–" Aizawa called out.

"Already on it," Kashiko replied curtly, her arm already raised and displaying a map of the USJ. As Izuku watched, he saw her eyes go wide, panic and horror filling them as her Chart gave her a better picture of the forces arrayed against them. Her head shot up to look at the teacher. "There's about eighty villains! Spread out across the facility!"

"Denki, can you contact anyone at UA?"

"I've been trying," Izuku's electric classmate admitted. "But someone's jamming us!"

Aizawa sighed and loosened his capture scarf, revealing a pair of goggles hidden within. "Thirteen, you know what you need to do."

"Of course," his fellow teacher replied. "Will you be okay?"

"Just make sure they get out."

As the students watched, Aizawa leaped down the stairs, knocking a villain down as he landed on top of them before he regained his footing and engaged three nearby opponents at once.

Not wasting any time, Thirteen jogged over to the students gathered around Kashiko as they tried to understand the readings on her Chart. "Only a few of you are prepared to take on villains yet. Our first priority is to retreat and let the other teachers know what's happening," The teacher pointed toward the door. "Let's fall back. The sooner we escape the sooner we can help Eraserhead."

"Right," Izuku said as he straightened up and looked over to Yaoyorozu, "Let's go. Everyone stay close to Thirteen!"

As one the class began to move, but they barely got halfway to the massive double doors when they saw the same black smoke congeal in front of them, and the mysterious mist-covered figure stepped out.

"I'm so sorry, but even if the main event isn't happening, I cannot allow you to leave."

"Like hell if you think you can stop us!" Bakugo roared as he charged forward. As soon as he was clear of his classmates he fired a pair of explosions to propel himself faster. His actions appeared to inspire Kirishima as well, who was hot on his heels as he charged toward the villain.

For a brief moment, Izuku wondered if Bakugo would succeed as he held his hand in front of him and hit the mist-shrouded figure with an explosion, disrupting his form as the mist scattered away from the blast. That hope was short-lived, however, as Bakugo's attack dissipated and the black cloud snapped back into its original shape.

The eyes of the mysterious figure narrowed as he looked at the student in front of him. "What a nuisance," With a dismissive wave of his hand, a patch of black fog stretched out in front of him, and as Izuku and his classmates watched both Bakugo and Kirishima were pulled into the portal and sent elsewhere.

"Now then, before I was rudely interrupted." The figure placed a hand on his chest and gave a polite bow. "I am Kurogiri of the League of Villains. I've been instructed to ensure that nobody leaves. Now, would you please be good guests and enjoy everything we have to offer you."

As he spoke the black fog that was on the ground stretched and expanded as it raced toward the remaining students.

"Everybody watch out!" Izuku yelled as he leapt out of the way of a black portal that tried to trap him. He was on high alert as he looked at his classmates and saw several were trying to escape the fog as well.

He also noted grimly that several students were missing – and others weren't going to make it in time.

Calling upon One For All, he put five percent of its power into his legs as he took a standing leap across the sea of fog and shoved Ashido and Hanta out of the way, saving them from an encroaching portal. Unfortunately, he misjudged his landing, and he landed at the edge of an open portal, his momentum threatening to send him into the black abyss below – and the unknown destination beyond.

"Midoriya!" Kashiko's voice could be heard from nearby.

Izuku felt a pair of hands wrap around his left arm, but it was too late – the black portal continued to widen, and Izuku felt himself falling, his classmate getting dragged in after him.

Seconds later Izuku found himself racing toward a lake of water. At least Kashiko seemed to recognize the inherent danger of staying attached to him and let go. He impacted with enough force to momentarily daze him, and by the time he shook himself out of it, he was already underwater. He began to orient himself and look around, spotting Kashiko nearby as she did the same.

And then they saw a shark mutant circling around them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku saw Kashiko panic, her mouth open as she started flailing in fear. Not that he was doing much better – he was pretty sure his concern for her was the only thing overriding his own fear at the moment.

Fortunately, salvation came in the form of their classmate as Tsuyu slammed into the side of the villain. Her leg shot out and she kicked him in the face with practiced ease, making Izuku wonder where she learned such a move. Opening her mouth, her tongue flew out and wrapped around Kashiko, before her eyes made contact with Izuku. She pointed upward with a free hand and Izuku nodded in understanding before she rocketed toward the surface, carrying their classmate in her wake.

Izuku followed much more slowly, breaking the surface long after the two girls had left. He looked around to get a sense of things only to feel a massive tongue wrap around his waist. His head jerked up in surprise and relaxed slightly as he saw his friend soaring overhead. She landed in the water several feet away from him and pointed towards the ship on the lake. Realizing what was about to happen, he gave her a thumbs-up before she leaped out of the water, dragging him along with her.

As they soared through the air Izuku saw several villains floating in the lake before the deck of the ship rushed up to meet him. He landed with far less dignity than he would have liked, but he recovered quickly and stood up to face his classmates.

"This-this is bad," Kashiko said as she looked out over the water. Izuku could tell she was breathing heavily, and not because of taking in lungfuls of water earlier.

"Sekigai," Izuku said as he approached her. "Breathe. We can get through this."

"How-" Kashiko turned towards Izuku, and he could see the fear in her eyes. "How're you so calm right now? This- This is real!"

"Ehe," Izuku gave her a nervous smile. "It helps that I've seen a few villain attacks up close." He looked out to the water. "The truth is I'm terrified, but I want– no, need to keep smiling."

"W-why?!" Kashiko's eyes went wide at the confession.

"A hero once told me that he tries to smile no matter what. And whenever he's scared or hurting, he smiles more. Because he doesn't want the villains to know how he is really feeling. And he wants the civilians to feel safe because he is there."

"Huh," Kashiko closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. When she opened them she appeared much more in control of her emotions. "All Might told you that huh?"

"Hu-how?!" Izuku backpedaled defensively.

Kashiko giggled at that. "You're so easy to read sometimes."

"Kero," Tsuyu agreed from the side.

"I–" Izuku held his hands up "C-can we talk about that later? And maybe not mention that to our classmates…"

"Of course," Kashiko said as she forced herself to smile. "Thank you."

"So what are we going to do, kero," Tsuyu asked, returning their attention to the problem at hand.

"Right," Kashiko held up her left arm and brought up her Chart. "It looks like there's about ten villains in the water around us in the water."

"What about our classmates," Izuku asked as he peered over her shoulder.

"They're scattered around," She continued. "It looks like a group managed to stay by the entrance as well. And Aizawa…" She clicked on an Icon and a small display appeared. Eyes narrowing in concentration, she began to read the colors and symbols that were a mystery to Izuku. "...is still holding his own! He's getting worn down though – I'm not sure how much longer he can keep this up."

"We need to help him!" Izuku said as he pulled back.

"What about retreating?" Tsuyu asked.

Izuku gestured towards the cluster of lights by the entrance. "There's only one villain there and about a third of our class. They're in a better position to escape than us."

"Midoriya's right," Kashiko agreed. "Aizawa won't be able to hold out long enough for us to help at the entrance. Besides… they don't know about our quirks."

"You caught that too?"

"If they knew they would have sent me to the conflagration or landslide zone, kero," Tsuyu added. "Instead they sent me here." Closing her eyes, she let out a soft croak. "As much as I don't like it, you're right. We should go help Aizawa and trust our classmates."

"Thanks, guys," Izuku gave them a wet smile as he tried to keep his emotions in check. "Now we just have to–"

Izuku was cut off as the boat shuddered underneath them before the deck tilted at an angle.

"They–" Kashiko's eyes went wide. "They cut the ship in half!"

"That takes a lot of power," Izuku's own eyes went wide. "We've gotta get out of here."

"But how?"

"I can get us away, but how will we keep them from following us?" Tsuyu asked.

Izuku looked down at his hands.

A lot of power huh… but if I do that…

"Do I have a choice?"

"Huh?"

Izuku blinked and felt his cheeks heating up as he realized he was talking out loud. "M-my quirk. I can hit the water with enough force to cause a shockwave. It'll be enough to disorient the villains long enough for us to escape…" He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Hopefully."

"Won't that hurt you though?" Tsuyu asked.

"Yeah," Izuku admitted nervously. "I'll break my hand but…" He looked at the other two. "...what other choice do I have?"

Both girls looked like they wanted to protest but another shudder reminded them that they only had a few seconds to come up with an alternate solution. Finally, Tsuyu shook her head. "What's your plan?"

"I um," Izuku pointed over the deck. "I'm gonna jump and punch the water, and then I'm gonna let you catch me with your tongue?"

"That's your plan?" Kashiko asked in disbelief.

"I can do that, kero," Tsuyu turned to her other classmate. "Mind if I carry you?"

"Oh– No," Kashiko shook her head. Walking over to the other girl she let out a small squeak as she was picked up and held in a princess carry. She turned to look at Izuku. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Izuku said nervously as he gave them a broken smile. Taking a deep breath he looked at the frog mutant. "Ready?"

"Kero," Tsuyu nodded.

"Here goes nothing," Izuku said, mostly to himself, before he charged One For All. Taking a deep breath, he pushed its energy into his legs and jumped.

He felt the air against his face as he reached the apex of his jump before gravity reasserted itself and sent him racing toward the water. As he flipped himself upside-down, he saw several villains beginning to form a loose circle around his point of impact. They must have thought he missed his jump, he realized and thought he'd be easy prey.

Well, time to show them.

Extending his left arm forward, Izuku chambered his index and middle fingers and started channeling One For All's power. He felt a familiar stinging sensation as he summoned more and more energy, going beyond five percent… ten… twenty… one hundred percent. He felt his fingers stinging as the barely contained energy danced through the fingers, begging to be released.

Now

"Delaware Smash!" Izuku announced as he flicked his fingers.

The effect was immediate and even more than he could have hoped for. He felt his body lift from the massive backlash of force, his body temporarily suspended in the air as he saw the bottom of the lake – and a brand new impact crater that he just created. The water had all been shoved away by the force, forming a massive wall of water on all sides as time seemed to momentarily slow to a halt.

Izuku felt time start back up as he felt the sensation of Tsuyu's tongue wrap itself around his waist, carrying him forward as the water crashed down. The villains were helpless against the force, getting dragged along and colliding with each other, disorienting them and tangling them into a massive pile of limbs in the center of the lake as Tsuyu carried them to the shore.

Izuku felt the tongue retract as he hit the water. Quickly orienting himself, he slowly paddled toward her as she landed on the nearby shore. Once Kashiko verified that they hadn't been followed, Izuku offered his hands to the girls.

"Midoriya!" Kashiko gasped at the sight.

"So this is what happens when you go all out, kero."

The two fingers of Izuku's gloves were gone, revealing the blackened and swollen digits underneath, the fingers resting at an odd angle.

As gently as they could, Kashiko held Izuku's arm steady while Tsuyu retrieved a pair of splints and tape from her costume. Izuku bit his lip to prevent himself from crying out - he knew the girls were trying to be quick and gentle, but they were still bandaging broken fingers in the middle of a battlefield.

Once she finished, Tsuyu finally looked up, her eyes meeting Izuku's. "I'm starting to wonder who, between you and your sister, is scarier." She then gave Izuku what he thought was the close approximation of a smile. "And I'm glad you're on our side."

Chapter Text

It had only been a few minutes and already the central plaza looked like a war zone given the number of unconscious villains Aizawa had already taken down. He had a brief moment of regret that he didn't get more accurate numbers from Sekigai but he shoved the feeling aside as the next villain approached him. Ducking underneath a wild punch, he dashed forward with an elbow to the gut, and when the villain doubled over he followed through with a knee to his face and sent him to the ground.

"That's fourteen," Aizawa said to himself as he took stock of the situation.

With each villain he knocked out, he was getting closer to his true goal: Shigaraki. So far, other than him and the mist villain, everyone else was thugs and small-time at best. If he took out their leader, there was a good chance he could get them to surrender.

If not… at least he'd distract the real threat long enough for Thirteen to get help.

Ducking underneath the next pair of villains who decided to try their luck, Aizawa launched his capture scarf, using their proximity to his advantage as he caught both of them. With a swift tug of the cloth, the two villains collided, both knocked out cold. They fell to the ground in a slump and with a flick of his wrist he untangled his weapon before flicking it backward.

As he felt the familiar sensation of the scarf as it wrapped itself around his neck, momentum carrying it back to its resting place, he decided now was a safe time to blink. He closed his eyes and gave them, and his quirk, the briefest moment of rest.

This turned out to be a mistake.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Shigaraki had closed the gap between them, his hand already reaching for his face. Instincts kicked in, his eyes snapped open and he activated Erase – just in time.

Must be a contact-based quirk, Aizawa thought to himself as he swatted the pale hand away and jumped backward to give himself room.

"You thought you were clever," Shigaraki's voice was full of excitement as he spoke. "But I figured it out! You're blinking more quickly now, aren't you?" He asked, a mixture of venom and glee in his words.

"Hmph, that just gives me another reason to finish this quickly," Aizawa shot back. Wasting no time, he charged the man and went for a quick elbow jab. It connected. With a grunt, Shigaraki reeled backward. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. And despite his stumbles, the villain managed to stay upright. With a faint frown, Aizawa narrowed his eyes and leaped toward his opponent, intending to knock him out once and for all.

Only to slam into a wall of steel and muscle.

"What's that?!" Kashiko squeak-whispered as she saw the large black-skinned creature that Aizawa had just slammed into. By all appearances, it looked like a large, well-muscled man until you saw its face. Its sunken hollow eyes, beak, and most notably its exposed brain made it look more like a science experiment than a person.

Before anyone could respond, Shigaraki continued as he taunted Aizawa.

"What kind of party only has two characters in it? You haven't had a chance to meet our fighter and tank yet!"

As the three teens watched in horror, the creature reached out and grabbed their teacher's face before he had a chance to recover. Lifting the hero up as if he weighed nothing, he slammed their teacher into the ground, and they hoped the sounds they heard were only concrete and not bone.

"Meet the Destroyer of Peace. The first of many Nomu to come."

Eyes going wide, Kashiko pulled up her Chart, using the shore's edge to hide its glow. Her shoulders relaxed as she read the data. "He's doing better than I feared, but…" Her eyes darted to the Nomu and back to her Chart, "...I don't like what I'm seeing for that."

Before she could elaborate, the Nomu lifted their teacher into the air again. Aizawa managed to twist himself free and fell to the ground. His eyes flashed red as he tried to erase the creature's quirk before he launched his capture scarf–

-only for the creature to grab his scarf and with a twist of its wrist tangled Aizawa up. The Nomu then slammed him into the ground a second time with a sickening crunch.

"You think that power comes from a quirk?" Shigaraki giggled manically. "Guess again! His strength is a natural eighteen! Even if you erase all of his quirks, he's more than a match for you." He knelt as he gloated. "After all. This Nomu's perk tree has been carefully selected to kill All Might. What do you think you can do against him?"

"K-kero…"

"Sekigai…" Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat. "W-what are you seeing?"

"According to my readings," Kashiko's eyes were darting back and forth between the scene and her Chart. "That thing shouldn't even be alive."

"Thats–"

"-a lot more than we can deal with," Izuku whispered.

Near the entrance, Thirteen closed the valve on their glove. They had used Black Hole to vacuum up as much of the mist as they safely could without risking the students, but only managed to save about a third of the class. After quickly taking a headcount, the hero turned their attention back towards the mysterious Kurogiri.

"It's even more important that someone escapes and warns UA about what's happening here," The teacher said firmly. Not taking their eyes off of the villain, they continued. "Iida, between your speed quirk and the transmitter in your helmet, you've got the best chance to warn the other teachers."

"I must protest!" Tenya replied. "It would be disgraceful to retreat and leave the rest of you behind!"

"It's not disgraceful!" Ochako shot back, frustration creeping into her voice. "Sometimes heroes can't do it alone! It's okay to get help!"

"C'mon, where's that drive from yesterday!"

"Sensei's right, you're our best shot!"

Turning their head, Thirteen stared at Tenya, and he swore he could feel their eyes boring into him despite the two helmets in the way. "Part of being a hero is being able to read a situation and respond appropriately! Now's not the time to question my orders."

Tenya froze as he thought about his classmates. The lessons he learned over the past few days. Hesitating, he looked down at his gauntlets and saw his clenched fists. "What would Tensei do…?"

He already knew the answer.

Shaking his head to clear it of indecision, he returned his gaze to the teacher. "You are right. My apologies, I will do it!"

With a nod, the teacher returned their attention to Kurogiri, who seemed to be amused by the whole exchange.

"How interesting," The villain mused. "You must be desperate or foolish to talk about your plans so openly in front of me. Not that it matters either way."

As if to emphasize his point, he launched a fresh wave of black mist toward the hero students.

"You're right, it doesn't!" Thirteen responded as they opened up all five valves on their right glove, using their quirk to vacuum up the mist. "Go!"

Tenya raced towards the door, Shoji on his heels.

"You think your quirk will trump mine so easily?" Kurogiri asked in a neutral tone. "Perhaps you didn't think I would figure out how to counter yours?" As he spoke, a thin trail of black smoke snaked behind the hero's back, and the villain opened up a Warp Gate. The students watched in horror as the effect was immediate and the hero's own quirk tore their back apart.

"Sensei!" Mina yelled.

Ochako watched helplessly as the hero was caught by their quirk. Her mind raced as she tried to come up with a solution.

It didn't take long for the image of Dekkun to flash in her mind. And his sacrifice during the Battle Trial.

"I could, but…" Ochako's eyes drifted from Thirteen to Kurogiri, and she felt her hand clench into a fist. "...maybe that would work instead?"

Without warning she charged the misty figure. Her action had the intended effect, and she caught the villain unaware as she leaped toward him, her hand outstretched as it sought out something – anything! – she could grasp to activate her quirk.

"What are you–"

"Got you!" Ochako yelled triumphantly as her fingers found a metal plate. A moment later she felt her quirk activate and remove the villain's gravity. The act was enough to disrupt his concentration. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her teacher had been freed from the effects of their quirk as they began to collapse forward, but now she had a villain in her hands. "Now get out of here!"

Mustering all of her strength, she threw the villain upward, turning him into a floating target.

"Guys!"

"On it!" Ashido called as she threw a ball of acid at Kurogiri.

"I've got him!" Sero added as he launched two streams of tape at the foe in an attempt to bind him.

Ochako felt a grim smile forming on her lips as she saw the cloud of smoke expand around Kurogiri, masking his position as he dodged the incoming projectiles from her classmates. Turning her attention to the door, she saw Tenya had finally reached it. He strained against the massive doors – with the power out, they were heavy and difficult to move. Seconds later Shoji arrived to help, his six massive arms reaching out to grab the handles. Working together, the two pulled the door open wide enough for Tenya to slip through.

With a final glance back, Tenya saluted his fellow students, before he activated his quirk and raced off.

From above, Ochako heard a weary sigh from the villain.

"How unfortunate, it appears the young master's time is up."

Ochako jerked her head up just in time to see the villain disappear, the last wisps of black smoke curling in on themselves before they disappeared. With the threat gone, she turned toward the collapsed hero. She saw that Ashido already knelt beside her as she began to administer first aid.

Ochako's hand already reached toward the first aid kit on her belt as she jogged over to join them.

Before the three students had time to process Kashiko's newest revelation, they saw the mist-covered man appear next to Shigaraki.

"Forgive me, young master. I was unable to trap all of the students inside the facility. One of them managed to escape."

"Damn it," Shigaraki swore as he itched the back of his neck. "I guess we triggered the enrage timer after all." He let out a weary sigh. "At least we can farm some of the NPCs for experience before we go."

Tomua turned to face the three teenagers, and Kashiko let out a strangled cry.

"Th-They saw us!"

"Of course, I saw you," Shigaraki let out a disappointed sigh. "Did you really think you passed your stealth checks? I just had the mid-boss to deal with. But now that he's been taken care of…"

They were caught off guard by how quickly Shigaraki moved. One second he was ten meters away taunting them, and the next he was standing beside them, his outstretched hand reaching toward Tsuyu's face.

Izuku felt time slow to a crawl as he watched the scene unfold.

He must have a contact-based quirk! But is it five-point contact like Urakraka's or some other condition?

No time to figure it out, Tsu's in danger!

Without time to think of a better answer, Izuku let Himiko's training take over.

In one smooth motion, his hand reached down to his belt and pulled out the knife that hung there. With his free hand, he shoved his classmate aside, taking her place as he pulled the knife back…

…And with a quick burst of One For All to boost his reaction speed he drove the knife into the palm of Shigaraki's hand. Letting go of the weapon, he pulled his hand back in the blink of an eye to prevent himself from falling victim to the villain's quirk.

Tomura flinched back with an anguished scream.

"You!" Tomura's eyes were filled with murder as he stared at Izuku, his free hand clutching his wrist. "How dare you!? Nomu! Get them!"

"Izuku!" Kashiko called from beside him.

"Go!" Izuku said as he pulled himself out of the water. He quickly stood up and raised his arms to defend himself, pushing One For All into his limbs.

It was then that he felt Tsuyu's tongue wrap around him. Again. Moments later he felt himself getting pulled airborne.

"We're not leaving without you, kero," Tsu's muffled voice said from above him.

Izuku dared a glance downward only to watch the massive claw swipe through the space he just occupied and swallowed a lump in his throat. Looking up, he saw Kashiko looking down at him while Tsuyu carried them to safety. "T-thanks Tsu!"

He landed with a splash in the water about twenty meters away. A moment later he heard a second splash before the two girls joined him.

"After everything you've done, there's no way we're leaving you to fight that alone!" Kashiko exclaimed.

"I appreciate it," Izuku said earnestly.

The three cautiously returned to the shore, making sure to keep a safe distance between themselves and the villains. Fortunately, the Nomu seemed content to stand there impassively and stare at them. Shigaraki, meanwhile, was busy working the knife out of his hand before he glared at Izuku, rage behind his eyes as he closed his grip around the handle.

Izuku felt his stomach sink as the knife disintegrated into dust. Now he truly understood what their opponent's quirk was capable of.

"What's the point of bringing all the hirelings to act as crowd control when they can't keep the NPCs in check?" Shigaraki asked rhetorically.

Izuku clenched his fist. "We may just be students, but we're training to be heroes, too!"

Shigaraki blinked in surprise as if he didn't expect a response. "I see. These aren't normal NPCs. They're the kind that evolves into regular opponents and maybe even future bosses. Thank you for warning me." Beneath his mask, they saw his smile spreading far too wide. "I'll reward you with a quick death. Nomu!"

The creature once again rushed towards them, and this time Izuku was sure Tsu couldn't save them. There was really only one thing to do.

Closing his eyes, Izuku silently apologized to his mom and sister as he stepped onto the shore and fully opened the valve, feeling One For All's energy as it burned down his arm. His eyes snapped open as he wound up for a punch, his focus entirely on the Nomu.

I've only got one shot. I've gotta make it count!

Izuku's heartbeat rang in his ears as the Nomu got closer and closer and…

Now!

"Smash!"

Izuku's arm shot forward, unleashing the full force of One For All on the Nomu.

Or so he thought.

"Huh?" Izuku blinked as he saw his very intact hand being blocked by the Nomu's massive forearm.

"You–" Shigaraki started laughing. "-you seriously thought you could punch my Nomu? Of course, we made sure to give it shock absorption to stop All Might!"

"Midoriya!" Sekigai called from behind him. "Do you have any more knives?"

Izuku ducked and narrowly avoided the Nomu's clawed swipe. "Yeah! Why?"

"His eyes!" She called out. "It won't stop him, but it'll buy us time to get out of here!"

Making a note to ask her how she figured that out later, Izuku pulled his second knife out. Unlike his sister, he only had the two, and they were primarily meant for utility and not combat, so if he lost this he would have to get creative. The creature tried to bring its claws down in an overhead strike, and Izuku twisted away and paled as he watched the claws gouge out the concrete.

Shoving aside his fear, he charged forward, putting a much more reasonable amount of energy in his arm as he leaped toward the Nomu's face and plunged the knife into its eye. In many ways, it reminded him of the encounter with the Sludge Villain a year ago.

He just hoped it went differently this time.

The Nomu howled as it recoiled, and Izuku barely managed to avoid getting knocked aside as it thrashed about. Racing over to his classmates, he saw Kashiko staring intently at her Chart.

"That bought us about ten seconds," Kashiko said. "We'd better make it count."

"Aizawa," Tsuyu said definitively.

"You're right," Izuku agreed as he looked at the Nomu and the very angry Shigaraki. "I'll distract them while you get him."

"You're not going to break more fingers, are you?" Tsuyu asked pointedly.

"Ehe… I can't answer that," Izuku replied sheepishly.

Tsuyu gave him what he assumed was a glare before she shook her head. "As much as I'd like to tell you otherwise, I don't see a better option."

"Sorry…" Izuku mumbled to them as he looked over. "We've only got a few seconds left, are you two ready?"

"Kero."

"Ready!"

He forced himself to smile at the two girls before he spun around and faced Shigaraki and the Nomu. Raising his hand, he opened the valve on One For All again, channeling all of its power into a third finger as he cocked it, ready to unleash a massive blast of force.

Only to hear a distant explosion, drawing the attention of hero and villain alike as the doors to the USJ were blown open, swinging wide before crashing into the walls.

"Everything will be alright now because I Am Here."

All Might stood at the top of the steps. While he surveyed the facility to assess the situation, the mere sight of his arrival changed the atmosphere.

For the students, they felt their spirits lifted. They managed to get a message out! Help had arrived!

Meanwhile, the villains felt a sense of dread overcame them. Not only had they faced more resistance than they expected, but now Japan's number one hero was here! And with the doors blasted open, that meant more help was surely on the way!

And for Izuku, he felt a shiver down his spine.

"All Might… isn't smiling."

Chapter Text

All Might wasn't smiling.

In every video Izuku had ever watched, from the debut that had captivated him since he was four to the footage he watched last night, All Might was smiling. And during their conversations on the beach, Toshinori had explained exactly why he did it. It was the same explanation he gave Kashiko a few minutes ago to overcome her fears.

To see All Might like this…

Just who were these people? Who was the mastermind behind the League of Villains?

He didn't have time to dwell on these thoughts, however, as he heard a manic laugh from behind him. "Well, it looks like we lucked out. The enrage timer spawned the raid boss for us. Which means I'd better clear out this annoying NPC before the main event."

Izuku turned around just in time to see an outstretched hand approaching far too quickly for him to respond. He froze in panic until he saw Tsuyu's tongue wrap around Shigaraki's torso and toss him into the lake.

"Now we're even," She said with a coy smile.

"T-thanks Tsu."

"Damn it!" Shigaraki yelled as he pushed himself upright. "Nomu, deal with those vermin!"

Izuku saw the Nomu slowly turn towards his companions. Once again he opened the valve on One For All until he felt a rush of air from behind him.

"You three have done more than enough, I'll take it from here," All Might announced as he placed himself between the students and the Nomu.

Undeterred, the Nomu continued its charge, slamming into Japan's top hero and sending both crashing into a barrier twenty meters away.

"I hope you don't mind me saying this Midoriya," Kashiko said as she and Tsuyu raced past him. "But I'm glad that All Might took that on instead of you."

"Y-yeah," Izuku agreed as he turned to watch All Might. "Me too."

"C'mon, kero!" Tsuyu called as she reached Aizawa.

Shaken from his daze, Izuku turned around and saw the two girls as they helped Aizawa stand. He shook his head to clear it before he raced over to join them. "S-sorry."

"I thought I told everyone to escape," Aizawa said as he mustered up enough energy to glare at his students.

"The central plaza was our only option," Izuku quickly explained as he gestured towards the Downpour Zone. "We had to go around the dome either way."

Aizawa let out a resigned sigh as he tried to stand under his own power. "At least that oaf finally decided to–"

All four were forced to raise their arms to block the storm of dust and wind as All Might crashed into the ground near them.

"All Might!" Izuku called out.

"You four get clear," All Might called out while he stood up. Not taking his attention off of the Nomu, he continued. "Let me handle this thing."

"Watch out! That thing has Shock Absorption!"

"Shock Absorption, eh?" All Might's fists tightened. "That would explain things. Thank you, young Midoriya! That just means I'll have to go Plus Ultra!" Glancing over his shoulders at the four, he flashed them a quick thumbs up. "I'll handle things from here, make sure everyone else is safe!"

Izuku wanted to say more, but only silence came out as he watched the Nomu charge his mentor. Silently wishing All Might good luck, Izuku turned toward his three companions. "Aizawa, what should we do?"

Closing his eyes, their teacher took a moment to compose himself before his gaze fell on the two girls. "Help me walk. We need to get clear of–" he gestured toward the battle where All Might received the Nomu's charge, somehow managing to remain stationary this time. "-that. Midoriya, don't get any funny ideas."

"Ehe, yes sir," Izuku said sheepishly. His eyes darted around until he saw an area clear of villains near the base of the stairs, and he pointed. "There!"

Aizawa's gaze followed Izukus before he let out an exaggerated nod. "Good eye, let's go."

With the sounds of fighting spurring them on, the four quickly moved to the temporary shelter. Once they had confirmed they were safe, Aizawa shifted to lean entirely on Tsuyu. He then turned his attention to Kashiko.

"Sekigai, can Chart cover the entire facility?"

"Of course!" Kashiko replied quickly. She raised her arm and brought up a projection, using her free hand to zoom out until the entire USJ was on the screen.

"Good," Aizawa said. "How are your classmates?"

"Everyone is okay," Kashiko reported as she looked around the map. "There are a few minor injuries, some scrapes and burns, but Midoriya's suffered the worst."

"Ehe," Izuku gave his teacher an awkward smile, but it didn't lessen the glare Aizawa gave him in return.

"Thirteen is," Kashiko gasped as one of the icons expanded on her screen. "They're injured! Multiple severe lacerations across their back but they appear stable."

"Great," Aizawa let out a sigh that turned into a ragged cough. "At least you kids are fine."

As Kashiko focused on her Chart, the icon representing Thirteen vanished. Her eyes darted quickly from icon to icon, quickly trying to get a picture of how her classmates were doing. "Villains are down in multiple zones, and we have several students moving toward the central plaza. We need to warn–" She gasped as her eyes went wide, and three pairs of eyes turned their attention to her as her head jerked up, her attention focused solely on Japan's number one hero. "-It's All Might! He's–"

Izuku turned toward his mentor and watched helplessly as the half-buried Nomu continued to swipe at his mentor. Even in this state, the creature proved to be a threat as its claw grabbed the hero's torso–

-and found All Might's injury. As he watched, his mentor clearly tried not to cry out as a clawed thumb buried itself in his skin, causing a crimson flower to blossom around it.

"All Might's health bar… is almost empty," Kashiko whispered fearfully.

While the students watched, the Nomu lifted Japan's top hero over his head and, with the extra leverage courtesy of being halfway buried, slammed the hero into the ground. Fortunately, the impact appeared to loosen the creature's grip on All Might, and the hero managed to free himself. Even if that left him on the ground and temporarily vulnerable.

"What do you mean almost empty?" Tsuyu asked as her eyes darted between her classmate and the fight. "Are you saying that one attack–"

"No," Kashiko shook her head vigorously. "That attack barely scratched him, but…"

"Your readings must be wrong," Aizawa said definitively.

"But–!"

"You said All Might didn't get hurt from the attack, right?" Their instructor countered, and Kashiko nodded in response. "Then he's gonna be alright. For now, the safety of you and your classmates is the top priority."

"Yes sir…" Kashiko said as she turned her attention toward Izuku and shot him a questioning glance.

"A-aizawa's right," Izuku stammered out far too nervously for his liking. He quickly turned around to watch All Might, trying to hide his nervousness.

If she and Tsu find out about All Might's true condition…!

Thankfully, the Nomu provided him with a convenient distraction. With a loud roar, the creature pulled itself out of the ground, towering over a kneeling All Might. He reached down and grabbed the hero again, hauling him upright. While the hero struggled to free himself from the clawed hand tearing at his wound, the Nomu's free hand reeled back, ready to deliver a punishing blow–

-Only for everyone to feel the ambient temperature drop as the Nomu's arm and both of its legs became encased in ice.

"So that's the Nomu thing, huh?" Todoroki said as he slowly walked into the plaza. "That's what you were going to use to kill All Might? It doesn't seem very impressive to me."

"What?!" Shigaraki yelled. "Where are all of these NPCs coming from?! Why aren't the hirelings doing their job!" He pointed a finger towards the frozen Nomu. "Kurogiri, finish him off! Quickly!"

"Of course, young master."

Izuku prepared to leap into the fray at the sight of black smoke forming a portal under his mentor and the half-frozen Nomu when he began to hear explosions. Out of the corner of his eye he watched his classmate take advantage of their distraction to launch himself at Kurogiri for a second time.

And this time it worked. Bakugo slammed into the villain and sent them both to the ground while his hands wrapped around something hidden within the smoke.

"I missed last time. But that's because I didn't see this until after I already fired off my quirk. I bet things would be different if I used Explosion at close range." Even though his back was to Izuku, he didn't need to see his classmate to picture the feral grin that must be on his face.

"You–!" Shigaraki twisted around to look at the newest arrival. "Why can't you just behave!"

Izuku watched as Kirishima used Shigaraki's distraction to his advantage and barrelled into the villain's back, sending him to the ground.

"This attack wasn't very manly of you," Kirishima said as he steadied himself. "You can't seriously expect us to just stand by and watch, can you?"

The students gave All Might the time he needed to free himself from the Nomu. Jumping backward to give himself some distance, the hero landed between the three new arrivals.

"Thank you for your assistance!" The hero said as his fists tightened. "Given how dangerous that creature is, I'll have to finish this quickly!"

"Sekigai," Izuku turned toward his classmate. "How's All Might doing?"

"Midoriya," Aizawa said with a dark tone to his voice.

"I know," Izuku bowed his head apologetically. "But even if her readings are off, we can still see if he's hurt!"

Kashiko offered Izuku a faint smile. "You're right!" She turned her attention back to her Chart. "He's a little worse for wear, but All Might's still okay!"

"That's great news!" Izuku said. Although he wasn't sure who he was trying to convince more with his words: his classmates or himself.

But All Might was active earlier. Izuku thought to himself. That means he's already near his limit! And that Nomu knows about his weakness… if he were to run out of time before defeating that thing…

Izuku looked down at his own hands. He knew strength wasn't always the right answer, but he didn't think it would make him feel so helpless.

Think Izuku! There's gotta be a way to help All Might, even if you can't use One For All to do it.

Then the answer hit him.

Of course!

His eyes lit up as Izuku's attention returned to his classmate. "Where's Uraraka?"

"What are you planning, Midoriya," Aizaw asked as his eyes narrowed.

"Ehe," Izuku wanted to wither under his teacher's glare but held fast. "I figured out how we can beat that Nomu!"

"And risk students? You have exactly one chance to tell me why I should let this happen."

Straightening up, Izuku gestured towards the Nomu. "Because that thing has Shock Absorption, All Might can't win by just punching it. He also can't really knock it around easily. However, with Uraraka's quirk we can remove the Nomu's gravity! It hasn't shown any indication of having a quirk it could use for propulsion once it's under the effects of her quirk, and we'll be able to easily send it flying!"

When he was done, Izuku felt the sweat beading on the back of his neck as he waited for Aizawa to respond.

All Might did his best to put up an invincible demeanor in front of the students, but it was hard.

"Nomu! Stop playing around! You need to end this!" Shigaraki growled as he wildly swatted at the air, forcing young Kirishima back before he stood up and adjusted one of the hands on his arm. "The real timer is thanks to our lack of crowd control." He grumbled.

Silently, the Nomu acknowledged his order and started pulling against the ice that trapped it. He heard the gasps from students around him as flesh and muscle tore, leaving chunks behind. Its Super Regeneration kicked in immediately, repairing the damage as if it were little more than an inconvenience. While All Might had faced such foes in the past, it was no surprise that these students would be disturbed by the sight.

Of course, that meant he knew what he had to do. Without giving the creature a chance to finish regenerating, he charged in, wrenching its free arm away as he began to hammer away at the creature's chest.

Unfortunately, even in this state Shock Absorption did its job.

Seconds later, the creature had fully regenerated and launched its own offensive, launching a flurry of blows. Gritting his teeth, All Might stood his ground, matching the attack blow for blow as he was locked in a stalemate with the creature.

This isn't good. The hero thought to himself. I know all quirks have their limit. Even a monster like this – its Shock Absorption or Regeneration has to have an upper limit. But…

…I'm also at my limit.

He didn't have time to dwell on those thoughts, however, as he suddenly heard the voice of his successor and protegee.

"All Might! We're here to help!"

All Might stole a glance over to the sound of Izuku's voice and was surprised by what he saw. Izuku stood there, supporting Eraserhead on one shoulder while Sekigai had her Chart up. He noticed that Kirishima and Todoroki had joined them, and even young Uraraka had ventured down from the entrance to enter the fray.

Seeing the determination on all of their faces, he couldn't help but smile.

"Very well then," He grabbed the Nomu's wrists and held them over his head as the two became locked into a contest of strength. "Show me what you can do!"

"Ready, Todoroki?" Izuku asked.

"A chance to show up All Might?" He closed his eyes and Izuku saw a far-too-pleased smile stretch across his lips. "Always."

Todoroiki stepped forward and knelt down, placing his hand on the ground. The ambient temperature began to drop as ice from his quirk raced toward the hero and creature. All Might didn't need any warning and jumped away, allowing the ice to coat the creature completely.

"That's not going to hold it long," Kashiko announced as she watched the Nomu's status barely fluctuate on her Chart.

"Don't worry, we've got this!" Kirishima slammed his fist into his open palm before turning towards Ochako. "Ready, Uraraka?"

"Yeah!" Ochako called out. She turned toward Izuku, and her eyes met his. He saw the determination in them as she hyped herself up, repeating Kirishima's motion herself before nodding vigorously. "Let's go."

Time seemed to slow down for the students as their two classmates rushed toward the Nomu. As they approached, the ice holding the Nomu's arms shattered. They clawed at the creature's head and freed it next, just in time for the creature to notice the oncoming teenagers.

"Nomu!" Shigaraki roared.

"You've got this!" Izuku called out to his classmates.

The creature raised its claw and brought it down, only to be stopped by Kirishima's hardened hands as he grabbed ahold of the Nomu's arm and struggled to pin it in place.

"Ergh," Kirishima grunted before looking at Ochako. "I've got him, go!"

"Got it!" Ochako announced. Dashing forward, she reached out and pressed her hand against the cold dead skin. Suppressing a shudder, she danced backward. "Done!"

"Great!" Kirishima said as he let go and leaped backward, landing near his classmate. "Let's get out of here."

"What did you do!?" Shigaraki demanded.

Without anyone in reach, the Nomu proceeded to claw at the ice in an attempt to free itself. And destroyed the only thing that anchored it to the ground.

"Very clever, Young Midoriya!" All Might said as he realized what had happened. "Thank you for your help, everyone! I will take it from here."

When the Nomu's lower legs were the only thing trapped in ice, All Might charged forward and grabbed the creature's arm. With a mighty tug, he pulled the creature free – and that's when Shigaraki discovered what had happened. The Nomu floated as if it was weightless in the hero's arm, helpless to fight back as All MIght spun in circles to build momentum.

"And don't come back," The hero announced as he threw the creature toward the ceiling of the USJ. The students watched with bated breath as the Nomu crashed through the ceiling, flying upward and outward, away from the students and battle.

"Uraraka?" Izuku asked.

"A little bit longer…" Ochako said as she held her hands at the ready, waiting until the Nomu was out of sight before she pressed her hands together. "Release!"

"No! What? How was our intel so wrong about you?! That Nomu was supposed to be more than enough to kill All Might! How could he fall to a bunch of NPCs like that!"

"It's because you underestimate them," All Might smiled proudly at the group of students before he turned his attention back to the villain. "You've failed."

Shigaraki weighed his options when everyone heard a commotion at the top of the platform leading to the entryway. Turning, students and villains alike watched as a dozen of UA's teachers began to descend the stairs, while Snipe took up a firing position at the top.

"I guess that was the actual enrage timer," Shigaraki grumbled. "I guess that means it's time to go."

He raised his hand and charged at Katsuki. With no one in a position to intercept him, the explosive blonde was forced to leap away, freeing Kurogiri from his grasp. The mysterious individual wasted no time as he stood up and turned toward his companion.

"Thank you, young master."

"Yeah yeah, let's get out of here."

"Of course," Kurogiri said, and the two were quickly wrapped in a dark mist. From Izuku's vantage point he watched as Snipe fired off several shots trying to incapacitate the pair, but they passed harmlessly through the fog and buried themselves in the ground.

Izuku felt himself deflate as the villains disappeared. Turning toward his classmates, he gave them a shaky smile.

"Thanks, everyone."

"You all did good," Aizawa added as he forced himself to stand upright. "Executing a plan like that on such short notice."

The students let out a collective sigh of relief. Then their teacher continued talking.

"Don't think you're off the hook though. We're going to have a long conversation about threat and risk assessment, as well as disobeying orders next class."

Izuku laughed nervously as he glanced at the other students, seeing the various reactions on their faces before he turned his attention toward All Might. He didn't know what to expect, but he didn't expect to see Japan's top hero simply standing there, staring at the space where Shigaraki once stood. Not when the USJ was still being secured.

As he internally debated what to do, he saw Cementoss walk past the students and meet with All Might. The two quickly traded hushed words between them before they hurried off together. Having the decision made for him, he turned back toward his classmates. Kashiko had disappointment written all over her face for some reason, and he silently hoped it wasn't because she didn't get to talk to All Might either.

That worry had to wait, however, as Izuku saw a pair of Ectoplasm clones come up behind his classmates.

"We have medics and police waiting outside, please follow us."

"Midoriya," Aizawa said from beside him. "Help me walk."

"Y-yes sir," Izuku said.

Ochako joined him and, with both students' help, they carried Aizawa out of the building. The sun's light greeted them with its warm embrace, in stark contrast to the terror and danger they just faced. And there, less than a dozen meters away, were numerous flashing lights of emergency vehicles with personnel waiting for them.

The pair guided Aizawa to the paramedics who got him on a stretcher, and when they turned to leave Ochako gasped.

"Thirteen…"

Izuku followed her gaze and saw the hero lying unconscious on a stretcher, bandages stained red as they tried to contain the wounds on the hero's back.

"Don't worry, they're strong," A paramedic noticed the distress on Ochako's face and tried to assure her. "They'll pull through!"

"I hope so," Ochako said.

"What about you?" The paramedic asked Izuku.

"M-me?!" Izuku blinked in surprise and pointed to himself.

"Your hand. You should get that looked at."

"You're right," Ochako said as she glared at Izuku. "I'll make sure Dekkun gets checked out right now."

"Ehe," Izuku withered under his friend's glare as he let her escort him over to a different vehicle where their classmates were getting looked at.

As the bus drove the students back to the main building, Izuku looked down at his freshly bandaged hand.

"How are you doing Dekkun?" Ochako asked from next to him.

"I'm doing okay," Izuku said softly as he looked at her. "This um… isn't the first villain attack I've been a part of."

"Of course," She playfully rolled her eyes, but he could tell it was a false front.

"That was…" Kashiko closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "Hard."

"We survived, kero," Tsuyu said.

"It's hard to imagine us being the targets of an attack though," Kashiko continued. "Instead of going to help others…"

"This is why we're gonna be heroes though, right?" Ochako said weakly. "To make sure other people don't have to feel like… this."

"You're right," Izuku offered her a weak smile while the other girls nodded in agreement.

The four shifted to lighter topics in an attempt to distract themselves for the duration of the short trip, and soon enough they were back at UA. Izuku followed his friends off the bus, and as he stepped foot on the ground he heard a very familiar voice rapidly approaching.

"Izuuuuu!"

At least Izuku managed to get clear of his friends before a very terrified Himiko grabbed him and pulled him into a hug.

"Hey Himi," Izuku replied as he wrapped his arms around his sister. "I'm ok. It's ok."

"They put the school in lockdown and told us that there was an attack on UA facilities," Himiko pulled back just enough to examine her brother's face. "Tomoe may have figured out they meant the USJ."

"Of course she did."

"Shut up," Himiko glared at him. "I've been worried! You! You could have been hurt or killed and who knows how long until we found out!"

"We won though. The teachers took the worst of it." Izuku's face fell.

"Says the guy with broken fingers, kero."

"You!" Himiko's expression quickly shifted to a glare.

"Ehe…"

"Ugh. Well c'mon," Himiko reluctantly detached herself from her brother, keeping one hand wrapped around his wrist. She looked at the three girls before she gestured with her head towards the entrance. "I'm supposed to make sure you get to the cafeteria in one piece, you can tell me everything while we walk."

The four fell in line behind the second year as they followed their classmates into the building.

Chapter Text

When they reached the cafeteria, they saw that the staff had already divided the area up into a makeshift recovery area. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a third-year escorting Ojiro over to Recovery Girl, who was waiting to treat his broken arm. In another corner he saw Sero as he sat down across from a pair of police officers and Present Mic, presumably to give a statement.

And in the middle, the rest of his class were sitting down at their lunch tables. Each one was covered with a hastily assembled platter of snacks with drinks in front of every chair. Izuku wasn’t surprised to see Tenya already seated at one table, and when he spotted them their classmate began to wave them over.

While the girls immediately made their way to their friend, Izuku hesitated, staying back until he was alone with his sister. Once he thought it was safe he turned to her.

“How’re you doing?”

“Izu,” Himiko answered darkly. “I should be asking you that.”

“Ehe,” Izuku rubbed the back of his head. “Probably. But you know how I am.”

“I know,” She said with more annoyance than she probably intended. Letting out a sigh she shook her head. “I’m just glad you’re safe. We’ll talk later, I…” She reluctantly gestured towards the other upperclassmen darting the room, each dressed in their hero costumes. “Should probably get going.”

“Okay,” Izuku reached out and gently touched his sister’s arm. “I’m safe now.”

“I know,” Himiko bit her lips, and Izuku saw a bead of blood welling around her fang. He waited patiently for her to say more but she tore herself away and briskly walked toward a third year – Hado, he recalled the name from the Sports Festival – before the two began to slowly patrol the room. 

Izuku let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding before he walked toward his friends. He had intended to join them, but he froze when he saw Koda’s expression. The student looked terrified and was currently being consoled by Hagakure, the girl’s arms flailing wildly as she spoke to him. 

“That’s right,” Izuku said softly to himself. “As class rep, I should be making sure everyone is okay after that.” 

Nodding to himself, he walked over to the pair to check up on them. Once he was done with them he moved to the next table, slowly moving from group to group to let everyone know he was there for them.

He was about halfway done when he was approached by Yaoyorozu, her arm wrapped in a sling.

“Midoriya, it’s your turn with Recovery Girl.”

“But–” Izuku gestured towards the rest of his classmates. “I want to make sure everyone’s okay.”

“Did you forget about our agreement?” Yaoyorozu asked, sounding genuinely bothered by his response.

“I– no,” Izuku said as he shook his head.

“Then I don’t see why you are so insistent on doing this yourself,” Yaoyorozu said. “The welfare of our classmates doesn’t fall on your shoulders alone.”

Izuku glanced nervously toward where his sister was, half-expecting her to be glaring at him. Fortunately, she was preoccupied and looked like she was more interested in finding a way to escape while Hado was happily talking away. 

Despite this feeling like something she could have arranged, this was entirely Yaoyorozu’s doing.

“No, you’re right,” Izuku gave her a shaky smile. “I shouldn’t take everything on myself.”

Yaoyorozu softened at that and shook her head. “No need to apologize. I’ll check on everyone else while you get your hand checked out.”

“My hand,” Izuku said as he looked down at his bandages. “Right.”

Izuku waited until Yaoyorozu sat down with three of his classmates before he walked over to the makeshift infirmary. He felt Recovery Girl’s gaze on him as he approached, although she remained worryingly silent until he sat on the stretcher.

“So what happened this time?” She asked.

“I had to use full power to escape from the villains,” Izuku nervously explained as he held his hand out. “We were on a sinking boat and didn’t have any better options.”

The nurse quickly and skillfully unwrapped the bandage. When she removed the final piece of cloth and revealed the swollen and purple skin, she sighed. 

“As bad as this is, at least you’ve learned to minimize the damage. I was expecting much worse.”

“I know I can’t protect people if I hurt myself as badly as I did during the entrance exam,” Izuku said as his gaze drifted over to his sister. “And my sister would probably kill me if I was more reckless.”

“Smart girl,” the nurse said as she cradled the fingers. “Now this is going to hurt, but I want to make sure they’re not going to heal crooked when I use my quirk.”

“Okay,” Izuku said, silently hoping the painkillers the paramedics gave him were enough.

Recovery Girl adjusted his fingers in her palm before she reached out and kissed his hand. The spike of pain Izuku felt quickly gave way to exhaustion as he saw his wounds receding. Letting go of his hand, the nurse offered him several gummies which he gladly took. As he chewed on them, the nurse wrapped his fingers in lighter bandages.

“I’m sure you remember the next steps,” She gave him a stern glance. “Can you please try and stop coming to my office so frequently?”

Swallowing the gummies, Izuku gave the nurse a nervous smile. “I’ll try.”

“Good,” The nurse scribbled down notes on her chart before she gave him a softer glance. “You can go. Send Asui over next.”

“Thanks,” Izuku said softly as he hopped off of the bed. 

He walked over to the table where his friends sat and collapsed into the remaining free chair. While Asui stood up to visit Recovery Girl, Tenya was already loading up a plate with snacks that he pushed in front of him.

“Thanks,” Izuku said as he picked up a piece of fried dough.

“It’s the least I can do,” Tenya replied. “After I reported back they wouldn’t let me leave, so I was forced to sit here and wait. He closed his eyes and shook his head. “With the information silence, I was worried I didn’t make it in time.”

“Well, you did!” Ochako assured him. “And All Might turned the tide for us!”

“Yeah!” Kashiko agreed. “You saved all of us.”

“Thank you,” Tenya opened his eyes and looked at his friends. “It was difficult to leave, but I’m glad I did.”

“I know what you mean,” Izuku said. “I would have wanted to stay too if I was in your position.”

“Well, that’s why we’re here!” Ochako interjected. “If we already knew what to do, we would be out there working as heroes, instead of students.”

“Indeed!” Tenya seemed to brighten as he considered that logic. “Thank you, Uraraka.”

With nothing to do but wait, the group descended into idle chatter as they were called one by one to see Recovery Girl and talk to the police. 

Once the interviews were done, the doors of the cafeteria swung open to reveal Nezu as he rode on Vlad King’s shoulders. The pair were flanked by Hound Dog as the three entered the room, gathering everyone’s attention.

“Good afternoon!” Nezu chirped. “While I wish I could address you under better circumstances, fate has decided to be unkind today.”

The principal paused, his eyes darting around the room to ensure he had the student’s attention before he continued. “I would like you to know that we’ve informed your parents of what transpired today. In addition, we have prepared a full assembly of all the hero classes, which will be open to your family for remote viewing. But before then, I wanted to speak to you more privately.”

Clearing his throat, Nezu continued. “I wish to congratulate all of you. Now I am aware that that may sound strange, but one thing I have learned over my decades as an educator is that the first villain you encounter leaves a lasting impression on you. And by all reports, your performance today was exemplary. You all survived without lasting injuries, and thanks to your help both Eraserhead and Thirteen are in stable condition and expected to recover swiftly.”

“As you are all here in an attempt to become future heroes, this is a promising start to your education. In the future, you’ll be forced to face villains and encounter dangerous conditions regularly. While we will do our best to prepare you for that, nothing can quite prepare you the way an event like today would. And based on your actions today, I dare say you all have proven yourselves worthy of being heroes. And that you all have bright futures ahead of you.”

Izuku felt himself smiling at the principals’ words, but it was short-lived as he continued.

“Now then. Despite my praise, that doesn’t change the fact that this was still a stressful situation that you weren’t fully prepared for. While Recovery Girl tended to your physical health, your mental health is just as important. As such, we are requiring everyone to schedule at least one appointment with Hound Dog to discuss what happened. If you have a personal or family therapist you may provide a note from them to exempt yourself.” The principal paused for a moment to examine the students. “If you feel you are handling today’s events well after that initial session, you may stop there. However, if you feel like you require additional sessions, I ask that you please continue seeing him until you feel better. There is no shame in taking care of yourself, and another important lesson is that the life of a hero is stressful and dangerous. You must take care of your health if you wish to become a successful hero. Both physical and mental.”

Izuku saw several people nodding in agreement, although he was surprised to see a look of shame on Kashiko’s face. He knew that she took the attack hard, but was she hiding just how hard she was taking it? He hoped that the therapy would help her – her quirk was invaluable today, and today she showed that she deserved to be here, just as much as everyone else. 

He didn’t have time to dwell much longer on that, however, before Nezu wrapped up his speech.

“And one last comment. I would like you all to know that my door is always open. I hope to address your questions and concerns at the assembly, but if there is any doubt left in your mind, feel free to come to my office where I will gladly talk to you in private. Now then,” The principal looked down at the two teachers. “I believe that is all. I will see you all again soon.”

A few minutes later, Izuku and his classmates filed into the auditorium. As they walked to their section to sit down, Himiko and the other students who were acting as guards in the cafeteria broke off to find their classmates.

Once they were all seated, the lights dimmed and silence fell over the room. When they saw Nezu reappear in the front of the auditorium, this time he was flanked by most of the teaching staff. The principal himself approached the podium while the teachers sat in a row of chairs behind him. Once he ensured everything was ready, he began his second speech of the afternoon.

“Good afternoon students. Good afternoon to all of the parents who are with us remotely. For those of you who don’t know me, allow me a moment to introduce myself,” The principal politely bowed. “I am Nezu, the principal of UA High School. Today, at approximately 12:40 PM, the students of class 1-A arrived at the Unforeseen Simulation Joint: one of our off-site facilities where we teach our students about rescue and recovery. However, shortly after they had arrived, tragedy struck. A group of villains, whom we are currently investigating, attacked the facility. However, their stated goal revealed that their target was not the students themselves. Rather, it was All Might."

He paused momentarily when the crowd broke into an uproar, giving everyone a chance to process the information and work through their emotions. When the room quieted down, Nezu continued.

“Of course, they failed completely. All Might has faced many attempts on his life over his forty years as a hero, and today was no different. The fact that villains were willing to target him while he was serving his role as a teacher, however, is extremely concerning.”

“Now, we pride ourselves in our attempt to provide the highest quality education for our students as we train them to become the best heroes they can be. As part of that, we continue to seek out teachers and staff from among Japan’s heroes. Hiring All Might, Japan’s beloved top hero, was a highlight of that effort. We made the offer knowing that his position would attract attention. And despite today’s unfortunate events, I stand by my decision. He is an invaluable asset, both to our fellow teachers and to the students. His willingness to share his wisdom and knowledge with the next generation of heroes is both a unique and a special opportunity.”

Even though the parents attending the conference call couldn’t see him, the students watched as Nezu turned toward the speaker on the table next to him.

“I realize this is merely a small comfort to you, knowing that your children were not the intended targets. Now that it has happened once, who is to say that there won’t be another attempt on All Might’s life? But I wish to assure you that we are taking this attack seriously, and acting as if the students were the intended targets.”

“Our campus already has numerous security measures in place. Some are publicly known, such as our security gates that require identification to let you onto the campus, and we have many others that for your children’s safety I will not make public. Unfortunately, the League was able to circumvent these due to a rather unique quirk on their side – someone with a teleportation quirk. As many of the heroes on the line can attest, dealing with teleportation quirks is a tricky situation even in the best of times. However, now that we are aware of the existence of said quirk, we can seek to update our security accordingly.”

“For the safety of your children, I cannot discuss our countermeasures publicly, but rest assured that Higari Maijima and the rest of our support department are already brainstorming ways to counter this teleportation quirk, as well as future villains with similar capabilities. We will also be reaching out to several hero agencies and support companies in the coming days for further assistance. Rest assured, we are taking this threat against our faculty and students very seriously. We will not allow a repeat of today's events to happen on school grounds a second time."

Once again Nezu paused to let everyone process his words before he continued.

"Now then, we’ll open the line so if any parents have questions they may ask them."

Inside an empty bar, smoke coalesced into a black portal before two figures stepped out of it.

“Those damned NPCs,” Tomura complained as he picked at the bandages on his hand. “Where did they even get special attacks like that?”

“Please be careful with your wound, young master,” Kurogiri said as he walked behind the bar and pulled out a glass. “Your hand is going to require time to heal naturally.”

Grumbling in annoyance, Tomura placed his hand on a stool. It took some work to get all five of his fingers pressed against the wood of the seat, but he was pleased as the wood began to Decay the moment he did so.

“At least the hidden mini-boss didn’t do permanent damage,” Tomura muttered to himself. “Next time I won’t underestimate him.”

Kurogiri finished up a drink and slid it across the bar to Tomura. He caught the glass effortlessly and took a long drink, savoring the burning sensation as the alcohol went down. As he set the glass down the screen behind him lit up before the voice of his sensei began speaking.

“Today was an unfortunate setback, but ultimately it wasn’t a major loss.”

“Not a major loss?” Tomura spun around to stare at the screen, knowing he would only see the red words ‘text only’ there. “Today was a total failure!”

“Was it?” The voice asked.

“Yes!” Tomura slammed a fist on the bar. “We lost all of the hirelings, we lost the Nomu, and All Might is still alive!”

“Do you forget your training so easily? Remember, there are lessons to be learned even in failure. As long as you keep learning and growing, these operations have value. And I will continue to provide you with the resources to try again and again. Until you finally succeed.”

Tomura’s brow furrowed as he thought about his sensei’s words. As he scratched at the back of his neck, he finally returned his attention to the monitor. “So what you are saying is that even though we lost the party fighter, I still gained experience points from the encounter.”

“Exactly! And when you are ready for your next operation, I will have additional Nomu ready for you to use.”

“Good. We’ll need more next time,” Tomura nodded thoughtfully. “We made the mistake of thinking All Might was the only threat, and that we could get away with using hirelings as crowd control. But then we discovered all of those future mid-bosses. Next time we’ll need a full party.”

“Precisely! See, you are learning from the encounter. Take all the time you need to recover and decide on your next course of action, and then we will speak again.”

As the screen went blank Shigaraki heard Kurogiri place a plate on the counter behind him. He spun around and reached for the chopsticks, only to be reminded of his bandaged hand. He couldn’t help but glare at the bandages as if they personally offended him.

“There’s also that mid-boss. I still owe him for doing this to me.”

Once the assembly was over, a somber 1-A returned to their classroom to pack their bags. Even though school was canceled for the next day, there was little celebration to be had among the twenty students. 

Izuku finished shoving his books into his bag and turned to wait for Kashiko. She was slow to pack her bag and by the time she was done Ochako, Tenya, and Tsuyu had gathered around them. When she was finally ready the five stood up and exited the school, only to be intercepted by Himiko and, much to their surprise, three of her classmates. However…

“Where’s Atsuko?” Izuku asked as he looked at the assembled group.

“She’s on another mission tonight,” Himiko replied as she pointed behind Izuku.

Following her direction, Izuku turned around to see Himiko’s best friend stopping Ashido and Kirishima. She said something to them before the three walked out of the school together. Curious, Izuku looked around the courtyard only to see not only his classmates, but many students from 1-B talking or walking with second and third-year students, while a few upperclassmen stood waiting around for the rest of the first years.

“Himi, is this–”

“Yep,” Himiko chirped, but it didn’t quite have her usual energy behind it. “We know everyone’s probably safe. But we couldn’t just stand by after… that. So a bunch of us volunteered to escort everyone home.”

“That’s so–”

“Thank you,” Tenya bowed politely. “While I agree that we are likely safe, the gesture is appreciated!”

“Well then, is everyone ready?” Himiko’s classmate Oda asked. “I’m sure all of our parents will feel better when we’re home.

When they arrived at the train station Tenya and Kashiko said their goodbyes before they left with their seniors, leaving Izuku, Ochako, and Himiko to linger in awkward silence. Despite Himiko’s promise to escort Ochako home before the siblings went home themselves, Ochako found herself lingering at the entrance to the station.

The truth was after today she wasn’t particularly interested in going home to her lonely, empty apartment. Sure she could call her parents and talk to them, but that would only remind her that they’re hours away by train and it would be several months before she saw them again. 

Not to mention dinner. She did have a carton of eggs in her fridge, and tonight would be worth indulging and serving one of those over her usual meal of ramen noodles, but even that small indulgence felt hollow. She began mentally calculating the cost of picking up a rice bowl from the store and wondering how that would affect her future grocery budget when Izuku spoke up, interrupting her thoughts.

“Uraraka, do you want to come to our place?”

“I- me?” Ochako asked as she pointed to herself. Did she hear him right?

“Yeah,” Izuku said softly, a faint smile on his lips at her reaction. “I wouldn’t mind the company right now and err…” He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “I think Mom wouldn’t want you to be alone either.” 

Ochako felt her blush spread. There was no way she could impose! Sure their mom said she could come over whenever she wanted to. But not today! She was probably worried sick about Izuku already! She didn’t need to worry about her too! 

Ochako raised her hands defensively and started to reply. “That’s not necessary! I wouldn’t want to impo–”

“Our Mom loves you,” Himiko pointed out. “And she’s already said you can come over whenever you want. I’m pretty sure that goes double for today.”

Oh . Well so much for that argument.

“I…” Ochako looked at Izuku’s inviting expression. “Think I’d like that.” She felt her shoulders slump. “But only if you’re sure!”

“I’m sure,” Izuku assured her.

“Thank you, Dekkun.” For the first time since the incident, Ochako felt herself smiling.

“Anytime,” Izuku replied, and Ochako felt the tension drain out of the air. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yep! We’ve wasted enough time here!” Himiko added as she already started walking toward the escalator.

They began walking and Ochako quickly finished her mental math. If she stayed with them for dinner tonight that meant she could afford a couple of pieces of Mochi for herself, and the promise of her favorite treat after one of Inko's meals sounded really good right now. Coming to a halt, she felt her blush spreading as she spoke up again.

“Actually, if it’s okay with the two of you, there’s someplace I’d like to stop along the way…”

Chapter Text

Ochako had to be injured. 

That’s the only way to explain what was going on. 

Izuku’s plan didn’t work and Kirishima couldn’t hold the Nomu long enough. The creature managed to hit her and she was lying unconscious on the floor of the USJ, and this was all just a vivid dream.

There’s no other explanation.

It started when they arrived at Izuku’s apartment. Himiko gave her a playful smirk as Izuku pushed open the door, only for his greeting to turn into a squeak as Inko ambushed him. Ochako had to wonder if the woman was secretly a hero with how quickly and easily she grabbed her son and pulled him inside, pinning him in her embrace while rivers of tears ran down her face.

“Izu! I was so– so–” Her words were cut off with a choked sob.

“It’s okay Mom,” Izuku adjusted himself so that he could wrap his arms around the woman. “I’m okay! We’re okay! We won!”

“But you got hurt!” Inko insisted as she pulled out of the embrace and grabbed his hand. Ochako realized she wasn’t even surprised that Inko noticed the bandages despite how fast she moved.

“Ehe,” Izuku gave his mom a broken smile. “I may have broken a few fingers because of my quirk. But that’s it!” He added quickly. “The villains didn’t hurt me at all!”

“You used your–”

“I didn’t have a choice,” Izuku insisted. “I had to use my full strength to save us! We – Tsu, Sekigai, and I – were trapped on a ship! And Tsu couldn’t carry us all to safety. If I didn’t…”

Ochako looked awkwardly at Himiko while Izuku assured his mom that everything was okay. She opened her mouth to ask what she should do, but her words turned into a startled yelp as she felt Inko grab ahold of her.

“I’m so sorry Uraraka. That must have been terrifying."

"I-It's ok,” Ochako tried to wiggle free but found herself pinned. 

How did Dekkun manage to get free so easily?  

“It’s not okay!” Inko insisted as she looked into her eyes. “You got attacked and your parents are so far away and…”

“That’s why Dekkun insisted I come over,” Ochako said as she finally managed to work an arm free. 

Despite her insistence otherwise, when she freed her other arm from the woman’s grip she didn’t seek to escape. Instead, she twisted around so she could properly return the woman’s hug. It wasn’t as good as her Dad’s, of course, but Inko was right here and not hours away by train.

When Inko finally pulled away, Ochako was relieved to discover that Himiko had saved the box of mochi they had bought and had placed it on the ground before it was her turn to be hugged by the woman. The two quietly exchanged words before pulling apart, and only then were the three given room to properly enter the apartment.

While Inko took the box of treats and retreated to the kitchen, Izuku and Himiko went to their rooms so that Ochako would have a bit of privacy. She threw her bag on the table and collapsed on the couch, feeling herself sink into the soft fabric. After taking a moment to compose herself, she finally reached forward and dug her phone out of her bag. 

Flipping the phone open, she called her parents. It didn’t even make it to the second ring before her mom picked up. 

"Oh thank goodness 'Chako! Didja make it home safely?"

“Hey Mom,” Ochako said awkwardly. “I’m actually at Dekkun’s place.”

“Even better!” Miu exclaimed.

“Mom!” Ochako protested.

“What? After what you’ve been through, I’m glad you’re not alone!”

“Me too,” Ochako admitted as she let herself sink into the couch. “But do you have to put it that way? I’m a hero in training after all!”

“You may be, but you’re still our lil’ girl,” Her mom replied. “And it’s our job to worry about ya.”

“Does that mean you’ll be worried every time I’m on the news?” 

“Of course! We’ll be worried. But we’ll also be cheerin’ you on.”

Ochako felt her face heating up at her mother’s words. “T-thanks Mom.”

“So how’re ya feeling?”

“Embarrassed,” Ochako sighed. 

“You’re strong if my teasing’s the worst thing that worries ya.”

“I’m a little nervous,'' she admitted. “But everyone’s so nice and supportive and tryin’ to help…” She felt herself smiling. “It makes me want to make everyone proud, ya know? To show these villains that they’re not gonna scare me off!”

“That’s my girl!” Miu cheered. 

“I’ve been learnin’ from the best,” Ochako said as she sat up a little straighter.

“Now don’t make this about us!” Her mother protested. “But I’m glad yer safe. Call us later? I don’t want to keep you too long if yer a guest.”

“Sure thing! I’ll call when I get home tonight?”

“We’ll be waiting. Love you, Chako.”

“Love you, ma,” Ochako said before she hung up the phone. Setting her phone aside she closed her eyes and let herself sink into the couch.

At least that was her plan. It didn’t take long until she was startled by a polite cough, however. Her eyes snapped open to reveal Inko standing in front of her, a comb and towel in her hands.

“Izu’s taking a shower to clean up. I know this isn’t the same but I thought it’d help,” She said as she offered Ochako the towel.

“Thank you,” Ochako said as she took the towel from the woman. One side felt moist and it smelled of lavender. She wasted no time burying her face in its softness, scrubbing away any dirt and grime and letting the scent ease her nerves. When she was done she offered the towel back. “And what’s the comb for?”

“This?” Inko held up the comb. “It’s something my aunt used to do when I was little. Whenever I was feeling down she’d comb my hair and sing to me, and it’d make me feel better.”

“Did it work?”

“Of course it did,” Inko sat down next to her. “And it’s helped Himi too. I know it’s not much but…”

“I– are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t,” Inko said. 

“Then I think I’d like that,” Ochako admitted.

That was how she found herself in her current position, eyes closed and one leg propped up on the couch as she sat facing away from Inko. She didn’t have to wait long before the older woman began humming a tune. Then she felt the woman’s fingers as they began to card their way through her hair, only stopping as she selected strands and ran the brush through them. 

If she didn’t know otherwise, Ochako would have sworn the woman was using a quirk. While she was no stranger to having her mom comb her hair, something about the way Inko did things felt different. The lingering scent of lavender in her nose mixed with the sound of Inko’s voice and the feeling of the brush on her hair caused her to relax more effectively than any amount of rest would have. With each passing moment, the day’s tension drained out of her as her muscles loosened up.

Her only regret, she realized as she felt her eyes misting, was that it wasn’t her mom doing it. She made a mental note to ask her mom to try this the next time she saw her. 

It didn’t take long for Inko to work her way through all of Ochako’s hair, and the teen selfishly wished it wasn’t over as she heard the singing stop.

“How’re you feeling?”

“Much better,” Ochako turned toward the woman and offered her a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

“It’s the least I can do,” Inko said. 

“No,” Ochako shook her head emphatically. “You’ve done so much! I– this is more than I could have hoped for!”

“Hoped for what?” Himiko asked as she rejoined the two in the living room, her school uniform replaced with an oversized shirt and shorts that ran down to cover the top of her thigh-high socks.

“Oh!” Ochako squeaked. “I’m just thanking your mom for having me over,” she added hastily.

“Mom loves our friends,” Himiko said as she leaned on the back of the couch and peered over it. “That includes you now.” 

“I noticed…” Ochako muttered softly. 

Thankfully she was saved from further embarrassment as Himiko saw the brush in Inko’s hands and her face lit up. “Oh, can I have my hair combed too?”

“Of course dear,” Inko smiled at her daughter. 

Without another word, Ochako stood up and moved over to the oversized recliner nearby. While she was worried she was intruding on a personal moment, she sat transfixed as she watched Himiko sit down at the spot she had recently vacated. Inko effortlessly undid the hasty bun Himiko had tied her hair into, letting the green hair fall freely until it hung past the other girl’s shoulders. The woman then began humming again, a different tune this time, and Ochako swore she saw Himiko become boneless as she seemingly melted into her mother’s chest, leaning into the woman as she worked.

It only reinforced her decision to ask her mom about it the next time she saw them.

By the time Inko was done, Izuku had rejoined them. Standing up, she gathered up her things a second time and excused herself, leaving the three alone. Izuku took his mother’s place on the couch and Himiko shamelessly let herself collapse backward, her head dropping in his lap as she lay there with a serene smile on her face.

“So what do you want to do?” Izuku asked Ochako, ignoring his sister’s antics.

“I’m not really sure,” Ochako admitted. “Anything to distract us.”

Himiko cracked her eyes open as she shot the other girl a sideways glance, refusing to turn her head. “Movie?”

“Only if you don’t get to choose,” Izuku gave an amused look to his sister.

Himiko opened her eyes fully to give her brother an annoyed glare. “My movies are perfect and you’re just uncultured.”

“Sure Hotoko,” Izuku replied.

Himiko stuck out her tongue before she pushed herself upright. “Fiiiine. Uraraka should choose anyway.”

After politely declining the offer to see what movies Himiko had stored in her room, Ochako examined the rather mixed movie rack in their living room. She quickly spotted a fantasy series that she’d always wanted to watch, but the library didn’t have it in the collection. It was an epic tale about a group of young adventurers thrown together by fate on a quest to defeat a dark sorcerer who sought to rule all of the realms. Both of the siblings complimented her choice, saying it was one of their favorites, and Izuku quickly took the case from her to set up the television.

She sat down on one end of the couch while the siblings arranged themselves on the other end. Izuku was polite enough to give her space, although she had to admit she felt a little jealous when she saw the way Himiko cuddled into her brother’s side. It looked incredibly comfortable. 

The feeling quickly passed as the movie started, and Ochako found herself transfixed by the television as the credits began to play.

“Dinner is ready!” Inko called from the kitchen.

Ochako watched as Izuku paused the movie before she jumped off the couch and raced toward the kitchen. “How can I help?”

“You don’t need to do anything!” Izuku insisted as he came up behind her. “You’re our guest!”

“Bullshit!” Ochako exclaimed. She spun around to face her friend. “You’ve done so much for me, the least I can do is help set the table!” When she saw the look on his face, she realized what she had said and felt her cheeks heating up. “I-I mean…”

“I understand,” Inko said, saving both children from further embarrassment. With a pair of tongs, she gestured toward one of the drawers. “Our chopsticks and spoons are in there, and Izu can show you where the napkins are.”

Ochako busied herself setting the table in awkward silence before she sat down between Inko and Izuku. She waited patiently until the woman set a plate of katsudon down in front of her, and mechanically picked up a piece of the food with her chopsticks before taking a bite. 

“Mmm, this is really good,” Ochako felt her anxiety melt away as she turned toward Inko. “I forgot how good your food is!”

“Mom’s cooking is the best,” Izuku agreed.

“Yep!” Himiko added as she dipped her piece of food in a much darker red sauce before she popped it into her mouth. “Not even Lunch Rush can compare.”

“Lunch Rush is probably the best I’m gonna get, though…” Ochako said as she took another bite.

“You know,” Inko said as she glanced at the gravity girl, “I’ve been thinking about that.”

Ochako saw a glint of something in Inko’s eye that suddenly made her feel nervous. “W-what do you mean?” 

“Remember how I was saying my home is always open for dinner?” Inko asked pointedly. “Now that school has started up, I was thinking you should come by more often.”

“How often?” Ochako asked cautiously.

“I wouldn’t mind if you came over every night.”

“Every night?!” Ochako squeaked as she felt her face heating up. “I-I can’t! That’s too much!”

“Of course it isn’t,” Inko insisted. “Since I’m cooking for three, I’m basically cooking for four people anyway.”

“But homework and after-school activities!” 

“Izu’s the smartest kid in your class! You can’t tell me you wouldn’t love doing homework with him,” Himiko’s eyes narrowed as a predatory smile split her lips. 

“Actually there’s Yaoyorozu–”

“Shut up, Izu,” Himiko glared at him. “I’ve seen your notebooks.”

“Ehe…”

“I agree with your sister,” Ochako said softly before she turned toward Izuku. “But I don’t want to bother you like that.”

Like a switch was flipped, Izuku’s attitude changed immediately as he turned to face her. “It wouldn’t be a problem, really!”

“If you’re staying after school or have the day off I’d understand,” Inko added. “But it really wouldn’t be a problem if you came over every other night.”

As Ochako’s eyes darted between Inko, Himiko, and Izuku, she began to realize her mistakes. Himiko had to learn from somewhere , and those lessons came from none other than Inko Midoriya. And Inko wasn’t about to take no for an answer. Izuku, the traitor, could have helped her out, but she had to open her stupid mouth and say she would be a burden.

It’s not like she needed the help. She was self-sufficient, damn it! She didn’t need the promise of a wider variety of food and more time with Izuku. It’s not like only eating dinner by herself a couple of times a week would save her money, so she could make better meals for herself and still surprise her parents by giving them money back at the end of the semest–

Shit.

“I’ll need to talk to Mom and Dad,” Ochako sighed. “I don’t want to say yes until they know.”

She knew how her parents would respond. As much as she learned her independence and self-reliance from them, she also knew how much they would love this idea. It was a desperate game she knew would fail, but she had to try!

“I love talking to your mom,” Inko replied with a faint smile on her lips. “I’ll call her after dinner and see what she says.”

Damn it.

Ochako grumbled as she returned to her meal, but as she ate another piece of katsudon she felt its taste soothing her wounded pride. 

This was so much better than her planned ramen noodles with an egg on top of it.

After dinner and helping Himiko do the dishes, Ochako reluctantly looked toward the entrance of the apartment. She’d already been there a long time and even though Inko was so nice, she was worried she had already overstayed her welcome.

“Leaving so soon?” Inko asked as she emerged from her bedroom.

“Yeah,” Ochako replied, surprised by the reluctance in her voice. “I should… probably get back before it gets too late.”

“Don’t you want to stay and finish the movie?” Izuku asked from his position behind the couch.

“It’s getting late and it’s already dark and–”

“If you’re that worried, you can stay here for the night instead,” Inko offered.

“E-EH!?” Ochako squeaked out, taking solace that she heard something similar from Izuku from his position on the couch. Growing up in a small town, she’s more used to spending time at other family’s homes than most. But even then there are limits and she’s never actually had a sleepover before! 

“I can’t do that!” Ochako’s hands shot up defensively. “I don’t have any of my clothes or my mittens or–”

“You can borrow some of mine!” Himiko shot upright and peered over the couch to look at the girl. Ochako couldn’t see her mouth, but from the way her eyes were narrowed she just knew the other girl was smirking at her.

“I already told your mom it would be okay,” Inko assured her. “And I think she was relieved to know you had company tonight after everything that happened.”

“Dekkun…” Ochako begged her friend.

“If you really don’t want to stay I’ll walk you home,” Izuku supplied helpfully. “We can finish the movie another time.”

Despite her plea, now that he had offered she found herself hesitating. Sure, some part of her wanted to say yes, to go home and not impose. They’ve already done so much for her, she already felt spoiled and selfish. 

But the thought of returning to her small apartment just wasn’t appealing right now. The thought of the small space, which she normally found cozy, felt confining right now. She hadn’t had a chance to go to the library since school started, so all she had to entertain herself was her old laptop and yap!Tube videos. Right now, it doesn’t compare to the company offered by Dekkun and his family. 

Given the options, she knew what her real answer was.

“On second thought, I think I’d like to stay and finish the movie,” Ochako admitted.

Ochako felt a surge of adrenaline as she bolted upright. Her heart raced as she felt unfamiliar clothes on her skin in an unfamiliar bed. As she frantically scanned the room, her eyes regained focus as she saw the mountain of shadowy plushies piled high on a corner table.

“Right,” Ochako swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m staying at Dekkun’s place.”

She closed her eyes and waited until her breathing steadied before she opened them again. “I’m gonna be dreaming about that for weeks,” she whimpered. “I hope that I don’t have nightmares about every fight I’m in. I’d like to keep sleeping.”

Ochako tugged at the pair of oven mitts she had borrowed from Inko to act as makeshift mittens and pulled them off. Pressing her hands together, she silently released them from her quirk and watched them settle on her lap. She kicked off the covers of the bed and slipped out of it before she exchanged the mittens for the plastic cup that sat on the nightstand. As quietly as she could, she padded over to the door and pulled it open.

When she exited into the hallway, she didn’t expect to hear whimpering. Tensing up, she searched around until she realized it was coming from the living room. Carefully, she tip-toed down the short hallway to see what was going on.

There, in the middle of the living room, she saw Izuku and Himiko as they lay on the futon together. That part didn’t surprise her. What surprised her was how they lay there. 

She had expected Himiko to be the one holding her brother protectively, ensuring that he was safe after the attack. But that wasn’t the sight that greeted her. Instead, Izuku lay there, his arms wrapped protectively around his sister.

And Himiko?

She was tossing and turning in his arms as she suffered from her own nightmares. As if to emphasize this point, Ochako heard her whimper again while her hands dug at the fabric of Izuku’s shirt.

What’s going on?

Moments later Himiko settled down and seemed to snuggle closer to her brother, basking in his warmth. As much as Ochako wanted to understand what was going on, she already felt she had intruded on some private moment she wasn’t supposed to see. Turning around, she crept back down the hallway to find the bathroom. There she saw exhaustion on her face and dark circles under her eyes. She took a moment to splash cold water on her face and get a drink before she mentally hyped herself up.

It’s okay, Chako. It’s just a bad dream! Sure the school year’s not off to a great start, but you’re not gonna let this stop you, are you?

Mom and Dad are counting on you!

Feeling a little better, she returned to the borrowed bedroom and slipped the oven mitts back on. She turned around to face the bed again, only for her attention to be drawn to the pile of plushies. Himiko had offered to let her sleep with one, but she initially refused. Now, however, in the small of the night, she found herself missing her stuffed teddy bear. One of her constant companions when she was younger, she left it behind to watch over her parents while she was in school. 

Tonight was the first time she truly regretted that decision.

Walking over to the mountain, she examined the stuffed animals before she carefully plucked a large pale wolf off of the top. It was soft and close in size to her bear. Smiling at the animal, she finally crawled back into bed before she clutched it tightly to her chest. 

Sleep came easily, and this time the nightmares stayed away.

Chapter Text

Despite Inko’s insistence that she wasn’t imposing, Ochako finally departed after breakfast. Izuku, of course, went with her under the guise of visiting the library and doing homework with her. Himiko was pretty sure the truth was that neither of them wanted to be alone, and both still needed time to work through the events of the USJ.

It was a feeling Himiko understood all too well, and she wasn’t even there!

So after breakfast and a long, hot, shower Himiko hugged her mom goodbye and raced out of her apartment.

Her destination? 

Atsuko’s house. Of course.

Himiko knocked on the door to the apartment and her best friend wasted no time opening the door. 

“Hey Him–” Atsuko gasped as she saw the face of her best friend. “Holy shit. You look like hell.”

“Gee, thanks for letting me know,” Himiko deadpanned as she gave her best friend a flat look, only to let out a startled yelp as she felt her best friend wrap her arms around her. 

“How bad was it?” Atsuko asked.

“Don’t wanna talk about it,” Himiko said as she melted into her friend’s embrace.

“That bad huh?” Wordlessly Himiko bobbed her head up and down, the gesture conveying her answer through her friend’s shoulder. “Does your family know?”

“I talked to Mom,” Himiko said. “Didn’t get a chance to talk to Izu yet.”

“I’m sorry,” Atsuko said softly.

“Don’t be!” Himiko recoiled to glare at her friend, only to miss the warmth of her embrace. She quickly reattached herself to her friend and wrapped her arms around Atsuko.

“I thought the nightmares were over?”

“Me too,” Himiko replied before she laughed bitterly. “You’d think after facing villains that would be enough, but…”

“Your brother being attacked is an entirely different thing.”

“Yeah,” Himiko said softly. “The day he ran into that sludge villain last year was the last time things were this bad.”

“Don’t let him hear that,” Atsuko said lightly. “You know he’d feel terrible.”

“He’ll feel bad either way,” Himiko forced out a giggle as she felt a fond smile dance across her lips. “No matter how much I threaten him.”

“You’re both hopeless,” Atsuko sighed as she pulled back and looked her friend over.

“What’s that say about you?” Himiko said as she straightened up.

“I’m a sucker for lost causes?” Atsuko tilted her head and gave her friend a crooked smile.

Himiko let out a bark of laughter. “And now you’re stuck with me.”

“You say that now. Just wait until you start dating.”

Himiko rolled her eyes. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.

“Careful now, your future partner might get jealous.”

“Their loss.”

Both girls laughed. As she recovered, Atsuko grabbed her bag and began to slip on her shoes. “Alright, as much as you need to talk, movie first.”

“Movie?” Himiko asked. “Which one?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Atsuko leveled a finger at Himiko’s eyes. “Although I might pick something that I know you’ll sleep through.”

“Hey!”

“Afterward we can talk over lunch?” Atsuko said as she stepped out of the apartment and closed the door behind her.

“Fine,” Himiko conceded. “But I’m picking the movie!”

“See, I managed to stay up the whole time!” Himiko said proudly as she weaved through the food court to an empty table. 

“Did you have to pick a Yakuza movie though?” Atsuko asked as she followed hot on her heels.

“Yep!” Himiko chirped.

She set her tray down and gave a far-too-satisfied smile to her friend before she collapsed into her seat. Atsuko stuck her tongue out in response as she sat down with much more grace. Himiko then watched as she shook her head and split her chopsticks before she began mixing her noodle dish together.

“Let me guess, you knew ahead of time how bloody it would be?”

“Maybe,” Himiko said as she grabbed her spoon. “At least I didn’t break out laughing this time.”

“I’m surprised your exhaustion didn’t make that more likely if I’m being honest,” Atsuko said. Pausing, she took a bite of food and chewed thoughtfully as her eyes searched Himiko’s face.

Himiko let out a sigh. Damn her friend for being so perceptive.

“If it were another day I would have,” She admitted. 

“Think you’re ready to talk now?” Atsuko asked.

“Yeah,” Himiko said. She raised her spoon to her mouth, giving her a few seconds to collect her thoughts as she slurped down the blood-infused broth before she spoke again. “I dreamt I was there.”

That was enough to break her friend’s composure as she let out a soft gasp. “You mean–”

“Yep!” Himiko shoved her spoon forcefully into her bowl, frowning at the lack of resistance from the noodles that lay at the bottom. “We’ve been there enough so I know exactly what it looks like, too! It was like I was there!”

“Did you attack anyone?”

“No,” Himiko couldn’t hide the relief in her voice. “I didn’t see Izu, thankfully. Didn’t see Uraraka either. Asui and Sekigai though…”

“No wonder you didn’t sleep,” Atsuko said sympathetically.

“I just–” Himiko let out a frustrated huff as she looked at her best friend. “I haven’t had those thoughts for eighteen months. But one villain attack and I’m back to worrying about what would have happened if I didn’t collapse in front of Izu.”

“To be fair, that was a bad attack,” Atsuko replied. “We were all worried, and we didn’t have family there.”

“I’m just glad they let me join the volunteer efforts.”

“You and I both know that they wouldn’t have been able to stop you even if they wanted to.”

“True!” Himiko smirked at her friend before her face fell again. “I know it’s stupid but…”

“It’s not stupid,” Atsuko insisted. She jabbed a chopstick toward her friend. “You are Himiko Midoriya, my best friend. But before that, you were lost and hurting. Could you have been part of that League of Villains hired to fight your brother and his classmates? Sure.”

“Gee, thanks,” Himiko grumbled.

“But!” Atsuko continued unphased as she turned the chopstick downward and speared a piece of food with it. “That’s not you. No matter how many ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybes’ your brain throws at you. None of those thoughts change the fact that Midoriya found you in that alleyway,” Her gaze softened as she smiled at Himiko. “And I for one am thankful he did.”

“I know you’re right,” Himiko conceded. “It doesn’t make it any easier.”

“Of course it’s not easy. Your brain knows all your weaknesses. But you’re strong. I know you’ll get through this. I’ve seen it before, after all,” She gave her friend a sly smile.

“Stupid Togas,” Himiko grumbled as she pulled her spoon out and traded it for a pair of chopsticks. “I wonder if it’ll ever go away.”

“Unfortunately while trigger conditions can fade, they can also last a lifetime,” Atsuko said sadly. “And when they happen, we’ll be there for you. You know that, right?”

“Yep!” Himiko looked at her friend as a smile formed on her lips. “I just need you to remind me.”

“Good thing I’ve learned to be more forceful thanks to a certain somebody, huh?”

“Emily’s a terrible influence.”

“That’s not who I meant and you know it!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Himiko said with a faux-innocence as she fished out noodles between her chopsticks. 

“Of course you don’t.” Atsuko rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. 

Himiko quietly chewed on her food as she looked at her friend, her gaze softening as she realized what Atsuko had done. Swallowing the food, she spoke up. 

“Thank you.”

Atsuko looked up from her meal and smiled softly at her friend. “Anytime, Himi.”

Despite the assurances of her friends and family, Himiko still suffered the same nightmares for the second night in a row. 

Fortunately, their words came back to her and waking up was much less confusing – and terrifying. As she sat up in her bed she let out a soft whimper as she clutched her stuffed animals. 

“As if I needed more reason to hate the Togas,” She grumbled. Once she felt the nightmares dissolving in the morning light she padded out of bed and grabbed her school uniform.

While the day off was nice, she knew UA would be right back to normal today, and she was thankful for the routine.

Himiko sat at her desk in a desperate attempt to catch up on her English studies when she heard the familiar thud of a tablet slam on the desk.

“You fell behind, didn’t you?” Emily asked, her usual judgemental tone missing.

“What do you think?” Himiko asked, mustering a glare at her friend.

“Luckily it’s all review for me,” Emily said as she grabbed a nearby chair and sat down. “If you’re up for it today.”

“You’re acting like I have a choice,” Himiko grumbled as she set the book down.

“I’m not letting you fall behind, but I’m not inconsiderate,” Emily scoffed. “I know it’ll take a couple of days for you to be back to your usual pain in the ass self.”

“Only to you,” Himiko smirked. “Everyone else loves me.”

Emily sputtered only to quickly recover, her eyes narrowing as she glared at her classmate. “Says you!”

“Yep!” Himiko laughed at the other girl. “Says me.”

“You’re lucky I’m nice,” Emily said as she grabbed the book and twisted it around to see where Himiko was. “So what are you stuck on?”

With a sigh, Himiko explained to the other girl where she was. Emily nodded in understanding before she began to break down the sentences, and the pair managed to make it about halfway through the work before Yamada entered the room.

“Looks like we’ll have to finish this later,” Emily said. 

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna make me work through lunch.”

“Of course not!” Emily jerked her head up. “I’ve gotta grill your brother today.”

Himiko’s eyes went wide in surprise before a smile split her face. “You’re ruthless, you know that?”

“Hey, he knows it’s coming! I’m not changing my plans because we got a day off.”

“Of course not.” Himiko giggled. “Be sure to ask him about his plan during the attack~”

As she watched Emily’s face light up, she felt a warm feeling in her stomach. 

Was she always this cute, and she just never noticed it before?

Once she retrieved her meal, Himiko stood and waited impatiently. It wasn’t her fault that the specialty diet line moved so much faster than the normal one! Eventually, she felt a predatory smile on her face as Emily walked up to her, a smirk on the other girl’s lips. Turning, the two walked over to where Izuku sat with his friends.

“Midoriya! You owe me!” Emily declared as she dropped her tray on the table with a bang and caused the first years to jump.

“H-hey Song,” Izuku said nervously. “I’ve been kind of distracted.”

“Oh please,” The girl rolled her eyes as she sat down. “You can’t tell me you’ve gone almost a week around thirty-seven new quirks and haven’t started analyzing them.”

“Thirty-seven?” Sekigai asked as Himiko sat down across from Asui and Uraraka, the latter trying to hide her… jealousy? over Emily hovering so closely to Izuku.

Interesting. Himiko felt herself smiling. Less than a month and she’s already got a crush on Izuku, huh?

Not that the gravity girl had anything to worry about. While Himiko hadn’t figured out who Emily liked yet, she knew for a fact that it wasn’t Izuku.

But Himiko wasn’t about to tell her that.

“Emily already put Uraraka through the wringer,” Himiko said instead, smiling as Ochako yelped in surprise at the mention of her name. “I’d say her quirk is interesting but you’d have to ask her for the details.”

“She breaks physics with the touch of her hand!” Emily shouted, causing Himiko to laugh.

“See what I mean?”

“Are you going to be like this all year?” Asui asked.

“What?” Himiko asked far too innocently.

“Your brother,” Asui nodded her head toward Izuku who was already rapidly getting pulled into a conversation with Emily. Quite literally, as she already had her arm around his shoulder and was trying to shove a stylus into his hands.

“Of course!” Himiko felt her cheeks heat up as she watched her brother’s panic slowly morph into one of concentration. “I never got to tease Izu properly in school before. I’ve gotta take advantage of it while I can! Although,” She turned to stare pointedly at Ochako. “Today is all Emily.”

“Does she have to get that close?” Ochako grumbled as she watched.

“You get used to it,” Himiko shrugged. “Or you can always threaten to stab her.”

“Hey!” Emily’s head shot up to glare at Himiko.

“See?” Himiko said as she grinned back.

“I can’t believe this,” Tenya said as he finally recovered from his shock.

“Didn’t you go to the same middle school as your brother though?” Sekigai asked curiously.

“Nope!” Himiko chirped. “I was adopted and due to how that happened I was sent to another school.” She explained, glossing over the details for now. “So this is the first time I’m sharing the same school as him!”

“Adopted?” Tsuyu asked curiously.

“Mhm,” Himiko nodded. “I’ve been with them for about two years!” She smiled serenely at her brother. “The best two years of my life.”

“And you’re repaying him by… teasing him?” Sekigai asked curiously.

“Yep!” Himiko turned her attention to the other three girls who sat across from her and gave them a satisfied smile. “I’ve got my sisterly duties to perform!”

“I understand, kero,” Tsuyu nodded solemnly. “Although my siblings are too young so we will never share a school.”

“That’s too bad,” Himiko said.

“Kero.”

“Not you too,” Tenya shot a look of betrayal toward the frog mutant.

“What?” Tsuyu asked, only to get into a staring contest with Tenya. The stiff boy broke first, and for a moment Himiko swore the frog girl looked smug for a moment before she turned her attention back toward Himiko. “Are they always like this?”

“Only when they’re really excited,” Himiko shrugged. “Like today, when they’re talking about all of your quirks.”

“It’s terrifying,” Ochako admitted. “I tried to keep up but well…” she looked helplessly at the pair.

“I see,” Tenya’s brows furrowed. “As future heroes, we are expected to work with support companies to better ourselves, often seeking to improve ourselves. Despite her rather unorthodox methods, Song is gathering information from Midoriya to assist in that.” He snapped his fingers as he looked at the rest of his friends. “It is quite ingenious! I must aspire to better myself in the same way!”

“Good Luck!” Himiko smirked as she watched him turn toward Izuku and Emily in an attempt to follow what they were doing.

“That means we need to find our own way to stand out, huh?” Ochako asked Himiko.

Do you mean at UA or to get Izuku’s attention? Was how Himiko wanted to reply. 

Instead, she simply said. “Yep! I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

“How do you do it?” Sekigai asked Himiko.

Rather than admit the truth, Himiko gave the girl a coy smile. “Sorry, you’ll have to figure this out on your own.”

Growing bored of answering questions, Himiko turned her attention back towards Izuku and Emily. The pair became the center of attention as his friends tried to keep up, and Himiko was more than happy to just watch the events unfold. To his credit, Tenya lasted a surprisingly long time, even if she wasn’t sure he understood what the duo was saying. Sekigai, meanwhile, just looked overwhelmed by the whole thing, and Himiko couldn’t help but notice the worry that flashed across her face. And then there was Ochako. Despite her earlier complaint about keeping up, she tried to follow them with a dogged determination that Himiko had to respect.

That was something to think about later, though. For now, she simply enjoyed watching the scene unfold. And as time passed and she watched, a warmth began to pool in her stomach. All of these people saw Izuku as a friend, and her teasing wasn’t enough to hurt that even though it’s only been a week.

He deserved that, and more.

As Himiko began to pack up for the day, she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder and stiffened.

“Ready to work on that English homework?” Emily asked from behind her.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Himiko asked, not bothering to hide her annoyance as she felt her shoulders relax.

“I do!” Emily declared smugly. “There’s a cafe with my name on it. Yours too.”

Himiko groaned and weighed her options. On the one hand, she really didn’t want to work on her English. On the other hand, Emily was going to be annoyingly persistent until she did it. 

“Why are you like this?” Himiko grumbled in annoyance as she grabbed her books and shoved them into her bag.

“You know why,” Himiko felt the hand lift off her shoulder and didn’t need to turn around to see her friend crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Himiko said as she stood up and spun around to face her friend. 

“Besides,” Emily lowered her voice so that only Himiko could hear. “I thought the chance of scenery might help distract you.”

Himiko’s mouth opened and closed as she stared at the girl. Sure, other than lunch today hadn’t been the greatest. But she was still doing a lot better than she was yesterday! Nobody should have noticed!

Emily seemed to get the wrong idea, however, as her cheeks began to turn a faint pink. “But like I said this morning, if you need time to yourself–”

“I’ll come,” Himiko said quickly before she lowered her voice. “Yesterday with ‘Suko helped, but…” she turned back towards her desk “...I could use another afternoon like that.”

“Great!” Emily said, all hesitation gone as her personality snapped back into place immediately. “Let’s get going then before the place fills up!”

Himiko quickly began to shove everything into her bag. Once she was ready, she quickly followed her friend out of the classroom. Emily shot her a competitive smirk before she took off in a sprint, and Himiko ran to catch up.

As she matched her friend’s pace, Himiko couldn’t help but steal glances at the other girl. It turns out she had some pretty good friends too.

Now if only life would give her a few minutes to figure out why Emily left her so confused recently.

Chapter Text

As Izuku and his companions approached the school Saturday morning, the first thing he felt as he stepped through the gate was Aizawa’s gaze. He suppressed a shudder and continued onward where he eventually saw the hero in front of the main building.

“Midoriya,” their teacher called. “You’re needed in the Student Council room.”

“Eh?” Izuku asked as he blinked in surprise.

Their teacher shrugged. “Nezu wants to talk to the first-year class reps.”

“Nezu?” Ochako squeaked in surprise before she turned to her friend. “What’s the principal want?”

“I don’t know,” Izuku admitted as he turned toward his friend. “Guess I’ll find out?”

“Well, I’ll see you in class then,” Ochako replied awkwardly as her eyes darted between Izuku and their teacher.

Izuku waved goodbye to the three girls before he split off from them and made his way to the Student Council room. There he saw Yaoyorozu already seated, along with the two class reps from 1-B: Itsuka Kendo and Nirengeki Shoda. And at the front of the room was none other than the principal himself.

“Ah, Midoriya! There you are!” Nezu said with a clap of his hands. “We can get started then.”

“Get started?” Izuku whispered to Yaoyorozu as he sat down next to his co-representative.

Nezu apparently heard that as his gaze turned toward him. “Why, to discuss special classes, of course!”

“Special classes?” Kendo asked, apparently just as confused as he was.

“Yes!” Nezu said with a surprising amount of enthusiasm as he folded his hands behind his back. “In light of the attack at the USJ, we’ve decided to revise our curriculum for our students.” His gaze swept across the group before it landed on Izuku. “While some of these changes will impact your classes as a whole, these special courses are going to be more individually tailored.”

Nezu paused for a moment before he continued. “While our basic curriculum has a proven track record in terms of teaching you how to be capable heroes, there are areas we are… lacking,” He shook his head. “In particular, our students have taken a standardized set of classes and have been forced to cultivate their particular talents on their own. In the past, they relied on work studies and internships to assist in that endeavor. I believe it is time that UA took a more direct role in the learning process.”

“Those sound great!” Kendo said enthusiastically.

“I agree,” Momo added.

Izuku nodded in agreement as well.

“What kind of classes are you adding?” Shoda asked.

“Unfortunately most of them, such as battlefield command and support equipment, are still in the planning stages. However, there is one that can begin immediately,” Izuku swore he saw the principal smirking as he spoke. “As I will be the one teaching it, I can expedite the process and use it as a prototype of sorts for the other courses.” He once again focused his attention on Izuku. “Starting next week, I will begin teaching Quirk Analysis and Application during your free period.”

“How will you choose students for your class?” Yayorozu asked.

“Why you four, of course,” Nezu said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Us?” Shindo replied.

“Yes. As student representatives, you four are best suited to understand your classmates and suggest who will be most suitable for these special courses.”

“That has Monoma’s name all over it,” Kendo replied lightly. “He’s been bored out of his mind because nobody wants to talk about quirks with him.”

“Excellent!” Nezu said. “Although it’s unfortunate that nobody else in your class shares an interest. Hopefully we can help them in other ways. What about from 1-A?”

“I’m interested,” Izuku replied. “It sounds great!”

“I would like to join as well,” Yayorozu said.

“Really?” Izuku asked.

Yaoyorozu turned toward him and nodded. “Yes. The true power of my quirk is its flexibility. If I were to better understand my opponent, it would allow me to respond appropriately.”

“Good point,” Izuku said. “In that case, Sekigai might be interested as well? Her quirk is strictly informational, so analysis skills might help her in the future.”

“It appears 1-A has the lion's share of students,” Nezu mused. “Very well. Is there anyone else?”

“Umm,” Izuku rubbed the back of his head as he thought of Himiko’s friend. “Is this strictly for first years?” 

“I had intended for it to be, yes,” Nezu admitted. “After all, the second years will be busy with their work studies starting in the second semester and the third years will be even busier. Why?”

“Well, there’s someone in class 2-B… Emily Song. She’d be upset if I didn’t at least ask if she could join,” Izuku said. “And I’m pretty sure she won’t mind the extra work.”

“Song…” Nezu’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Ah, the exchange student from I-Island. Now I understand.” He nodded his head. “If she is willing to handle the work, I can make an exception for her.”

“Great!” Izuku said in relief. “That’s all I can think of.”

“Same,” The other three students added.

“Very well. Five students sound like an excellent starting point,” Nezu said. 

“What should I tell Monoma?” Kendo asked.

“You can inform him about the class, that I will have material for him on Monday, and that we will meet during your study period.”

“Will do,” Kendo replied. “I’m sure he’ll be excited.”

“Maybe we’ll finally get a break,” Shindo joked back.

“Or it’ll make him worse,” Kendo laughed.

Yaoyorozu turned toward Izuku. “The other two are your friends, so I will leave it to you to inform them.”

“Ehe,” Izuku laughed sheepishly. “Sure.”

The students of 1-A were energized by the news. Sekigai in particular was grateful for the nomination for the analysis course. But the rest of the class seemed okay with waiting as almost everyone found a course they’d be interested in based on Izuku and Yaoyorozu’s descriptions.

It brightened everyone’s spirits, and as they sat down to begin the day Izuku felt like it was a good way to end the week on a high note.

Perhaps Izuku spoke too soon.

After their last class of the morning, Izuku and his classmates began to hear a commotion outside their door as they got ready for lunch. Unfortunately for the rest of the class, Katsuki was already the closest to the exit. When he reached it he slammed the door open to reveal a crowd of students from other departments.

“What the hell is the racket for?” Katsuki asked the crowd.

“You’re the guys getting all the attention huh?”

“They’re students just like us, what makes them so special?”

“Yeah! There’s more of us than them here!”

“Tch,” Katsuki sneered at the crowd. “That’s because they know who’s important.”

“What?!” 

“How can you say that?!” 

“How many of you applied to be heroes?” Katsuki asked. Izuku couldn’t see the students outside but the satisfied look on his face said it all. “Hmph, see. If your quirks were better then you’d have easily been a hero course student just like me.” He said as he pointed his thumb at his chest. “It’s not my fault your quirks just don’t cut it.”

Izuku heard the shouts of protest and murmurs grew louder as Katsuki shoved his way into the crowd and disappeared. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he pushed himself to his feet – he had to do something! 

He managed to make it to the door before anyone else could and bowed.

“I’m sorry about my classmate’s behavior!” 

The commotion died down, and Izuku let go of the breath he didn’t realize he was even holding. He straightened himself to see about thirty people crowded in the hallway, most of them staring in shock or disbelief. 

“Bakugo doesn’t speak for the rest of us. However, as class representative it is my duty to take responsibility for his actions.” He looked over the studies in the hallway. “He has a very specific way of thinking when it comes to being a hero. One that isn’t shared by most of us.”

“It’s really a sad way to live,” Kirishima added from behind him.

“Indeed!” A blond-haired student called from off to the side. “It’s very narrow-minded thinking and one I thought was shared by most of–”

“Monoma!” Kendo called threateningly from behind him. “What did I say?” She stopped at the edge of the crowd. “Some crowd you guys have today,” She called over the other students to Izuku.

Izuku heard several gasps from the crowd and saw more than a few guilty looks on the faces in the crowd.

“It’s okay, Kendo,” Izuku assured his fellow representative before he turned his attention back to the crowd. “It’s not fair that we’re getting so much attention. Everyone here is trying their best. So why are we being given the spotlight? Because we were attacked on school grounds?” Izuku sighed. “Why is that worthy of praise?”

Izuku took a deep breath. He felt the tension draining out of the crowd, he just had to seal the deal. “We can’t control what is said about us.” He looked down the hallway. “And I can’t control my classmates’ actions. But please judge us by what we do, not by what people are saying about us.” 

“Well said Midoriya,” Kendo gave him a massive thumbs up over the head of the crowd. “If they waited a day then it would have been our class in the spotlight. Would you be causing a ruckus in front of our door then?” 

Izuku saw a few students give nervous glances at each other, but nobody spoke up. Instead, more people peeled off, leaving in ones and twos. He felt his shoulders relax as the crowd dispersed until he realized a tall purple-haired boy was still staring at him. He met the boy’s gaze only for the other student to turn and walk away.

Izuku’s brows furrowed in thought. The student’s behavior was strange, and he had to admit he was curious. After a quick internal debate, he decided that it would be worth talking to him. With a nod of his head, he gently pushed his way through the crowd and jogged down the hallway as he gave chase.

“Hey!” Izuku called out to the boy. “What’s your name?”

The student stiffened before he gave him an indifferent look over his shoulder. “Why do you care?”

“I told you, we’re not all like that,” Izuku said as he slowed down to a stop.

“Hmph,” The student closed his eyes. “You might be the first person to ask. Name’s Hitoshi Shinso.”

“Izuku Midoriya. Um… if you don’t mind me asking, why do you want to be a hero?”

Shinso’s eyes snapped wide and, for a brief moment, he stared at Izuku like he was some alien being. Eventually, his eyes returned to the same half-lidded state Izuku was used to as he continued. “To prove everyone wrong.”

“What happened?”

“In middle school,” An ugly shadow crossed Shinso’s face. “My classmates swore I was going to become a scary villain. All because of my quirk. I’m going to show them!”

“Oh,” Izuku’s face fell. “I’m sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry about?” Shinso snapped.

“I’m sorry you were treated that way. It’s not right.”

“Why do you care,” Shinso stepped forward menacingly. “You’re already a hero student! Clearly, you’ve got a great quirk. How could someone like you understand?”

Izuku laughed bitterly.

“What’s so funny?” Shinso growled as his hands balled into fists at his side.

“I helped someone who had it worse than you,” Izuku’s gaze turned deadly serious as he returned Shinso’s stare. “And I’m still helping them. So I know a thing or two about what can happen to people with so-called ‘villainous’ quirks.” Shinso seemed to deflate, and Izuku continued. “What’s your quirk?”

“Of course you’d ask,” Shinso let out a resigned sigh. “My quirk is called Brainwashing. I can temporarily control a person’s actions.”

“That sounds–” Izuku’s face lit up. “-super useful! There’s so many uses for that– Wait!” Izuku’s eyes went wide in realization. “You failed the practical exam, didn’t you?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Shinso replied bitterly. “Since my quirk doesn’t work on robots I never stood a chance. My only hope now is the Sports Festival,” He sighed wistfully. “If I can impress people enough then there’s a chance to transfer into the hero course.”

Izuku’s brows furrowed as he pressed a thumb to his lips. Himiko and Sekigai both made it through the practical portion without combat quirks, to say nothing of Hagakure – although she got in on hero points and not by actually fighting the bots. His eyes examined the other student’s arms and noted the lack of muscle mass. He likely was hoping to rely on his quirk to get in which would have been a valid plan if there were human opponents. However…

“Do you want some help?” Izuku asked

“Wa-huh?” Shinso blinked in surprise.

“Two weeks isn’t a lot of time to get ready,” Izuku admitted. “But if you show you’re serious about becoming a hero that might help your chances?”

Shinso’s eyes narrowed. “What do you have in mind?”

“There’s an after-school PE course,” Izuku explained. “There are several hero students enrolled in it already trying to build themselves up,” He pointed at the boy’s arms. “And showing that you have options other than your quirk would go a long way to show you’re serious.”

“I see,” Shinso said, keeping his voice neutral. “What’s in it for you?”

“Me?”

“If I get in that likely means a hero student’s getting moved to Gen Ed, doesn’t it?” Shinso asked. “So why help?”

Izuku’s eyes went wide. “Where did you hear that ?”

“It makes sense, doesn’t it,” Shinso crossed his arms. “It’s a highly competitive course with limited seats.”

“I don’t think it works like that,” Izuku said. “At least, we haven’t been told that is a possibility. Maybe you should check with Nezu or the teachers?”

Shinso’s eyes went wide before he uncrossed his arms. “I see… maybe I heard it wrong…” He muttered to himself.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” He shook his head as a smirk formed on his lips. “I guess I was wrong about you hero types after all.”

After their conversation, Izuku watched Shinso walk off and let out a faint sigh. “I hope he takes my advice. He’s almost got the same attitude as Bakugo about quirks. Maybe meeting some people will help?” 

He shook his head to clear it before he turned around to rejoin his friends. He started walking down the hallway when he heard a familiar, and awkward, cough.

“Young Midoriya!” All Might called out from a nearby hallway. “I was wondering if we could have lunch together?” To emphasize his point, he held up a grocery bag that looked comically small in his hands.

“Sure!” 

Izuku smiled at his mentor. Ever since the Entrance Exam, he hadn’t had a lot of chances to talk to All Might, and he found himself missing their small talk during his training.

“Wonderful,” The hero matched his smile. “Follow me!”

All Might led Izuku through the school to a private lounge with a couple of couches. As Izuku sat down on the couch he watched his mentor lock the door before he fiddled with a small control panel. Once he was satisfied he turned around and finally dismissed his muscle form. The hero let out a weary sigh before he sat down on the couch across from Izuku and gently placed the bag on the table.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around as much as I would like,” Toshinori apologized. “I had meant for things to change once you settled in but–”

“The USJ?” Izuku asked.

Toshinori closed his mouth and nodded. “Because I was the true target of the attack I wanted to help with the investigation. And what we’ve learned is troubling.”

Izuku felt a pit forming in his stomach. “What do you mean?”

“It would seem that even now, long after his death, the ghost of my nemesis still haunts me.”

Izuku paled. “You mean All For One?”

“Indeed,” Toshinori gave him a sad smile. “After our battle, I worked with the police to dismantle his organization. However, our job always felt incomplete. Like several key pieces just went missing. With no good leads to go on and my injuries still healing, we were forced to turn our attention elsewhere. And I was left to wonder when they would surface again.”

“The League of Villains,” Izuku said as he recalled the Nomu that they faced.

“Precisely!” Toshinori said as he unwrapped the food. “The Nomu that we fought should not exist, but it reeks of the experiments we found in the aftermath of that battle.”

Izuku paled. “There were more of them?”

“At the time no,” Toshinori assured him as he offered a bento box to Izuku. “But there was a rash of incidents involving villains who seemingly had multiple quirks, all tied back to his organization.”

“And they’ve had six years to continue with their research,” Izuku said thoughtfully as he took the box and opened it. He picked up a pair of chopsticks and split them. 

“Indeed,” Toshinori said somberly. “And while I knew they would eventually come after me, for them to target you students as well…” His hand clenched into a fist momentarily but quickly loosened it. “Fortunately, you all put up an amazing showing at the USJ. But we can’t expect them to underestimate you a second time.”

Izuku gasped as realization struck like lightning. “Nezu’s timetable!”

“Precisely!” Toshinori chuckled. “I knew you’d understand. He wants to ensure that if they attack again you are more fully prepared. And…” He let out a weary sigh. “To prepare you for the reality of my eventual retirement.” 

“R-retirement!?” Izuku squeaked.

“You protected my secret at the USJ, and for that I am grateful,” Toshinori explained. “But the battle still reminded me that I am weakening. I can only be a hero for a few hours each day, and my strength is a fraction of what it was in my prime.”

“Is this…” Izuku felt the acid pooling in his stomach. “...because you gave me One For All?”

Toshinori chuckled. “Of course you’d worry about that,” He waved his hand dismissively. “But that is not the reason. Don’t you remember your training?”

“How can I forget,” Izuku said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head. “And then I still broke my limbs at the exam.”

“Well your injuries have only confirmed something that I have feared for a long time,” Toshinori gestured to his emaciated form. “While I can still currently wield One For All, the fact that I am getting weaker confirms that my muscle mass is shrinking. And One For All’s power with it. Even if I held onto the quirk, I only have a few more years before I wouldn’t be able to use it either.”

“That–”

“Don’t worry,” Toshinori cut Izuku off. “I don’t plan on going anywhere! But as much as it pains me to do so, I must acknowledge that All Might’s career is coming to an end.” He punched his open palm. “But not before I defeat these villains, and bury the specter of the past for good.”

Izuku couldn’t help but feel relief as he saw the fire still burning in his mentor’s eyes. “And then it’s our turn?”

“Indeed,” Toshinori nodded. “Then it will be your turn, Young Midoriya.”

“I hope I’ll be ready,” Izuku mumbled, only to gasp as he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder.

“After what I’ve seen, I have full faith in you.” 

After his conversation with All Might, Izuku thought he was handling the news well. 

Until he met his sister after school, and she gave him that look. The one that told him that she knew something was wrong, and she wasn’t going to stop until she had answers.

Sometimes he wished Himiko didn’t pick up as many of his habits as she did.

At least she waited until they got home. Despite Ochako’s protests earlier in the week, today she only put up a token resistance before she agreed to come over for dinner. Izuku suspected that she enjoyed the food and company as much as he enjoyed the company and that this ritual would stop soon. And with her there, Himiko didn’t dare to question Izuku.

He also feared the day when she stopped caring about that little detail.

Izuku knew he was no longer safe the moment they entered their home. The door hadn’t even shut yet and he felt her eyes on him. Letting out a sigh, Izuku took off his shoes. 

“I’ll meet you in the living room Uraraka,” Izuku held up his bag lamely. “I’ve just gotta unpack first.”

“Okay, Dekkun!” Ochako said brightly, although the tight smile on her face made him wonder if she knew what fate awaited him. “I’ll get set up in the meantime!”