I'm alive! Sorry for the wait, and thank you for the alerts, favorites, and reviews (honestly they're my encouragement cause I guilt trip myself into writing when I see them - 'people are reading your story, you need to write more!')

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Let me know what you think! Also, I suck a naming my chapters, not going to lie. I like giving them names over numbers, but eh... not liking the title for this one. *shrug* Ha... and sorry, meet a few more OC's, I'm enjoying branching into the underworld of quirks, so bare with me, there's going to be more, but plus side, we're going to get into some shady business...?

Endosymbiosis

Declarations

※

Shosei was lounging on a plush couch, arms spread along the back, the curve of its spine the perfect shape. Before her was a table, drinks of various levels and colors spread over the surface. The dark wood, snuggly fit in the bay of the nearly circle couch. The only escape, a small gap where the curling edges didn't meet.

With unfocused eyes, fingernail scratching back on forth on the leather, Shosei stared out at the undulating mob that was bouncing and moving to the beat of the pounding music inside the club. She sat in the darkened retreat, the strobing and waving lights reflecting in her seafoam eyes.

A presence leaned against the back of the couch, angling over the top to enter her peripheral. "Not joining in tonight?"

"I'm just not feeling it, I guess," she answered. Blinking, Shosei refocused and turned her head to look at the man. His blond hair curved over one eye and he had a lopsided grin on his face.

Toya was a handsome man in his early twenties and surprisingly caring to those he was close with, at least as long as you didn't get on his bad side. Or bring up his 'cheating bitch of an ex-girlfriend,' who he was, drunkenly, still hung up on. He'd badmouth her himself, but when even slightly inebriated he was unexpectedly, and often violently, defensive.

"Something got you down, lil' Pan?" He offered her one of the drinks in his hands. Once she took it, he used his free arm to heft himself up the raised platform the couch sat on and continued the single smooth motion to slide over the back of the couch to join her. His other drink sloshed, but remained inside the glass. If the proprietor of the place saw him, he'd blow a vein seeing Toya vault the fancy leather couch. "Did you have to knife some punk-ass little brat? Best to put them in their place early, let them know who's in charge."

"Nothing like that," she shook her head. She had to speak somewhat loudly, but it sounded like a murmur in the din of the beating music and partying crowd. Arms dropping to her sides, she switched her drink to her left hand, using her right to swirl the straw of whatever Toya had got her. Not that he'd bought it per se, chances were good he'd lifted someone's wallet and helped himself to the contents.

Beside her Toya shifted to face her, settling a bent knee on the couch and placing his left arm on the back. He waited for her to continue, setting his ice clanking as he took a sip of his drink. "Just the whole thing that went down yesterday," Shosei finally said.

She had to be careful with how she spoke. Everyone assumed she was attending Corriban Academy, that school was the natural progression in their area of the city. It was surprisingly tamer than Malakor Junior, maybe because they were older or perhaps because the school would actually crack down on the more violent of behaviors. Of course, that didn't stop them entirely, you just had to be more skilled at going unnoticed. Or so she'd heard anyway, seeing as she wasn't there.

"It just seems crazy to me that people would attack UA." The media was still going on about it. After Snipe-sensei had finished his announcement, they'd still had to remain at school as the building had been combed through by the police. Given the size, it had taken a few hours to complete. The following day they'd been given off, from what she'd understood from Snipe-sensei, it was to install new security measures throughout the school grounds and buildings, while also giving time for the students to come to terms with everything that had happened. What all the new precautions were, he didn't say. "I mean, I get the wanting to waste All Might, sure. But at the school? Pretty sure there's more heroes there per square inch than any city in Japan."

"Has that been bothering you since the news broadcast started? I know you like understanding how people think, but don't get so hung up on your puzzles, Pan." Shosei lifted the drink Toya brought her, some fruity virgin whatever, and took a sip out of the straw to cover her want to clench her jaw at the nickname. "Those guys seemed pretty looney toons. If what the news says is true, he wasted his whole gang in one go and his little League," Toya's voice dripped with disdain, "is down to himself now. The only shame is that we didn't know what was going down. Coulda pushed some boosters on them, maybe then they'd have done a better job."

"Maybe," she agreed, putting the straw to her lips once more. Shosei knew what he was thinking, if the League had managed to kill All Might, it would have opened many doors for them. Unlike Toya and most of the others, she, along with a few among the inner circle – and many outside that circle – didn't quite want to see it go that way. For them, it was only to see the "Young Head" fail. For her, it was a matter of life.

Not that she was strong enough to do anything about that.

Shosei shut off that train of thought before it went anywhere else and turned her attention back to Toya who'd settled back into the couch once more and noticed her still pensive look. "You want something stronger?" He offered, shaking his drink at her between his middle finger and thumb.

"Dei would knife you," Shosei responded. Which was certainly true. His protective streak of her took him to some pretty dark places. He might be a severely underweight, drug-addicted acholic that Shosei had dragged to his bed so many times she'd lost count, but that didn't mean she could touch the stuff. The closest she'd ever got to drunk was when she was on the wrong end of his quirk.

The worst of it, in Shosei's opinion, was when he got so plastered, he started the world's most heartbreaking pity party. Wildly switching between telling her to just leave him, begging her to stay, endlessly putting himself down as worthless, and cussing out other members of the gang. Shosei wasn't sure if he could even recall those moments, but she didn't ever bring them up. Even when sober, which was becoming more and more rare, Shosei could see the self-loathing and apology in his eyes – not that it was his fault she was involved.

"He could try." Toya scoffed. While his quirk allowed him to disarm, or 'steal,' items another person wielded or wore, Toya was unable to steal things he didn't see coming. Also, Dei was faster on the draw, while Toya might could grab the first knife before it left Dei's fingers, he likely couldn't get the second. And despite drunken boasting, Toya could not grab things out of the air. Shosei had seen the – similarly drunken – failed attempts. She'd also helped patch and stitch him up after he'd failed to successfully dodge them all. It was always nice having a walking anti-infection dispenser hanging around.

A darker shadow moving in the gloom caught her attention and as it came to a stop nearby the light emanating from the dance floor revealed his features, aided Shosei's recognition. He was dressed like he'd stepped off a vintage Hot Topic advertisement. All black – hair, eyes, and clothes – gratuitous number of chains and belts crisscrossing everywhere, dark eyeliner, multiple piercings, and odd trinkets hanging off him – animal teeth, charms, cutesy keychains, and gemstones.

From the corner of his eye, he seemed to notice her as well, straightening in realization. Toya, on the other hand, didn't seem too pleased to see the younger man and while he maintained the grin on his face, it was now slightly strained.

"Shigeyo," the dark-haired teen greeted in his dull calm voice as he moved closer. She could barely hear him over the sounds occurring. "How are you?"

"Kuro," she responded using his first name. He was usually around his brothers necessitating the need to distinguish them. "I'm all right. Where's your brother?" As she spoke another figure emerged from the darkened bar, stepping up besides the older teenager. Not Kuro's brother, but Nori Yu, best friend of Ayumu Kuro, he was a generally amiable and unobtrusive person.

The onyx-haired teen, only two years older than her, nodded his head towards stage and said just as the current song finished. "He decided it was karaoke time."

Sure enough, his brother Hayu was now up on stage and had somehow convinced the singer of the band to let him take over.

"Oh good. He already knows I'm here, doesn't he?"

"Most likely."

Pounding drums filled the air, the guitar's riff started up.

"Caught in the moment, not even thinkin' twice. Everything's frozen, nothing but you and I. Can't stop my heart from beating, why do I love this feeling?" Hayu's eyes met hers and he grinned.

Ayumu Hayu had been in every, and Sho meant every, class with her since kindergarten – at least until this year. He was the polar opposite of his brother, where Kuro was dark like his namesake, Hayu was light, with his shockingly white hair and bright blue eyes.

"All right, I'm out." Sho deposited her drink on the table and stood – or stood as much as she could to slide out of the booth – making to beat a hasty exit. Toya's hand caught her sleeve-covered arm as she passed.

"Where you goin'?"

"Bathroom, I need to hurl," she stared directly into Toya's eyes and he let her go.

Both Kuro and Nori, shifted to watch as she walked away, disappearing into the crowded, darkened bar section.

Toya turned, eyes sharpening on the two teenage boys. "What are you doing here?"

Kuro looked to Toya; eyes half-lidded. He slowly blinked, allowing seconds to pass, before finally speaking. Lowly and coolly. "I could ask you the same thing."

Toya ground his teeth. "I'm not an eighteen-year-old brat sneaking in."

"No, I suppose you aren't."

"I'm thirsty," Nori interjected before the nasty reply made it out of Toya's mouth. The shorter sky-haired boy looked to his friend. "You want something?"

"Sure." Nori walked away at the reply, vanishing among the club-goers.

"So," Toya started, "what are you up to?"

"Up to?" Kuro repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What could I possibly be up to? This isn't your territory, no need to be so defensive."

Toya snorted softly as he settled himself back into the couch. True enough, any fight here would result in Heroes and/or police showing up. "Not that you know anything about territory," he muttered. It was a petty insult, one that didn't faze Kuro either.

The Ayumu family was an old family with an old quirk that could be traced back generations.

Their family was once yakuza, but as super heroes began to dominate, the Ayumu family, seeing the way the tides were turning, had switched over and by the time All Might had started cleaning the streets, they'd gone straight. Or at least straighter than before. They'd lost their territory, but maintained their landholdings and respect among the underworld. Mostly due to their quirks.

Officially, the Quirk was named Astral Projection and all members of their family were capable of casting out their souls, but rumor in the underworld claimed each family member was capable of different skills with said soul once it was out of their body. Seeing as no one tried to off them anymore meant it was probably true.

Kuro hummed, looking over his shoulder. "My soda seems to be lost." He turned back to Toya. "Nice seeing you, take care of yourself," he said right before walking away. Toya scowled at his back, but turned to his own drink rather than waste any more energy on the boy.

※※※※※

Shosei wove through the crowd at a quick pace and into a back hallway, going not to the restroom to be sick as she'd said, but to a back door tucked away in a dark, little-used section of the corridor. Its only light, the moribund exit sign overhead, quivering its last breath.

She pushed the bar down and with an extra hard jerk, jammed the lock open so she could get back inside. Slipping out through the smallest opening she could make, Shosei stepped out into an alley.

Along the wall to her left rested the backseat of some car, probably for employees on smoke breaks, but the alley also seemed to double as a restroom, given the combination of unappealing smells - the lingering scent of cigarette was the least offensive.

Relishing the drop in temperature, though, Shosei laid along the bench, tucking her hands behind her head and staring up at the starless light-bleached sky. The door creaking open got her quickly sitting upright, but she relaxed again as Nori stepped out.

"This doesn't look like the bathroom," he joked, door closing behind him. His nose wrinkled. "Though, it does smell like one."

"You caught me," Sho laid an arm on the top of the bench, leaning her side against the back and tucking up her legs. "I'm a peeing exhibitionist."

Nori chuckled softly, it was the most expression she'd ever seen on him, not that she'd spent a lot of time with him. He was two grades above her, and the only time she'd see him was when Kuro and he would come to Hayu's class to have lunch – which only happened when their shared schools overlapped. The youngest of which, while not asking her to join their group, would often drag her opinion into their discussions. If she didn't share, Hayu wouldn't stop annoying her.

From her understanding, the three boys had been friends since Kuro and Nori had met in first grade. Kuro had dissuaded a group of bullies to lay off of young, late-blooming, Quirkless Nori Yu, Shosei figured likely through devious and Quirkly means – Kuro could be terrifying when roused from his lethargic state.

To this day, Nori remained Quirkless. But his and Kuro's friendship endured and Shosei was sure Nori had his own talents, likely no longer needing Kuro's protection.

Tucking his hands into his pocket, Nori joined her on the other end of the bench. As he sat, Shosei spoke. "Did you come out here for something?"

Nori looked at her, and Shosei was struck by how soft his blue eyes were, the color matching his hair. "I wanted to check on you. Hayu can be… well, you know how Hayu can be."

Attention hungry, constantly bothering her, doling out his opinion with little care, and more than willing to partake in the fights that came after. That said, he, along with Nori and Kuro, had been the only ones unconcerned about her Quirk, its potential for harm, her familial relations – even if they weren't technically cousins – and the dangers that came with getting too close to her. Her cousins, and to some extent her foster brother, Dei, kept her isolated and reliant on them.

While the Ayumu name still held weight and they could defend themselves in close quarters, they were even more capable at a distance. So good at a distance, in fact, you literally never saw them coming since their astral projections were invisible to the eye. Even so, Shosei didn't want their blood on her hands, so she kept herself dissociated from them, no matter how much she'd have liked to join the three boys for lunch.

"I appreciate the concern, but I mostly just wanted some space and quiet."

"Of course," Nori agreed, genial grin on his face. It's a look she used often enough that Shosei already knew it was fake before the door opening a third time confirmed that.

Kuro stepped out of the club all tall, dark, and imposing, running a hand through his messy hair, and Shosei realized too late she'd been trapped.

Nice, kind Nori was the distraction, Kuro the barricade between her and the alley's only exit.

"Will Hayu be joining us?" she asked, body tense for flight, but she couldn't run without hurting either of them and likely being hurt in return. She'd rather not resort to her Quirk, even if it's quiet enough to not notify any cops or pros in the area.

"He'll likely be here shortly," Kuro stated, looking at the wall across from Nori, contemplated leaning on it, but promptly discarded the idea with obvious distaste on his face, choosing instead to stand opposite his friend. "We just want to talk a bit."

"Can I get a teaser?"

Kuro's lips turn up slightly. "We might as well wait. We haven't seen you in a while and he'll want to hear it all too."

"It hasn't been that long." Sure, spring break plus the four days into the schoolyear, but it wasn't that long of a time. Though, she supposed she shouldn't be surprised that he'd noticed her absence.

"True enough," Kuro concurred, "but if you lived with Hayu's constant chattering about how he hasn't seen you since school started, it'd feel like a year to you too." Why would he even talk about her? She lived with Hayasatsu and he hadn't said a word about her disappearance from school. Seeming to read her mind, Kuro spoke again. "Because, on his part, he sees you as a friend."

Well, now she just felt bad.

Shosei couldn't, and wouldn't, return the sentiment.

She refused to have their blood on her hands.

So, instead of responding, she looked away, finding the dirty concrete to be the most fascinating thing. The trio remained in the silence until Hayu finally arrived a few minutes later.

"Oo, burr, chilly," were the first words out of his mouth.

Not in the mood for his, well, his-ness, Shosei interrupted before he could get going. "Can we get this intervention over with?"

Hayu's grin slid easily from his face. "Sure," he conceded, voice cold and serious, stepping up to Shosei. "Where have you been?"

"School," she answered just as succinctly.

"Well, that obviously isn't Corriban, so where are you go–" Hayu cut himself off, eyes widening. "No. Shit, Sho, that was some dumbass dare, from a bunch of dumbass kids, who you have nothing to prove. Why would you do it? Wait," he held up a hand, coming to a new realization, "you actually got in?"

Nori and Kuro shared a glance, before turning back to the other pair. "Would you care to share with the rest of us?" Kuro grumbled.

Pointing an accusing finger at the subject, Hayu responded to his brother. "She's going to UA!" For the first time, at least for Shosei, she watched a true expression flash across Kuro's face. Surprise. Eye-widening, mouth-opening surprise. Nori wasn't any better and the two older boys stared at her. However, Hayu, hadn't fully finished. "It was a dare, a dumb dare, a group of idiots in our class issued. Said she a coward who couldn't do anything on her own and that if she wanted to prove them wrong, she should apply to UA."

What Hayu said was true enough, though he was editing out the more unsavory details. Some particularly nasty kids at school – who she'd never gotten along with – had said some unrepeatable things about what went on between her and her cousins. Hayasatsu hadn't helped the matter either, after she'd shut him down, he'd spread the rumor that they'd done it behind the school, thus setting off the tales of her inclination of doing 'favors for the family.'

She hadn't minded, the less they liked her the less she needed to care. However, her cold indifference had only gotten them more upset and soon enough, despite the lack of actual witnesses, she was nearly as big of a tyrant as her cousin. Fights, drugs, threats, violent Quirk use. The second someone got sick, she was the one who'd done it to them. Her dear cousin cast a large, dark, terrifying shadow and comparing them…

That had bothered her.

She was not him.

Shosei could admit that she'd practically blacked out with fury when she'd filled out UA's application. The acceptance, however, that had been the icing on the cake and she hoped they all choked on it once the Sports Festival occurred.

What might happen after that, she had a few budding ideas, but if it didn't work… well, she'd rather not linger on it.

"And you got in?" Nori questioned in wonder.

Shosei shrugged. "I admit I'm a little amazed, but I guess they liked my test score enough to overlook my zip code."

"As you insane?" Kuro spoke lowly, like someone might overhear. "What are you going to do if he finds out? Have you thought about anything?" Now it was Shosei's turn to be shocked. Kuro had said Hayu saw her as a friend, she could see that, but why was Kuro concerned? "And don't say 'he's not going to.' He might hate heroes and everything that goes with that, but someone in the organization is going to watch UA's sports festival. He'll find out, then what will happen?"

"We're were worried about you, Sho," Hayu said placatingly, holding a hand out to his brother to stop his raising rant. "When I hadn't seen you for days, I thought something had happened."

His worry stung, hurt.

The fingers of her left hand twitched.

She could feel the fire of pain lancing through her arm, see the leaking blood trailing across her skin.

"Next time it won't be you. But you're a smart girl, right Shosei? You won't make the same mistake twice."

Her shoulder screamed in agony. His Quirk worked its excruciating way into her flesh, twisting the metal of her necklace into a new form, blending it into her. A brand.

"Make sure you keep your mouth shut."

She knelt amongst the small group of women allowed in the room. Dozens of men spread out before them. Clamoring, arguing. Her cousin's hand flashed right to left. A few women jolted and gasped, but Shosei stared dispassionately forward, watching as a wave of red crashed across the fusuma screen.

Dissent would not be tolerated.

She'd seen what he could do.

He was a force of nature.

Death disguised as a man.

Every part of her demanded she distance herself. Back away. This would only lead to danger, pain, blood, death. Her pulse throbbed in her neck, in her finger tips.

She could take the terror, but it wasn't her who would be hurt for disobedience. Shosei would not be responsible for the destruction he'd wreak upon Hayu and his family.

"Don't," her voice choked. She took a breath and tried again. "Don't act like you know me." Clenching her jaw, she moved past the three boys and to the door.

Hayu's face fell. "Sho, wait, please. You don't –" Kuro stuck out his arm, cutting off his brother and stopping him from following.

They watched in silence as she reentered the club and the door clanked dully behind her.

"She's terrified of him," Kuro said, "and if you push too hard, she'll pull back even more."

"But," Hayu whispered desperately, "she doesn't have to live like that, if we can just –"

"I'm not so sure." This time it was Nori who interrupted. "You may not have noticed, but she only started to panic when you brought up your worry for her. I think she's more concerned with us than herself."

"I should have better controlled myself," Kuro admitted, then sighed. "We all heard about the mess that the transition of power became." A number of people had gone missing then and everyone knew what had happened and who had done it. "I can understand Shigeyo's hesitance."

"There has to be something we can do," Hayu murmured, shoulders curled inward, head low.

"Keep an eye on the situation." Kuro stated. "There's not much else we can do. We can pass things on to Hikaru, he might can do more." The two other boys nodded.

※※※※※

Shosei was once again doodling in the margins of her notebook as homeroom began. Snipe had taken his post at the front of the classroom and all eyes turned to him as he started speaking.

"As I'm sure many of you are aware, the UA Sports Festival is only a few weeks away. This is a time for all students to showcase their abilities, no matter the department. The sports fest opens the possibility of an internship with a hero agency and even if you do not wish to become a hero, it can aid your future endeavors as there are support and management opportunities as well. I recognize the scale of this event may put some of you off, but I'm hoping that all of you will give it your best shot. Any questions?"

Choari raised his hand and at Snipe's nod, spoke. "I'm just curious, but after the events of the last few days, is holding the sports festival a good idea? I mean, the media is already in a frenzy and is practically hunting for more controversy. Plus, with us all gathered in one place, wouldn't that be a good time for villains to attack?"

"I understand your concerns." The way he said 'your' made it sound more plural than a single reply to Choari only. "In comparison to other years, security has been nearly tripled. It's also unlikely that anyone would attack when, additionally, there are pro-hero spectators in the stands. That said, it is the wish of the administration to show everyone that UA remains safe."

And that they won't be cowed by the possibility of invisible threats, Shosei thought.

Which was fair, showing fear to people like that gave them the opening to stomp all over you and wrest control.

Speaking off control…

Shosei raised her hand and when Snipe called her name, she asked the question that had occurred to her. "Is there a pamphlet of rules I can read? I'd like to be aware of any regulations I should know." While Shosei knew UA had been putting on the sports festival for years, she'd never actually watched one herself and she preferred to know the rules to the game before she was stuck playing.

Snipe-sensei watched her for a moment, it was impossible to tell what he was thinking thanks to that mask of his, before he nodded his head. "Come to the teacher's lounge when lunch rolls around, I'll make sure you get a copy. If anyone has questions later, feel free to ask Miss Shigeyo."

She probably should have recognized that as the omen it was, but, sadly for her, she didn't. Not until she was standing by Snipe-sensei's desk, large blue binder thumping down before her.

"That's a dictionary," she stated, looking to her teacher. A short distance away, Midnight chuckled softly, eyes crinkling in amusement.

It wasn't a dictionary, she knew that, Snipe knew that, but it was as thick as a dictionary.

Across the front, emblazoned in yellow were UA's school seal and the words 'Sports Festival Rulebook.'

"It's very informative," Shosei certainly hoped it was given its size, "and fortunately for you, you have two weeks to get through it." She slid it off the desk and into her arms, which nearly gave way at the unexpected weight.

Is this thing lined with lead? Why is it so heavy?

Snipe watched her heft it up, adding, "Please refrain from making too many markings, we don't have an abundance of copies."

"Do you need me to sign it out, Sni-brarian?"

Shosei halted at her own words; her inner sass seemed to be leaking out to teachers now.

Happily – Luckily? – Snipe-sensei only tilted his head slightly, studying her. Midnight, on her part, let out a full laugh this time.

The second passed and Snipe spoke. "That won't be necessary." Shosei's shoulders relaxed at the lightness in his tone. "I'll simply assume any damages accrued was your doing and charge you accordingly. Best take good care."

"Yes, sir."

Shifting the binder once more, Shosei freed a hand to slide the door open and with a bow to her teachers, closed the door it behind her. Moments after it shut Midnight turned to Snipe.

"I like that girl. Can I keep her?"

Burdened by an excessively heavy rulebook, Shosei trudged herself back to her empty classroom and to her backpack, where she emptied out a few note- and text books into her desk before dumping the manual inside. She had no desire to haul that abomination in her arms further than required.

Hooking her headphones around her neck and setting quiet music to play, Shosei slung her bag on as she headed for the stairs down. She intended to go to lunch where she could study and eat, but as she arrived on the landing between floors, sun splashing across her skin, she paused.

Would she really be able to study well in the busy cafeteria? Looking back the way she'd come, Shosei debated the merits of going back to the classroom. She had some high-sugar, chocolate protein bars in her bag. They didn't make the best lunch, but she could live with them and she really wanted to get a head start on the book.

Shosei looked around.

It was quiet here and there wasn't really that much of a difference between sitting on the floor and sitting in her chair. Plus, the sun was feeling super nice.

Depositing her bag at her feet, Shosei shot off a quick text to Asano and Shinso telling them she wouldn't be making it to lunch and set herself on the ground. She pulled out the sports festival bible, a notebook, pencil bag, and snack bars before leaning against the pleasantly warm glass window. Shosei soon lost herself to the work, scribbling notes here and there to herself.

The book not only explained the overall rules and the setup of the festival, but three phases as well, interestingly, it gave numerous – which explained some of the thickness – examples of possible games, many of which contained notations of which years they'd been previously used. As she continued to peruse the book, familiarizing herself to its setup to better break down the best way to study, Shosei lifted her pencil, using the All Might topper to scratch an itch under her jaw.

A whine like air wheezing out a balloon gave her pause.

She had definitely not made that sound.

Eyes trailing up from her work, she spotted a bush of green hair peeking out from the corner with an equally green eye staring at her.

No, not at her…

Shosei moved her pencil right, then left, up, down, in a little spiral.

Yes, definitely staring at her pencil.

After what had to be a full minute of silence, Shosei finally asked, "You, uh, okay there?"

The hair and eye jolted and the person – boy – fully stepped out from around the corner, face flushing red. Shosei scanned him over as he shuffled awkwardly at the top of the stairs, spotting his singular button epaulette.

Hero Course then.

"S- sorry," he started, fingers twisting, "I just noticed your All Might pencil topper and I was so shocked." His eyes lifted up to meet hers. "I looked everywhere for the All Might back-to-school kit, but they sold out so fast, I never even thought I see one in real life. I just… got so excited."

"Oh." He's a fan boy.

"Can I- can I look at it?" His eyes were so wide and earnest, that despite how creepy his lurking and staring had been, Shosei figured he was mostly harmless. She held her hand out and wiggled her pencil at him in invitation.

The boy lit up, nearly tripping down the stairs to get to her – well, her pencil anyway.

Kneeling on the ground in front of her, he stared at the little topper like it was the Ark of the Covenant and immediately began gushing.

"Oh, wow! The pictures advertised don't do it justice! And it's so accurate!" Shosei had expected him to take it, but his hands remained steadfastly on his knees as her continued to yammer. "I wasn't expecting that since it wasn't a big-name company releasing them, but they did a good job at matching the color to the actual shade of All Might's hair and keeping the proportions correct. Where did you manage to find one?"

Shosei blinked at the rush of words. Was this thing actually to scale? And how obsessed did you need to be to know that by sight alone?

"Um," she finally began after a second, "a little convenience store near where I live." No need to tell him the place was shady as hell and probably got most their product from boxes that fell off the back of the truck. "I didn't realize they were special; I just thought the hair antennae would look cute on a pencil."

The green-haired boy met her eyes. "You're so lucky. You can actually still buy them online, but they're from independent sellers, so the prices are ridiculous."

The boy watched her as she shoved her pencil through the hair tie of her ponytail and then dug into the front pocket of her back pack. His mild curiosity shifted to awe as he watched her pull out a factory sealed bag containing a Wild Wild Pussycat headpiece topper and another All Might hair tuft. She offered the bag to him. "Here, it's not like need two."

The boy sucked in a breath, raising his hands up as if receiving a gift from God, before pulling them to his chest without taking the pencil toppers. "I can't. It's yours."

"Are you planning on selling it at insane prices on the internet?"

"No, of course not!"

"Then take it. I paid one-fifty. It was cheaper than dirt. Keep it closed, open it, hang it on your wall to worship, just take it." At her insistence, the green-haired boy finally, and as carefully as if he was handling Fabergé, took the little bag from Shosei.

"Oh, wow," he whisper-squealed, staring raptly at the gift. "Thank you so much!" He looked up to her, his eyes filling with tears. "I'll take good care of it!"

"Yeah, sure."

Reverently, the boy pulled his school jacket open enough to gently slide the bag into the inside breast pocket. He patted over top as if reassuring himself it wasn't an illusion.

As he was doing that, Shosei checked to time, lunch still had another fifteen minutes. She almost dropped her phone when the boy violently jolted, exclaiming, "Those are the limited-edition Hawks brand headphones! They look so cool in person!"

Now this was a subject she could get behind.

"I know, right! I'm glad they went with the toned-down, sleeker version instead of just copying his outright. I waited in line for four days to buy these babies, hell, I started the line," Shosei gestured to herself. "I forced my brother to bring me anything I needed, or take my place when I really needed a break, but they've been completely worth it.

The boy laughed. "You must be a big fan of Hawks."

"Who cares about Hawks, the true hero is the audio engineer. Hawks may have been sponsoring them, but their real beauty is in their high-end smart sound technology. Everything I listen to sounds amazing! Not only that, put these things on," she tapped her headphones, "and you'll block out the rest of the world." Shosei pulled them off from around her neck. "They're also reconfigurable into a speaker format, the sound quality drops a little, but nothing most people would really notice." She offered him the headset. "Here try it out."

"Huh? Seriously? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, just don't break them. If you do, I'm afraid I'll have to throw you out the window."

Chuckling, the boy took them gently. "If I broke them, I'd let you throw me out the window." Once the headphones were free of her hand, Shosei looked to her phone, scrolling through her long list of music.

"Let's see, what's a good piece for showcase. Ah, how about this." She looked up, the boy was waiting for her, holding her headphones in his hands, obviously having taken her 'block out the world' to heart. To be fair the noise cancellation was amazing, they'd been advertised as strong enough to block even the sound of wind when Hawks was flying. Not that that was something anyone could confirm or deny other than the Wing Hero himself.

Gesturing for her fellow student to put the headphones on, Shosei hit play moments after and the boy's eyes widened.

"Holy woah," he uttered softly hands reaching up to cup the headphones over his ears. "It's like, if I close my eyes," he proceeded to do just that, savoring the music for a few moments before continuing, "it's like the band is right here with me. It sounds so… oh woah…" The boy pulled off her headphones and opened his bright eyes. Shosei watched with a small smile as his hair sprung back up into place. Like curly grass. "That really was amazing." He handed her headphones back over.

"I know, right? The only thing that could make it any better is if I could get Hawks to sign them." Shosei already had a spot picked out where she thought his autograph would look best. "But even though he gives out signatures easily, he's notoriously hard to get one from."

"I've heard that," the boy agreed, "he's always flying scene to scene without really stopping. It's what's made him such a good hero, and so popular."

"Yeah, and because of that you're better off picking a spot that sells his favorite food and waiting, hoping he'll go there. And I've read too that camping his agency's office isn't worth it either, first cause the police keep loiterers moving and second, he's got a rooftop entrance that he uses the vast majority of the time. Most people are better off getting an autograph stamp from his sidekicks, or his sidekick's signatures."

The boy chuckled, "He's a difficult hero to track. And despite some pretty heavy crackdowns in the last few years, you still have to be pretty careful buying anything that is supposedly signed by him. A lot of people still try to pass of the autograph stamp as the real thing and despite the stamp being created from his signature, an authentic autograph is just a little bit different. Afterall, it's a human signing it. It's the same thing for every pro, too. Sadly, there's always going to be people trying to pass of fakes for the real thing."

"Yeah." Shosei knew some people who were in that business, supposedly it made good money. They were grade-A scumbags.

Glancing at her phone, Shosei hooked her headphones around her neck. "Ah, lunch is almost over." She began packing. "Should probably get out of the stairwell before it fills up."

Her fellow student stood abruptly. "That's probably a good idea. Oh," he jolted, "I'm so sorry! I never introduced myself. I'm Midoriya Izuku, I'm in class one-A."

Shosei stood, noticing she stood just slightly taller than him as she threw her spine-breaking bag onto her shoulders. "Shigeyo Shosei, one-C." The boy's, no, Midoriya's grin widened at her polite return. The pair of stared up the stairs together.

"It was really nice meeting you, Shigeyo. I really enjoyed our conversation!"

"Same to you, Midoriya." The green-haired boy slowed as they arrived to one-A's door, Shosei continued to walk, her class was further down the hallway.

"And thank you so much!"

Shosei smiled, looking over her shoulder. Midoriya's hand was on his chest, over the pocket he'd put the pencil toppers. "Sure thing," she said with a wave. "Take care."

※※※※※

Sucking down the fruity juice from its little box, Shosei leaned against the windows near the stairwell as she waiting for Shinso to finish his classroom duties. She watched in mild interest as a large crowd started to form outside one-A's door ways. Being hero course they were still finishing up their school day, while all of the general studies students were free to crowd the hallway and gossip about the now-famous students. She could even spot a few students from her class in the throng.

As the door slid open, the crowd quieted, so much so Shosei could hear the loud exclamation from inside.

"Who are all you people? And why are you here?"

Spotting Shinso from the corner of her eye coming down the hallway, Shosei straightened up, but his eyes were trained on the mob of students.

"Get out of my way, useless extras!" A frown pulled at Shinso's face as the words boomed out over the group. His body language shifted and he aimed himself into the crowd, using his height and shoulders to make his way through.

"Is all of one-A a bunch of assholes? Or just you?" Shosei grinned. It was Shinso to the defense with his impressive talent for flattery.

"What was that?" The 'useless extras' voice growled.

"I wanted to be in the hero course, just like a lot of others here, but we didn't cut it the first time around. With the sports festival coming up we have the opportunity to transfer in and in order to make room, they'll have to transfer people out. I'm here to let you know, I intend to rip the rug out from under you. Consider this a declaration of war."

The brief, but tense, silence that followed Shinso's words were broken as another voice called loudly. "Hey!" All heads turned in the direction of the shouter, who turned out to be the grey-haired Tetsutetsu. His face was thunderous. "I'm from One-B next door! I thought you guys were gonna be impressive when I heard you fought some villains, but it turns out you're all a bunch of stuck-up brats! We're gonna knock you punks out during the festival! Count on it!"

There was a lull in which people stared into the classroom, leading Shosei to believe that someone inside had to be talking, but it was too quiet and too far for her to hear what was said. However, she could hear the grouchy kids snarled response.

"These people don't matter, but that won't stop me from crushing each and every one of them if they get in my way! So unless you wanna die, keep out of my path!" A blond-headed boy began shoving his way forcefully through the gathered students. This must be 'useless extras.' Shosei grinned at him as he started past her, twiddling her fingers in greeting. He blatantly ignored her.

"Feckless." She garnered his attention with her statement and when his eyes met hers, added, "It's a good word."

He made a disgusted sound and Shosei's grin sharpened. He had actually tongue clicked at her! She didn't think that happened outside of cliched high school manga.

Now there is a guy with shiny buttons I can't resist pushing, she thought, watching as he stomped his way down the stairs.

Turning away, her smiled softened and she rolled her should back to pull herself to her full height. It wasn't overly impressive, but the way you held yourself was important to first impressions. "All right, all right," she called out as she approached the mass of adolescents, causing people to turn their attention to her. They parted to let her through. "General asshole-ery and declarations of war have occurred. The fun stuff is over. Let's break it up." Shosei found her way to the front of the crowd next to her friend. She continued in a lighthearted tone. "Shinso, you said you were going to club hop with me and instead I find you picking fights." The crowd around them began to loosen up and depart as it became obvious she wasn't there to encourage the rabblerousing. A duel-haired student used the opportunity to make his exit, sliding past the 1-C pair. "Balls of uranium," she stated to Shinso.

He turned to look at her, mild perturbation on his face. "Uranium?"

"It's dense and heavy."

"It's also radioactive."

"Is this not a compliment?" she asked, then sighed. "I find it difficult to correctly please masculinity." Shinso tried to maintain his stony façade, but Shosei could spot the smile tugging at his lips.

"Hey," a voice, which sounded oddly familiar, from the classroom interrupted civilly. The pair turned, a red-headed boy, hair slicked up into spikes was approaching them. Shosei, shifting her stance to be more friendly and open, studied him. Something about him tickled her memory. "Sorry about Bakugo, he can be a bit…" at his hesitation, Shosei interjected.

"Of crumpet?"

Shinso turned away with a wheezing cough.

"Abrasive," the red-head finished, her words apparently going over her head. At least Shinso got her. "But it's nice to see you two got into UA as well."

Shosei blinked and cocked her head. He knew her? It took a second as her brain processed and she practically saw his flashing past form beside him as she finally figured it out. Black hair that wasn't styled against gravity.

"Ah! Kirishima." He brightened at her remembrance. "You look," at the sudden flash of alarm that entered his eyes Shosei changed the word she'd been about to use from 'different' to, "exuberant." He relaxed. Apparently, he didn't want his class to know something that she could expose.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He asked with a laugh. "I'm pumped for the sports festival! Aren't you excited too?"

"Sure," she conceded with a grin. She wasn't really that excited, but it never hurt to be pleasant. Her eyes roved over the group of 1-A students gathered in the doorway, when she spotted Midoriya she graced him with a smile, to which he flushed. "Well, we should get going, it's club fair day and, according to a rumor, the shogi club is so desperate for members they have pizza. I want pizza, Shinso."

"All right," he agreed.

"Before you go," Kirishima started, causing the pair to pause. "If you wanted, we could totally practice for the sports fest together."

Shosei's smile turned more smirk. "Nice try." Kirishima pulled back startled. "But I'm afraid that's not going to happen. Or didn't you hear, we're at war. And being the good friend that I am," she placed a hand gentle against her chest, "I shall support my classmate in all his endeavors. So, until the sports festival is over, it's my duty," Shosei adjusted her stance again, open his arms, "nay my privilege, to show the world that UA's practical exam is not only biased and unfair, but is completely nonsensical." She lowered her arms, sliding her body into a more warning posture. "And if I have a little fun along the way, so be it. Let it be known one-A, one-C isn't going to roll over for you."

Shosei lifted the hand holding her empty juice box, she shifted her body so she could throw it into their classroom. Along the wall to the right, she couldn't see it, but if all the classrooms were the same… She heard the juice box bump into the wall, followed by a soft swish of plastic.

"Woah!" A blond boy, stripe of black in his hair, cried out. "Nice shot!"

Shosei dropped her posturing and brightened, walking backwards from them all. "Pizza time! Let's go!" With a twirl, Shosei turned around, excitement in her step. Shinso and his long legs easily caught up to her.

"Balls of uranium."

Shosei laughed and raised her fist. Shino softly bumped his against it.

"It would have been really embarrassing if their trashcan wasn't in the same place as ours. And I was serious about the pizza thing, Asano is holding spots for us."

"Do you even know how to play shogi?"

"Of course! My family is obsessed with the stupid game. I admit, I'm not really that fond of it though. I prefer games with more…" she hummed, "pliable rules."

And here's a fun little side thought on what's going on...

Izuku Midoriya: Thoughts

Izuku grinned widely, watching from his classroom door as Shigeyo walked further down the hallway. His hand was still over his breast pocket, where he could feel the small lump of the pencil toppers.

I've made a new friend! He thought joyfully. I actually managed to talk to a girl and didn't make a total fool of myself in front of her! She slid the door open at the very end of the hallway, disappearing inside. And she gave me such a nice gift! Izuku chuckled happily to himself, entering his own classroom.

※※

Izuku had perked up seeing the familiar features of Shigeyo work her way through the crowd as she broke up the mob. But at her parting words, he felt a sudden chill go through him. The icy look in her green eyes had been intense, like she'd enjoy seeing them fall. Even with her light-hearted call for food afterward, he was still shaken.

"Kirishima!" Ashido threw herself towards her classmate. "You never told us you already knew people in other departments! That girl is super cute," she sing-songed the last bit, causing Kirishima to flush at her insinuation.

"Uh, well," he stuttered, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Not really. I mean, I only briefly met them during the entrance exam. They were in the same battle arena as me."

"So, you know that hotties' quirk, then. We've got a leg up against them!" Mineta chuckled.

"I don't, actually." Kirishima shook his head. "I never saw them use it. All I know is that they took up running the medical station. So, healing quirks? Maybe?"

Izuku hummed, recalling Shigeyo's words against the impartiality of the practical exam. "I'm not sure." He said the words to himself, but he caught his classmates' attention.

"What do you mean?" Uraraka asked.

Jolting, Izuku clarified his words. "Well, I mean, she basically called the practical exam rigged. That might imply she has a quirk that isn't good against robots, or only works on people, or maybe it takes more time to charge up and she couldn't get a lot of points due to the fast pace." He shrugged. "Both of them could be that way. She also implied that a number of people in her class might be in similar situations. Though," he returned to mumbling, "I wonder if that toss had anything to do with her quirk."

"So we shouldn't let our guard down against them." Tokoyami nodded his head in agreement to his own words.

"Yeah," Izuku laughed ruefully, "or I could be overanalyzing everything and they just have healing quirks. UA would definitely want them if that's the case, given the rarity of quirks like that."

Credits:

Fallin' – Why Don't We

Note: For those not used to British phrases, Shosei calling Bakugo "A bit of crumpet" is her insulting him. The saying itself is often used in relation to noting a sexually desirable woman. There is some belief that crumpet is cockney rhyming slang for strumpet. A crumpet itself is a savory cake made from batter and yeast, it's served toasted, usually with butter.

A side note on the side note – I'm not actually British, but I grew up with a lot of British tv/movies, so sometimes British slang/words/and spelling get tossed into my writing. I'm really not sure why I use British spelling on some words an not others... where I grew up I guess? Are other people like this? For example, I use grey instead of gray (legit just spelt the word grey a second time then noticed I put the same thing twice later xD) I also tend to used knelt instead of kneeled... or spelt, cancelled, etc.

(Sorry if there were multiple notifications, I forgot to put a bit in, so I deleted then re-uploaded.)