Inko jumped as a loud thudding knock was heard on her front door, shaking her out of her reverie. It had been two days since she had ratted out her little boy to the police, and the empty house was enough to make her regret her decision. She had never dealt well with being alone, because being alone ment that her little boy wasn't with her. Standing up and making her way over to the door she opened it slightly before her eyes widened, a wave of fear crashing over her as she looked at her old friend Heather. "H-H-Hea…"

The redhead nodded, replying in turn. "Inko, do you mind if I come in?"

The woman nodded despite her fear, knowing that refusing would only lead to persistence. Opening the door wide Heather walked in, closing the door behind her without making eye contact. Inko lead her to the living room, where a cold albeit full mug of tea was sat forgotten. Heather shivered at the temperature before sitting down, motioning for Inko to do the same. "Inky… What the hell happened?"

The mother gulped before explaining, rubbing her arm. "I-I-Izuku was involved in a f-fight. T-The police came over and s-said that he was u-under arrest. I-I-I…"

Heather sighed, battling back tears. She knew this day was coming, Izuku was making too big a name for himself before he knew how to deal with it. Things had changed way too much since she had left for her vacation. "Okay, so you sent them over to Bolgia. Inko, why?"

The hurt in her friend's voice made Inko's dregs of confidence shrivel up. "H-H-He c-couldn't stay like that! He was getting in f-fights, s-stabbing people, s-staying in dodgy hotels… And there's that girl he was staying with! She could only be trouble."

Heather sighed, surprising Inko with a reluctant nod. "I know, he wasn't prepared for his own infamy. It was necessary to a mother, I understand. But you have no idea how bad it will get if Toga tracks you down."

Inko shuddered out a motion to continue as Heather brought out a flask containing what Inko remembered to be distilled moonshine. Her old partners quirk, Poison Resistance, made getting drunk difficult. "That girl you called trouble, her name is Toga. I've only met her a couple times, but Izuku and her are as thick as thieves. Toga is unhinged, jealous and strong. Izuku made his mark on her as the only one able to take her all, good and bad, thus she relied on him as an anchor. Now that he's in prison… It might be good to brush off the training equipment."

Her hand reflexively came to her wrist. "W-What? She can't be that bad, surely?"

Heather shook her head. "No, I know that she will track you down and hurt you if given half a chance. I've been tryin' to get him away from her, but it's no use."

Inko leaned forward intently, a silent question to elaborate. Heather grinned happily as a red blush came over her face. "My niece, Audrey, may or may not have a massive crush on him. I'm playin' a bit of matchmaker, but it's hard cause she's in California. Toga has the advantage of being near, familiar and similar to him."

Inko nodded, before wondering aloud. "Maybe his room would give us some clues into his mindset. I've not stepped inside in… Years."

Heather nodded, grinning as she jumped to her feet and dragged Inko up as well. "Lead the way!"

Inko laughed quietly, a bit of colour returning to her cheeks as they walked over to her son's room. Opening it quickly Inko gulped, her whimsy disappearing as she looked at the room. Knives lined the walls, otherwise the room had no other defining features. Heather walked past her, walking over to his desk and cracking open a drawer. "Bingo!"

Inko walked over to see what she had found. "Oh, he still has these? I thought he threw them all out, but these seem pretty new…"

Hero Journals, 20 in total, lined the drawer. Heather picked up volume one and opened it, giggling as she looked at the child's portrayal of Gareth, herself and All Might. "Aww! I can remember those first few days he spent with us. Gareth was so awkward, and Izuku was trying his best not to be a bother to anyone as he scribbled in these."

Going for the latest one Inko opened it up to see a much more intricate portrayal of a blond girl in a beige school uniform. Next to it he had written. Toga Himiko. Quirk: Doppleganger. Through ingestion of blood, Toga is able to assume the form of the owner's body and quirk. Depending on the amount of blood consumed the time will change. This quirk forces her to seek blood out, be it ingesting or simply watching it be spilled.

Toga requires comforting once every week statistically, but emotions can cause this time to lessen. During these proceedings remind her that things will get better and that we will share a house that is on the grid. Agree with all promises, failure to do so will result in emotional collapse and extreme aggression.

She lives in the slums in an abandoned apartment. She enjoys cheesecake and is unafraid to bid on me in fight rings. 40/60 split is the agreed percentage share of betting money. Her teeth are acutely sharp, she enjoys knifeplay and is very emotional when receiving gifts. Note: Birthday: August 20th. Volatile, possibly the closest somebody has ever gotten to killing me. Current Status: Tied to people who have an interest in keeping her in the slums.

I have already scouted a place in town that has two beds, connected to the grid and is low security. The keys are half way into my hand, and the moment Toga signs that contract its ours. Until that day I'll keep her alive, she's the best friend I'll ever have.

Inko and Heather looked up from the journal, the holder closing it shakily and laying it down on the desk. Heather spoke up in a weirdly breathless tone. "Well shit. It looks like he's got it bad…"

Inko nodded, slipping back into the days when she was the Massacre. "You can say that again. Toga is his partner, the Bonnie to his Clyde, and that's going to be hard to change now."

Heather inwardly smirked as Inko began to stand up straight again, exuding the lethal confidence she once enjoyed. "Never the less you had better begin to hit the gym again, it can't be healthy for you to stay like this anyway. I'll go and tell Gareth the situation and…"

Inko had cut her off by picking up the journal again and flipping through it. Heather was about to ask what she was doing before Inko thrust it towards her on a certain page. "Check this out."

The page displayed a heart-warming sight. Izuku had obviously done this page over a night, looking over his friend as she slept in the moonlight. It depicted Toga snoozing in a chair near a window, the moon illuminating the girl. Each detail was captured meticulously, from the girl's canines that gave her a cat-like appearance to the clutch of notes balled tightly in her fist. Heather grabbed it lightly, running a finger around the outline of the girl. "I didn't know he was an artist."

Inko sighed, looking up at the knives adorning the walls. "He always was, but he just painted with violence. I did it too for a bit, but then Hisashi came along and…"

Heather nodded understandingly. "I know… We miss you Inky, we don't resent you at all. I'm sorry I let Izuku come to this…"

She shook her head. "No, it was always going to happen. Just keep trying with Audrey, maybe it'll help. Maybe we'll get my boy back…"

Timeskip: Dagobah Beach

"Put your back into it my boy!"

Izuku silently cursed anybody who might have found it amusing that he was dragging a large unit of lockers across a beach. All Might had explained the situation of One for All to him a while ago, maybe a month after his incarceration, and ever since he had been pushed to his highest degree. A couple hours every day he was expected to study, which he did to his lowest degree. Literature and Mathematics, along with a couple quirk studies here and there, made up his study habits. He knew that the books he was reading were monitored, and he wasn't sure how they would react to him reading The Art of War or other such books by famous generals, but they were the only ones he could push himself to care about. Mathematics was alright, not his favourite but it beat doing something stupid like biology or modern studies.

He had been assured that Toga was being cared for, but he knew that she wasn't going to last like she is. All Might had noticed him spending many training sessions in complete silence, thinking intently but he had only an inkling of an idea of what his student was thinking about. This wasn't one of those days. "When do I get to see Toga again Mr Muscle?"

All Might hmm'd from the top of the locker. "I believe when you finish the beach my boy! Rest assured, for you are making stellar progress!"

That was to be expected, considering Izuku was already in a good physical state. Years of fighting and exhaustive chases had left him with a good physical prowess, and the beach was about 20% done by this point. "All right, but if I find out that she's being hurt…"

All Might nodded grimly, remembering watching the fight between him and the sludge villain. "Of course, of course."

At that point All Might heard a ringing in his pocket, and he brought out his phone and accepting the call. "Tsukauchi, what's going on?"

The detective sounded really tired as he said. "It's subject Himiko, she's completely disappeared from our radar. The fighting ring, her old apartment, everything. I don't know what we're going to do if we don't find her before Midoriya finishes the beach."

Well that just made things more complicated didn't it? All Might responded quietly. "Okay, I'll try my best to extend his training. Please try and find her, I don't want to be the one to break the news that we broke our promise to Midoriya."

He hung up the phone before sighing and rubbing his forehead, imagining the firestorm that would occur if Midoriya learned that she wasn't being cared for. As this was happening, a knife could be heard being sharpened in a dark warehouse as a gaudy looking man walked in. "Himiko, I have a job for you."

The insane girl walked out into the light, and Giran looked behind her to see various images of a green haired boy cut up behind her on a wall. "What is it Giran? I have business to attend to."

The broker shuddered at her tenor before he smiled. "Well, first tell me about this strapping young lad you have such an interest in."

Her lovestruck expression was plastered back on her face as she cuddled a knife to her cheek. "He's mine, but they took him… My Izu."

Giran inwardly cheered. "I think this job will be just perfect for you…"

Timeskip: U.A's entrance Exam

Izuku groaned in displeasure as he walked up to another robot, cocked back his fist and sent it flying with green electricity flying through his veins. It had been 4 months since he had received One for All, and 4 months since he had completely blown off All Might after learning that he had skimped on him. He remembered that fight fondly, despite the two days he spent in chains after. Toga was still at large, wreaking havoc through the slums but Izuku was forbidden from going to her. It was near torture for him, imagining that she was in pain at night without him.

It was also a big shock when Gareth had said in finality that Izuku was no longer invited to come to Bolgia. He had shown up one day at visiting hour in U.A's facility made for him, and said in no uncertain terms that Izuku wasn't allowed back. Izuku had felt betrayed at the time, but Heather's visit the next day had explained everything to him.

Flashback

Heather walked into the room designed to hold Izuku, shuddering at the barren nature of it. The boy himself was sat on the bed, his head held low as his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Izuku… Hey."

The boy looked up, and she was pierced with eyes laced in anger. "The hell do you want?"

She sighed and sat down at the desk chair across from him, his eyes never leaving her. "Look, we didn't get a choice in the matter…"

Izuku cut her off bitterly. "Sure…"

A hand reaching out and smacking him in the back of the head stopped him from continuing. "As I was saying, we didn't get an option in the matter. Gareth did it of his own accord."

Izuku's look of anger turned to confusion as Heather continued. "Okay, so Gareth walks in one day and tells us that you're banished. He has to take on four of us before he's restrained. He says it's 'cause you need to go down a different route then ours, and I'm not sure I disagree."

The boy's scoffing didn't give her hope as she leaned forward. "Fine then, I'll spell it out. Izuku, we want you to be happy."

He looked at her, his eyes showing a lost soul as he asked. "But I am happy? I beat up idiots, I drink at Bolgia, I go home or I spend time with Toga. She was so close to being free, but now she's…"

Heather leaned forward even more, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Look, Toga is a big girl. She's probably fine. Audrey has been pining for you ever since she saw you, I've even arranged for her to come over and…"

His hand snuck up to her wrist, gripping it tightly as she gasped. His eyes had become even angrier then before as he accused in a quiet, trembling voice. "You're trying to replace her… You always were, weren't you… Get the fuck out."

Heather gulped before saying. "N-No! I was just trying to…"

His hand twisted, and Heather could feel a crack echo up her arm as she cried out in pain. "Get out."

Two guards ran in with tasers, jabbing them into the prisoner's neck before Heather was escorted out. She was lead to Recovery Girl, her fracture was healed and she was sent on her way. Izuku was left unconscious in his room, but the scars he had from yesterday were only ripped open and salt was dropped into the wounds.

Flashback End

40 Robots had fallen to his fist since the exercise had started, and Izuku was enjoying a comfortable stroll as he patrolled for more points. That was when a large robotic noise was heard, and he turned his eyes to see a massive bot looming over the main area. Rolling his shoulder from his last hit he felt the green energy at his legs begin to gather and his speed all of a sudden increased, rocketing him towards the fight.

One for All was a curious power, a destructive and terrifying power in the wrong hands but a massive opportunity in the opportunistic ones. Finishing the beach hadn't taken too long considering the amount of time he had dedicated to the task, giving him ample time to beat the quirk into himself. All Might had warned against it, but Izuku was no stranger to breaking bones. Two months of hard training until Izuku was subconsciously using it as he worked his way through U.A's supply of test dummies.

He broke out into the main area and smirked as he looked at the wannabe's run away from the massive bot. There was no way they could hope to take down a determined villain with that attitude, especially when using all of their quirks in tandem would take it down in a second. Walking forward calmly through the rushing crowd he was surprised when he heard an anguished cry coming from under a piece of rubble. A brown-haired girl, whose legs appeared to be crushed under the rock.

Ignoring her cries he turned back to the bot, assessing it's weak-points. The previous bots appeared to have some kind of cerebral cortex, a CPU of some kind in the head. Looking up at the plate interwoven with cameras he made the assumption that it was the weak point. "Well, do or die now Izuku. Let's tango."

His legs crackled with energy, before he rushed past and lept at one of the legs. The bot was unable to hit him with a missile without attacking itself, giving Izuku the opportunity to leap to the top of the bot's head. It was a simple job from there, breaking open the hatch and dropping in. Inside was a sweltering hot room lined with tubes and wires along with a large button that had 'SELF DESTRUCT' written above.

Nearly laughing at the cliché of the situation he punched the button before climbing out and looking for a landing pad. The beeping from behind him was getting faster, and he realised that a jump was the only option. 'I've done worse, come on Izuku!'

He leapt off the bot as it began to explode, and the world went silent for a moment. All of a sudden the heat on his back along with the massive explosion shook him off course, sending him tumbling through the air. There was no way to correct himself, the ground was approaching too fast, and a final prayer left his lips and then…

SMACK

A hand raked across his face as his descent slowed to a halt. He was about an inch away from the ground, and he peered up at the girl who was under the rubble floating on the same rock looking rather nauseous. She tapped her finger tips together while struggling to say. "Release!" And they both fell to the ground.

Izuku tried to get up before seeing that his legs appeared to be covered in bruises, most likely from overexerting his arteries. Hoisting himself into a sitting position with his arms he called out to the now puking girl "Hey, you alright?"

She looked up, her face pale as she said. "Y-Yeah, thank you for saving me…"

He shook his head, dismissing her thanks. "Don't mention it, I just wanted a challenge but it's cool that you rescued me in turn. What's the name?"

She began to blush at his non-chalant attitude before saying. "U-Uraraka Ochako."

Izuku replied as he spied Recovery girl on the way. "Midoriya Izuku. Hey! Chiyo!"

The elderly girl turned sternly towards him before making her way over. "Mr Midoriya, must I remind you that…"

He waved her off. "Yeah yeah you old bat, ya mind getting her back on her feet?"

There was a general gasp from the crowd as Recover Girl replied with a dark voice. "What was that, you delinquent monster?"

Izuku glared right back. "I said, you senile bat, get her back on her feet."

A boy Izuku didn't recognise walked forward as before commanding. "Excuse me! That is no way to speak to the revered healer of U.A!"

The greenette waved him off as he said. "Yeah Yeah Glasses, I'll get to you in a moment. Ol' Chiyo can handle herself."

The nurse hmphed as she kissed Uraraka's legs before saying in turn. "Damn right Midoriya."

The uptight boy growled in displeasure as the nurse healed the delinquent's legs. "Now then, everybody return to the entrance and return home. If you require healing, please come here."

Izuku stood up, jumping in place a few times before turning to Uraraka and saying. "Hey, I'll see you in class."

She blinked at his change of demeanour before replying with a determined smile. "You too!"

They all returned home, Izuku to his cell. When inside he heard a knock and turned his head to the door, in too good a mood from the fight to be snarky. "Come in!"

The door creaked open, and Izuku watched All Might walk in with hawk eyes as the hero sat down in his desk chair. "My boy, I watched the test with the other teachers. That was some stellar combat if I do say so myself."

Izuku waved him off. "You know I can fight like that, what did you actually want?"

All Might leaned forward as he asked. "The young girl you saved, Ms Uraraka. Why did you do what you did? She displayed no value to you, and you haven't been very forthcoming with… Heroic tendencies."

Izuku sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Look Superman, I'm not going to lie I'm still pissed that Toga is out alone. Uraraka was in the wrong place at the right time, I just saved her by taking out the big bot."

Toshinori nodded before bringing out a sheet. "Well, since you are already here I thought I'd tell you your place. 1st, with a Mr Bakugo right behind you. You will be placed in Class 1-A with Aizawa…"

Izuku cut him off with a groan. "Scarfy!? Come on!"

All Might laughed heartily at the boy's dismay before continuing. "And we intend to send you to the U.A dormitory system."

That caused the heat to drain from the room as Izuku asked slowly. "You're trying to keep me caged in here, right? What the hell is your game?"

All Might sighed and admitted. "Okay, we will admit that this is to keep you from going back to the streets. But we also have reason to believe that Ms Himiko has… Let's say gone completely 'yandere' if my terminology is correct. Every crime scene we link to her, we find a message written in the victim's blood pertaining to you my boy. It's some scary stuff…"

Izuku began to rub at his eyes, fighting off tears of frustration. "Mother… She was so close! Fuck! This is your fucking fault, you hear me!? Every one of these deaths is on the hero's hands!"

All Might asked curiously. "What do you mean by that?"

Izuku was too drained to try and hide it. "I was so damn close to helping her. A couple months at most, and she would have been hidden away in the suburbs taking a hot bath or playing with a cat. You fucking caused this, all because you just had to steal me away in the night. Now she has no-one who wants to help her… She's going fucking crazy…"

There was silence in the room for a while. All Might tried to probe. "What of your friends? As I remember it, you frequented a bar called Bolgia?"

The scathing laugh told him everything he needed. "They hated her, thought she was a bad influence. Not to mention they kicked me out. They ment well, but I ain't lookin' back."

All Might hmm'd before standing up conclusively. "Okay, but this is not healthy for you to hold onto. My Boy, I wish to escort you to the bar to reconcile your differences."

A savage grin stretched across the boys face before he threw himself to his feet. "Why didn't you just say so? Let's do this…"

Povchange Bolgia

The atmosphere in the bar had become muted in the 4 months since Heather had come back in tears. The news that Izuku had renounced them in turn had hit all of them hard, even Gareth, who had held out hope that Izuku would understand their reasoning. Heather sat alone most days, sometimes joining her girlfriends where they would sit in silence. But they had another who joined them in Izuku's place, an old friend.

Inko came to the bar every week since Heather had come back from her house, sitting in a corner nursing a glass of water or light alcohol. Many had cheered when she came back, but her frosty attitude was enough to tell them that she hadn't forgiven them for what Izuku had become. Her figure had slimmed back down, and her posture had returned to what it was before. Now she was every bit the deadly Massacre that she was before she had Izuku.

Their reverie was shook when the door opened quietly, revealing a certain no.1 Hero. Many of them turned warily of the man towards him as he cleared his throat and asked aloud. "Excuse me, may I speak to a man named Gareth?"

Gareth stood up from his bar stool, squaring up to All Might. "You may. What brings the no.1 hero to my bar today?"

All Might's face was the picture of stoicism as he stepped to the side, revealing a face they hadn't seen in months. Inko shrunk back into her corner, watching her son walk forward with a savage smile. "Hey Gareth, miss me?"

Gareth gulped inaudibly as he turned to Izuku, steeling his nerves. "Why are you here Izuku? I told you, you're banished."

Izuku sighed before pointing up to All Might. "He made me come here, reconciling and that. So, how's business?"

Gareth didn't respond as Heather got up shakily. "I-Izuku? W-What…"

Izuku turned to her boredly. "Hey Auntie Heather, how's your trophy doing?"

The woman flinched as Laura stood up, a glass of dark red in her hand. "Izuku, you will not speak to her like that."

That admonishment would have scared a younger, Quirkless Izuku. But not this one. "Laura, glad to see you still have that all encompassing charisma."

Gareth retook the reigns as he said. "Izuku, not now. What do you want?"

The boy's eyes narrowed as he demanded. "An apology, not for myself but for Toga. I didn't need protecting, but she did."

Gareth looked down at him with quiet eyes. They had never said that they liked Toga, but she ment a lot to Izuku. "No."

A sigh came from Izuku's mouth as he began. "Well then, let's figh…"

He was blindsided by a flying Heather, All Might stepping back in shock. "I'm sorry! She never deserved it… I shouldn't have forced you and Audrey…"

Izuku wrapped a scarred arm around her, putting her back on her feet. "Damn right she didn't, and now she's fucking lost it. Look, I'm not going to say that you were wrong to try and play matchmaker but don't try that shit again."

Heather nodded, ruffling his hair with a teary smile as a couple other members walked forward. Paulo sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Look Kid, I'm not going to lie but she gives me the willies. You've done better then me, sorry kid."

Izuku nodded, accepting the apology as the other members came forward to reconcile. All Might was surprised at the delicacy of the event, until only two people were left. Gareth and Inko. Izuku turned to the corner, nodding to his mother. "Mom, glad to see you've been taking care of yourself."

She stood up, sauntering forward with a hint of her old nervousness. "Izuku…"

The son nodded before saying. "I don't expect an apology, but I owe you one. I'm not the best son, I admit that."

Inko nodded, giving him a quick hug before retreating back to the corner. All eyes turned to Gareth, who sighed and shrugged. "Well, she wasn't any worse then you to be honest."

Smiling Izuku nodded, a massive weight lifted from his shoulders that he didn't know he had. "That's all I need Uncle. Now then, what to do going forward…"

All Might took the opportunity to but back in. "I believe that it would be smart if you were to attempt to visit U.A once in a while. My boy, it is time for us to leave."

Izuku groaned before nodding. "Yes sir."

Heather called out as they were leaving. "Izuku! Do you want to meet Audrey at least?"

Letting out his first true laugh in a while Izuku replied coyly. "Sure! I got enough time for two."

The bar erupted in laughter as All Might lead Izuku away with a smile. It seemed that Izuku did have a heart.

Povchange, Timeskip, Class 1-A

Izuku sighed tiredly as he walked towards his classroom, the uniform feeling uncomfortable on him as he dreaded his upcoming class. While he and Aizawa did have some similar qualities, namely fighting style, they despised each other. His mug had managed to keep people from talking to him so far, but he knew he would have to interact with his class at some time.

He approached the door to 1-A and smirked happily as he heard the voice of his favourite puppy and Glasses going at it. Opening the door, he saw Bakugo with his feet up, while the blue haired boy he vaguely remembered from the test berated him. Bakugo cut off his retorts as he looked fearfully at Izuku as the boy intentionally acted like he didn't notice him. "M-Midoriya…"

Izuku turned his head and grinned happily at him, walking towards the blond. Enjoying the looks from the rest of his new class he laid his hands on Bakugo's shoulders and began to dig his thumbs into his shoulder blades painfully. "Heya there Kacchan! Miss me? How's the new boyfriend?"

Bakugo gulped as he tried to ward away the pain. "D-Deku…"

Izuku was about to dig his thumbs even deeper when he heard a voice from behind him say cheerfully. "U-Um, is everything okay here?"

Turning his head he saw the girl from the exam, Uraraka if his memory served him well, looking at him. Releasing his grip he replied. "Oh nothing in particular, just catching up with dear old Kacchan here. Uraraka right?"

She nodded happily, ignoring the feeling in her stomach as she replied. "And you're Izuku Midoriya right? I hope we'll get along!"

Izuku nodded before hearing a voice from the front of the room say. "If you're here to socialise, get out."

Growling in frustration Izuku blew off Uraraka before grabbing a seat and falling into it. "This is the Hero Course! Everybody, take your seats!"

There was a mad scramble as everyone in the class tried to get into a seat. Izuku looked up at Aizawa as the man unzipped his yellow sleeping bag and began. "8 Seconds, I could have killed 3 of you in that time alone. As heroes, you will need to be quicker. Everybody get into your P.E uniforms and go down to the training area."

Izuku pff't at the insinuation that Aizawa could kill him, drawing a glare from Glasses and Aizawa alike. Glasses spoke up again. "Sir! Is there not an orientation procedure…"

Aizawa waved him off. "Not in my classes. U.A doesn't have time for anything like that. Hurry up."

Nobody said anything as they ran for the changing room. Izuku was used to a harsh training regime already, allowing him to keep ahead of the pack with Glasses neck and neck with him. "Excuse me, Deku, am I correct?"

He was blindsided by Izuku hooking an arm around his shoulders and bringing him close to whisper. "Never say that again, my name is Midoriya to you. Whaddaya want Glasses?"

The boy gulped as he said reproachfully. "My name is Tenya Iida, and I am simply requesting an insight into your issue with Aizawa-Sensei."

Izuku released his hold as they got to the boys changing room. "Scarfy and I don't get along, that's all you need. Now get changed, I ain't changing your diaper for you."

He heard a muffled laughter from behind him and turned his head to see Bakugo hiding his mouth behind his hand. Izuku grinned mockingly at him as he said. "Ah, still a good little Beta eh Kacchan?"

Izuku didn't respond to his stuttered responses as he got dressed in the U.A P.E uniform and rushed down to the training field first. He saw a couple of the girls already there, but the rest of his class wasn't far behind. Izuku watched as Aizawa made an example of Bakugo before announcing the first test of skill, which he scoffed at internally. He saw one of the taller girls with a black ponytail looking confused, and sidled over to her and muttering. "Scarfy ain't going to throw one of us out."

She shook her head, looking over to him. "No, Aizawa-Sensei is just bringing out our full potentials. My name is Momo Yaoyorozu, by the way."

Izuku shrugged before responding as they got into line to do their tests. "Midoriya. Maybe, or he's teaching us the best motivator in history."

Momo looked confusedly at him before he answered with a savage grin. "Fear."

The track was pretty brutal for some, giving Aizawa a sense of where everybody was while ignoring all of Izuku's stellar scores. He had 4 months to beat one of the strongest quirks in existence into submission, and it showed. The tests ended, and the scores were shown. Izuku was at the top as he had expected, maybe seceding a few no.1 spots in events to some more specialised students, but having the highest average score. A small purple haired rat wailed as he realised his score was the lowest.

Izuku took great joy in mimicking Aizawa's exact words silently to Momo across the class, and she had to hide her mouth behind her hand daintily to avoid the giggles. 'Good to see you've still got it… No! Toga still needs you.'

Instantly stopping the foolish behaviour he allowed himself to be lead away with the class and back into the classroom. Bakugo knew better then to question his sudden change in mood, but Uraraka had no such experience. "Um, Izuku-kun, are you okay?"

He snapped back. "Yes."

She was lead away by some of the other girls who glared at him, and Bakugo took the opportunity to analyse Izuku's posture. He had always known that Izuku was ruthless in getting his way, but until he saw the test scored he had no idea he would have to compete for no.1 hero in the same race as him. Izuku was slumped, his shoulders hunched like an animal wound to attack. More then enough for Bakugo to realise that another provocation would be enough to make the delinquent snap.

Class passed pretty quick, and lunch began with an overwhelming sigh from the class. While most went off towards the cafeteria, Izuku broke off and went for the dorms. Entering the massive Height's Alliance he went towards the kitchen and sighed, rubbing his tired eyes as he began to create his lunch. The lunch period was their only break, giving them an hour to recoup between the two segments of the day, and Izuku would prefer to stay away from the cafeteria.

Of course his silence was interrupted by a voice calling out 'Knock knock!'. Turning around he saw his mother standing there with Heather, both with bags of groceries on their arms. "Mom… Aunt… What're you two doing here?"

Heather took the lead as Inko was obviously uncomfortable. "Well, we wanted to see how you were doing! How's your first day going?"

They both set down their bags on a spare counter as Izuku said a word of thanks. "Alright, Teach is annoying but what do you expect. You two want some?"

Heather nodded happily as Inko began to help out with the cooking, avoiding eye contact as best as she could with Izuku. Heather kept chatting away as Izuku responded to each question dutifully until she reached a certain topic. "So… Any cute girls?"

Inko's loud chop signalled her displeasure with the notion as Izuku began to stir slower. "None that matter…"

Heather sighed before shrugging, letting her feet dangle from the countertop she sat upon. "Yeah, my bad. Any news on her?"

Izuku nodded his head sadly, ladling out the soup he had prepared into three separate bowls. "She's getting worse. All Might told me that she was back on the killing, and she's… She's…"

He couldn't continue, the thought of her suffering too much for him as his mother pulled him into a hug. Her height had come back since she had stopped worry-eating, and Heather had joked that it was time to put herself back on the market. Nonetheless she was tall enough to hug her boy as she comforted him quietly, and he allowed it in a moment of weakness. "She'll pull through Izuku… You both will."

Eventually they broke apart and Izuku pulled himself back together, setting the table as his mother plated up the sides. Heather was glad to finally see the two of them working together, a real mother and son duo. She had spent many of her teenage years with Inko, and she had watched Izuku grow up, and the similarities between them were finally coming to a head. She sat down with the two with a steaming bowl in front of her, said her thanks, and dug in.

Izuku would never claim to be a cook, but Toga would have claimed otherwise if you asked her. He had to learn to cook because he often couldn't go to the uncertified restaurants in the slums, and Toga often didn't want to go out to anywhere but her favourite café. Therefor he had to learn to cook for both of them, and his skills weren't too shabby.

All three ate in relative silence, enjoying the meal they shared until Heather pulled out her phone in response to a buzzing and opened a call with an apologetic glance. "Hey Aud, how can I help?"

Izuku and Inko looked at her curiously as Heather hmm'd and gave basic responses in return to some questions until a mischievous grin stretched across her face, spelling trouble for Izuku. "Why, yes he is sat in front of me."

Izuku sighed as Heather slid the phone over to him. "Your princess awaits oh shining knight."

He picked up the phone dutifully and said. "Hey, Audrey right?"

The voice on the other was obviously cultivated, but had a tinge of roughness to it. "Um, yeah. It's… Cool to finally meet… Talk to you Izuku."

He tried to hide a laugh at her demeanor as he responded. "Likewise. What did you want to speak about?"

Inko noticed that his speech became somewhat less street when he talked to Heather or Audrey, filing it away in her drawer of 'Things to learn about her son'. "O-Oh! Um… Well I was invited by Auntie Heather to come to Japan and… I was wondering…"

He smiled as he recalled nearly the exact speech pattern some of the girls in Middle School would use when talking to him. "Sure, how about a day at the mall before a night on the beach?"

Her small scream of excitement was muffled after a second before she responded. "Thatsoundslovelygoodbye!"

The line went dead, and Izuku handed the phone back to the applauding Heather with a smirk. "Still got it. Sounds alright as far as 'take her home' is concerned."

Heather nodded, a prideful smile on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I know, right? And I'm certain that those pics I slipped your way were enough to convince you of her other… Assets."

He suddenly felt an angry presence to his left and turned to see his mother having attracted all of the knives to her. "What. Was. That?"

Izuku gulped, silently thinking to himself. "Well I was never one for school, but I could really fucking use a bell right now."

AN: So, chp of Strays. I had the idea of a streetfighting Izuku for a while but this is the fruition of that with a sprinkle of harem and sad moments. In this one I'm going for the three tiered system of Waifus, chaotic evil, chaotic neutral and lawful good. I'll let you figure out who is who. And for those wondering, yes in this one Toga will be closer to cannon later on. Don't worry about an OP Izuku as well, the power of friendship is still present.