"You should to apply for school girly," Torino said out of the blue one morning. Izuku stared at the little man with wide eyes.

"School?" Izuku parroted, now ignoring the nickname bestowed on him by Torino. It was a word he hadn't thought about in a long time. Sure he learned and he was taught things. He had many teachers back on the island and he did his best to be a good student. But school itself? He barely had the foggiest of memories of such a place.

"Yeah. You seem smarter than some of the idiots I used to teach," Torino commented offhandedly. Izuku's eyes sparkled hearing this.

"You were a teacher?! What did you teach? How many students have you taught? Did you have an apprentice?" He asked eagerly. Torino all too often played the senile old man. So rarely was any of his past just stated. Izuku wanted to know more.

"What?"

"Your teaching days," Izuku repeated.

"Bah. Don't know what you're talking about," he brushed off. Izuku slumped in his seat. Of course Torino wouldn't tell him. Still, it was more than he had known previously about the man whose house he was staying. On a seperate note, perhaps it was worthwhile to pursue an education within Japan. He had learned enough being back to know that most occupations that would supply funds.

"So... how do I go to school?" he asked, lifting his head from his slump.

"You'll take a test and if you pass, you'll get into a school."

"That seems strange. Why?"

"To make sure you're smart enough to handle the work they give you."

"And what if you're not smart enough?" Izuku tried to ask as a hypothetical, though slight nervousness crept into his voice. Torino shrugged his shoulders.

"You could test the next year. Give you plenty of time to study again. But I have a feeling there are a few schools you could make it into."

"You think?" Izuku asked. A knowing grin came to the old man's face.

"Sure. Considering how far you've come with being here, and how much you knew before, wouldn't surprise me in the least."

"Wow. I don't really have memories of going to school. It sounds like it would be neat," Izuku admitted. Torino nodded his head and shoved a stack of papers towards him.

"Look em over girly. Pick a few and fill em out."

Izuku grabbed the first few papers and began reading them over with vigor. His eyes trailed back to Torino who was drinking tea.

"What's the different classes they're talking about? Support and General? Is that some kind of battle tactic training?"

"Kid, did you get trained to fight?"

"Sure did," Izuku commented, "I was taught that sometimes, the heat of battle could teach you you could do things you couldn't even dream of doing."

Torino saw the gleam in Izuku's eyes as he began to rattle off something in a quick but hushed mumble. His hands making strange movements, telling a story of some kind, clearly trying to explain some kind of fighting he once did. The positive recalling the boy seemed to be experiencing seemed to be a clear enough answer.

"How do you feel about helping people?"

Izuku didn't respond, too caught up in his mutter storm. Torino waited for a moment, then whacked him on the head. Izuku yelped at the hit but the muttering stopped.

"Focus girly. Do you like helping people?"

"I do. I loved helping everyone back on the island. And I've even helped someone since coming back to Japan," he answered with a friendly grin blooming on his face.

"Then mark Heroics and a second in general on the schools you like."

"Okay."

Katsuki Bakugo replayed a clip he wished never existed once more. His red eyes locked on the green blur shown from the shaky camera. Looking at it for a clear image of his rescuer's face. The green haired person who had dove into conflict without hesitation was an assault on memory, demanding attention.

There was something familiar about the person. Wide eyes and the color green were the main things he could remember. Hair had been pulled back, but long. He didn't know if it was straight or curly.

He should have been focused on getting stronger, so the incident wouldn't happen again. Instead, he had wasted months trying to find the person who had been trying to really help him first. He clicked his tongue with slight frustration. With controlled steps, he made his way outside, to vent some steam and get some training in for UA. His usual scowl was firmly in place as he forced the green haired person from his mind and focused on bettering himself.

For everyone he would fight. For everyone he would save.

For Auntie Inko who seemed to vanish. And for Izuku who had disappeared without a trace.

Shoto knew he was ready. Training tirelessly each day to be perfect in controlling his mother's ice to the frustration of his father, and the worry of Midoriya. He knew she wished him to use his fire, not to appease his father, but to be safe as a hero. She was weepy each time she saw his injuries from harsh training his father insisted upon. He never would have believed a person could hold so many tears in as she had shed. He had dried up far too long ago.

Perhaps it was her undying love and care for people that created simply too many tears for her to hold back so even the slightest bit of turmoil filled emotion broke a fragile dam, releasing the floodgates of tears.

He had only seen those tears dry on one occasion. Her face instead grew blank and pale. Her teary eyes grew distant and she fell silent.

He had asked if she ever wanted to have a child of her own. She acted very motherly.

Her words were cold and ones he would never forget.

"What kind of mother can't keep her child alive?"

Those words haunted him.

He never asked again, knowing she may never answer, and whatever had happened to her child, kept close to her heart until she grew old and died.

Time passed with a new purpose for Izuku. With school a goal in mind to meet others and hopefully find his biological mother, he now set off to the first of who knew how many tests to enter school.

The identification card he was given to show at the test proclaimed him Izuku Torino. Izuku had been surprised to learn Torino was the old man's last name. He still didn't know his first name.

He was pondering the mystery of the man he had been living with, his pack in hand as he entered the schoolgrounds of someplace called U.A.

So caught up in his head, he missed the fact the ground was uneven, causing him to trip forward. He prepared to catch himself with a twist and quick movement of his feet, but his weight suddenly left him, causing him to spiral in midair.

"Gah!" he cried out as he twisted and turned in the air from the momentum of trying to stop himself from falling.

"Oh my goodness!" another voice he didn't recognize yelped. "Please stop moving!"

Izuku froze, not knowing exactly what was happening. Why couldn't King be here to help him? Or Mama Elaine?

In his panic he didn't notice a brown haired girl with rosy cheeks approach. She quickly grabbed his pants leg, getting his attention. He felt her pull him back down to the ground by his foot, keeping him upright. He watched as she spoke something softly, then felt his weight return in full.

"Sorry about that! You looked like you were going to fall and that wouldn't be good right before a test," she said rather bubbly. She gave a warm smile that reminded him of his Auntie Diane.

"N-No problem," he stuttered. He felt his face heat up. Why did he stutter?!

"Oh good. Well, I better get going. Don't want to be late!"

She took off running, waving back to Izuku who just stood there dumbly and waved back. Once she was out of sight his face erupted red in embarrassment.

"Man, why couldn't I have had Kichan ready with me. He wouldn't have let me stutter..."

Izuku pursuing an education. Well, Torino can't always be responsible for him.