"-and what do you do if they flood the exams"

"Get to high ground as quickly as possible"

"-And if they do endurance runs "

"Start off slow and pace myself"

"and what do you do if they blow all of you sky high- "

Keira looked at the twins. Their arms were crossed across their chest and Shio was nodding like his brother's words were the wisest things he had ever heard. She couldn't help but snort in amusement before going back to eating her breakfast.

"I'm pretty sure they're not going to blow their future students up, Koshou," she said around a mouthful of the sugary cereal.

Their arms unfolded, palms slamming onto the wooden table as Koshou widened his eyes comically, "You never know! Heroes are getting stronger each year! They are probably blowing all the weak heroes up so only the super strong ones can graduate"

She raised an eyebrow at his insistent yells, "That or you know, they train super hard so that villains don't take over the world."

"Well that's just dumb, blowing up the weak seems like a much more practical option," They sat back in their chair, a pout on both of their faces. Koshou brought a cup of coffee up to his face, sulking as he took a sip while Shio put his chin in his own hand, eyes downcast in disappointment.

Today was the day, February 27th. The past 10 months had been extremely chaotic, especially considering where they lived and who they associated with. However even with all the neighbourhood distractions, School issues and intense training, Keira felt ready for the entrance exams. Even if she wanted to throw up everything she had eaten from the last 24 hours.

Thankfully she had her family to thank for her lack of being sick. Everyone had crowded around in the bar the morning of, and if they weren't there to send her off, they had assured her they would be there when she got back. The twins had bustled in early, rattling off different scenarios that could happen during the exams and what to do in the situation. Masahiro had walked in, one hand holding his skull-topped cane and the other holding the hand of a young white-haired boy. They had made their way to the table Keira was eating at and hadn't moved since; Masahiro seeming content to listen to the chaos in the bar, and the young boy pulling out drawing supplies. Two other figures had walked in after them, an average looking guy with long brown hair pulled into a low ponytail and the other figure covered head to toe in a black skin-tight material. They had sent a wave Keira's way before making themselves comfortable at the bar, talking and laughing with Nick as he made them coffees.

"Alright leave her alone, you cretins. She going to be late if you keep prattling on about unbelievable scenarios, so let her eat"

Keira sent Masahiro a grateful smile, spooning another heap of cereal into her mouth. A small hand pats her arm and she flicked her eyes down to the young boy sitting next to her. He gave a small nod to his drawing before sliding towards her. A gruesome depiction of Keira standing victorious over a pile of bodies made her raise her eyebrows and as crudely drawn as it was, she could definitely make out that they were all decapitated.

"another addition to the wall?"

The boy gave a nod and Keira smiled down at him before scoffing down the rest of her food. Pushing back from the table, she reached down to pick up both the quiet boy and the paper and walked over to the drawing clad wall.

Small hands reached up and pinned the new drawing over an older one. As they stood and admired the gruesome wall, someone else joined their viewing party and Keira looked up at her colossal brother.

"Nearly time to go, want a lift?"

"No, that's ok. I should be good to walk, I'll take Yasu with me and drop him off at his route on the way," She placed the boy in question back on his feet, his hands coming to grasp the side of her sweatpants clad leg. She knelt to his level and placed a hand on his stark white head.

"Wait here for me okay? I'm just gonna get my stuff and I'll be back down"

Yasu pat against her shoulder before padding his way back over to the table, Masahiro lending a hand to help him onto one of the chairs before they started muttering to one another. Patting her brother's arm on the way, she bounded up the stairs to their apartment. It was a relatively small area, the same size as the bar below but it was enough for them. They both got their own room, and thankfully they liked the same video games so sharing a tv wasn't a hassle, however, Nick always hogged the one bathroom they had and always used up the shampoo. Then again, she found ways to get him back. He never looked prettier with bright orange skin.

Bursting into her room, she made her way over to her bed where her shoulder bag lay on her black covers. She had already stuffed all the necessities in there, as well as an extra set of clothes and all the paperwork needed to register for the entrance exams. Making sure everything was in there, she shed her sweatpants and tank top before putting on the clothes Mayu-san had made her.

Mayu-san's quirk definitely came in handy, especially with how fast Keira went through clothes, however, Mayu-san had a penchant for fashion, so Keira always looked like she stepped off the runway. It made her a little uncomfortable at first, but Mayu-san was aggressively insistent, so Keira learned to live with it. Stepping back, she admired the black wetsuit looking material that hit the middle of her calves and just below her elbow. Mayu-san always did have a way with fabrics and the material was incredible; breathable and easy to move in. Keira paired the sporting onesie with a pair of white breezy shorts and a sleeveless sporting jacket, hiding how tightly the material clung to her body, before tying her sneakers on.

She looked at herself in the mirror, amber eyes catching her own. She could literally see the trepidation and anxiety in them and had to take a deep breath to calm her nerves. Today was the day. She would be walking through the gates of UA high in under two hours' time. She would be registering to be a student for the hero course, sitting down for the introduction presentation and then she would be competing with a bunch of different kids from different schools for the highly coveted position of being a UA student. Keira rubbed her sweating palms against her bouncing legs.

"You can do this idiot," she whispered to herself ", you have just as much of a chance as any of those other kids, even if you did get expelled"

That would probably be the only problem she would run into. The only way you could register for the entrance exam was with the recommendation from your school or with the recommendation from a pro-hero. Nick said he would sort something out, and honestly, she didn't want to think about what she would do if they didn't take her, so she put all her hope and trust into Nicks plan.

Steeling herself, Keira nodded to her mirror reflection and jumped up from her bed. She snatched her bag up and threw it across her shoulder, marching out of her room and skipping down the stairs to the bar. She had to stop for a moment to gather her emotions as everyone's face looked up at her and smiled.

No, she did know what she would do if UA didn't take her. She would stay here with her family, live life and better herself. UA wasn't the only school either, and if the hero track didn't pan out, she always loved kids so maybe teaching would be fun.

Having a bit more pep in her step, she skipped down the last couple of steps. Nick met her at the end with a smile before reaching out and putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Alright now, when you get there head straight to reception and –

"Head to the office, give them the forms and then go to the meetup point for the exam," Keira laughed at Nick's playful scowl, "Don't worry Nick, I've been thinking about this for the past 8 months"

Nick sighed and released one of her shoulders, using his other hand to steer her towards the bar, "I know, I know. I just don't want them to hassle you over the expulsion"

Keira scowled, her eyes flashing before narrowing in frustration, "It wasn't my fault anyway"

"We know that," Nick said with a calm tone, flicking her forehead, "but those forms will vouch for you okay? So, don't forget"

Rubbing the red spot on her forehead, she nodded in confirmation. Nick looked at the messy haired girl in front of him before smiling and pulling her into a tight hug.

"I'm so proud of you Keira, you're going to ace this exam," Keira smiled into the hug, even if her spine felt like it was going to break in two. Her brother always had a way of making her feel like she was going to achieve more than she thought was capable, and especially for today, it was dutifully needed.

"Alright, alright, stop hogging her and pass her over,"

Keira laughed and pulled away from her brother's hug and walked over to the two men sitting at the bar. The long-haired man was looking at the siblings with a smirk on his face, fingers casually flicking a coin and catching it repeatably.

"Shit, today's the day huh," The man said as she reached their seats, "seems like yesterday you were just a little runt clawin' at my legs. Time flies, don't it Princess."

Keira scoffed, pushing the guy's shoulder, causing him to grasp the edge of the bar to keep himself from falling, "Keep calling me Princess and I'll show you what these claws can do now"

The man threw his head back in loud laughter as he righted himself, flicking the coin in the air and catching it without looking. He stared at Keira with a smirk, chin in his palm and the other rolling the golden coin across his knuckles.

"You can try, but I've been flipping this coin religiously all day and I'm getting nothing but heads. Now come here so some of this luck can rub off on you"

She embraces the man in front of her as he stood up. He stood taller today, must be having a good luck day, so he easily dwarfed her small stature. He pressed his cheek into her hair and Keira wound her arms tighter.

"You're gonna do great kid, don't need the old man's quirk to know that"

"Thanks, Kichirou" Keira murmured out, looking up with a smile as he released her. Looking past Kichirou as he sat back down, Keira waved at the other man.

He made for a pretty weird sight, clad head to toe in the same black material that Keira wore under her clothes, however, his covered his feet and his hands. Over the top he wore a loose set of shorts and a giant hoodie, however, the strangest part was the simple gas mask on his face. It covered the whole of his head, locking around the neck of the wetsuit material with a mechanical collar. The lens around his eyes was the only way anyone could see that there was a person inside all the clothing and material. He used to not have the lens in the mask, saying something about variables, but after one too many poles to the face, he decided it was a variable worth noting.

"I'd give you a good luck hug, but I don't want to get you sick before your exam," His voice was slightly muffled behind the mask and Keira couldn't help but laugh, reaching out to fist bump his own fabric clad hand.

Kichirou looked at the duo, leaning backward as they fist bumped in front of him. Turning his attention to the masked man, he cocked an eyebrow in interest, "What's it today?"

The man hummed behind the mask, fiddling with the fabric on his fingers, "I'm not actually a hundred percent certain. The drugs I'm testing out for Hotaru-san cause memory loss, so I've forgotten what I was testing myself, hence the suit today. Although I coughed up blood this morning, so it could really be anything"

Kichirou pulled a face in disgust, inching slightly away from his companion, "gross"

Keira punched his arm, Kichirou recoiling, nose scrunched up in mock pain. Snickering, she turned back to the other man with a little smile.

"Don't worry about it Takara, I'll be back later so it's not like I won't see you then" The man in question gave a nod, eyes curling up with what she assumed was a smile behind his mask.

The trio was rudely interrupted when a pair of arms came up behind her, wrapped around her waist and lifted her into the air. Her breath rushed out of her in one huge whoosh, her legs dangling as whoever was carrying her carted her over to one of the booths.

Setting her down, she took a breath of relief staring at the Twins in disbelief. They leaned against the table of the booth, smug smiles on their faces and she simply rolled her eyes. They outstretched their arms, gesturing with their hands for her to come forward and she snickered, stepping into their hug.

"You'll be fine," Shio mumbled into one of her ears, "the moment they look at you, they'll snap you up"

"And if they don't, "Koshou chimed as they pulled back to look at each other, giving a cheeky smile in unison, "you can always have a spot in our super awesome villain group"

Keira laughed aloud at this, shaking her head in fondness, "thanks guys, I'll definitely take you up on that if things don't go to plan"

"You better, we don't extend the offer to everyone!"

They gave her a final last hug, all three of them snickering, before she wandered back over to the table Masahiro and Yasu were sitting at. Yasu seemed to be murmuring something to him quietly, the old man nodding with a contemplative smile. Masahiro muttered a low 'don't worry' to the younger boy before the two of them looked up at Keira as she approached.

"Ready to go Yasu?"

The young boy nodded, starting to gather up all his drawing stuff and putting them in his bag. As he was doing this, Masahiro reached out to grasp Keira's hand, tugging her to his side. He gave her a short smile as knelt next to him.

"Gonna wish me luck Oji-san"

He let out a laugh, shaking his head slightly at her cheeky tone, "I can feel the future, little one. I don't need to wish you luck. This exam will be tough, but the outcome is great, and your future is bright" He had a wistful tone, usually something that only came out when he was actively using his quirk. He was also staring off into the distance, just over her shoulders although she couldn't see his eyes thanks to the dark glasses covering his eyes.

"Watch out their Oji-san," she said, slightly louder to break him out of the trance. He looked back to the girl, laughing softly, "I might have to start paying you for the readings"

Masahiro pat her shoulder as she stood, walking to his side to help Yasu put his backpack on, "if that was the case, that you would be in a lot of debt by now"

Keira rolled her eyes with a smirk before putting a hand on her hip, "will I see you when I get back?"

"Of course, it has been a while since us ex-cons have had something to celebrate" He replied with a grin, gold glinting under the lights. A small hand grasped her own, tugging a little to get her attention, and Yasu looks up at Keira blankly with white eyes.

"Oka-san says that if we don't leave now, we will be late," Yasu reached out with his left hand, grasping at something that Keira couldn't see.

"Oh thanks, Yasu-kun," looking to Yasu's left, she gave a smile to the air in front of her, "Don't worry Shinju-san, we are leaving now"

Yasu gave a nod before starting to talk to the side, muttering under his breath with subtle light to his eyes. Keira pats Masahiro's shoulder one last time before making her way over to her brother. He was talking with Kichirou, laughing as the other man blushed over something, waving his hands in a flustered manner. Still snickering, he looked up as Keira walked up to him, bag hanging over one shoulder and an excited jump in her step.

"Time to go?"

"Yup, once I get back, you won't be the only hero in the family," she started bouncing on the balls of her feet, punching lightly at her brother who dodged each one of her mock punches. Ducking under one, Nick reached out and started ruffling her already messy hair. Keira squawked in protest, batting at his hands.

"I can see the nerves on your face idiot, don't be nervous. You got this. Just give it your all and remember – "Reaching ouch, he grasped the sides of her face, squeezing her cheeks together before ducking down and giving her a serious expression.

"That quirk is yours. If you are comfortable or you need it, you use it. You are not a monster, no matter what those voices say" His voice was strong as he said it, his brows pulled into a determined furrow. His eyes didn't leave hers, trying to get his point across as much as he could without launching into a rant like he usually did.

Keira's eyes watered slightly before she nodded, breathing in deeply before smiling to reassure her protective brother. Nick gave his own small grin, before throwing an arm around her shoulders to walk her to the door. Reaching out a hand to hold Yasu's, Keira and the pale boy walked out of the bar. Waving goodbye over their shoulders as they walked further on down the street, Keira beamed at the goodbyes and good lucks that were shouted out after them. As they walked down the street, Keira was met with a few good luck wishes from the people she knew, and many sneers from others who knew where she was going. The whole community knew that the girl wanted to be a hero, and many were hesitant in accepting that, not knowing when she would come down and take them out of their homes if they fell off the reformation bandwagon. She knew she was walking a thin line between neighbour and enemy, but as the pair walked through the streets, no one bothered her, simply staying out of her way.

Yasu split his attention between muttering to his mother and talking to Keira. She was uneasy around the boy when she was first introduced, unsure who he was talking to when he muttered to thin air. Over the years, especially after she started receiving the drawings, she had gotten used to the boy's quirk and simply hummed along to the conversation she could only hear part of.

The wind seemed to pick up as they neared closer to the edge of a park, the tree's rustling in the wind and leaves seeming to brush against her cheeks as they fell. They neared to a stop and Keira crouched in front of Yasu.

"Alright Yasu-kun, this is your stop," She reached out to rub a smudge of colour off his cheek, the paint standing out against his pale skin. He wrinkled his nose at the contact but didn't push her away, simply rubbing his cheek with the sleeve of his jumper after she had pulled away.

"Are you going to come back to Dasoku later on?"

Yasu nodded slightly, pulling his backpack a little higher before reaching out to grasp the air at both of his sides.

"Cool! When I get back, I'll make you whatever you want. Shinju-sand and Taichi-san, you're always welcome at the bar too so don't be strangers"

The tree's behind them resulted, blowing wind through her hair. She smiled up at the air beside Yasu before he got her attention, motioning for Keira to come closer so he could whisper something to her.

"Oka-san says good luck, she said 'you will do great'," Keira couldn't help but fluster at the lady's words and smiled at the boy, "Oto-san says that he'll walk you to the gates of the school as well"

Keira frowned, scrunching her brows up at the little boy, "He doesn't have too. He hasn't seen you all morning"

Yasu shrugged his shoulders, letting go of one of his parent's hands to rub at his eyes. They usually got a bit dry during the day, especially when he forgot to blink, and ended up become irritated and itchy.

"He doesn't mind. He says it not every day that you get to go to hero school"

Keira sighed in acceptance, smiling softly at the boy's wide eyes. They usually all had a family walk in the mornings, either going around the park once or multiple times a day. Keira had joined in a handful of times at the family's insistence and she was surprised to find that she liked the peacefulness of it. She usually zoned out as Yasu talked to his parents about what he was up to or what he had done the day before however, Yasu's parents loved to ask the girl questions whether it be about what she up to, how school was going and recently about her goal of being a hero. She was flattered to see how invested they were in her life, even if she couldn't talk or see them. Yasu never minded being a translator and found the conversations just as interesting as his parents.

"Well, you're sure Taichi-san, I would be happy to have your company." Yasu nodded before turning to his side, his hair moving as if someone was ruffling it. A cold breeze made Keira shiver, her body feeling like it was drenched in cold water. When Shinju had first initiated affection with Keira, she had reacted aggressively, jumping back and looking around with fright. She had later apologized profusely to Shinju and had come to accept and later love the peculiar hugs. The feeling disappeared soon after and Keira leaned down to hug Yasu goodbye

"Okay, I'm off, I'll see you tonight at Dasoku alright?"

Keira walked away, waving goodbye to the young boy as he turned and started walking in the opposite direction, a hand grasping the air. Humming and turning around, Keira shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. It was such a nice day; the air was still, the sun was out, and birds were probably chirping somewhere. The heat felt good on her skin, the cold from Shinju's hug being replaced by the familiar heat that warmed her up enough to be thankful for wearing a short-sleeved jacket. Cocking her head to the side of her body that was a few degrees colder than the rest of her, she murmured softly to her invisible companion.

"Thanks for walking with me Taichi-san. To be honest, I'm super nervous which isn't great for my predicament"

A harsh, short breeze pushed her hair from the back, causing the longer strands to fall over her eyes and into her mouth. Spitting and spluttering, she pulled the hair away from her face and mockingly glared to her side,

"Bah! I would've stayed in bed longer if I wanted messier hair Taichi-san, But I know what you're saying. Don't worry about it and all that"

She looked up at the blue sky, sighing at the clouds that hung in the sky. She couldn't crush the butterflies in her stomach, and she felt like she was going to throw up but so many people were proud of her and knew that she was going to do well. Even Masahiro had said he had a good feeling about today! She needed to stop doubting herself and believe in her abilities like her family did.

"You're right, you all are! Everything will be fine. I'll do the exam and get into the hero course. Ill prove to them I'm not a monster and laugh in their face when they see how well I'm doing!"

Wind chimes rang out as they walked past someone's balcony. She giggled at the sight of the owner's befuddled face, knowing the forecast had said nothing about choppy winds today. She skipped forward, her face stretching into a wild smile, an excited jump in her step. Raising her hands to hold the back of her head, she gave an amused laugh as a thought occurred to her,

"Plus, if I don't get in, Shio and Koshou said they had a spot in their super awesome villain team for me, and who can refuse such an esteemed position!"