Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sound of rushing feet rang loud in the otherwise empty alleyway as two villains sped by. Hot on their tail, Eraserhead chased after them, keeping a steady distance between himself and the villains. Less than twenty minutes ago, the pair had robbed a bank and had escaped with multiple wads of cash as well as other precious valuables. 

Eraserhead had been the only hero in the vicinity at the time, but his quirk wasn’t helpful in this situation, as both had mutant quirks. He had already called for backup, but although he was keeping a steady pace for now, he could slowly feel himself tiring. 

One of the villains who seemed to have cheetah feet instead of regular limbs let out a madly giggle. 

“You’re keeping up pretty well old man! But can you really keep chasing us for much longer?” 

He knew he couldn’t but stayed silent, focusing on keeping up with the two. A sudden flash of blue appeared in the corner of his vision, and he could barely turn his head before a figure brushed past him. The only word that came to mind was ‘ fast ’.

Eraserhead had only blanked out for a second, but by the time he faced forward again, the two villains were pinned to the ground with that same figure on top of them. Amber eyes were staring back at him, waiting expectantly. 

Mentally shaking himself off, he walks over, tying both villains up with his capture scarf while ignoring the swears of profanity that came out of their mouths. Those amber eyes still watched him, the figure standing by but otherwise not moving at all. 

Finally done, he turns around to address the newcomer. “I appreciate your assistance, I’ll take it from here.” 

A nod, and then a flash of blue before they’re gone. 

“Wait! Hold on a minute!” A voice yelled, cutting through the air. “Are you really telling me that you met THE Vigilant Yaksha and didn’t bother to tell me about it until now?!” 

Aizawa sighed, taking another sip of his coffee while trying to bury himself even further into his sleeping bag. “Yes Hizashi, that’s exactly what I said.” 

“No no no.” Another voice piped up. Midnight started to wave her fan around frantically. “Hizashi has a perfectly normal reaction in this case! Aren’t you the one who’s acting like this is just another daily occurrence!?” 

“I don’t see what the big deal is.” Aizawa replied. “It’s not like you guys act all that much more excited when you see All Might.”

“But this is different!” Midnight continued. “We see All Might almost every day on television! The Vigilant Yaksha only has one photo, and it isn’t even good enough for us to actually see their face! There are only a select few who know of their actual identity, and even with the whole ‘mysterious’ identity thing, they rank 19th on the Hero Billboard Chart!”

“This is interesting indeed.” Nezu says, sipping on his cup of tea. “The Vigilant Yaksha has been around before I was principal of UA, so even I don’t have much information about them.” 

“Wouldn’t that mean they’re pretty old then?” Vlad King asked. “But their performance hasn’t decreased at all.”

“I couldn’t get a clear look, but they looked younger than me. Shorter too.” Aizawa answered. “The most distinctive feature was the eyes. Amber, almost gold in color.”

“Their full title is The Whirlwind Hero, so I assume their quirk is related to wind.” Nezu adds. 

Aizawa nods. “They’re fast. Extremely so.” 

“Well! Since everyone is so interested in this already, why don’t we make this a competition?” Nezu asks. 

“A competition?” Midnight questions. 

“To find out The Vigilant Yaksha’s identity.” He answers. “The winner can ask me anything. Whether it be a question or something they want, I’ll grant it to the best of my ability.”

Even Aizawa was interested. 

Present Mic was the one to ask. “Anything? As in, anything ???” 

Nezu nods. 

“It can’t be that simple.” Aizawa says. “What happens if you win? And why would you give such high stakes for this?”

“Well, if I win I can just get a favor from each of you.” Nezu responds, taking another sip of tea. “As for why, I have my personal reasons.” 

The heroes were wary at first, but when Midnight finally claimed that she would do it, the others swiftly followed her. 

“Then it’s settled! But please keep in mind that the new term is almost upon us!” Nezu says. 

“Yes sir!”

It was a couple of weeks later when Aizawa saw the Vigilant Yaksha again. Weirdly enough, it wasn’t even because he was actively out searching, but instead because they came to him. 

It was just after midnight when he spotted those amber eyes once again looking at him from atop the building he was surveilling from. It was only from years of experience that he didn’t flinch from the abrupt arrival. 

“Jesus! When did you get there?” He asked while he took in the other’s appearance. It was still significantly dark, but the streetlights helped brighten the area. The Yaksha definitely appeared younger than they should be, he noted. 

He was short with black hair, while the undersides were teal. Like his eyes, the teal almost glowed in the moonlight. His attire consisted of a sleeveless white turtleneck covered by an unzipped technical parka that reached just below his hip. The parka, like his hair, was black with an underside of teal. The sleeves of the parka were partly rolled up where Eraserhead could see him wearing a pair of black gloves.

On the Yaksha’s left glove lay an embedded stone. It was dull, but if he looked closely enough he could make out the shape of some winged symbol. Somehow, the stone looked wrong. Like it wasn’t supposed to be so dull. 

Attached to his belt was some weird demonic mask, and around his neck was, if Aizawa had to guess, an ancient heirloom of some sorts. It was a weird hero costume, if it even counted as one, but Eraserhead has seen worse, so he just brushed it off.

“Is there something you need?” Aizawa asked after a moment. 

The shorter man didn’t say anything, but turned around and beckoned him to follow. 

Cautiously, Aizawa followed, keeping an even distance between himself and the other hero. The Yaksha led him to an abandoned warehouse, a place on his patrol route he would have checked later that night. They entered the building quietly and made their way down.

They stopped four floors below, crouching behind a stack of crates to hide. Voices echoed from around the corner and Aizawa had to strain his ears to be able to hear the conversation. 

“-expecting them to arrive tomorrow. Do we have all the supplies?”

“Last batch came in a few hours ago, we’re all set.” 

“What do you think they even need all this stuff for? Needles, guns, drugs… they ordered all kinds of stuff.”

That didn’t sound good at all. Aizawa turned back to the Yaksha, who was now leaning against a crate. He peeked around the corner to get a head count, slightly annoyed about the number. It wouldn’t be impossible to take down a group this large, but it would be time and energy consuming. This wasn’t even taking into account any hidden weapons they might have. 

Holding back a sigh, he reached into his pocket to call in reinforcements when a gloved hand stopped him. He duly notes that the hand carefully avoided any skin contact. Looking up, he saw those amber eyes fixated on him again. This was the second time the Yaksha had moved without him being able to notice. 

“What’s up?” Aizawa asked in a low voice. 

The Yaksha shook his head before opening his mouth. “I can handle the enemies. Focus on the supplies. Some of them feel wrong. Smells like blood.” 

The voice was younger than he thought it would be, Aizawa absently notes. But he pushes that to the back of his mind, giving the other a nod. A flash, and then the Yaksha had vaulted over the crates, startling the group. There was yelling, but Aizawa only glanced back briefly as he made his way over to the supplies. 

Swiftly, he knocks out the few members guarding the boxes before carefully opening the lid to one. It was full of needles and empty capsules. The next was filled with a strange looking pill and more capsules. The third was filled with gunpowder. It was the fourth box that made him tense. 

At first glance, it was just a crate full of flowers, but although it smelled sweet, there was a rotten smell coming from underneath. Shifting the plants aside, he was met with various dissected limbs. There were multiple arms, fingers, legs and even a few heads. He suspected that if he took the time, he could even find torsos.

Instead, however, he turned away from the fourth crate, opening the rest only to be met with similar contents. He had just finished opening the last crate when a voice came from behind him. 

“Disgusting.”

He turned around. The Yaksha didn’t look any worse for wear, but he now had a… was that a spear?- in his hand. With a flick of the wrist, the spear disappeared into a shower of golden dust. 

Aizawa turned back around. “The older bodies appear to be a few weeks old while the newer ones could have been as early as this morning.”

“Mn.” The Yaksha wasn’t paying attention to the bodies however. He took out one of the flowers to examine. After a moment, he turns back to Aizawa. “These are artificially made. They shouldn’t exist anymore.”

“Are they dangerous?” Aizawa asked, making his way over.

“The original are not. These ones aren’t dangerous on their own, but they could potentially freeze people.”

“What are they? I haven’t seen them before.”

There’s a pause before the Yaksha continues speaking. “Glaze Lilies. Mixed with a part of the Mist Flower Corolla. They were most likely used to preserve the bodies.”

Seeing as he wasn’t gonna get anything else, Aizawa nodded. “I’ll call in reinforcements now to clean this up.” 

The Yaksha nodded before turning to take his leave. 

“Wait.” 

He stopped, turning around. 

“Is there a name I can call you by?”

A huff. If anything, Aizawa would say it sounded melancholy. “No one has asked me that in a long time, Eraserhead. But a long time ago, people called me Xiao. I would ask if you do not share it with anyone else.”

“I understand.” 

Another flash of blue, and then it was silent.

They developed somewhat of a routine over the next few weeks. Aizawa would go out to patrol, and some time after midnight Xiao would drop down next to him and follow Aizawa around until five, when he would leave. 

Eventually, Aizawa decided to fess up.

“You know my co-workers are looking into you, right?” He asked.

“I am aware.” Was the immediate response. 

“Oh- wait, you know?” 

Xiao turns to look at him. “I hear most conversations that include my name or title. Even now there are people discussing similar topics. The only thing I had asked of you is to not share my name with anyone else, but you have gone as far as to not even give updates about our meetings. Therefore you need not apologize.”

“That’s a pretty handy ability. Part of your quirk?” 

“Mm… you could say that.”

There’s a pause as they made their way to the next block. 

“Eraserhead.”

“Yeah?”

“Could you use your quirk on me?”

“I suppose. Any reason for it?”

“I would like to test something.”

“Alright.” Aizawa answered, pushing his goggles to the top of his head before activating his quirk. “Well? Feel any different?”

Xiao takes a moment to study his hands before bursting into a flash of blue. He comes back a moment later. 

“No.”

Aizawa deactivated his quirk. “Weird. I thought you had an emitter quirk. Is that not the case?” 

“My- quirk… in the traditional sense, would be called a transformation quirk, I think.” 

“You think?” 

“What do you know about the era before quirks?” 

It was a weird change of subject, but he still gave his answer. 

“Not much, if I’m honest. Most of the information about that time and the relics of it were destroyed. Any information that is still around is being preserved and managed by the higher ups. I know what basically everyone else does. It was a time when quirks didn’t exist.”

“Mm. Those flowers- they were from that era.” 

That gave Aizawa enough of a surprise for him to jolt. “Seriously?”

“Yes. As I said, the original does not exist anymore. The ones that you saw were artificially made, but they were combined with a different plant. The Glaze Lilies that I saw last were artificially planted, and the original ones have long since disappeared.”

“The ones that you saw?”

Xiao turned his head to face the city. “Japan as you know it used to be a cluster of islands named Inazuma. Part of the reason you can’t find artifacts from that era is because they are now at the bottom of the sea, or got destroyed during the mass of earthquakes that happened several millennia ago. Inazuma crashed into present day China- which was known as Liyue. The Archons tried their best to stop it, but eventually it became too much.” All of this was said in a detached voice but it made Aizawa uncomfortable. 

“Hey, do you mind if I change the subject?”

“I do not.”

“Then what are Archons?”

“Gods. Or goddess, in some cases. Before quirks, people were bestowed ‘Visions’, which gave them elemental powers. There was an Archon for each element. Anemo, Geo, Electro, Dendro, Hydro, Pyro, and Cryo.”

“Right, well we can stop there today. Let’s talk more about it when we aren’t patrolling alleyways.” Aizawa said, placing a hand on the shorter’s head. 

Xiao glared. “Unhand me, you fool.” 

“Nah, I don’t think I will.” 

A scoff. “What about you?”

“Hm?”

“Entrance exams are starting tomorrow. Are you considering expelling the entire class again?”

“...How do you know about that?”

“Believe what you will.” 

And wasn’t that concerning? “...Don’t tell me they prayed to you.”

“Close, but not quite. I was asked to smite you down.”

“...Wow.” 

“I have not done that- obviously, but there are usually at least a couple of students who wish that fate on you every year.”

“Hm, well I’m not going down without a fight. As for the entrance exams, we’ll have to wait and see.”

A nod. “I might come watch, in that case.”

“If you can get past the alarm system, go ahead.” 

“Is that a challenge?”

“Take it as you like.”

Aizawa could have sworn the Yaksha had rolled his eyes at that moment.

“I will see you tomorrow then.” he said, getting up to leave. 

“Do you even know where the staff will be tomorrow?”

“It won’t be hard to figure it out.” And then he was gone in a flash of blue.

“Flashy bastard.” Aizawa said. But there wasn’t any real malice behind it.

The next day was full of excitement for hopeful youths. For one particular teenager with green hair, it was the start to their new future. 

…Or maybe it wasn’t. The kid had almost face planted into the concrete if the girl hadn’t caught him in time. There was a huff as another figure walked past. 

Xiao was wearing a black face mask, with his regular mask still attached to his hip. He had on a gray hoodie over a black T-shirt, and because of his short stature, as much as he hates to say it, he fit in rather well with the other adolescents.

He was keeping an ear open for any conversation that might lead him to the observation room, but got sidetracked by other mentions of his name.

‘ I pray to the Vigilant Yaksha to not fail my written exam. ’

Hm?

‘ Please Vigilant Yaksha, my quirk isn’t the best, but let me at least get into the school! ’

Why were they praying to him during the entrance exams?

‘ Hey, does praying to the Yaksha really help? Wouldn’t it just be better to pray to All Might or something? ’

‘I don’t know either, but some second year students were going around and saying it did. Apparently the Vigilant Yaksha helped out some of them last year.’

Huh?

‘ The hell is with the rumors about Xiao today? ’

Ah, found him.

It only took a moment for Xiao to make his way to Aizawa’s location after checking to make sure that no one else was in the vicinity. 

Aizawa seemed to be getting coffee outside of the school grounds, and because of the entrance exams, the place was empty save for a few adults who were grabbing something to go before work hours. 

“Eraserhead.”

Even though he had been preparing himself for the inevitable all morning, Aizawa still flinched at the sudden appearance. Heaving a tired sigh, he turned around. 

“Do you ever appear without startling someone, or is that just how you are?”

“Everyone has gotten used to it after a while. You will be the same.”

“Mm… so, any idea about those rumors?” Aizawa asked as they waited in line to order. 

“No. They were apparently spread by second years who I had helped before, but I have no recollection of ever doing so.”

“So it’s all another hoax to boost their confidence.”

“Yes. But aside from that, are you not supposed to be watching over the exams? Why are you here?”

“Entrance exams consist of a written portion and the practical. I’m only supervising the practical so I’m free until then.”

They make it to the front of the line.

“Hello, your order?”

“Black coffee for me.” Aizawa answered before turning to Xiao. “Want anything?”

He shakes his head.

“Alright! That will be 300 yen.”

After paying, the two start to make their way back to the school. 

“By the way, the rest of the UA staff will also be in the observation room, I thought you didn’t want to be seen?”

“That will not be a problem.”

“If you’re sure…”

They reached the entrance of the school just in time to see kids rushing to the location of their practical exams. 

“Just follow me, the observation room is higher up.”

“Understood.” Xiao responded, but his voice seemed to now be coming from all directions. 

Aizawa turned around to find Xiao gone, but somehow, he could still feel the other’s presence. 

“That’s pretty handy.” Aizawa said, taking another sip of his coffee.

“Flattery will get you nowhere.”

Aizawa merely shrugs as he makes his way up to the observation room. Opening the door, he’s greeted by the rest of the staff.

“You finally arrived!” Nemuri exclaimed, waving him over to the remaining seat. “The exams just started.”

“See anyone potentially interesting?” Aizawa asked, staring listlessly at the monitors. 

“If we’re talking about personality, I would say to keep your eyes on the explosive blond.”

“Huh, Bakugou Katsuki, quirk: Explosions. Seems powerful.” Hizashi said, looking at the boy’s profile. 

Over the next couple of minutes, the heroes continued to make a few observations about the potential students that stood out to them. Xiao had been doing the same silently, but many of those observations were more critical than those of the others. 

With his avoidance of most mortals for the past several centuries, it was disorienting to see these youths become so strong without the use of levels or artifacts. His body had adjusted over time to do the same, but he still could feel the buzz of the artifacts under his skin, as well as the infinite leveling that continued to grow.

When the traveler had first introduced him to these things, it confused him greatly, but at the same time, he was grateful for it. Before that, Xiao’s growth had been at its limit, and he finally realized he could not get stronger just from training anymore. Even now, his skills would really only improve on their own every thousands of years, but the leveling helped him grow exponentially. 

Of course, the level cap of 90 no longer existed for him, but the materials that were needed continued to grow harder to obtain. 

A loud boom from the monitors stirred him from internal thoughts, and he directed his gaze to the screen just in time to see a brunette save a boy with green hair from falling to his death. Hadn’t he seen the two earlier today?

Ah, right. The boy nearly made a fool of himself before even stepping into the building. 

Still, were there no heroes on scene at the time? What would have happened if the girl didn’t save him in time? Xiao kept those complaints to himself as one of the heroes announced the end of the exam. The man’s personality screamed loud, not something Xiao partially enjoyed. 

“And that’s a wrap!” The mouse explains, clapping his paws together. “This year seems to be full of surprises, Aizawa, what are your thoughts?” 

“I won’t make any assumptions until I see the kids in action.”

“Try not to expel the whole class on the first day of school this time, alright?” Nemuri asks while giggling.

Aizawa let out a long suffering sigh, something Xiao could relate to. 

Xiao watches the screens for a while longer, keeping an eye out for injuries. He soon had no need to worry, as a short elderly woman appeared on the scene to heal their wounds. If he was right, that was probably Recovery Girl.

A chair creaks slightly as Aizawa stands up, causing many of the others to do the same. 

“Since entrance exams are over, I’m going home.” Aizawa says, addressing no one in particular. 

“See you in a few weeks!” Midnight exclaims, waving as she heads in the opposite direction. 

Xiao watches Aizawa leave, but instead of following, he trails over to the school entrance, where students are departing. Finding a blind spot, he switches back to a more corporal form as he listens into conversations. 

Most of the chatter was just complaining about the exam, but there were a few that caught his attention. One of which was once again the green haired boy. It was more of a rapid mutter under his breath than anything, but he seemed rather anxious about passing, more so than anyone else in the vicinity. 

He walked around for a bit longer, but not finding anything that caught his interest, he followed the pathway out and headed in the direction of the store. Unlike what people thought, he doesn’t purposefully stay away from cameras. He does go out of his way to avoid any news reporters, but you could see him walking around in civilian clothing if you searched hard enough.

Xiao never understood why people always expected heroes to be in their costumes 24/7. It didn’t take that long to change, though that might have to do with the fact that he had a spatial inventory that let him store anything he wanted. 

Entering the small supermarket caused a small bell to ring, but he paid it no mind, walking directly to the back of the store where the refrigerated goods are. There were other stores in the neighborhood much bigger than this one, but Xiao came here for one specific reason. 

‘ No… no… no… ah, there it is .’

Finding what he was searching for, he gingerly takes it off the shelf, moving over to the cash register to get it paid for. 

What did he want to buy, you ask? Well, the owner of this store sold handmade Almond Tofu every few days. 

What? You didn’t think he gave up his appreciation for the dish, did you?

“Oh dear, you’re back again, are you? Are you sure your quirk doesn’t have anything to do with Almond Tofu?” 

The voice belonged to an old petite woman sitting behind the counter. Xiao had become a regular at her shop, and these days, she always greeted him when he came by. 

“I am sure.” He replies, watching her scan the dessert before handing her his credit card. 

“I worry about your health sometimes. You never seem to buy anything other than desserts.”

Xiao offers a small hum, but doesn’t say anything else. Used to his non-answers, she continues to pack his dessert, about to hand it to him when his head shoots up towards the door. 

“Hm? Did you hear something dear?”

“Ishida-san, it would be wise for you to take cover.” He said, placing himself between her and the door.

“Is there something wrong-?!”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence before two men kicked open the door, goods and decorations getting knocked over in the process. 

“Put your hands up! I don’t want any sudden movements unless you want a bullet through your skull!” The shorter of the two shouted, pointing a gun in their direction. 

Xiao studied the two, eye twitching slightly as Ishida-san shakily put her hands above her head. 

The taller one seemed to be made of wax, and his hands were lit on fire, much like a candle. Xiao couldn’t help but think that the flame was weak, about the same temperature as a pyro slime.

The shorter one didn’t have any physical alterations, but that was probably why he was carrying around a gun. 

“What are you staring at, kid?!” The man spits, walking closer to press the gun against Xiao’s forehead, right against the diamond sitting there. 

The Yaksha’s eyes narrow further, ignoring the hitch of breath coming from behind him. He stares into the man’s eyes, but it only seems to make the robber angrier.

“What, you think you’re tough shit?!”

Hm? Ah- right… eye contact in Japan was seen as disrespectful. 

Xiao repressed a sigh as he watched the candle-like man walk over to the counter, shoving a bag onto its surface. 

“Put all the money in the bag! Don’t try anything funny!”

“Yo-you won’t get away with this! The heroes patrol this area all the time because of how close it is to UA!” Ishida exclaims, but still complies, hands shaking as she slowly grabs wads of cash. 

“Ha! You think they're gonna save you?! We’ve been watching this place for weeks! No heroes are going to be coming for another hour, and by then, we’ll be long gone!” 

Ah, so that’s the plan they were so confident about. 

“Ishida-san.” 

“Xiao-kun… j-just stay still, alright? Y-you’ll be just fine.”

The gun is pressed harder against his forehead. 

“You really got some nerve, don’t you kid? Are you retarded, or can you not see what’s pressed against your pretty little head?”

“Pathetic.”

“What-?!”

With a harsh gust of wind, the shorter robber is blown back into a wall, a can of tomatoes falling onto his head. The taller man whipped his head around at the sound of the racket, but quickly threw himself at Xiao once he saw what happened to his partner. 

Fireballs were thrown, but were quickly put out by the slash of a spear, and it wasn’t long before both were unconscious and in a pile on the ground. Letting his spear dissipate, Xiao takes a look around at the shop, frowning at the damages. Turning back around, he is met with the shocked face of the store owner. 

“I will compensate for the damages.” He states, tilting his head downward slightly in a sign of apology.

Ishida sputters slightly before walking out from behind the counter to stand in front of Xiao. Arms flailing around his frame, but not actually touching him, she fretted over him while talking in a rushed tone. 

“Forget about the damages for a moment, you should go before someone discovers you and arrests you for unlicensed quirk usage!”

Xiao blinks for a moment. “While I am grateful for your concern, there is no need to worry.”

“No need to worry!? You won’t be able to fight multiple heroes off!”

He shakes his head before carefully taking her sleeved arms and placing them back by her sides. He then fishes out a card from his inventory, handing it to her. 

Then, he watched impassively as her expression went from confusion to contemplative, and then to pure shock.

“You…?” She starts, only to stop and continuously turn her head from him back to the card over and over. 

After a few more moments she sighs, her face becoming something that seemed close to confused acceptance as she hands his hero license back to him.

“Right… of course our national cryptid comes to my store to buy Almond Tofu… that totally makes sense.”

He nods slowly, letting her mull over it while he grabs the two villains by their collars. 

“I will return later to ask for your bank information so I can compensate you. Until then.” He says, waiting for a form of acknowledgement before slipping away into the winds, taking the two villains with him. 

Locating the nearest police station, he drops the two off in front of the door before taking a piece of paper out and writing down a small note. 

These two broke into a store located at xxx xxxxx street. Situation has been taken care of.

After writing, he drew a small bird next to the message, sticking it to one of the robbers with a wisp of Anemo before fading into the wind. Only a few moments later, a police officer comes out, staring down at the letter for a moment before sighing and going back inside, calling out for his superior. 

Seeing the villains taken care of, he starts to make his way back, hoping his Almond Tofu hadn’t been damaged during the robbery. 

Chapter Text

A week had passed in dull fashion, and Xiao was getting restless. Even the crime rate for the last couple of days seemed to have decreased, and he had mostly just spent his days wandering around. 

‘ I wonder how Eraserhead is doing? ’ 

It was just a fleeting thought, but Xiao almost scoffed at himself once he realized that the curiosity was even there. In the past, he avoided human contact, even going out of his way to make sure they didn’t get too close, but now, he seemed to slowly get pulled into their social interactions.

‘ Though, that might be because my karmic debt has stopped accumulating over the years. ’ Xiao thought, glancing down at his wrist. 

With the monsters disappearing over time, there was no need to slay them anymore, and so there was no more continuous build up of the dark energy. 

Of course, it hadn’t completely disappeared, and he could still feel it under his skin if he consciously searched for it, but there was no more constant pain that acted up wherever he went. 

It made him feel almost light, when he first realized that the pain no longer plagued him, though that feeling was quickly squashed down when he remembered the reason for it happening.

A flash of green hair pulled him out of his thoughts. Something so insignificant usually wouldn’t catch his attention, but it was the same shade of green as that boy from last week. It obviously wasn’t the same person, their figure being distinctly female, but a relative, perhaps? 

She was carrying a few bags full of groceries, the tops of seasoning bottles hanging out from the opening. His eyes narrowed on one that seemed to be on the verge of tipping out and falling to the ground. Should he help?

As the bottle started to fall out of the bag, he made his decision.

Taking a quick look around to make sure nobody was looking, he appeared close behind her, catching the bottle just as she turned her head. 

“Oh!” She exclaimed, shuffling the bags a little in her arms before turning around to face him. 

He hands her the bottle, letting her put it back into the bag securely before she bows, thanking him profusely. 

“I splurged a bit on food today for my son… he seemed down in the dumps for the past week, so I was hoping this would cheer him up. It would have been pretty embarrassing if the bottle had shattered, huh?” She chuckles, seeming to want to scratch her cheek in embarrassment, but not being able to do so with the bags in her arms. 

“Do you need assistance?” Xiao asked, and when she looked at him in confusion, he tilted his head in the direction of the shopping bags. 

Once she realizes what he meant, her eyes widen, flailing slightly. “Oh! I would appreciate the help, but I-i’m sure you have more important things to do than help a stranger carry their groceries…”

Xiao shakes his head. “I don’t mind. I’m not busy with anything.”

Technically, he was telling the truth. While he was a hero, he didn’t have any certain areas to patrol like other heroes, and he pretty much roamed around looking for something to do. 

How he got ranked 19th, he still doesn’t know. 

“Well… if you insist… My apartment is only a few blocks from here.” She says, passing over a few of the shopping bags before pointing in a direction.

Xiao nods, letting her lead the way. It took about 20 minutes for them to arrive at a set of apartment buildings, and the woman guides him to the staircase, where they ascend to the fourth floor. 

They walk for a little further before she stops at a certain door, fiddling with her key until there was a click and the door swung open.

“Izuku! I’m home!”

“Pardon the intrusion.” Xiao mutters, slipping his shoes off before quietly following in after her. 

The boy- Izuku- as his mother called him, raised his head. “Welcome home!... Uh- who’s this?”

Izuku regarded him warily. Not with suspicion, but something closer to worry and caution. 

“This is… oh dear, I realized I never even asked for your name.” She sighs, waving at him to place the bags on the kitchen table before she starts to use her quirk to levitate the groceries out of the bag. 

Huh. Once again, Xiao felt a ping of scorn towards the Quirk Restriction Laws. 

“Xiao. My name is Xiao.” 

“Ah, well my name is Midoriya Inko, and this is my son Izuku. Izuku, this is Xiao, he was a dear and offered to help me carry the groceries home.”

He tilted his head in acknowledgement, watching the younger boy scramble to get up and bow to return the greeting. 

“N-nice to meet you!” Izuku says, though still having a small bit of confusion in his eyes. 

There was something weird about Izuku, now that Xiao was taking the time to observe him. He didn’t have the ability to look into auras or energies, but the atmosphere around the boy just felt off. 

Not wanting to be caught staring, he directs his gaze to study the small apartment instead, suppressing a frown when he realizes just how small it actually was. 

While he didn’t use it much, he did have his own residence, and when he had bought it, he had chosen one made for a single person to live in. No use buying a big living space when he didn’t have human urges like sleep or hunger. 

The Midoriya’s didn’t seem like a poor family, but the place they lived in was small. Maybe they just didn’t want more space?

He’s broken out of his thoughts when Inko speaks up again.

“Xiao-kun, would you like to stay for lunch?”

He shakes his head. “No, I wouldn’t want to be a bother.”

“Oh, well I won’t force you, but you should at least have a cup of tea before you go. It would be bad on my conscience if I let you leave without giving you anything in return after you went out of your way to help me.”

Xiao thought about it for a moment. If he declined, would that be considered rude? Human culture still confused him, but in the end, he accepted.

A few minutes later, the three were sitting at the small kitchen table, two with bowls of rice in their hands and Xiao, who was nursing a cup of tea. 

“So, Xiao, your name doesn’t seem to be Japanese, did you move here at some point?” Inko questioned.

“Yes, I came from China.” Well, Liyue, but they wouldn’t know that name.

“Oh? And why did you come here?”

Because when the immortals started dying out, the few that survived all moved to one area. The most secure nation at the time was Inazuma, so they chose to locate there. 

“I have a few acquaintances here and wanted to get away from home.” So that he wouldn’t be reminded of the nation he failed to protect every time he took a step outside. 

“Well, I hope you haven’t any troubles with your stay here.”

Another shake of the head. “I have not.”

He feels the stare coming from next to him, so Xiao looks over and tilts his head in question.

Realizing he’s been caught, Izuku flushes. “A-ah! I’m really sorry, but have we met before? You look really familiar…” 

“We passed each other during the entrance exam last week, though we never did interact.”

“Oh! Really!?” Izuku seemed to brighten up at the prospect.

“So you’re looking to get into UA as well? How exciting!” Inko exclaims, clapping her hands together. 

Not wanting to explain to the pair that he was technically trespassing, he just hummed in acknowledgment. 

“I’ve been super nervous all week, and my mom and I don’t know the exact date when the letters will be released, so it’s putting me on edge.” Izuku chuckles, nervously scratching the back of his head. 

“I believe that they are being mailed out as we speak.” Xiao answers, taking another sip of tea.

“Huh!? Today?!” At that moment, the doorbell rings. The Midoriya's stare for a moment, before Inko rushes towards the door. There is a brief sound of shuffling before she bursts back into the room, waving a letter above her head.

“Izuku! It’s here!”

Taking the letter gently from her hands, Izuku basically runs to his room and shuts the door. The click of a lock could be heard, and Inko begins to pace in a circle the longer her son doesn’t emerge. 

It was about 15 minutes later that he came out, tears filling his eyes. 

Seeing this, Inko slowly walks towards him. “Oh… Izuku…”

But then, a bright grin spreads across his face. “I passed!”

They both break into tears as they hug each other, and Xiao awkwardly stands to the side, waiting for them to calm down. Once tears are no longer actively running down their face, he mutters a small “Congratulations.” 

“Thank you!” Izuku chirps. “Will I be seeing you at UA as well, Xiao-san?”

Not wanting to outright deny him, Xiao responds, “Please do not get your hopes up.”

“Do you not think you’re going to pass, Xiao-kun?” Inko questioned, a small frown on her face. 

No, he knows for a fact that he didn’t pass because he never took the test in the first place.

“W-well!” Izuku starts, not wanting the mood to turn awkward, “We’re still friends even if you don’t pass!”

“...Are we friends?” Xiao asked, confusion lacing his voice.

“Uh- did I get ahead of myself?” Izuku mumbles, twirling his fingers together.

“No. I apologize, I am not very good with the concept of… friendship. You may call me as you like.” 

“Oh! Alright!” To Xiao’s horror, Izuku started to tear up again.

About 15 minutes later, Izuku retreated to his room, packing his belongings for the new school year. Inko led him to the door, and as he was putting his shoes back on, she spoke.

“Thank you.”

“There is no need, you already thanked me earlier.”

“Ah- no, I mean agreeing to be friends with my son.”

Xiao tilted his head. “Does he… not have friends?”

Inko shakes her head sadly. “He assures me he does, but he comes home with injuries so often… and I know they aren’t from falling down the stairs or bumping into a door…”

“...Do you want me to watch over him?”

She shakes her head again. “No, just being his friend is enough. For the past couple of months, he’s seemed brighter, so maybe UA will do him some good, even if I worry for his safety.”

He’s not sure what to say in response, so Xiao just nods. Having said her fill, Inko waves to him as he leaves.

Xiao wanders for the rest of the day, stopping a few robberies and minor villain attacks. Before he knew it, it became night, so he went looking for Eraserhead. 

With the underground hero's patrol route never changing, it doesn’t take long before Xiao spots him, and the Yaksha lets himself quietly drop down to the roof Eraserhead was standing on, waiting for the other man to notice. 

It took Aizawa longer than usual to notice Xiao’s presence, and when he finally turned around, he didn’t even (subtly) flinch like he usually did. He just let out a long sigh and moved on to the next area, letting Xiao follow behind him. 

Neither of them spoke for a couple of hours, and until 3am, they just patrolled silently, the only sound being their light footsteps as they jumped from rooftop to rooftop. 

Eventually, Aizawa spoke up.

“You are aware that the UA acceptance letters got sent out today, right?”

“Yes.”

He let out another sigh. “Apparently, after the letters got sent out, one of the to-be hero students was caught molesting a civilian, so he was removed from the roster.” 

“...Did you… not want that to happen?” Xiao asked, confused. 

“Gods no, the fact that he was expelled before he could attend is something I'm grateful for, but with his absence, the class numbers will be uneven. Usually, we catch things like this before the letters are sent out, but I guess he just slipped under the radar.”

“Can you not move the students up a rank then?”

“We can, but then it would require visits to every single person that scored under him to explain why one person in their class has been moved up, why they’re not being moved up, how it got decided, and what happened to make this change.”

That… was a lot of people to visit. Yeah- Xiao did not envy Eraserhead right now. 

“There’s a month and a half before school starts, but I'm not sure we could get through all the home visits, even with my husband’s help.”

Yeah, there were what- 8 classes? And 20 students in each class. Even subtracting the class the guy was in, that would still be 140 students. But- wait a minute…

“Husband?”

Aizawa blinks. He then blinks again. 

“Right, you don’t know about that, do you?”

Xiao shakes his head. 

Aizawa makes a weird expression. 

“You don’t seem like the type, but I’m going to ask anyway. You don’t have anything against that, do you?”

It took Xiao an embarrassingly long time to understand what Aizawa meant, but when he did get it, the Yaksha shook his head. 

“Same-sex relationships were much less common before the age of quirks, but there were very few who looked at it in a negative light. For most, it was just another occurrence in life. Does that satisfy your question?”

“Yeah, thanks. Anyway, you might know of him. Present Mic?”

“Ah, the one with the radio show?”

“I wasn’t aware you knew of it.”

“I stumbled upon it accidentally, but the music that plays isn’t terrible.” Xiao replies. “Though, I am surprised. Your personalities are rather… different.” 

“We get that a lot.”

Now that the conversation started to flow, they continued to talk about small topics for the rest of Aizawa’s shift. Though it did mostly consist of Aizawa prompting Xiao to answer questions about the pre-quirk era, it was rather productive, and before they knew it, it was already 6am. 

After waving goodbye to Xiao, Aizawa started to make his way to UA, wanting to take a nap before meetings started for the day. Unfortunately, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to, because the moment he entered the building, he could see Nezu standing in the hallway, waiting for him.

“I’m pretty sure the meeting starts at 8am, was there a status update I wasn’t aware of?” Aizawa asked, wanting nothing more than to get a large cup of coffee. 

Nezu shakes his head. “No, you’re right, there is just something I would like to discuss with you before anyone else gets here.”

“Hm?”

Nezu starts to make his way to the teacher’s lounge, beckoning Aizawa to follow. 

“As we discussed yesterday, home visits will start next week. However, it was also argued that we might not have enough time to go through everyone and finish all of our school preparations in time. There is always the option of sending letters out to every family, but I quickly vetoed it. Though it would be much faster, there would be many questions that remained unanswered, and UA would lose reputation if things were made aware to the general public.”

“Yes, but we already know all of this. Is there something else that you didn't tell us?” Aizawa asked. 

“What if I told you there was an easier way?”

Aizawa paused to think about it for a moment. “Seeing as you’re only mentioning this to me, I’m somehow involved, or it’s something that would work better with the less people in the known. Either way, I would hope I'm in the know about whatever you’re planning seeing as this problem originated from my class.” 

Reaching their destination, Aizawa opens the door for Nezu to walk through, before he enters himself and shuts it behind him. 

Nezu takes a seat, pulling out a cup of tea before continuing. “The other option would be to find someone that’s powerful enough to rival the recommendation students, while still appearing in the appropriate age gap to attend school.”

Aizawa had a building sense of dread. “And where would we find such a person?”

Nezu’s eyes gleamed sadistically as he took another sip of tea. “I’m sure you know who I’m talking about.” 

When Aizawa says nothing, Nezu continues. “After extensive research and surfing through the web, I finally pieced together enough information about the Vigilant Yaksha to determine that their appearance seems to stay forever young. Not only that, but their identity is unknown, so no one would suspect anything.”

“...I doubt he would agree to it just out of the kindness of his heart. He’s already a pro hero, so that would mean he’s completed his education already.”

Nezu hides his smile behind his cup at tea about the slip up of the Yaksha’s gender. 

“Think of it as a contract.” Nezu replies. 

“...A contract?”

“Yes. As you know, All Might will be teaching at UA this year. Security has already been increased, but there are always other ways that we could be watched.”

“You mean there could be a traitor?”

“Precisely. Instead of just being a student, the Vigilant Yaksha could double as our spy. I have no doubts that he would be able to keep everything under wraps, and the traitor would be less cautious of him compared to the staff.”

“How do you know the traitor is going to be a first year? Can’t it easily be an older student?”

“I have thought of that possibility, but All Might will only start teaching this year, and unless they have some type of foresight quirk, they wouldn’t have known this beforehand. In addition to that, Class 1-A is the class that will spend the most time with All Might, so what better place for the traitor than to blend in with your future students.”

There was nothing Aizawa would say to that, because it made sense. Already knowing he was on the losing side of this argument, he only asked one more question.

“What are your real intentions?”

Nezu doesn’t reply. 

With neither of them having anything else to say, they sat in silence until the rest of the staff started to arrive. Aizawa had wanted to take a nap, but the atmosphere was too awkward to try. 

The meeting itself had only taken about half an hour, with Nezu briefly explaining that depending on certain results, they might not have to go through with the hundreds of home visits. Of course, there were a few protests of why they couldn’t know the details of said occurrence, but they were quickly shut down.

After the meeting, Hizashi had come up to Aizawa.

“Do you have any idea what that was about? You didn’t seem as confused as the rest of us.”

Aizawa thought about how he should answer for a moment. On one hand, he didn’t want to keep a secret from his husband, but on the other hand, this was Xiao they were talking about. Even though he didn’t know the Yaksha that well, he knew that the trust they built up was still a fragile thing. 

“...I do, but I can’t share the details right now.” 

Hizashi immediately nodded. “Got it. Is that the reason why you came early?”

And this was one of the reasons Aizaza loved him. He trusted him enough to not ask questions. Not that Aizawa would ever take that for granted. “No, I got ambushed on my way to a nap.”

The blond just laughed. “Right, right! Well, you probably haven’t slept all day, so get some rest.”

Aizawa nodded. “I’ll keep you updated in case anything changes.”

“Of course! Your patrol schedule will be changing next month to compensate for teaching hours, so you can look forward to that at least.”

“Thank god for that.” The underground hero responded. “I’ll see you at home?” 

“Yeah, make sure you don’t overwork yourself!”

“I won’t.” He responds, shuffling off in the direction of his classroom. 

He set an alarm on his phone that would wake him up in 2 hours. He wanted to sleep for longer, but there was still so much paperwork to do, and he had to figure out how he was going to bring this idea up to Xiao. 

…

Hang on. Xiao could hear part of that conversation, couldn’t he? Maybe Aizawa didn’t have to explain as much as he thought.

With that thought in mind, he fell into a dreamless slumber. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Sensei… What is this?” A raspy voice asks, their eyes not straying away from the sight in front of them.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

A statue hung there, upside down and being supported by the chains that came down from the ceiling. It looked like a corrupted angel, and between its hands was a glowing purple sphere. 

“The absolute power that it reeks of, absolutely wonderful.” The man chuckles. “With this… we might be able to speed our plans along.”

Chapter Text

Aizawa found Xiao sitting on the rooftop, legs swinging slightly while he idly twisted a jade spear around in his hand. All movement from the Yaksha ceased as soon as the underground hero landed behind him. 

A pause. And then, “You would like to recruit me… as a spy?”

Straight to business then.

“While that is what I was asked to do, I won’t try to pressure you into it.”

“Hm?” Xiao tilted his head in Aizawa’s direction, a question burning in his eyes.

“May I?” Aizawa asked, nodding his head to the area next to Xiao. When the Yaksha says nothing, he takes it as permission to sit down. 

 “How much did you hear?”

“Enough to piece things together. I would be admitted as a first year student in your class and double as a spy. My task would be to find out if there is a traitor and… report back?”

“Correct.”

“...And what happens if I decline?”

“As I said, I won’t pressure you to do anything. Nezu has an uncanny ability to predict the movements of human beings, but then again, you aren’t exactly human, are you?”

Xiao’s lips twitch upward just slightly. “While I did not necessarily hide that fact, I didn’t expect you to guess that quickly.”

Another pause. “How many people would know about my identity?”

“I don’t think there are any restrictions in the case that you want to tell people yourself, but most of the staff members will probably be told right off the bat.”

“And do you trust them?”

There is barely a pause before Aizawa responds. “Yes. For some, with my life. …Of course, All Might is a new addition to the staff, so I don’t have the right to judge him yet.”

A hum. And then, “Alright.”

Aizawa blinks. “Really?”

“Did you want me to decline?”

“No, but I didn’t expect you to agree that quickly.”

“I… trust your judgment. If you think they are alright, then I will give them a chance. Though I'm not sure how well I can act like a proper student.”

Aizawa shakes himself out of his shock. “I think just acting as you are now is fine.”

“I am not well equipped for human emotions. While I am learning… I do not think I act appropriately.”

“...Would you like me to be honest?”

“Yes.”

“Your appearance is deceiving, for one, and you act somewhat detached. However, if I didn’t know you, I would have chalked it up to you going through a traumatic experience. Though, that probably isn’t too far off.”

Xiao looked up at the sky. He didn't say anything, but his eyes looked somewhat hazy. 

Aizawa opts to be silent, not wanting to break the tender atmosphere. 

A while later, Xiao lets out a sigh. “Would you like me to give you my legal documents? I would assume you need those to register me.”

“Hm?” Aizawa raises a brow. “Yeah, that would be helpful. Though I was expecting us to have to make fake documents for you.”

A scoff. “Despite what the public thinks, there are a select few in the government who know who I am. Though the information might look a little strange because it has to be adapted every 100 years to fit the present times.”

The underground hero nods. “Should I expect to collect it at this time tomorrow?”

Xiao looks thoughtful. “You are going home after this, correct?”

“Yeah.” 

“And your husband is part of the staff.”

“...Right.”

Another hum. “Then shall I accompany you home? If you aren’t opposed to the idea, it would be easier if I knew where you lived.” 

“...Are you sure? I have no problems with it, but I don’t want to push you out of your comfort zone.”

“You treat me as if I was a child.” His tone isn’t cold, but it did become more bitter. 

Aizawa sighs. “That wasn’t what I was trying to do. It’s more that you seem… secluded, I guess. My husband is rather loud and more on with physical gestures.”

“Oh.” 

More silence. Eventually, Xiao stands up, letting his spear disappear into golden particles. 

“I have not changed my answer. Though I do ask that he does not touch me without my permission. Human contact is… a difficult concept for me.”

“I got it.”

Patrols ended without any major incidents again, and once more, Xiao made note of the decreasing crime rate. It was almost as if it was to compensate for something bigger to come.

“Ready to go?”

Xiao nods, silently trailing after the underground hero as he makes his way home. Jumping over rooftops decreased the time it would take had they taken the road, so it only took them about ten minutes to arrive at a homey two story house. 

The walls were painted beige, containing a black trim that matched the shingled roof. There was a small flower bed around the perimeter that seemed to be well taken care of, and from the windows you could make out the outline of a window seat working as a makeshift bed. Though the room behind it looked rather empty. A guest room, perhaps?

It almost looked like a normal house, if you ignored the mailbox. Which… was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. It was decorated in multiple different colored led lights, and a giant arrow pointed towards it. Xiao thought it was rather unnecessary to point out the mailbox, and raised an eyebrow at it. 

Aizawa let out a small sigh, though it was fond. He headed towards the door, pulling a set of keys from his pocket and inserting it in the doorknob. However, he paused as he was about to open the door. 

“You… aren’t allergic to cats, are you?”

The mention of cats brought up memories of a certain cat residing in an inn, but he batted the thought away before it fully formed. 

“No, I am not.”

“Right…” Aizawa opens the door, standing to the side and gesturing to Xiao. “Come in?”

The Yaksha nods in acknowledgement as he enters the household, studying the layout while he takes off his shoes.

The walls were a nice cream color, and directly to his left was a bookshelf filled with books as well as small decorations. To his right was a shoe rack and a closet, most likely for jackets. It was hard to see much from the front door, as it was mostly a hallway with closed doors, but there were multiple pictures hanging on the walls. 

“Hizashi! I’m home!” Aizawa called out from behind him. 

It only took a couple of seconds before you could hear the sound of multiple footsteps descending the stairs. A moment later a blond male rounded the corner, followed closely by two cats. 

“Welcome home…! Uh-…Who’s this?”

Xiao gave an awkward bow, watching as the cats came closer to sniff at his feet. One cat was of a bluish gray, and its yellow eyes stared back at him curiously while it circled him. The other was a soft cream, and it didn’t take long before that one was already deciding that he was no threat, flopping down on his foot to take a nap. 

“-this is Xiao.” Aizawa says, making Xiao tilt his head back up to stare at the two heroes.

“No Hizashi, he isn’t a lost child.” The underground hero replied just as Hizashi opened his mouth. “Would you like tea?” Aizawa turned to address Xiao again. “I have a feeling that this conversation will take a little while.”

Nodding, Xiao gently slides his foot out from underneath the cat, earning a glare from the small creature. He is then led to the living room, where he is directed to sit as the underground hero walks to the kitchen to start the process of making tea. Hizashi takes a hesitant seat across from him, looking as if he wants to speak but not knowing what to say. 

Well, that was to be expected, he supposed. Even if the hero was talkative, having a stranger in your house all of a sudden was bound to cause some confusion. 

They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes until Aizawa returned with three cups of tea, passing one to each of them before sitting down next to Hizashi. The two felines trailed in after the underground hero, once again finding a comfortable place to lie down. 

“...So…” Hizashi started, falling quiet again soon after.

Aizawa sighs, pinching at the bridge of his nose. “Do you remember earlier today, when Nezu mentioned that he might have found a solution to those home visits?”

“Yeah… so Xiao is…?” 

“Nezu’s plan was to find someone who was strong enough to replace the expelled student, as well as someone who could double as our spy. Xiao fit both requirements, and Nezu, knowing that I had been talking to him for a while, asked me to pass along the message and try to encourage him to agree.”

“Hm? Is he your secret protege? Or maybe… your secret love child?” Hizashi asked in a teasing tone. 

Aizawa just gave him a deadpan glare. “We’re married, you dumbass.”

Hizashi let out a laugh. “Sorry sorry! I just had to.”

Xiao took one more sip of tea before placing the cup down on the coffee table. “My name is Xiao. Many of my titles hold no meaning to you, but you may know me as the Vigilant Yaksha.”

Xiao and Aizawa watched as Hizashi sat shocked still, waiting for his brain to process the information. About thirty seconds later, he blinked, popping up from his seat and yelling, “WHAT?!”. 

His voice was amplified by his quirk. 

Xiao winced a little before the voice hero’s quirk was canceled out by Aizawa’s own. 

“Sorry!” Hizashi sat back down again, taking a moment to calm himself before he continued. “You just- weren’t what I was expecting?? Not that that’s a bad thing! I just- expected you to be older?? I know Shouta said you looked young, but-” He floundered a little, his arms flailing around in an attempt to explain himself. 

Xiao nodded. “That is to be expected. I have been a hero for longer than either of you have been alive, so it is not surprising that you thought I would look older.”

“Speaking of age, how old are you, Xiao?” Aizawa asked. 

Xiao tilted his head, silent for a moment as one of the cats slowly slinked towards his foot. “I do not keep track of my exact age, but around 7800?”

Hizashi and Aizawa both choked on a mouthful of tea.

“Excuse me?!”

“Adepti tend to live for a long time.”

“No- that’s not… nevermind…” Aizawa mutters, rubbing his palms over his eyes. He then turns his attention back to Hizashi. “As you know, the Vigilant Yaksha is basically faceless, so there is little chance of him being discovered. There will be a few documents that will have to be adjusted, but the main staff will most likely be aware of his identity from the start, so that won’t be an issue.”

“And the reason you came here?” Hizashi asked.

“I asked. With you needing my legal documents, it would be easier to know where you lived so I could give them to you.” 

Speaking of knowing where someone lived… he should tell Izuku he made it in… shouldn’t he? And probably get his number…

Social interactions were much more complicated than he thought. 

“...I was also told you were part of the staff, so I thought it would be a good idea to meet you first. It reduces the amount of strangers I would have to meet in one moment.”

The cream colored cat crawled its way into his lap, making itself comfortable all the while paying no heed to Xiao, who sat rather rigidly. 

“Ah, that’s Kachow. The other one is Car.” Hizashi pointed out. 

“Kachow…?” Xiao repeated, looking at Aizawa for confirmation. 

The underground hero just let out a groan, leaning further back into the couch. 

“The names are stupid, I know.”

“Hey! I for one think they’re absolutely adorable! And didn’t you name them?”

“And that’s why I said they’re stupid. Why did we let the younger me decide what we named our cats?”

As the two argued, Xiao turned his attention to the cat, hovering a hesitant hand above its head. Could he touch it? In the past, when his karmic debt was much stronger, animals often steered clear of him because of the aura of death. Even though Kachow had no such reaction, he was not sure if the karmic debt he still possessed would harm her or not. 

Kachow took the decision out of his hands when she all but shoved her head into his palm, meowing loudly. 

…She was soft.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, but when he came back to himself the two heroes were no longer bickering, and instead talking softly. When they caught him staring, they ended their conversation, waiting for him to give some type indication that he was present again.

Blinking once more, he opened his mouth a few times, failing to produce words. It took him a few moments longer before he attempted to clear his throat, finally muttering a small “Apologies.” 

Aizawa only shakes his head. “That happen often?”

Xiao tilts his head, thinking for a moment. “I suppose, though usually not as often around others. I was not trying to ignore you.”

Another shake of the head. “I didn’t think you were. You’ve never dissociated around me before, but I guess I should have expected it.”

“...Dissociate?”

“...Like what just happened? You feel disconnected from your body, your mind seems to wander elsewhere? Is it not?”

“I see… I was not aware there was a term for it.” Up until now, he thought it was just another negative effect caused by his karmic debt. “Is there any way to stop it? While it has not yet caused any problems, it will hinder my performance if it were to continue.” 

He could see the way Hizashi’s lip pursed, and Aizawa’s eyebrows furrowed. 

“...Xiao, right? Dissociation isn’t something that can be stopped just because you want it to. It’s usually caused by a mental health problem, like PTSD.” Hizashi responded. 

He was not mentally stable? Sure, karmic debt did have effects on his mind, but they were no longer as extreme… then again, having thousands of voices echoing in your head probably wasn’t considered normal. 

“I see. Thank you for informing me.” Xiao responds, finishing off his cup of tea. “I do not want to impose any further, so I should be taking my leave. I will deliver you my legal documents as soon as possible.”

He starts to get up, but a voice causes him to pause. 

“Xiao.”

He looks up again to see Aizawa staring at him.

“Yes?”

“You…” The underground hero scrubs his palms over his face. “Why do you refer to yourself in a way that disregards your feelings? I know that you don’t understand them all that well, but you speak like they don’t matter.”

Had he been doing that? He could almost imagine a certain blonde haired individual chastising him, a multitude of signs coming from their hands that were barely slow enough for him to read.

‘ Stop referring to yourself as a weapon! You’re so much more than that! ’

…He missed the traveler.

“...Xiao?”

Right, now wasn’t the time to get stuck in his mind. 

“I apologize. It has been… a work in progress.” And it has gotten harder now that there were barely any people to remind him.

“Again, don’t apologize for that.” Then, like Aizawa was reading his mind. “I’ll continue to remind you, in case you forget.”

“...Thank you.”

Xiao finally got up, softly nudging Kachow off of his lap. “If you are ever in a difficult situation, do not hesitate to call my name.”

And then, he was gone. 

“...It’s gonna take more than a few words to get through to him, huh?” Hizashi asked.

“Yes. But we can’t rush him. The best we can do is offer support where we can and let him go at his own pace.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When Xiao made it back home, it was already past 11am. It certainly didn’t feel like over five hours had passed, but then again, he never could keep track of time properly when he ‘dissociated’ .

…

He still couldn’t believe there was an actual term for it. 

Well, there were other things that needed to be attended to. The first was to dig out his phone from his spatial inventory. 

Yes, he did have a phone. Not that he used it much, but it would be strange to not have one, at this day and age. 

Also, whoever said that a spatial inventory was organized lied to you. While his main items were easy to locate, miscellaneous objects always took forever to find. 

The amount of times Xiao had pulled out random pencils or coins could no longer be counted. 

After some digging, he finally pulled out his phone, which luckily was charged. He would not argue that it was a useful little device, though there was little reason he ever needed to use it, as there were not many people he communicated with. 

However…

Navigating to his contacts, he scrolled down until he found the name he was searching for, pressing the call button. 

The phone rang once, twice, then…

“ Hello, you have reached the number of Legal Advisor Yanfei. My name is Ganyu. Ms. Yanfei is currently busy, would you like to make an appointment? ”

“Ganyu.”

“ Oh! Hello Xiao! ”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Rows and rows of cylinder pods filled the room. Each pod contained a creature, and while there was no movement, the purple smoke that rose from the top made the room feel stifling. 

“This- the results are much better than I expected!”

“Hm… I think the Nomus could handle another dose of this power, don’t you agree?”

“Yes yes! Let us proceed!”

Nearby, the defiled statue glowed ominously, and in the abyss, something shifted.

Chapter Text

“Hello, you have reached the number of Legal Advisor Yanfei. My name is Ganyu. Ms. Yanfei is currently busy, would you like to make an appointment?”

“Ganyu.”

“Oh! Hello Xiao!”

Xiao smiled slightly as Ganyu’s voice came through the phone. Unlike him, Ganyu and Yanfei had taken up a more active part in human society, and because of that, they were the ones put in charge of any legal matters concerning the immortal beings that still remained. 

“ Not to be taken the wrong way, but is something wrong, Xiao? You usually aren’t one to call first unless it’s something important. ”

“Ah- yes, I need a copy of my legal records. I’m aware that Yanfei is usually more involved when it comes to the paperwork, but you said that she wasn’t available right now.”

“ L-legal documents?! Xiao, did something happen?! ”

“ Huh?! Did something happen to Xiao?! ” A voice in the background yelled. 

In the next few moments, a scuffle could be heard, and when it died down, a different voice answered the phone. 

“ Xiao! Are you in trouble?! You’re usually so isolated from society, how did you get caught?! No- wait you would be on the run, seeing as this is your personal number… ” Yanfei dissolved into rapid muttering under her breath, and Xiao could almost see her pacing the floors. 

“I am not in trouble with the law, Yanfei, you do not need to worry.”

“ Oh- ” You could hear her taking a deep breath from the other side of the phone. “ Sorry, what is it you need them for then? ”

“An… acquaintance of mine requested me to act as a spy to gather information at UA, as there are suspicions of another spy trying to infiltrate the school.”

“ UA…- Xiao, are you going to act as a student? ” Suppressed giggling could be heard in the background. 

Xiao sighs. “Yes. Though I am aware that I am not the best fit to fill in for that task, it seems I was the best choice on such short notice.”

There is another scuffle on the phone before Ganyu’s voice is once again the one answering him. “ Xiao, I don’t mean to sound rude, but I wasn’t aware you had- human acquaintances? ” 

“It is a new development.”

“ Well, I’m happy that you aren’t totally isolating yourself anymore. Maybe this will be a good experience for you. ”

“....Thank you, Ganyu.”

And now it’s Yanfei’s voice again. “ I’ll have the documents ready in an hour or two for you to pick up. It’s nice hearing from you, Xiao! You should call more often. ”

“...I will. Goodbye Ganyu, Yanfei.”

“ Bye, Xiao!/See you later! ”

Xiao breathes a small sigh once he hangs up. A good experience, huh?

…

Now- what was he going to do to pass the time?

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It was just past 12pm and Izuku had just finished lunch when there was a knock on the door. 

“...Mom, were you expecting anyone today?” Izuku asked.

“I can’t say I have…” She replies, heading towards the door to open it. She blinks in surprise before a blinding smile makes its way onto her face. 

“Xiao! Come in!”

“Xiao’s here?!” Izuku exclaimed, shoving himself up from where he was sitting on the couch.

“Pardon the intrusion. I had wanted to tell you of my visit in advance, but realized that I did not give you any way to contact me.”

“Oh! I guess that did slip our minds, didn’t it?” Inko replied, gently leading him to the kitchen before going to prepare some tea. “Give me a few moments, I can give you our numbers.”

Xiao nods, taking a seat next to Izuku.

“...Is there a reason you came here today, Xiao?” He asks, before realizing that he sounded really rude. “N-not that I don’t want you here! It was just unexpected!”

Xiao nods, accepting Inko’s tea. “The entrance exams.”

Izuku abruptly stopped flailing. “Hm?”

“I got in.”

There was a moment of silence before both of the Midoriya’s were cheering. 

“See! I knew you could do it!” Izuku exclaims, barely stopping himself from crushing Xiao in a hug. Inko seemed to have no such reservations, and she immediately swept him into her embrace. 

Xiao stiffened for a moment, but eventually semi-relaxed into her hold. Not that he hugged back, but the fact that he didn’t pull away was a win in her book. 

“Do you have your schedule yet?” Izuku asked once Inko let Xiao go. 

“I believe I'm being assigned to class 1-A.”

Somehow, Izuku’s smile seemed to grow even bigger. “That means we’re in the same class!”

“I’m so proud of both of you!” Inko adds, wiping stray tears from her eyes. “Oh, I should prepare something to celebrate!” 

Izuku and Xiao had very different reactions. On one hand, Izuku seemed ecstatic, smiling and already recommending dishes to cook, but Xiao was quick to decline. This caused Inko to frown.

“Xiao, do you perhaps have strict dietary restrictions? You refused a meal last time you were here as well.”

And now that Izuku thought about it, it would make sense, wouldn’t it? However, Xiao only shook his head. 

“As far as I know, there are no foods that I cannot eat. However, food is… a difficult subject for me.”

“Oh…” A look of understanding passed over Inko’s face. Though, looking at Xiao’s face which was full of confusion, Izuku concluded that whatever his mom was thinking was probably not what Xiao meant. 

Her eyes swept over his figure for a moment before she clapped her hands together. “Well, you don’t seem to be neglecting your health, but if you ever need any help, I'm here, alright?”

Xiao nodded again, but he still didn’t look like he understood. 

A small chime came from Xiao’s pocket a few seconds later, causing him to pull out his phone. After taking a quick glance, he turns back to the Midoriyas.

“I do not mean for my visit to be short, but there are a few items that I need to get picked up soon.”

“Of course! Don’t let us keep you! Oh, but before that.” Inko exclaims, gesturing to Xiao’s phone.

After handing it over, Inko switches to his contacts, adding both her and her son’s number onto it. 

“There we go! Don’t be afraid to contact us!”

“I understand.” Xiao responds, bowing his head slightly. He then turns to Izuku. “I will see you at UA, I suppose?”

Izuku nods enthusiastically. “Yeah! See you then!”

Once Xiao leaves the apartment, Inko turns back to her son. “Well, we still need to celebrate, don’t we?”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Yanfei’s workplace wasn’t that far from Midoriya's house, even from walking distance, Xiao realized. 

He made sure to check in through the front desk though, because even if he was confident in his ability to get past everyone unnoticed, the security cameras were a different issue. Not that they couldn’t be disabled, but it would raise suspicion he did not want. 

He was led to a waiting room, where he was told to sit down and wait for his name to be called. There were four others in the room with him, two men, a woman, and her child. 

There was nothing overly strange about any of them, but Xiao was never one to just sit idly. Zhongli called it ‘people watching’.

Not wanting to be caught staring, he pulled out his phone and swiped over to a puzzle game. Something else he found out about the traveler’s leveling system is that it adapted to modern times as well. Experience points had become increasingly difficult to collect because of the decrease in monsters, so it found a new way to gain levels. 

And that way was by playing any type of game that included another leveling system. The amount of experience points changed depending on the difficulty, but with how much free time he had, the new leveling system made him become extremely proficient in games. He could probably start a streaming channel and record perfect playthroughs or tutorials if he wanted. 

“Xiao?”

A voice made him look up from his phone, finding Ganyu standing at the doorway to the office. He pockets his phone as he gets up, following her quietly into the room and watching her close the door. She then turns around, a bright smile on her face. 

“It’s great to see you in person!” She exclaims.

“Likewise.”

He watched her fidget for a few moments before it clicked. 

“Do you- want a hug?”

She lights up. “If you wouldn’t mind?”

He could barely get a nod in before she’s wrapping her arms around him gently, resting her cheek against his shoulder. Tension that he didn’t even realize she had melted off her, and she let out a small sigh. They stay like that for a few moments before she lets go, stepping back to give him space.

“...Thank you.”

He shakes his head. “There is no need.”

“Ah! Before I forget!” Ganyu exclaims, walking over to a desk and rummaging around inside it. “Yanfei really wanted to see you, but she’s basically fully booked for the day, so she told me to say hi.”

“I’ll try and stop by when she isn’t busy.” He responds.

She seemed to finally find what she was looking for, pulling it out with a triumphant smile. She then turns to him, holding out a file in front of her.

“Here you go! Everything has been updated, but I'd still like you to check it in case you want to make any modifications.”

Xiao takes it from her hands, opening it gently and scanning the contents. After a few minutes, he nods.

“Everything here seems to be in order, thank you.”

“Of course!” There’s a pause as she takes out another small book. “I also prepared this for you.”

“What is it?” He asks, taking it curiously.

“Well- you said that you were going to go undercover as a student… so I made a list of things that are currently popular with teenagers for you. There’s also instructions and tips on how to make friends and a glossary on current slang words. If you keep looking, there’s a list of popular hangout spots and the dos and don’ts of social interactions.”

“...Is this really necessary?” He asked, staring down at the book.

She does not give him a verbal answer, but the deadpan stare she directs at him is enough.

“Right…”

“Well, UA should be starting in a month or so, so you should get those papers delivered sooner rather than later.” Ganyu says, leading him to the door and giving his shoulder one last squeeze. “Remember to visit if you have any problems, alright?” 

For the last couple millennia, she always said the same thing when they said goodbyes. And yet, this small gesture always filled him with a sliver of warmth.

“I will.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When Shouta had entered the meeting room, many of the relevant staff members were already seated, their heads turning to face him as the door opened. Hizashi was the only one who wasn’t already there, but that was because they came in together. Taking a seat, he didn’t wait for anyone to speak before he made his report. 

“Home visits will no longer be necessary.”

There’s a brief moment of silence before multiple teachers let out cheers, Nemuri being one of the loudest.

“Does this mean you can explain the entire plan now?” Kan asked.

Nezu nodded. “Of course. But before that, please be aware that the following information can not leave this room.”

A few people look at each other in confusion, but nod nonetheless, accepting those terms.

Another nod. “Well, Aizawa, did he give you a date of how soon we can meet?”

The underground hero makes a so-so gesture. “He said he’d give me the documents somewhere today so we can register him, but there’s no exact time. And he’s a hard man to track down without-”

He pauses, tilting his head to one side before turning around completely. Only a moment later, the majority of the heroes were out of their seats, quirks at the ready. Behind Aizawa stood a teenage boy, one who none of them had neither sensed or heard come in. 

There was nothing off about the boy at first glance, though the mask at his waist raised a few questions. However, the longer they looked, the more inhuman his figure became. Those amber eyes carried a weight that no one that young should carry, and even though his stance was relaxed, there were no gaps to be found in his defense. 

Shouta made note of Xiao’s hand continuously opening and closing, as if wanting to summon his spear. 

“Good afternoon.” The Yaksha eventually says, making eye contact with the underground hero. 

The casual greeting made a couple of the heroes falter. However, before anyone else can speak, Nezu pipes up.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you! While I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon, this makes things much easier for us.”

“Er- Nezu, I wasn’t aware that we were expecting a guest today?” Nemuri questioned, tilting her head forward a little to acknowledge the newcomer’s presence. 

There’s a small nod in response as Xiao makes his way over to where Nezu was sitting, and while some of the heroes were still tense, they did nothing to stop him. Once he was close enough, the Yaksha pulled out a thin folder, depositing it onto the table. 

“Oh?” Nezu remarked, picking up the file and skimming through it as Xiao made his way back to Shouta’s side.

None of the heroes knew what to say. The mood was awkward, but no one wanted to speak. Fortunately, Hizashi mustered up the confidence to say something.

“This feels rather similar to yesterday’s visit, doesn’t it?”

There’s a pause, then, “Should I have used the front door?”

Shouta had to disguise his laughter behind a cough, not sure if Xiao was being serious or making a joke.

Instead, he responded with, “That might be wise. Most of us have good enough self control to not immediately attack you, but I can’t say the same about a group of untrained teenagers.”

There’s another nod. “I will keep that in mind.” 

The sound of a closing folder makes the room cease of conversation, all heads turning to Nezu. 

“I see. Lapis Xiao-” They all saw the way he cringed at the surname. “Just Xiao then? Aizawa has filled you in on the details, but is there anything you’re still curious about before we begin explanations?”

The Yaksha shakes his head.

“Very well. I’m sure everyone has been rather patient up to this point, so let me formally introduce you. This is Xiao, though most of you know him as the Vigilant Yaksha.”

There was silence… and then- chaos.

“This isn’t some weird prank, is it?!” Kan questioned frantically, looking around for cameras that might have been recording his reaction. “I know you said the Vigilant Yaksha looked younger than you, but isn’t that a little too young?!”

“He looks young enough to be a student…” Nemuri states, stepping closer to get a better look, causing Xiao to stiffen. 

“I know this is rather shocking news, but I assure you I am quite serious. As such, please do remember to be respectful. While I am sure you’re curious, do not do something you would regret just because you are meeting a living legend.”

“Right, sorry!” Nemuri exclaims, taking a step back.

“However, your comment is rather accurate, Midnight.” Nezu continues. “After hearing the news about the expelled student, I asked Aizawa to extend an offer to Xiao. The contents of that offer was for him to pose as a student here, filling in the gap between student rankings, and letting us implement a spy that could report back to us.”

“That’s… not a bad idea.” Thirteen said, voicing her opinion for the first time. 

“Hang on, does this mean Aizawa won the bet?!” Nemuri exclaimed, turning her head to aim a betrayed expression at the underground hero. 

Nezu shook his head. “While Aizawa has been interacting with Xiao for a while, the bet has been made void due to the fact that he never reported it.”

Hizashi cleared his throat. “...He’s in the room with us, if you forgot Nemuri…”

The R-Rated hero froze, laughing nervously as she slowly turned to look at Xiao, who finally speaks up once the attention is turned to him.

“I have already been aware of the bet for a while now, so there is no reason for you to try and keep it a secret.”

“How do you-”

“This is not everyone, correct?” Xiao asked, quickly changing the subject. “I was informed that All Might would begin teaching here as well.”

“That is the case, yes.” Nezu replied. “However, he is still the number one hero. That’s his job, first and foremost. At least for now.”

The Yaksha tilts his head to one side, though his expression doesn’t change at all. “You won’t let it stay that way.”

It’s a statement, but Nezu hummed with an affirmative nonetheless. 

“I see.” There is a pause before the Yaksha continues. “I seemed to have misjudged you, apologies.”

There’s a short chuckle as Nezu folds his paws across his lap. “I should say the same to you.”

For everyone else in the room, this conversation was one they could not follow. 

“Well, I assume I should go easy on these kids?” Xiao asked, turning around once more, examining the room.

“I doubt any of us could put up much of a fight before we would inevitably be slaughtered. Untrained teenagers would have even less of a chance.”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“No, but you have the ability to, am I wrong?”

There is no response to that question. Instead,

“My address and contact information can be found in those forms.” He responds, gesturing to the file. “You can send any school related supplies there.” Another pause as he turns back around. “You’ve been curious about me for much longer than anyone else here, have you not?”

This time, it’s Nezu who does not reply.

“Well, how do I compare to your expectations?”

There’s a pause before the principal speaks. “Even a bird with clipped wings is still a predator, are they not?”

The smile that appears on the Yaksha’s face is small, and does not reach his eyes.

Chapter Text

The month and a half remaining before the school semester started passed by rather quickly, in Xiao’s opinion. Time had always been a relatively loose concept for him, though being around people who constantly interacted with him let him stay in the present more often.

The majority of the month had been spent going over final details with Nezu, patrolling with Aizawa, and weekly visits to the Midoriya’s house. 

The last part hadn’t been planned, but the day after Xiao had received their numbers, he had sent a short text to each of them just to confirm it was indeed the right person. However, after that, Izuku continued to send messages frequently, whether it be a meme (That Xiao usually didn’t understand) or just an update on life. Sometimes, it was an inquiry on how Xiao was doing.

That had led to Inko eventually inviting him over, tearing up again about the thought that “her izuku finally made a new friend!” 

There was something slightly bitter about her tone, but Xiao never dug deeper into it. 

Something Xiao found out about Izuku during one of the earlier visits was that he was a very big hero fan. The first time the Yaksha entered the teen’s room, he stood there in shock for a moment, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of All Might merch. 

However, it didn’t just stop at merch. Once Izuku became more comfortable around Xiao, he stopped thinking before he spoke, resulting in the teen going off into multiple muttering spirals. 

Xiao didn’t really understand all of it, but paired with the teen’s notebooks, he could conclude that Izuku was extremely smart. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Izuku thought that Xiao was cool, if not a little distant. He talked little about himself, but listened attentively whenever Izuku spoke, piping in to give his own input every once in a while. Furthermore, his quirk was amazing! 

The first time he witnessed it was a complete accident. His mother wasn’t home at the time, so it was just him and Xiao, sitting around the computer as he rambled on about the documentary they were currently watching. Every time Xiao chipped in to point something out, Izuku would take a look, and eventually write it down in his notebook. He honestly didn’t understand how Xiao noticed all these small details, but it immensely helped him see things in a new light.

At some point, while he was once again reaching for his pencil, Izuku knocked over a glass of water placed nearby. 

It was as if the world had slowed down, and the teen could only watch in slowly dawning horror as the glass tilted, right in the direction of his notebook and the computer wires. But before disaster could strike, a gust of wind had pushed the glass upright again, and aside from the ripples still in the glass, it was as if nothing ever happened. 

Izuku blinked once, twice. He then rubbed his eyes, but no matter what he did, the scene in front of him did not change. 

‘ Did I imagine it? ’ Was his first thought, but the slight sway in the water told him it was indeed real. ‘ But in that case… the only one that could have done that is- ’

Izuku swerved his head around to look at Xiao, who met his gaze without a change in his expression.

“Is something the matter?”

He opened and closed his mouth a few times before his brain caught up with his mouth. “Was- was that you?” Izuku asked, pointing a finger at the glass. 

Xiao blinks once before nodding. 

Once given a confirmation, Izuku’s eyes lit up, the video being put on pause before he was spinning around in his chair so he was properly facing Xiao.

There’s another blink as the Yaksha tilts his head to one side. “...Was it not necessary?”

The teen furiously shakes his head before responding. “Your quirk is so cool! How does it work? I didn’t see you move at all, so can you control it with just a thought? Or maybe there’s a different activation method for it? I know that some quirks have certain requirements for activation, but that wouldn’t make much sense for you seeing as it was just a cup of water. What is your quirk anyway? It’s some type of control over wind, right? Or maybe elements in general? What about your control over it? Going back to the fact that you didn’t move at all when it was activated, your control must be pretty precise, huh? What about the limits? Can you lift things with it, or is there a certain limit? Wind could help you fly, right? If you create enough wind- could you fly? Are you able to use your quirk on yourself? What about- ” 

The sound of someone’s throat being cleared made Izuku pause. One look at Xiao’s expression made the teen flush red, stammering out apologies before the Yaksha held a hand out, silencing him once more. 

“There is no need to apologize. You just talk rather fast compared to what I am used to. This one-” Xiao makes a face as he corrects himself. “I will answer your questions to the best of my ability, though I do not know if I can satisfy your curiosity.”

“Right, right, sorry…” Izuku says, smiling awkwardly as he scratches the back of his head. “...You don’t mind if I take notes, do you?”

Xiao shakes his head.

“Alright! So, first off, I feel like I should have asked this way earlier, but what is your quirk?”

“It’s labeled as Wind Manipulation.”

“Labeled as? Does that mean it can do more?”

“...The name would not be wrong, but compared to my actual abilities… the name seems shallow.”

“Shallow? How so?”

Xiao seemed to ponder for a moment before answering. “Rather than manipulating the wind, I am one with it.”

He watched as Izuku scribbled something down in his notebook. “Is there any way you could expand on that?” The teen asks when he looks up again.

In response, Xiao raises a hand, letting a small whirlwind form above his palm. Izuku stares at it in wonder, but when he reaches out to touch it, Xiao pulls away out of his reach.

“It is dangerous, better not to touch.”

There’s a question in the teen’s gaze, but he doesn’t attempt to reach for it again. It takes Xiao a while longer to form an appropriate response, letting the whirlwind twirl in the air as he ponders.

“...Besides from specific locations, wind is everywhere, though we usually can not see it.” The Yaksha says at last, Izuku listening with an intense focus, “What you are seeing now is the forceful act of condensing enough wind for it to be visible. As such, while small…” Xiao takes a piece of paper from who knows where, blowing it into the whirlwind, where it’s immediately shredded into tiny pieces. 

Izuku gasps, though the sparkle in his eyes does not diminish at all. 

“That’s amazing!” He exclaims, furiously writing into his notebook. “Your control must be super good if I can’t even feel the wind while sitting right next to it!”

“Mm… letting it lose is a bad idea. It can shred wood and metal, so it would have no problem shredding flesh.” Xiao purposely explained it in a way that would seem hypothetical. There was no need to tell Izuku that he had used it to shred monsters to pieces before. It was nothing close to the black hole Barbatos could summon, but it was certainly too deadly to use on any regular opponent. Not to mention that he hadn’t ever used a full sized version of the small sphere hovering over his palm.

Izuku gulped, but didn’t move away.

“What about you?” Xiao asked after another moment.

“Hm? Wh-what about me?”

“Your quirk.”

“O-oh!” Izuku stutters, fidgeting with his fingers for a few moments. “Uh- it gives me super strength?”

‘ He’s lying. ’ Xiao concludes immediately. ‘ Does it have to do with that weird energy surrounding him? ’

“Why do you not sound sure?”

The teen continues to stutter, only partly comprehensible words leaving his mouth as his arms flail awkwardly in the air. 

“Uh- well- it’s not like… I just… and I didn’t do anything strange- nothing to see here… I- just got it late…?”

…Izuku was definitely one of the worst liars Xiao had ever seen. However, he could at least tell when someone didn’t want to talk about a certain subject. So instead…

“You are a late bloomer?”

“Y-yes!” There was a very badly hidden sigh of relief when Izuku’s weak excuse seemed to be bought. “Uh- I got it late so… I didn’t have much time to test it…”

Xiao tilts his head to one side. “Should you not practice with it more if that’s the case? There should be a gym somewhere that allows the use of quirks.”

Izuku lets out a nervous chuckle. “So the thing is… I don’t exactly have any way of using it right now without injuring myself.”

The Yaksha’s eyebrows slowly rose higher. He shouldn’t really be saying anything seeing as his own abilities also chip away at his health, but he had thought that humans were more careful with their lives.

A certain image of a blonde traveler appeared in his mind.

…Nevermind. Even if the traveler was technically immortal, when he had met them… yeah…

“...How badly do you injure yourself…?”

The teen was no longer looking at him. “Um… during the entrance exam… I broke three of my limbs just by using it once?”

…Well. That’s something.

They both sit in silence for a while, neither of them knowing what to say. Eventually, Xiao speaks up again.

“They have a healer at UA, correct? If you inform our teacher, maybe they can help arrange something?”

“R-really!?” Izuku looks up in excitement, but quickly lowers his head again. “No- wait… maybe we shouldn’t? I wouldn’t want to be a bother.”

“School is a place for children to learn. If they are competent, then they should at least try to help.”

“...Are you sure?”

“Yes.” A pause. “If it is easier, you could send an email instead?” 

“Oh! Good idea!”

Izuku rushed over to his computer, closing out the tab they were just using and opening a different one. Before long, Xiao could hear the keyboard as the teen began to write up an email.

A couple minutes later, Xiao piped up again. “Is the reason you injure yourself because you lack finer control over it?”

There was no pause in typing as Izuku answered. “Maybe? Quirks don’t come with an instruction manual. I’ve tried to figure it out on my own, but since I can’t use it again as of now, I have no way to test my theories.”

The Yaksha ponders for a while longer. “My best guess would either be a lack of control or an overload of power.”

“...Overload?”

“Mm- think of it as levels.” And wow, he never thought he would have to talk in leveling terms to a person without a leveling system. “At say, level 90, you would be exponentially stronger than someone at level one. As such, trying a skill you use at level 90 would be catastrophic if you tried to use it at a lower level.”

Only then did Xiao notice the silence that filled the room. 

“...Was that hard to understand-”

“I’ve never thought of it that way!” Izuku exclaimed suddenly, turning around in his chair to grab Xiao’s hands. The Yaksha had to repress the urge to jolt at the action. “That helps a lot, thank you so much!”

“...You’re welcome.” Xiao replies, eyes not looking away from their hands.

Izuku catches his gaze, immediately letting go with an apologetic look. Once he makes sure there isn’t any long term discomfort, he goes back to writing the email. Neither of them talk again until Izuku presses the send button.

“Well, now we just wait for a response.” The teen announces, looking satisfied. He turns to face Xiao again before continuing to speak. “Is there anything you want to do in the meantime? You probably have to go home soon though…”

Looking out the window, he could see that the sky had already started to turn a brilliant red orange, the sun sinking lower as it began to disappear under the horizon line. 

“Will your mother not be home soon?” Xiao asks, looking at the door as if she would come through at any moment.

Izuku just shakes his head. “She has a late shift today.”

“Mm… you have not had dinner yet, have you?”

“Uh- no.”

“Do you want to eat? I can only make simple dishes but I could order something instead.”

“I-I couldn’t ask you to do that!” Izuku exclaimed. “You’re the guest here! If anything- I should be the one asking you!”

Xiao simply shakes his head. “I have more than enough money to spend, you do not have to worry about the price.”

“B-but…!”

“Izuku.” Xiao interrupts, reaching into his pocket to disguise the fact that he was pulling out a card from his spatial storage. “I really don’t mind.”

“Is- is that a black card ?!” Izuku shouted in shock.

“Yes.” Perks of working such a high paying job and barely ever needing to spend anything on himself. Really, the only things he ever used it on were his apartment rent, the occasional snack and new outfits whenever something caught his eye. 

Izuku was clearly floundering now, though it didn’t look like he would immediately refuse anymore. Eventually, he slumped down in his seat. “...Are you sure?”

“I am.”

A huff of laughter. “You seem rather set on this even though I’ve never seen you eat anything yourself.”

There’s a pause. “...It would be wise for you to eat enough to sustain yourself. I have no doubt that the curriculum at UA will be difficult.”

Izuku sighs, pulling up a menu from a restaurant Xiao didn’t recognize. “Are you sure you don’t want anything? I don’t want to pry, but my mom thinks you have some type of eating disorder. I don’t think that’s necessarily right, but I don’t think she’s wrong either.”

Another pause. “...I have an aversion to food, yes, but I don’t need it to survive.”

“You know most living beings need food to live, right?”

“Yes.” Xiao pondered, wondering how to explain. “My- quirk…. simply altered my dietary needs. While I can eat food, the majority of it tastes like dirt.”

Izuku let out an interested hum. “So is it like photosynthesis? Where plants can survive off mostly sunlight and water?”

“Similar.”

A nod. “That's a relief. But you said most foods, right? That means there are foods you can eat. And you can definitely drink tea without any problems.”

“Correct. Water does not taste like anything, so as long as the drink isn’t strongly flavored, anything water based is easy to digest.”

Another hum. Izuku doesn’t ask anything further, instead pointing out a few things from the menu. After placing the order, they sit in silence for a few minutes before Xiao speaks up.

“You are not going to ask what I feed on?”

“...I will admit I'm curious, but you don’t seem comfortable with sharing. If you ever tell me, I'd be happy, but I don’t need to know if that information has to be forced out of you.”

Was he really that obvious? He thought his poker face was rather secure… however…

“...Thank you.” For respecting my boundaries .

“Of course! What are friends for, right?”

When the food arrived, Xiao bid Izuku goodbye, closing the front door behind him before letting his physical form dissipate. After searching for a few minutes, he finally found Eraserhead, who had just finished arresting another small villain. He was currently engaged in conversation with someone from the police force, who Xiao could vaguely recall seeing a few times when he dropped off villains at the station. 

The Yaksha waited until the villain was handed over and the police were out of sight before materializing behind Aizawa. 

“The school year is quickly approaching.” Xiao says in lieu of greetings.

Aizawa had gotten better at expecting Xiao to randomly appear, but he hadn’t yet suppressed the urge to flinch every time he did pop up.

“...It is. And yet, there are still new problems popping up.”

“Hm?”

“We actually got an email earlier today from a student. Apparently, they’re a late bloomer so they were requesting extra lessons to help control their quirk. They used said quirk for the first time during the exam ! Can you believe it? Honestly, what is this kid thinking?”

“Ah. When he said late bloomer, I did not expect it to be that late.”

“...You speak as if you know him.”

Xiao nods. “I came from his house. A little while ago, I helped his mother bring home groceries, and afterwards I was invited back.” He pauses for a moment. “The email was also my idea. Apologies for the trouble.”

“No…!” Aizawa pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m glad that Midoriya reached out before the year started. I just find his actions rather reckless.”

Another nod.

“Oh. Before I forget.” The underground hero adds. “All Might said he’s free for a meeting tomorrow, if you’re not busy?”

“I will be there. Does he know about me yet?”

“No, we’ve decided to wait until you want to introduce yourself. He knows the gist of it, but any important details will only be explained in person.”

“Understood.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Toshinori nervously adjusted his tie as he walked down the halls of UA. Logically, there was no reason to be nervous, but the cryptic email he had received a few days prior unnerved him. Today was the day he was supposed to be meeting the final new member of the UA staff, and yet, said staff member’s identity couldn’t be shared over email.

That alone made him confused. For there to be information that can’t be shared with the number one hero, well… there were very few things that needed to be kept top secret. And usually, those secrets were due to his actions.

He paused in front of the double doors to the staff room, taking a deep breath before extending a skinny arm to push them open.

“I HAVE ARRIVED!”

“Ah! Welcome!” Nezu is the one to greet him from his seat at the end of the long table. The other heroes in the room turn to face him soon after, though there is no sight of the newest staff member. “Take a seat! The others will be here soon.”

Toshinori does just that, shifting a few times before making himself comfortable. 

“Well, while we wait, let me explain the gist of things to you.” Nezu continues after a moment, launching into an explanation. 

It seemed pretty straight forward at first, but there was one question that plagued his mind. 

“A hero’s face that isn’t public knowledge. Is it another underground hero like Aizawa then? I wasn’t aware of a hero young enough to pose as a student-”

A chill from behind him stopped Toshinori from finishing his sentence. Already, he could feel sweat forming on his neck, and his instincts told him that whatever was standing behind him was dangerous. 

When he spared a quick glance at the other heroes, their expressions hadn’t changed at all besides Aizawa’s, who was now looking at the space behind the number one hero. 

Slowly, he turned around, fist beginning to curl up. However, said grip faltered when he caught the gaze of amber eyes. 

They stare into each other’s eyes, but after a brief moment, the teen’s eyebrows quirk upward.

“You are stronger than expected.”

There was nothing threatening about that sentence, but something in his gut told him to run away. 

“All Might, are you okay?” Midnight asks.

That snapped him out of his daze. “I- you…?” He shakes his head a few times. “Hello- it’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

The boy opens his mouth to respond, but closes it again. He squints, looking the hero up and down. “...Why-?” He looks up again to meet Toshinori’s eyes. “As far as the public is aware, you do not have any offspring. So why is it that you share the exact same energy as him?”

‘ Same energy…? He couldn’t be talking about Midoriya, could he?! ’ The thought that followed sent another wave of chills down his spine. ‘ That would mean… he can sense One For All!’

“Ah. Well, that complicates things.” Nezu comments, getting up from his seat to approach the two. “Would you mind following me, All Might, Xiao?”

When there were no protests, Nezu walked off, letting Xiao open the door for him before strolling down the hallways. It took a few minutes before they reached another pair of doors, which opened to reveal Nezu’s personal office. 

“Have a seat. I doubt this conversation will be easy.” The mouse states, walking over to his desk. 

They do as he says, watching as he brews tea. It was only after each of them were in possession of a cup that he spoke again.

“All Might, what is your impression of Xiao?”

The number one hero takes a glance at the boy next to him, who was idly swirling the tea around in his cup. “...Strong. Much too strong for someone who I've never heard of before.”

Xiao lets out a hum. “For someone like you to be able to feel it is an impressive feat in itself.”

All Might wasn’t sure exactly what ‘it’ was, but he could take a guess. The immense pressure surrounding the boy was almost suffocating, though he could tell it was controlled, much to his relief.

“I… don’t understand how you’ve managed to stay under the radar this entire time. Surely, since you’re an official hero, the Hero Public Safety Commission would have kept a close eye on you.”

Xiao placed his cup of tea down on the coffee table. “They tried. However, I do not answer to them. There is nothing they could threaten me with that could make me show myself unless it was of my own free will.”

“Oh? And what do you think is stopping me from sharing all the information I have on you with them right now?” Nezu asks.

The Yaksha’s lips quirk up. “If you think any information you have on me will be helpful in tracking me down, you are severely mistaken.”

A laugh. “Wonderful! It would be rather disappointing if it was that easy after all the effort I took to dig out all the small tidbits you leave around.” Nezu takes another sip of tea. “However, let us get back on topic. I’m sure that you are both rather curious about a few things, but before that, I think proper introductions are in order.”

“Oh! Yes, that would be helpful.” Toshinori responded, turning to face Xiao.

Xiao nods in acknowledgement. “Xiao. The Vigilant Yaksha, rank 19.”

Ah, the living myth. Of course.

“Toshinori Yagi. Though you probably know me as All Might.”

Xiao nods. “Your form is different from the one seen in public. Is it shapeshifting?”

“It’s not.”

A sigh. “This is where it starts to get complicated.” Nezu pipes in, finishing his cup of tea. “Xiao, you implied you’ve met someone with a similar… energy to All Might, have you not?”

“Correct.”

There’s another pause as Nezu moves to refill another cup of tea. “While we were never planning on keeping it from you, we didn’t expect to have to explain it so soon either.”

Toshinori looks over in slight alarm. “Do you mean everything ? Are you sure that’s wise, Nezu?”

The mouse nods. “Keeping the number of people who know your secret minimal would be the best course of action, but Xiao here is doing us a favor, not the other way round. In addition, I have the feeling that if we didn’t tell him first, he would eventually dig into it himself. Am I wrong?” Nezu asks, turning to Xiao.

“No. Though you seem to have rather high expectations of me. It would have been possible for me not to find anything in my search.”

Another sip of tea. “You are a legal citizen of Japan, and yet, the Hero Public Safety Commission has almost no records on you. That would mean you have some type of connection to the government that allows you to live here. It wouldn’t be difficult for them to track down clues, even those that have long since been buried.”

He doesn’t reply to that.

“No answer? Well, that’s alright. Moving on, are you aware of a man that goes by the name of All For One?”

The Yaksha thought for a moment. “...Are you referring to a person with a quirk named All For One? I wasn’t aware he was still alive.”

Toshinori startles. “Are you saying you’ve met him before?”

A nod. “I met him when he was much younger. A minor problem, but he should be dead by now. Are you saying he is not?”

“No.” The number one hero replied. “We think he’s stolen an immortality quirk, though we have no way of knowing the specifics.”

“Five years ago, All Might was able to majorly injure him, though All For One was still able to escape. Unfortunately, Toshinori was also injured in the process, and the wound has slowly been reducing his work hours.” Nezu adds on. “Of course, the public doesn’t know anything about that because it’s been covered up. The reason All Might will be teaching at UA is to train his successor to be the next user of One For All, the only quirk that can go against All For One.”

“Is there something that makes these two different from other quirks?”

It’s Toshinori that answers this time. “Yes. In the case of One For All, it can be passed onto others, so it gets stronger every generation. We think that if the user trains enough, they will eventually be able to use the previous owner’s quirks as well. The other advantage is that it’s the one quirk that can’t be stolen by All For One. Like its name suggests, it’s a power used for All. In comparison, All For One is a quirk that makes its sole user stronger by taking other’s quirks and making it the user’s own. Of course, All For One can also be passed down in theory, but we doubt that’s going to happen anytime soon.”

“...If All For One is such an issue, would it not be easier to track him down and kill him? If he was previously injured, the logical decision would have been to hunt him down before he could recover.”

A cough. “...Actually, we thought he was dead until recently.”

Xiao blinks.

“The injuries All For One sustained would have killed any other person.” Toshinori responds. “He no longer has eyes, or much of a face in general. After getting injured, All For One went into hiding, which is the reason no one has heard of him, and why we all thought he was dead.”

“The only reason we were able to figure out he was alive is because I found information on him while investigating you, Xiao.” Nezu pipes in. “I suppose I should thank you for that.”

Another blink. “...I see.”

It made sense, he supposed. Xiao didn’t have eyes everywhere, but unless someone was deliberately hiding their tracks, Xiao would have heard of them at some point. 

“Since we have no way of tracking him down, our next best option is to find the spy he most likely planted, and get information from them.”

“I understand.” The Yaksha replies. “However, if his location is discovered, I request that you let me aid you in his defeat. All For One seems rather strong for someone of this time, and will most likely continue to get stronger if not stopped.”

“That works perfectly for us.” Nezu replies cheerfully. “Thank you for your understanding.”

A nod. “I will take my leave. We will see each other again soon.”

Toshinori watches in astonishment as Xiao stands up, disappearing into the wind. It was only then was he able to relax, the stifling aura he felt finally fading away. 

“Well, now that he’s gone, your personal opinion?” Nezu asks.

“...Nezu. I don’t think any of us could stop him. Even at my peak, I doubt I could hold on for more than a few minutes.”

“Oh? That’s rather concerning.”

A shudder. “There’s too much power in him. I think if All For One tried to steal it, he would break down. However, I'm not sure he would even be able to react fast enough to do anything before he would inevitably be dead.”

There’s a hum as Nezu takes another sip of tea. “Well, it’s a relief that he doesn’t seem to have any intentions of harming us.”

Inwardly, Nezu shivers. Xiao’s eyes had a predatory gaze to them. His instincts told him to cower and run. He wasn’t sure exactly what the Yaksha was, but it did nothing to stop his heart from hammering in his chest. 

“I’m not sure what Aizawa did to get into his good graces, but it’s beneficial to us to have such a powerful ally.”

Toshinori nods. “...While that is true, he seems to know a little too much.”

“Xiao is a mystery. Anything we know about him has been voluntarily given, and I doubt we would be able to find anything on our own.” Nezu places his teacup down, folding his paws together. “During the school term, be sure to not express any outward difference in attitude to him. He is here as a spy, so we must make sure his identity is not exposed.”

“Understood.”

“Perfect. It’s almost time to put this plan into action.” The smile on Nezu’s face widens. “I wonder what he has in store for us.”

Chapter Text

Xiao grimaced as he once again looked into the mirror, pulling at the cuffs of the uniform’s blazer. He had already given up wearing his tie properly, letting it rest on his neck in a loose knot. After a few more minutes of useless fidgeting, he gives up on that as well, letting it stay unbuttoned.

A black arm sleeve is worn to cover up the majority of his tattoo, with the uniform shirt covering up the rest. Like always, he attaches his mask to his belt before doing the same with his vision. He’s not wearing the glove that it’s usually attached to, so this was the best alternative. 

He takes one last glance at his reflection in the mirror, letting out a sigh. Who knew that uniforms would be such an issue? At first, he had tried wearing everything properly, but that quickly became impossible once he realized how much it would tamper with his ability to move around freely. Which… led him to making adjustments to the majority of the uniform, taking about fifteen minutes in total. 

Taking a quick look into his inventory, Xiao makes sure all needed supplies are easy to access, with his phone now being stored in his pants pocket instead of his spacial storage. Only once he’s sure that everything is in order does he leave his apartment, using the wind to make his way to the Midoriya’s household. 

He was about to knock on the door when it suddenly opened, Izuku barreling out and almost smacking him in the face if not for the step backwards he took. The green haired teen immediately stopped in his tracks, both of them staring at each other for a brief moment before Izuku’s face split into a huge smile. 

“Xiao! You’re here!”

“Oh? Xiao’s here?” Inko asks, popping her head out the door as Xiao nods his head in greeting. 

“Make sure you have a great day at school as well, alright, Xiao?”

The Yaksha nods once more. The door closes after a couple minutes of exchanging pleasantries, and then the two of them are off. Xiao was content with letting Izuku lead, the two of them walking side by side in comfortable silence as they made their way to UA. 

When they make it to the actual building, Xiao shifts to walking in front of Izuku as the teen becomes more uncertain about directions. It only took a few more moments before they stopped in front of a giant door labeled 1-A, both of them looking upwards to marvel at the sheer size of the thing. 

Placing a hand on the door, Xiao takes one last look at Izuku, only to pause when he sees the sweat on the boy’s forehead.

“Nervous?” He asks.

A hesitant nod. “...There’s- a few people I'm hoping are in 1-B instead of 1-A.”

Tilting his head to one side, Xiao is about to respond before he lightly winces, staring back at the door. 

“...Loud.”

Izuku looks at him in confusion, going up to the door and pressing an ear against it. 

“...I’m pretty sure the door is soundproof, Xiao. How good is your hearing to call it loud?”

The Yaksha releases one last sigh before opening the door, immediately spotting the two teens responsible for the noise. One had spikey blonde hair and sharp red eyes, his feet crossed over a desk while he leaned back in a chair. The other had bluish black hair, sporting rectangular glasses on his face and was currently scolding the blonde. 

Judging by Izuku’s shallow inhale, these were probably the two he had wanted to avoid. The taller of the two males had started to approach Izuku, and while Xiao was prepared to step in between the two, he decided to step aside instead, realizing there was no malicious intent. 

Tuning the conversation out, the Yaksha opted instead to examine the classroom, forcing himself not to cringe away from the many eyes locked onto the small makeshift group. He came back to himself quickly when a new voice joined the mix, looking over to a vaguely familiar face. It took a moment, but he eventually remembered that this was the girl who had saved Izuku from falling to an early demise. 

However, he was more focused on what was behind the girl, near her feet. Quietly, he slipped by her into the hallway, making eye contact with the person laying on the floor in the process. Raising an eyebrow, Xiao mentally questioned what the point was for Aizawa to be laying on the ground while sipping a juice pouch. 

Aizawa only replied by mouthing the word, ‘test’.

Knowing he probably wouldn’t get anything else out of the teacher, Xiao gave a nod before slipping back into the classroom, going to lean against the wall. Aizawa gave it a few more moments before speaking up, causing Izuku and the girl to freeze. 

“Go somewhere else if you want to play at being friends.”

The Yaksha had to stop the quirk of his lips as Aizawa slowly crawled out of the sleeping bag, the teens around him going still. 

“It took eight seconds for all of you to quiet down. Life is short, kids, you’re lacking in common sense.”

From behind him, Xiao could hear Izuku muttering, trying to figure out which pro hero Aizawa was. It was a reminder to himself that most underground heroes usually weren’t known to the general public. It also gave him a sense of displeasure from the fact that underground heroes weren’t a thing when he became a hero.

“I’m your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta.” The teacher continues. “Pleasure to meet you.”

There’s a pause as Aizawa reaches into his sleeping bag, no one daring to speak. He eventually pulls out a blue and white tracksuit, detailed with red accents, displaying it to the class.

“Put these on quickly and then get to the P.E grounds. I’ll be waiting for you.”

With that, he walks off, not sparing the class a second glance. 

Xiao gives a small exhale, still repressing the quirk of his lips. As a couple panels on the wall open, displaying suitcases that probably contained their P.E uniforms, he walks over as the others continue to chatter, finding his name under the suitcase numbered nineteen.

Grabbing it, the Yaksha makes a beeline for the changing room, pulling on the uniform and making it to the field in record time. None of the others had made it to the changing rooms by the time he got out, but that probably was because none of the others were directed to where the changing rooms were. 

There’s a question in Aizawa’s gaze when he steps onto the field, though nothing is asked. Instead, they waited silently as the other students slowly trickled onto the field, and a certain voice made the Yaksha turn around as his name was called out.

“Xiao! There you are!” Izuku exclaimed, jogging up to join him. “One second you were next to me, and the next second, you disappeared!” 

The older one doesn't say anything, but does spare a small nod. 

Izuku, used to Xiao’s silence, continues to ramble. “I swear, your sense of direction isn’t normal. I’ve never seen you get lost or even take a wrong turn by accident-”

There’s the sound of a clap, making everyone quiet down. 

“It took less time for you to quiet down. But that’s still not fast enough.” Aizawa said. “We’re going to be doing a Quirk Apprehension Test.”

“A Quirk Apprehension Test?!”

“What about the opening ceremony?!”

“If you want to be heroes, you don't have time for those.” Their teacher glares at them from over his shoulder as he starts listing different physical activities. “Softball pitch, standing long jump, 50 meter dash, endurance running, grip strength test, sustained sideways jumps, upper body exercises, and seated toe-touch. These were all activities you did in middle school, without your quirks of course.”

Xiao had never done half of these activities in his life. 

“Bakugou.” Aizawa called, the angry blonde snapping to attention at his name. “How far could you pitch a softball in middle school?”

“67 meters.”

The teacher throws him a softball. “Try using your quirk this time. Anything goes as long as you stay in the circle. Don’t hold back.”

There’s a nod as Bakugou winds up. In the next moment, there’s a shockwave as the ball is sent flying, accompanied by the word “DIE!” in all capital letters. Xiao winced, shaking his head to disperse the lingering echo.

Aizawa holds up a device that reads 705.2m. 

“Before anything else, you should know what you’re capable of doing.”

“Woah! This looks so fun!” The pink skinned girl exclaims. 

…Were all teenagers this loud? 

“You say it looks fun? Were you planning to spend your three years here having fun? Alright then. New rule, the student ranked last will be instantly expelled .”

As a wave of confusion carried over the class, Xiao spared another glance at Izuku, who seemed to be getting more and more nervous by the second. After contemplating for a moment, he slides over to stand next to the boy.

“Will you be alright?”

Izuku jumps before turning slightly to face him. “I-i’ll try my best?”

How do you comfort someone? This was not something included in his skill set. 

“The staff read your email- most likely.” The Yaksha started. “This could be a way to test your current progress.”

The green haired boy froze for a moment before perking up. “Right! It’s probably not true! No way a teacher would expel someone on their first day of school!”

Xiao hid a wince. Aizawa definitely wasn’t joking.

He hid another wince when the brown haired girl spoke up. Archons, was he going to have to deal with this for an entire three years? Maybe he should invest in a pair of those soundproof headphones. 

“This is our first day here!” She exclaims. “Even if it wasn’t, that’s just too unreasonable!” 

Xiao tuned out the rest of Aizawa’s speech as he looked around at the other students. Most of them seemed tense, though a few did stand out. 

The first was one of the two Izuku seemed to be trying to avoid. The blonde- Bakugou- was grinning, not seeming concerned in the slightest. The second was a boy with bicolored hair. Unlike Bakugou, his face remained stoic, almost looking bored. The Yaksha swore he had seen the teen before, but couldn’t place his finger on it.

Those two stood out the most, but Xiao wasn’t about to let his guard down for any of them.

The first trial started soon after. Xiao blinked as Iida quite literally propelled himself across the track using engines attached to his legs. 

…He was learning names slowly. Not that he actually bothered asking anyone for their name. The Yaksha was relying on the leaderboard to determine identities. 

The frog girl- Asui- made it through the track in about 5 seconds. 

He also learned the girl from the entrance exam was named Uraraka. Gravity was a pretty dangerous quirk if someone knew how to manipulate it, though she seemed to be only able to reduce gravity, so he wasn’t that worried yet.

Xiao could barely stop his jaw from dropping at the next student. Their quirk was so distracting he quite literally forgot to check the name of the participant. 

…A glittery belly button lazer? Really?

Bakugou and Izuku were soon after. Xiao couldn’t lie when he said Bakugou had a lot of potential, though he knew the blonde’s attitude could use work… Or maybe not? Endeavor got away fine as a hero even with his attitude problems. 

Oh- that was where he knew the bicolored kid from. 

The Yaksha watched a few more students go before it was finally his turn. As he walked up to the beginning of the track, he contemplated something. Finally, as Aizawa was about to yell start, he turned to the teacher, making the underground hero pause.

“Do I have to run?”

There were a few students in his peripheral vision who bristled, though Aizawa responded before anyone else spoke. 

“If you mean needing to cross the track to complete the test, the answer is no. As long as the scanner at the end picks up on your presence, you’re good.” The underground hero let out a sigh. “Word your sentences better. I have no doubt there were a few people who thought you were asking for special privilege.”

Xiao blinks, turning his head to look at the teenagers behind him. There were a few that gave him a sheepish look, while others turned away from him.

Turning back to Aizawa, he responded, “I understand.”

Xiao turned back to the track, watching as the girl next to him- Yaoyorozu- did the same. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as she pulled rollerblades out of her skin, followed by what seems to be an air cannon. 

The second the signal was given to start, the only thing left at the starting line was a cloud of dust. The students on the sidelines all turned their heads almost in unison to the finish line, where the two now stood. Well- Xiao stood, Yaoyorozu was in the middle of stopping herself from rolling too far. 

“Wh-what are their times?” Another blonde- Kaminari- asked.

The scanners took that moment to read out their scores.

“Lapis, Xiao; 0.43 seconds. Yaoyorozu, Momo; 1.86 seconds.”

There were many murmurs.

“Woah, seriously?!”

“How are we supposed to compete with that?”

“Are they recommended students?”

Aizawa clears his throat, making them all fall silent again. “We don’t have time for dawdling, onto the next test.”

The remaining tests were completed swifty, though Xiao was keeping track of his own scores along with those who excelled in certain categories. 

Grip strength, 54 kgs. Not bad for something he never actively trained for, though Mezo Shoji completely beat everyone else in this category. 

For the standing long jump, Aizawa just marked his score down as passing, as it was kinda hard to judge the distance he could jump when Xiao could basically teleport as far as he wanted. 

There was nothing special about the sustained long jumps, though there were a few interesting cases for the next test.

When it was Uraraka’s turn for the pitch, Xiao let out a small impressed hum when the device blinked, displaying an infinity symbol. The class watched for a while longer, though the ball never came back down. Xiao could vaguely see the ball now floating around in space, though he doubted anyone else could make out its shape anymore.

Observing the students suddenly became more difficult when he felt eyes looking at the back of his head. It wasn’t malicious, but it made him uncomfortable, and it was hard to turn around and check when there were so many eyes around. 

When it was Izuku’s turn to pitch, Xiao could finally spare a glance behind him when Iida and Bakugou started up another commotion, though he quickly made note that Bakugou seemed to have some type of personal vendetta against Izuku that spanned much further back.

It wasn’t hard to spot the bright blonde hair and muscular build of the number one hero, who was trying to hide behind a wall. Xiao inwardly made a note about how All Might would have been less visible if he came to watch while deflated, but he had no way to convey his thoughts to the intended target. 

He turned back to Izuku when his score was announced.

“46 meters.”

Xiao turned his head to look at Aizawa, who’s eyes were now glowing red. Izuku was looking down at his hands in confusion, as were a few others.

That confusion didn’t last long once Aizawa spoke up. “I erased your quirk.”

The Yaksha could physically see Izuku’s eyes light up in realization. “You’re the Erasing Hero, Eraserhead!”

Chatter started up again behind him, and he tried his best to tune it out while still listening to Izuku and Aizawa’s conversation.

“I have received your email, don’t get me wrong. But from what I've seen, you have quite literally no control over your quirk. Do you just expect someone to save you once you’ve crippled yourself?”

Izuku gulped, stammering out incomprehensible words.

“Let me tell you something.” Aizawa continued. “There’s a certain insufferable fool out there that runs around, making a name for himself by saving thousands of people without any support.”

…Wow- Aizawa really didn’t like All Might, did he?

Aizawa deactivated his quirk before speaking again. “You have his courage, but unlike him, you don’t have the skills to back it up. Right now, you’re setting yourself up for failure.” The underground hero turns away. “I gave you your quirk back. You have one more chance. Make sure you don’t break your arm this time.”

With a look of nervous determination, Izuku stepped back into the pitching ring. 

Xiao watched from the corner of his eye as Aizawa pulled out a small bottle of eyedrops. The Yaksha could feel the power of Izuku’s quirk as it started to activate, the energy gathering continually changing colors to create a spark. 

In the next moment, the ball flew into the sky, splitting a hole into the clouds as it passed. 

Peeking over Aizawa’s shoulder, Xiao read Izuku’s score. 705.3 meters. Not bad. Izuku had clearly broken a finger during that throw, but it was definitely better than shattering a whole limb. Not only that, but the teen was clearly in pain, and yet didn’t make a sound when his finger shattered. 

Looking at Aizawa’s face, the Yaksha could tell he was also impressed, though Xiao doubted the underground hero would say anything about it out loud. 

Distantly, Xiao could hear cheering and chatter coming from the other students, but he didn’t pay it any attention until the sound of an explosion rang out. Twisting around, the Yaksha watched as Bakugou shot towards Izuku, small explosions coming out of his palms. 

There was a moment of pause where Xiao contemplated if he should interfere, but it turned out unneeded when Aizawa took action instead, letting his scarf wrap around the explosive blonde before pulling him back. 

“What the hell-! The cloth is hard…!”

“It’s my special capturing weapon woven together using metal wire and carbon nanofilters.” Aizawa responded, letting out a groan. “Geez, don’t make me use my quirk so much, I have dry eyes!”

Deactivating his quirk once more, Aizawa took the baseball and walked over to Xiao.

“We’re wasting time.” He says, handing the ball over. “Throw this so we can move onto the next trial.”

As Xiao stepped into the ring, he could feel the eyes on him, watching his every move. It was uncomfortable and unfamiliar, though he did his best to ignore the shiver that passed over his skin. 

He had never thrown a baseball before, or participated in any sport, really. It was heavier than he thought it would be, but still much too light to put much strength into the throw. 700 meters was fine for a score, right?

Pulling his arm back, he threw the ball, adding a very small sliver of power to propel it upward. It shot up fast enough that those nearby could feel the wind it created. A moment later, Aizawa holds up the measuring device, displaying the number 720.2.

Xiao finally let his mouth quirk upward. 

Chapter Text

“It’s time to present the results.” Aizawa says, holding up a small remote. “It would be a pain to recite all of your scores one by one, so I’ll just show them all at once.”

A holographic screen popped up after he pressed a button, showing the scoreboard. As the teens around him murmured, Xiao searched for his name, finding it near the top. Rank 2, below Yaoyorozu. 

“Oh, by the way, that ‘expulsion’ thing was a lie.” Aizawa adds on, making the class fall silent before letting out a synchronized “WHAT?!”

“Come on guys, use your brains, of course it was a ruse.” Yaoyorozu stated, placing a hand on her hip.

Many ended up agreeing with her once they calmed down, though Xiao knew for a fact that it definitely wasn’t a ruse. 

The Yaksha watched as Aizawa gave Izuku a slip for the nurse’s office before slipping away. He followed as the underground hero turned a corner, coming face to face with All Might, who was now confronting him about the ‘logical ruse.’

“All Might.” Aizawa interrupted. “I take it you were watching? Must have a lot of free time on your hands.”

“Aizawa, April Fools was a week ago! Last year, you expelled an entire class of students!”

The underground hero’s expression did not change as All Might continued his little speech.

“You must have felt it too, right? Midoriya’s raw potential!”

Aizawa was already turning away. “His chances are above zero, that’s all. I can kick them out at any time. It’s not cruel to end the dream of someone who doesn’t even try.”

All Might watches as Aizawa walks off, muttering when he’s out of hearing range.

“Just as I thought… we will never get along.”

“You should not stay in that form if you are not trying to attract attention.” Xiao piped up, causing Toshinori to jump.

“Ah! Young Lapis, fancy seeing you here!” The number one hero exclaims, not noticing the small grimace that appeared on Xiao’s face before evening out. 

“You stand out too much.” Xiao repeats. “There is no reason for you to stay in that form when just walking around.”

“...Thank you for your suggestion!” 

Xiao nods before walking off. The rest of the day was mostly just introductions, so there was nothing important that Xiao paid particular attention to. Izuku was absent from the rest of the day’s classes, though that seemed to be expected after he shattered his finger during the apprehension test. 

The Yaksha found the teen later walking sluggishly out of the building after classes ended.

“Is your finger healed now?” Xiao inquired as he walked quietly up behind Izuku, at the same time that Iida also approached and asked the same question. 

All three of them stopped to stare at each other, though Izuku soon realized he was asked a question and quickly responded.

“O-oh- yeah! Recovery Girl fixed it right up…” 

Iida continued on a rant as the three of them fell into walking side by side, with Izuku piping in once in a while to share his input while Xiao listened quietly from the sidelines. 

A sudden voice stopped them all in their tracks. “Hey, you three! Are you guys heading towards the station? Wait for me!”

The brown haired girl from earlier called out as she raced to catch up, stopping a small distance away once she did to catch her breath. 

“You- are that ‘infinity’ girl?” Iida questions. 

“Hi! I’m Uraraka Ochako! You’re Iida Tenya, right? And then Midoriya ‘Deku’ and Xiao… uh- sorry, I don’t think I ever caught your surname?”

The Yaksha shook his head.

“Just Xiao then? Alright.”

“Uh- Deku?” Izuku questioned, stuttering.

“Eh- wasn’t that what Bakugou called you?”

“Um- uh, my name is actually Izuku- ‘Deku’ is just what Kacchan calls me to make fun of me…” Izuku tries explaining as his face becomes increasingly red. 

Xiao looks at the teen’s face with a small frown.

“Oh, so it’s an insult!” Iida points out.

Uraraka apologizes at the same time, though she continues on after that. “You know, I kinda like the name ‘Deku’ for you. It gives off the sorta ‘never gives up’ vibe, do you know what I mean?”

By now, Izuku’s face was completely red, and Xiao was starting to get concerned. That concern continued to increase as Izuku spoke once more.

“Hi, I’m Deku.”

“Do not be so weak-willed! Remember that the name is an insult!”

Izuku hides his face in his palms, peeking out between his fingers only to look at Xiao, hoping for assurance. Unfortunately, said person had a rather dubious look on their face as he continued to stare at Izuku, making the green haired teen only try to hide away even further. 

Once the quartet went their separate ways at the station, Xiao made a small pit stop back to his apartment to change out of the school uniform before circling back around onto his regular patrol route. 

There was still a worrying decrease in the amount of crimes, but he did stumble upon a rumor about a newly forming villain group. It was nothing of significance yet, but there were rumors that many who went to get recruited never came back with any report of confirmation or denial. 

Any subtle attempts to dig for information came to a dead end, so the Yaksha decided to put the topic on hold. In the meantime, he decided to drop by Ishida’s store to get more almond tofu. Besides from the last visit to get her information to compensate for the damages caused to her store, he hadn’t stopped by lately. 

When the little bell above the door rang, the woman greeted his arrival on instinct, though perked up when she realized who exactly it was. 

“Xiao-kun! It’s been a while! I was half expecting you to not come back after- last time.”

“Apologies, it was not my intention to stay away for so long.”

“No, no, I understand. With how hard you work, I'm still surprised you were able to visit on a near weekly basis. Did something change? You aren’t overworking yourself, are you?”

Xiao lets out a noncommittal hum.

“Oh dear, should I not talk about it? You are known as the national cryptid for a reason, after all…” She frets, placing a hand on her cheek. 

The Yaksha shakes his head. “I have no problems with you discussing my job. I prefer keeping away from the paparazzi, but there is no reason you should feel obligated to avoid the topic all together.”

She nods, watching silently as he goes over to where the almond tofu was stored. “I never got to thank you properly, did I?”

He pauses for only a moment. “There is no need. It is my duty to protect people.” Taking out one container of the dessert, the image of two people suddenly flashes into his mind, and after another moment of consideration, he takes out two more boxes.

“Aiya, just accept my thanks, I have no doubt things would have been very different if you weren’t there.”

Knowing that arguing would get him nowhere, Xiao just nods, bringing over the items to the counter.

“Oh? Three servings today? You’re not planning on finishing all three of these by yourself, are you?”

“No.” He replies, shaking his head. “Meeting with a few acquaintances later.”

“So you do hang out with others. That’s good.” She says in return, ringing up his items. Placing them in a bag, she hands them to him. “Take care of yourself, alright? And make sure you remember to stop by!”

He gives a nod, taking the bag carefully from her hands to avoid any accidental contact. “Thank you.”

Once he exits the shop, he turns into an alleyway before teleporting to the front of Aizawa’s home, knocking on the door with his free hand. 

It doesn’t take long before someone opens the door, though the Yaksha has to force himself not to tense up when it’s Yamada who’s standing in the doorway instead of the underground hero that Xiao had slowly gotten used to.

The voice hero lets him in with cheerful greetings, taking the bag of dessert out of his hands as the cats decide he would make a good climbing tree. 

“So, how was your first day of classes?” Yamada asked as they made their way to the kitchen. “Wasn’t too stressful, I hope?”

“...Noisy.”

Yamada seemed to take his clipped response in stride, nodding enthusiastically. “Fair enough! It’s hard to imagine a whole group of teenagers not being noisy!”

Xiao adjusts his grip on the two cats, letting one rest on his shoulder while the other lays down in his arms as Yamada deposits the almond tofu onto the kitchen counter. 

After a moment of consideration, Xiao decides to ask, “Where is Aizawa?”

“Oh, so you have a favorite, do you?” The voice hero inquires, making the Yaksha tense. Xiao isn’t sure if Yamada notices this or not, but the voice hero continues talking. “I’m teasing, of course. Shouta is probably catching up on sleep. He’ll probably be up soon though, so don’t worry. Can I get you anything to drink in the meantime? I was just making dinner, so that should be done soon too!”

“...Just water is fine.” Xiao responds.

A few minutes later, Xiao is awkwardly sitting at the dining table, a glass of water in front of him. This was how Aizawa found him, and the underground hero had to smother a laugh about how much Xiao reminded him of a wet cat in that moment. 

Instead, he comments, “You know you don’t have to wear your hero outfit whenever you visit, right? We’d be perfectly fine with you coming in wearing normal attire.”

Xiao blinks for a moment. “Ah. There seems to be a misconception here."

Aizawa lets out an inquiring hum as he sits down across from the Yaksha.

“While I am capable of changing outfits,” Xiao begins, “This is the form I've chosen to maintain, as it is the most comfortable for humans to view.”

“...So the clothes you’re wearing now are literally part of your body?” Yamada asks as he places down a couple dishes before taking a seat.

The Yaksha shakes his head. “Think of it as a clothing selection in a game. Most characters will usually stay in one outfit while there are sometimes others you can obtain from events and such.” The two humans nod. “In the near future, there is a chance that the UA uniform will become a special outfit I can shift into, but for now the outfit I am currently wearing is one of the few I do not need to manually change into to wear.”

Aizawa seemed to have a different question. “You said your current form is the most comfortable for humans to view. Does that mean it isn’t the one you prefer?”

Yamada seemed to realize what Aizawa was implying. “Have you been uncomfortable this entire time?!”

Xiao seems to close up a bit. “...I have no problems with my current form, though it is true I have another that I prefer over this one.”

“Well, would you like to shift into that one? I promise no one here will judge you!”

The Yaksha’s eyes begin to glaze over. “I… no. It’s-” He cuts himself off.

“...Xiao, are you alright-?” Hizashi begins to ask, though a hand on his shoulder makes him pause. Turning to the side, he sees Shouta shaking his head. 

The Adeptus shakes himself out of it after a minute or two. When he speaks again, his voice is flat.

“I would prefer if that topic is not brought up again.”

The two have to pause for a moment to visibly stop themselves from reacting to the sudden shift in tone. Aizawa is the first to recover.

“...Right.”

Hizashi awkwardly tries to change the subject. “Well- we should eat! We don’t want the food to get cold, do we?”

Xiao seems to hesitate a bit before slowly picking up the pair of chopsticks in front of him and taking a few bites of fish. The two other heroes exchange a glance, but don’t say anything about how little the Yaksha seemed to be eating. 

At some point about halfway through the meal, Xiao had put his chopsticks down, opting to entertain the cats instead. Again, they didn’t say anything, though Hizashi did open his mouth before Shouta elbowed him to shut up.

Shouta watches Xiao’s actions out of the corner of his eyes, and though he didn’t make it obvious he was watching, the underground hero knew that Xiao could feel the gaze from the back of his head. The Yaksha made no attempts to stop the cats from climbing all over his body, though he made no moves to voluntarily touch the cats himself.

“There are treats in the cupboard if you want to feed them something.” Shouta remarks a little while later, pointing a finger towards said place.

Xiao follows in the direction of the finger, the cats trailing after him and meowing excitedly. They continue to circle the shorter male’s feet as he pulls out a few different bags of food, placing them on the floor. As if knowing what he wanted them to do, both of the cats made a run for their preferred bag of treats, though the Yaksha did grab them up again before they could try pouncing on the food.

Xiao takes a few pieces from each bag, letting the cats eat out of his hand. He continues to sit on the floor with them until the other two heroes finish their dinner, taking their dishes to the sink. The yaksha did offer to help with the dishes, but Hizashi quickly refused.

“You’re a guest! Don’t worry about it.”

Aizawa in the meantime was looking at what Xiao had brought them, humming a bit when he ate a small spoonful as a taste test. 

“It’s not as sweet as I expected, surprisingly.”

“Shouta has a preference for salty foods, so that’s praise coming from him.” Yamada remarks, speaking in a semi quiet voice. “What did you bring?”

“Almond tofu.” Xiao responds absentmindedly, blinking for a moment before adding, “I believe that people in Japan more oftenly refer to it as annin tofu.”

“Oh! I’ve had some before in a restaurant.” The voice hero replied. “Though you don’t seem like the type of person who would get take-out.”

Xiao nods. “Got it from a store. You are right, I do not often eat at restaurants. Too many people.”

There’s a brief pause as Aizawa passes the dessert around so each of them have a small container. 

“Are you sure you’ll be ok being surrounded by so many people every day? You can tell us if it gets too much.”

Another pause. “I accepted the job because I know my own capabilities. Be assured that my own discomfort is insignificant, and will pose no threat to the mission.”

“...While you might not care about your own wellbeing, that doesn’t mean we don’t.” Aizawa says. “Finding the spy is important, yes, but we won’t overlook someone’s health to complete the objective.”

Xiao blinks a few times, not sure how to respond. “...Understood.”

Aizawa, as if sensing Xiao’s confusion, added on, “Meaning, if you think that it’s too much, tell us .” 

“Ah.” The Yaksha takes a moment to process the statement. “I… I will try.”

“That’s all we can ask.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When classes actually began the next day, many of the students were disappointed after realizing how normal most of the lessons were. However, for Xiao, it made him feel weird to be sitting in one spot for so long doing nothing but listening to lectures. On the outside, he appeared as stoic as usual, but there were multiple times in which he had to stop himself from summoning his spear to fidget with. 

Maybe it was immature to want to fidget with something, but even after all these years, his body still wasn’t used to relaxing, making it rather hard to sit still. Usually, he wouldn’t have a problem with this when sitting on a rooftop, scanning over the city, but he was boxed in on all sides here, with barely anything to look at. 

In some hidden corner of his mind, he longed for the comfort of residing on the balcony of Wangshu Inn, gazing out on the entirety of Liyue in the brief moments of peace he had in between slaying monsters. Even if the rooftops in the city here were higher, they didn’t offer the same comfort.

Lunch arrived at noon, and most of the students rushed out of the classroom in the promise of a delicious meal. 

Xiao stayed behind, finding a small secluded area behind the school building to reside until the bell rang, signaling for all students to go back to class. 

It was then that things started to get interesting.

“I AM…” A voice shouted from beyond the door once everyone had sat down. “...coming through the door like a normal person!” 

Once the door opened, revealing All Might in all his glory, the classroom immediately became a mess of chatter, making the Yaksha wince a bit. 

“I can’t believe it! It’s really All Might!”

“Wow, he really is a teacher!”

“That’s a costume from the Silver Age, isn’t it?”

Everything settled down once All Might made it to the podium, much to Xiao’s relief. The Yaksha took the time to observe the number one hero as he spoke, half listening to what the man was saying.

The pro hero didn’t seem to be experiencing any discomfort from the continuously shortening time limit, though a quick scan with elemental sight gave Xiao a pretty good insight on how it was actually going. 

Unlike Izuku’s aura, which only continued to get brighter, All Might’s seemed to dim as every second passed. 

“-then let’s get straight into it!” All Might exclaims, drawing Xiao out of his musings. The number one hero then holds up a small board that reads ‘Battle’. “Combat training!”

Xiao immediately had a bad feeling about this.

Chapter Text

Panels once again open on the walls, displaying the suitcases that held their hero costumes. There were exclamations of excitement as students rushed over to claim their own, chattering loudly as they opened the case to show off their designs. 

Xiao’s own design was just an adjusted version of his regular hero outfit, though he did decide to forgo the necklace. While the accessory did have its own meaning and use, it would attract too many questions, so he had safely stored it into his inventory instead. It was fortunate no one asked anything about his mask yet.

A couple extra pieces of protection were also added, just for appearances sake. While he did not need them, it would probably bring up a bit of suspicion if there wasn’t some type of padding. 

Just like on the first day of class, the Yaksha tried to sneak away to the changing rooms before anyone else, but he had no such luck getting away this time.

“Xiao, wait up!” Izuku’s voice echoed, footsteps rushing to catch up to him. “Were you trying to sneak away again?” The teen asks a moment later, positioning himself on Xiao's right.

There’s a hum in reply, though it was neither a confirmation or a denial. 

“You don’t want to show your hero costume off before class?” 

Xiao shakes his head. “It makes no difference since we are wearing it anyway.” A pause, before he adds, “Your costume has… ears?” 

Izuku sends him a confused glance, and Xiao fumbles a bit to explain further. 

“Your mask has- points on top of the head.” The Yaksha says, bringing up the hand not carrying his own suitcase to make a little ‘V’ above his head.

“Oh!” Izuku’s eyes light up in recognition. “They’re supposed to resemble All Might’s hair! My mom helped me make it, so I'm actually rather proud of how it came out.”

“I see.”

They walk in silence to the changing rooms, a couple of the other students catching up due to their slowed pace. A few conversations continued even as they got dressed, but there was nothing that caught Xiao’s interest, so he tuned them out. 

“Woah, you have tattoos!?” 

The sudden exclamation made him repress a wince, instead turning around and coming face to face with an electric blonde. Xiao vaguely remembered that his last name was Kaminari. 

Even if the arm sleeve covered the majority of his arm tattoo, there was no covering the part that reached past his shoulder, or the separate one that started at his rib and went down to his pelvis. Well- unless he wanted to apply an ungodly amount of foundation every day. 

The shout drew the attention of other students, and as more of his classmates began to crowd him to ask questions, he shoved the rest of his outfit on before teleporting away, stumbling a bit when he landed. Finally letting a small grimace appear on his face, he looked around to figure out exactly where he teleported to.

For a moment, he had thought he had teleported into the middle of the city, but that thought was quickly proven false. The wind here was unnaturally created, and it was far too quiet for a public space. While it was an outdoor area, there was nothing natural about it, and everything seemed a little too artificial.

Ah. This was probably where the combat training would be held, huh?

Not wanting to be late, Xiao let his physical form dissolve into the wind, locating the place where All Might stood before reappearing in front of the pro hero. 

All Might jolted a bit at the sudden appearance, but did a remarkable job pretending it was a cough.

“Young Lapis-!”

“Xiao.”

“E-excuse me?”

“I go by Xiao.” The Yaksha repeated. 

Ah, I see! Young Xiao, you seem to be rather early compared to the rest of your classmates!”

A small frown graced the Yaksha’s face. “Public changing rooms are… noisy.”

A thoughtful expression appears on All Might’s face. “Oh? Are you not used to them? I would have thought that it’s something that everyone's used to, seeing as they’re rather commonly used these days.” 

“While I do not usually use public changing rooms, I have no problems with undressing in front of others, in the case that they keep their eyes to themselves.”

A wince. “I take it that didn’t happen?”

“Teenagers seem to be rather noisy about things that should not matter. I doubt any harm was intended, but it was… uncomfortable, nonetheless.”

“I am sorry you feel that way young man. I can have a talk with the students if you would like?” All Might suggestions, much to Xiao’s surprise. 

The Yaksha had been under the impression that All Might, while being a respectable hero, was a bit lacking in other aspects outside of that. 

Even so, Xiao shakes his head. “My discomfort is temporary. As I stated before, there was no harm intended, so it should not be a problem unless it continues to happen.”

“I see! Please inform someone if you do experience problems. Aizawa has made it rather clear he is taking responsibility for your wellbeing!”

“...taking responsibility?”

“Yes! Staff meetings give us teachers a chance to talk, and he said, while in not so many words, that he is worried about you!”

“There is no reason for him to need to ‘take responsibility’ for me. I am fully capable of handling any issues I come across by myself, and I would not purposely put any of the students or other staff in danger.”

There is an awkward laugh. “Well- that is true, but I think Aizawa considers you a friend. It’s only natural for friends to be concerned about each other, is it not?”

“...I am not sure.”

All Might opens his mouth to say something else, but quickly stops when the chatter of other students starts to become audible. 

“There you are! Didn’t realize you already made your way over.” Kaminari exclaimed, sounding sheepish as he made his way over to the Yaksha. 

Xiao gives a nod in response, though doesn’t say anything else. 

Kaminari, taking it as a sign to continue, starts spewing out apologies. “Look man, I'm so sorry if I made you uncomfortable! I just thought it was super cool that someone our age had tattoos, you know? Didn’t realize it would lead to so much crowding-”

Xiao cut him off before the teen could start going off on a tangent. “I did not take offense, but you are forgiven nonetheless. As for the tattoos, while I do call them such, they are part of my body, not an addition added on.”

“Oh! Really?! That’s sick dude!”

Xiao isn’t sure why having markings on one’s body would make someone ill, but he does not remark on it.

“You all look VERY COOL!” All Might exclaims, drawing everyone’s attention back to the number one hero. 

Xiao throws him a dubious look, though All Might doesn’t seem to catch it. Right off the bat, the Yaksha is questioning a couple of the outfits. 

Todoroki had encased himself partly into ice, and the invisible girl- Hagakure- seemed to be quite literally naked? Even when he was a slave, his old master  gave him the decency of wearing pants, tattered as they were. He had many thoughts about how anyone would approve of her wearing- well- nothing.

There was very little protection all around, and Xiao was beginning to question if the padding he added was really necessary. 

“It is time for combat training!” All Might once again declares, pausing as someone wearing a full suit of armor raises their hand. 

“Sir! This is the battle center from the entrance exam! Does that mean we will be conducting battles again?”

Ah, that was Iida. Xiao thought the amount of armor was a bit unnecessary. Even the Millelith never wore that amount of protection, and they had faced off against gods. 

“Not quite! As you know, most of the time, villain attacks take place outside! However, if you were to look at the statistics, villains are more frequently found indoors! For this class, you will be split into teams of two, half of you posing as villains while the other half are heroes!”

“Without any basic training?” Asui questions, bringing up a good point. 

The first question leads to everyone throwing out questions at once, their voices being lost. 

Xiao stood closer to the back with a small frown slowly forming on his face. So he had been right after all. All Might- while being a good hero, did not know how to handle children properly. That might have been a bit hypocritical, coming from Xiao, but he knew better than to throw inexperienced fighters into a match.

…Even if the same thing was done to him. 

It takes a moment for everyone to quiet down again, waiting for All Might to explain. The number one hero pulls out a script to do so, earning him a deadpan look from the Yaksha. 

“For this training exercise, we will be having the ‘villains’ guard a nuclear weapon with the intent of deploying it! The hero’s job is to stop their plan, either by apprehending both of the ‘villains’ in the time limit, or acquiring the weapon! The ‘villains’ will have a five minute head start in which they will be able to hide the bomb and make any other preparations they might require!” 

Iida once again raises his hand. “How will our teams be chosen?” 

All Might holds up a small box. “Your teams will be decided by lottery!”

“They’re being decided so haphazardly?” 

“Well- pros often have to create makeshift teams with heroes from other agencies, so maybe that’s why?” Izuku pipes in.

“Ah! It is to prepare us for the future then!”

The class takes turns drawing out a slip of paper from the box, then going around to find their matching pair. Xiao ended up on a team with Yaoyorozu. While he didn’t know the girl that well, the Yaksha could tell that she was one of the more level minded characters in class, if a bit naive. 

“Xiao-san- may I call you that? I am unsure if you have introduced yourself by your surname.”

He gives a nod.

“May you explain a bit how your quirk works? While you did showcase it during the exercise, I'm not exactly sure how it functions… ah- my own quirk lets me create objects from my own body using my body fat. It’s limited to things I know the configuration for, but I assure you I have many formulas memorized.”

His response takes a moment. “Wind manipulation. Not enough to fly, but gliding and floating works. Same with high speed movement.” Xiao tilts his head to the side. “I can condense the wind, but that would be dangerous to use on a human being without a conduct.”

“Do you usually use a support item?”

“...You could call it such.” Though pulling out a spear on a group of teenagers would probably be a bad idea. Though… if her quirk was able to make objects… “Are you able to make a pole?”

“Of course!” She exclaims, quickly creating a metal rod and handing it to him. 

“Thank you.”

She nods before the two of them turn back to All Might again once he starts speaking. 

“And now! It is time to decide the first two pairs who will initiate combat!” The number one hero proclaims, shoving his hands into two other boxes and pulling out two spheres. One sphere reads the letter ‘A’, while the other reads the letter ‘D’. 

“Aside from the two teams selected, everyone else will be able to watch the battle through the surveillance cameras! This is a training exercise, so go all out! Though, if things get out of hand, we will naturally cut the exercise short.”

Xiao spares one last glance at Izuku, who had begun to sweat bullets before following All Might. 

“I think observing how this battle will go might give a couple clues about how we should or should not act.” Yaoyorozu says, keeping pace with him.

Xiao gives a small hum.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” She continues, though quickly becomes flustered for a reason the Yaksha doesn’t know. “Not- not that it’s a bad thing! It seems I have already become more used to how talkative some of our other classmates are…”

“You have only stated a fact. I am well aware of my own shortcomings, so there is no need to make excuses for me.”

Her eyes scrunch up a bit. “Forgive me for saying this, but being on the more quiet side is not necessarily a negative feature. I’m… not exactly sure how to say this, seeing as we’ve only known each other for a very short while, but I think it adds to part of your charm.”

Xiao blinks a couple times to process that statement. “I… see.”

“Oh- was that too much?” She asks, starting to fret again.

He shakes his head. “Apologies, I have never been told something like that before, so it caught me off guard.”

“Ah, I understand! There are many things here that I am not used to as well.”

He wasn’t sure they were in the same situation, though he does spare another nod anyway.

They turn back to the screens just as someone exclaims, “A sudden ambush!”

“An ambush seems so unmanly!” Kirishima says.

“Midori dodged it pretty well though!” Mina replies in response. 

“They are in the heat of battle after all! An ambush is a good strategy!” All Might exclaims once more as the class falls into chatter, all of them watching the screens with excitement. 

Xiao watches the screens while keeping his face neutral. He’s still not sure exactly what the deal is with the two of them, but there was definitely some type of history between Bakugou and Izuku, and it would get someone hurt if it continued to progress.

Explosions continued to ring out on the screen, and although there was no audio, they could all tell Bakugou was yelling something. 

Was he worrying too much? Gauging the strength of humans wasn’t something Xiao was particularly good at, much less the strength of overpowered teenagers. No one else seemed to be particularly worried about how much strength was being put into those blasts, even as the surroundings slowly started to become covered in scorch marks and cracks. 

Shifting his gaze to the other screens, Xiao watched as Uraraka made her way to the bomb. Compared to Bakugou and Izuku’s fight, this one seemed tame in response, mostly just conversing while circling each other. The Yaksha’s gaze snapped back to the other pair, just in time to watch as another explosion was launched, shaking the whole center and taking part of the building with it.

A couple screams were let out, panic starting to set it.

…This was definitely enough for the exercise to be called overboard, right? The class seemed to agree at least.

“This is meant to be an exercise!”

“He’s going to kill him!”

“Sensei, you should put a stop to this!”

All Might mutters a small “no”, listening into something on his headpiece before tapping the mic. “Young Bakugou, should you use a blast like that again, I will end the exercise immediately and you will lose. Causing so much damage indoors defeats the purpose of protecting your base! No matter if you are a hero or villain, such action is just foolish!”

Xiao frowns at the decision to continue the match. Even if close combat was the best way to get better, it wasn’t very efficient if the people in question just continued to injure themselves. He could admit that both Izuku and Bakugou had good tactics, but there was something else going on that seemed to get more obvious as the match continued. 

Bakugou, while seemingly fueled by anger, was actually thinking logically, if those stunts he performed were anything to go by. Izuku wasn’t given a chance to counterattack, only being able to try and bear the brunt of the explosions. Watching Izuku scramble to get away, the Yaksha steps back a bit, making sure no one sees him before he fades into the wind. 

He reappears next to Aizawa, ignoring the small jolt the underground hero made. Xiao was lucky the teacher wasn’t currently sleeping. 

“Xiao, aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

The Yaksha doesn’t spare time to answer that question. “At what point would you call off a combat exercise?”

When Aizawa lets out a confused hum, Xiao continues. “There is a chance I could be overreacting to this situation, but I am not familiar enough with human training exercises to know.”

To his credit, Aizawa only froze up for a moment. “Can you take me?”

In response, Xiao takes one of Aizawa’s arms loosely in his grasp before taking them back over to the surveillance room. Technically, the Yaksha didn’t require physical contact to teleport other people, though it did help stabilize the connection and make the trip less disorienting. 

They arrive just in time to see Bakugou land another hit on Izuku. The underground hero lets out a small hiss, observing the situation, taking note of the broken building, all of the student’s states, and All Might’s reactions. 

Xiao stood to the side, quickly letting go of Aizawa’s arm the second they teleported. 

Another blast sends Izuku backward into a wall, and the teen barely has time to duck underneath another attack. 

“What caused the damage to the building?” Aizawa questions quietly, not taking his eyes off the screen.

No one else had noticed the homeroom teacher’s appearance yet, most likely all focused on the fight. 

“Bakugou seems to be able to create bigger blasts using his gauntlets, though I am unsure what powers them.”

The two teenagers seemed to be yelling at each other, though after Izuku spoke, they suddenly launched themselves forward. 

“This looks bad, sensei!”

“Sensei!”

“Sensei, enough is enough!”

All Might seemed to have some type of internal struggle trying to decide if he should stop the match, but Aizawa had no such problem. Just a few seconds could seriously change an outcome, and in just a couple long strides, Aizawa made his way over to the microphone, snatching it out of the number one hero’s hands and yelling into the mic. 

“All of you, stop this instant!”

Uraraka and Iida instantly froze, though the other two had no such luck. There was too much momentum going, and while both of them seemed to hear the announcement, it was too late, their fists colliding and another giant explosion going off. Glass shattered, ground came undone, and the students started screaming again as tremors made their way to their location.

The building did not collapse, miraculously, and maybe in those split seconds, Bakugou and Izuku might have been able to pull their punches. Or at least, Bakugou might have been able to. From what Xiao knew about Izuku’s quirk, it was all or nothing. 

A barely audible sigh escaped from Aizawa’s lips, and had Xiao not been looking, he probably would have missed it. 

No one spoke as they all waited for the dust to clear away, but when it did, Izuku was laying on the floor, passed out and arm broken. Bakugou didn’t look much worse for wear, though his expression was wild, along with something else Xiao didn’t understand. It looked like panic, maybe, but there should be no reason for such panic. Bakugou clearly didn’t see much of a problem with hurting Izuku, but maybe the injury looked bad? 

The Yaksha didn’t understand humans. 

Uraraka and Iida were slowly pulling out of their shock from hearing a voice distinctively not All Might’s on the feed, and began to make their way out of the ruined building.

“Deploy the conveyor bots to collect Midoriya and bring him to the infirmary.” Aizawa called before turning towards the rest of the class. “We’ll wait until the other’s arrive before I say anything.” 

A couple people shrunk under his gaze, All Might included. 

Xiao let out a non-audible sigh. He knew he should have trusted his gut when it told him something was going to go wrong. 

Chapter Text

Aizawa stood in front of the class with his arms crossed, an impatient look on his face. 

“All Might, do you want to explain what I just walked into? If I recall, the first couple of weeks for students is used to judge their capacities, so no actual full on fights should have been approved of. And yet, I’m greeted with an explosion only minutes after entering the building.”

The number one hero was sweating a bit, though the smile on his face never seemed to disappear, only faltering to a minor degree. 

By now, all of the students had crowded together, a couple whispering back and forth about this development. Bakugou, Uraraka and Iida stood slightly to the side of the rest of the class, as they still did not have much of an idea of what was happening. 

All Might stumbles over his words a bit trying to explain. “Well- isn’t a real life simulation the best way to learn? It keeps the students engaged and-”

He didn’t get to finish before he was interrupted. “Again, the first week is used to judge a student’s capabilities . We have no idea what they are capable of, and the damage they could do without proper safety measurements in place is enormous. Just look around.”

A couple students glanced at the monitors, half of which were displaying static due to the destruction, while the other half showed images of a ruined city area. 

Aizawa let out another sigh. “And adding onto all of that, even though the students were able to access the situation and decide that it was too dangerous to continue, you lagged behind and made no proper decision.”

A couple people were uncomfortable with how Aizawa was talking about their idol, but they couldn’t exactly say anything as everything the underground hero said made a fair point. No one said anything for a while.

“...Sensei?” Ashido called out hesitantly. “Could we ask why you’re here?”

To his credit, Aizawa didn’t pause or stumble in his reply. “All Might is a new staff member. It’s natural to check in once in a while to make sure there are no problems.”

The room once again descended into awkward silence. 

Yet another sigh. “I might as well ask, but what was originally supposed to happen for this class if I didn’t arrive?”

There’s a pause before Yaoyorozu raises her hand, repeating the instructions that All Might had given them at the beginning of the exercise.

A hum. “Well, since the first round has already been completed, what does everyone have to say about it?”

“Uh- we’re not in trouble?” Kaminari asks, hesitantly. 

The underground hero shakes his head. “While teenagers often do stupid things, you aren’t at fault for following the orders of someone you are supposed to listen to. That being said…” Aizawa adds, turning to All Might. “We’re going to have a talk about following the proper procedures for teaching.”

There’s more silence before Kirishima awkwardly raises his hand to speak. “Well- Midoriya came out a lot more roughed up than everyone else?”

Aizawa turns his attention back to the students to answer. “That seems to be the case, does anyone know why?”

Yaoyorozu speaks again next. “From what we can tell from the monitors, Midoriya and Bakugou were both compromised by personal feelings, so many of their actions could be seen as idiotic. In comparison, Iida was much more level minded, and being aware of Uraraka’s quirk, he removed any items that she could have used to her advantage. This also placed her in a situation where she could only stall.”

Uraraka piped in once Yaoyorozu finished speaking. “Actually, Deku and I made a sorta reckless plan, though the match was stopped before it could be put into action.”

Aizawa nods at her, prompting her to explain further. 

“Well- I think Deku was aiming to cause so much damage that one of the pillars in the room would break enough for me to be able to use it as a battering ram…”

More contemplation. Asui spoke next. “It could have worked, but wouldn’t that put both of you out of commission even if you won?”

Uraraka scratched her cheek awkwardly. “...Yeah, but we didn’t really think about what would happen after. It’s just practice, right?”

“While this was only supposed to be a practice exercise, you should have still treated it like a real life situation.” Aizawa retorts. “What would have happened in reality if there were more villains outside? Or what would happen if the building actually collapsed and you were unable to get out?”

Her expression becomes one of embarrassment, though she does nod at his reasoning. 

Seeing as she got his point, Aizawa continued. “Obviously, we won’t be continuing this exercise, so you all have until your next class as a free period. We’ll discuss safety regulations tomorrow morning. All Might, you come with me to check on Midoriya.”

All Might timidly follows after Aizawa as he leaves the training ground. Well- as timidly as a seven foot tall man could. 

Xiao stares for a moment before going over to Yaoyorozu, who stops walking once she notices him approaching. 

Sticking a hand behind his back, he takes the metal rod he had haphazardly shoved into his inventory back out before holding it out to her.

She looks a bit confused, though she did take it.

Not knowing what the confusion was for, he simply asks. “It was created from your body. Do you not need to reabsorb it?”

“Oh! That’s very kind of you, but I'm unable to reabsorb things that I've created.”

Another nod. “Is there any place the rod can be stored, or shall I remove it for you?”

An awkward smile comes across her face. “If you have a place that can dispose of it, that would be very helpful. I’ve held off on making any larger items currently due to the fact that I’m not sure where to place them. Back home, I had a waste bin for all of my creations, but that isn’t something that can easily be brought over here…”

Xiao holds out his hand again, and the metal rod is once more placed into his. He stares for a moment to measure the size before tilting his head a bit, creating a small vortex to his left and shoving the rod into it. It’s crushed into dust moments later, and Yaoyorozu stares at the amount of power and control displayed.

“Well- I guess I know what you mean when you said that your quirk would be dangerous without some type of medium…”

Their conversation awkwardly trickles into silence when they both no longer have anything to say. 

Xiao clears his throat after another moment, looking to the side where Aizawa and All Might had left. “You should change back to your uniform before the next class.”

She nods, thanking him before walking away in what he assumed was the direction of the women’s changing rooms. The Yaksha waits until she’s out of sight before he steps backwards and lets his physical body dissolve into the wind, letting his consciousness spread out until he picks up Aizawa’s presence. 

The underground hero stood silently with his arms crossed as All Might was being scolded by Recovery Girl.

“It’s barely been any time since he’s started taking classes and it’s already his third time here! Why didn’t you stop them, All Might?!”

“I apologize…”

“Don’t apologize to me! He’s suffering from such exhaustion, and paired with yesterday’s events, I can’t heal him completely anymore! The best I could do was administer first aid and hook him up to an IV.” Xiao watches her subtly glance at Aizawa before she continues to speak. “It’s clear you have favorites, but don’t indulge him! If Aizawa hadn’t come when he did, who knows what could have happened?!”

“...I have nothing to say in my defense.”

She sighs, before her expression turns to one of contemplation. “Though, how did you get to the practice site so quickly, Aizawa? I’m pretty sure Nezu didn’t assign you any type of actual check in.”

“Ah.” The underground hero comes to a quick realization. “You were never introduced to our newest member, were you?”

She comes to the same realization, lowering her voice before asking, “Our spy?”

He nods. 

“Young Lap- er- Xiao?” All Might wonders. “I wasn’t aware he went to fetch you…”

“Going undetected is basically part of his job. Speaking of him though, he’ll probably make his way over soon, if he’s not already here.”

That seemed like as good an opportunity as any, and Xiao let himself reform close to the door. All Might flinched, but Aizawa’s only reaction was his breath hitching for a moment. Recovery Girl, funnily enough, seemed unphased. 

“I hate that you’re right about me getting used to you just appearing out of nowhere.” Aizawa mumbled. 

Recovery Girl spends the time it takes All Might to recover looking Xiao over, nodding once when she seemed satisfied.

“Much younger than I expected, though I'm guessing that your physical age doesn’t match your mental one.” She remarks. “You made a good call today, thank you.”

The Yaksha nods awkwardly, not knowing exactly what to say in response. 

Noticing that he wouldn’t say anything else, Recovery Girl continued speaking.
While you’re here, are you injured at all?”

Xiao shakes his head. “I have sustained no injuries from the combat practice.”

“Good, good. If you ever do get injured, please don’t hesitate to visit. I don’t need nor want to keep track of another reckless hero-” She gives All Might a pointed look, “-who can’t take proper care of themself.”

Another nod. 

“If there is nothing else, I will take my leave.” The Yaksha says, letting his physical form dissipate again.

The three heroes stare in the place he once stood for a moment before conversation picks up again. 

“He seemed like a nice young man.” Recovery Girl states, walking back over to the bedside where Midoriya was resting to check on his vitals. 

Aizawa lets out a hum. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When Izuku woke up, Recovery Girl had gone on a long lecture about health and safety before giving him a lollipop and sending him back to the classroom. 

Sluggishly, the teen made his way over, stopping outside the giant door before sighing and pushing it open. Immediately, he was bombarded with the voices of his classmates, throwing compliments and questions at his face.

They all took a moment to introduce themselves to each other, though Uraraka’s question made them all quiet down a bit. 

“Deku, your injuries! Are they not healed yet?”

“Ah- don’t worry about me…” He responds, embarrassed about the attention. “It’s because my physical strength is sapped, so Recovery Girl couldn’t heal it all in one go.”

“Are you going to have trouble getting home?” A voice said from beside him, making Izuku turn his head. 

“Xiao!” Then the question registers. “No, no! I’ll be fine!”

Izuku tries to calm the fretting of multiple of his classmates, though was only partly successful.

As they prepared to leave for the day, a couple of them nodded to Izuku as they left the classroom. However, when he looked around the room for a certain blonde…

“Uh- did Kacchan leave already?”

“Oh- yeah, we all tried to stop him but he left without saying anything…”

Izuku was already out the door by the time she had finished answering his question, racing down the stairs and out the front in a hope to catch up with the explosive blonde. 

“Wow- why do you think he’s in such a hurry?”

“They probably have history, right? That’s what it looked like during the practice at least. Maybe he’s trying to settle it?”

“...Do you think we should be cautious of another fight?”

There’s a moment of contemplation. “...Probably not? I mean, Midoriya’s already injured. Surely Bakugou knows better than to attack him?”

“...He didn’t seem like he cared much before though…”

Another moment of silence. “Xiao, you seem close to Midoriya, what do you think-?”

The gossiping students all turned their gazes to the Yaksha, but at some point during their musings, he had already slipped away.

Meanwhile, Xiao was now standing behind a pillar near the school’s entrance as he listened into Izuku and Bakugou’s conversation. A small frown came across his face when Izuku straight up told the blonde that his quirk came from someone else. His eyes flickered to his upper right before centering again.

‘ Wasn’t that supposed to be a secret? ’

Fortunately, Bakugou didn’t seem to believe him at all, though it only served to make him angrier. 

…And now he was tearing up? 

The Yaksha let his head lean back against the pillar, sighing. There was probably some missing context, because he couldn’t even begin to understand the complex and sudden changes in emotions. 

All Might’s sudden appearance only made him rub his ears to clear the ringing from the booming voice. 

He continued listening anyway, though there wasn’t anything that came up that he felt important to himself. If anything, this was probably a private conversation that no one else was supposed to hear. 

When Bakugou finally walked off the campus grounds, All Might had turned to Izuku, questioning the teen about what they had been talking about. 

The teen stuttered for a bit before All Might changed the topic. “Well- the reason I came to find you was because Aizawa was looking for you!”

“Er- Sensei? Why? Am I in trouble?” Izuku asked, rapidly falling into a muttering spiral. 

“No, no, that’s not it, my boy!” All Might quickly exclaims to break Izuku out of his muttering. “Apparently it was something about an email you sent? I’m not exactly sure about the details myself!”

“Oh!” Izuku immediately perks up. “I didn’t know they were gonna do anything about it so soon! Do you know where Aizawa Sensei is, All Might?”

“Yes! You can just follow me!”

Xiao walks off once the two of them re enter the building, trusting Aizawa to handle any problems that might arise. In the meantime, he walks into a nearby alleyway, swiping a hand to the side to open his character menu. It had been bugging him since he changed back into his uniform after the combat exercise, but there was a little ping in his head trying to get his attention. 

It probably looked weird to anyone else when he raised a finger to click on the outfit symbol, as the screen wasn’t visible to anyone but the user. The traveler was a strange exception to that rule, where they could see everyone’s menu, but the traveler had always been a bit special in that regard. 

He was pleasantly surprised to find that the UA uniform had become an outfit slot, though he quickly shifted back into his default costume before going on his patrols. 

Despite the fact that the crime rate had been decreasing slowly over the past couple of weeks, it seemed to be at an all time low today. Though, Xiao did discover a small rumor about some type of commotion happening at the UA gates tomorrow. He’d warn Aizawa about that later, but for now, he hopped over rooftops and through alleyways looking for anything amiss. 

Xiao continued doing this for another half an hour, but there was nothing. He even checked in on those areas where groups of low level villains would gather either for food or just gossip, but those areas were barren as well. There was just… nothing. It was like everyone disappeared overnight. 

A frown appeared on Xiao’s face as he walked into the shadier places of the city, footsteps deceptively light. If one looked closer, his feet were barely touching the ground as he walked, wind flowy calmly around him.

His body slowly dissipated and he took the time to look through abandoned buildings for any sign of life. Still nothing. 

It was sometime past midnight when Xiao finally called it a night, going back to his regular patrol routes, but not before dropping by Aizawa's home and leaving a small note to keep an eye on the UA gates. Maybe it was weird for someone to sneak into another’s house while they were asleep, though Xiao didn’t think much about it. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Xiao could hear the ruckus before he even made it to the main gates. Taking a glance around at all the reporters gathering, the Yaksha decided to skip the main entrance all together, going around the side before vaulting over the wall. Probably not something a regular student could have done, but Xiao was the only one around, and if Nezu was on the cameras, the principal was already in the know anyway.

There was a small amount of pity to those stuck in the sea of reporters, but not enough for him to go and help unless he was called specifically. Even still, he kept an eye out for any suspicious activity, looping the outer walls twice before finally heading into the classroom. 

The room itself was still pretty empty when he opened the door, though it was to be expected. Xiao watched as the minutes passed, and more of his classmates slowly trickled into the room, many of whom acted like they had just gone through a storm. 

Aizawa dragged himself through the door sometime after everyone else had sat down, bringing with him a stack of papers that he dropped onto his desk with a dull thud. 

“Alright then,” The underground hero started, making everyone quiet down. “To make sure we don’t have a repeat of yesterday, I'll be explaining a couple things. First, I should make clear that while combat exercises are allowed, the one that you experienced yesterday was by no means safe, nor did it come with the proper procedures of what actions should be taken in the case that things went too far.” He looks up from the papers he was scanning to look at the students. “Did All Might put in place any restrictions? Or was it just a free for all?”

Hesitantly, Kirishima raises his hand. “Uh- i’m pretty sure All Might’s exact instructions were to ‘go all out’-” A pause, before the redhead adds onto the end “-sensei.”

Aizawa, if possible, seemed to lose even more energy. 

“Of course he did…” The underground hero muttered, rubbing a hand to his temple. 

“Right. What do you all think would have been appropriate in yesterday’s lesson, if All Might or I hadn’t intervened?”

No one spoke up. 

Aizawa continued through the silence. “Depending on the situation, you could either try resolving it yourselves, or getting a staff member to help you.”

He let out a sigh, picking up the stack of papers and giving it to the nearest student. 

“Pass those around. It’s a syllabus.” He says to the class, then muttering under his breath, “Do you know how long it’s been since I've had to print one of those out?”

The underground hero lets out another sigh before speaking again. “You can read those later, but we do have another topic that we need to get to before homeroom is over.”

More than a couple people tense at the statement, though instantly slump in relief at the next part.

“We need to pick a class president.”

There was a moment of silence before it all went to chaos.

Xiao wanted to leave. 

He wonders, not for the first time, why he accepted this mission.