There will not be a Mina sex scene, to respond to a strange reviewer. I'm not going to be writing minors like that. As for what took so long? I'd rather not talk about it, let's say I've had a very rough two years.

As the story continues, I may return to previous chapters and rework them a bit, nothing too major but maybe to simply add more to the story. I'll be sure to leave notes whenever I do this, so you'll remain up to date. Happy reading.

...

"RAGHH!" the devilman howled in fury as he easily shredded the abandoned wardrobe in front of him. Tearing the doors from the hinges, he whirled around and threw them with all of his might. He watched as they slammed into the ocean some several dozen feet away, snarling as they floated back to the surface rather than stay down. With a huff, the devilman turned back around to repeat the task with another unfortunate piece of garbage, when a sharp "MIDORIYA!" stopped him in his tracks.

A wave of shame washing over him, Izuku meekly turned around, still in devil form as his tail tucked itself between his legs, and his wings drooped heavily over his back. He kept his gaze down as the number one hero paced back and forth, his disappointment on full display.

All Might, in his muscular form, finally ceased his pacing, and turned around with a face of stone. "Midoriya," he repeated, softer but no less curt.

Izuku flinched. "...yes, All Might?" he muttered.

His mentor crossed his arms and stared down at the devilman, making him feel even smaller. "We're supposed to be cleaning this beach," he scolded, "not polluting the ocean."

"I-" Izuku cut himself off with a sigh of disappointment. "You're right, sir...I'm sorry..." His anger fully subsided, the devil's form slowly shrank away, revealing the timid and sensitive boy underneath. "I shouldn't have lost control..."

"No, you shouldn't have," All Might agreed, grunting as he sat down on the sand. He motioned for Izuku to do the same before continuing. "And yet, here we are. So, we might as well talk about why you lost control."

"..." the boy was silent as he sat down, folding his hands over his lap as he bit his lip in thought. "I...was thinking of Kacchan," he finally admitted.

"Your old friend?" All Might leaned back and hummed. "Yes, I remember you mentioning him before. I thought you said he had stopped his bullying for now, has that changed?"

"No, it hasn't." Izuku said, shaking his head. "We haven't said a word to each other in months."

"Then what ever is the matter?"

"I...was thinking about something he said...before I met you," the boy explained, wringing his hands together tightly. "Before I got my new powers. He told me...that I'd always be worthless, quirkless Deku...That I would never amount to anything, that all my dreaming of becoming a hero was wasted." He scoffed bitterly, not noticing the way his eyes were beginning to tear up. "I never said anything back, I always just...kept it inside. I guess now with the power of a devilman, I...I finally let it all out."

All Might frowned, a rare expression coming from him. "Young Midori-"

"And maybe he's right!" Izuku spat, slamming his fist into the coarse sand. "Maybe I am still quirkless, worthless Deku! I mean, FUCK, the one power I do have isn't a quirk at all! It's something dangerous, something I wasn't supposed to have! Hell, I can't even control it! We've been working for three months, All Might, and I feel like I haven't even made any progress! I'm useless!" Izuku let out a sob as he buried his face in his arms.

"I'm sorry..." he muttered after a minute. "Just...just ignore me, please."

"..." All Might stood up and walked up to his protege, gently kicking at his leg until the boy looked up. "Young Midoriya," he began, "are you truly going to let the words of one boy bring you down to such levels?"

"H-Huh?" Izuku blinked, wiping his tears away.

"My boy, the world is, and always will be, full of those who will tell you that you cannot do it is you want to do," All Might explained gently. "No matter what, you will always encounter those people, whether they be old friends or complete strangers. Do you think I had nothing but support when I started my hero career?" He let out a short laugh. "Of course not! I was just like you once! Small, scared, unsure of what to do with the burden I had been given. But I chose to rise above my fears, that is why I wear this smile!"

"I...I suppose so," Izuku said.

"You may not have chosen the power you were given, but that does not mean you are worthless, or unworthy of greatness. You have a choice to do the right thing, you have a choice to let go of those hateful words, to rise to the challenge and come out a stronger man."

"You...You're right!" Izuku beamed, wiping the last bit of his tears. "I...I won't allow myself to fall back there!"

"Good lad!" All Might praised, but his voice quickly grew serious once more. "However...you know your old friend plans to attend U.A. as well, correct?"

"Y-Yeah..." Izuku sighed. "It...It has always been his dream, since we were little kids."

"No hero is alike," All Might told him, placing a gentle hand on the boy's shoulders. "Though we fight for the greater good, and though we protect those who cannot protect themselves, every hero thinks differently than the other. Every hero has different ideals to strive for, ideals we might not agree with."

"I...I understand." Izuku affirmed.

"I hope so, young Midoriya," All Might replied solemnly, "because when the time is right...Will you be able to put aside your differences with young Bakugo, and work with him as two heroes should?"

"Huh?" Izuku blinked, then glanced down at his feet. "Maybe," he said with no certainty. "Kacchan would be hard to convince..."

"It is not young Bakugo's conviction I am concerned about," All Might clarified. "I want you to be ready to take that step."

...

The memory faded as All Might, his yellow suit loosely hanging from his skinny frame, reviewed his lesson plan for the day. It seemed simple enough, a test of teamwork to get the young students prepared for what real, practical hero work would bring. With amusement, he could recall the times he had been forced to work with a hero or two that he had not gotten along with. It was an inevitable situation, there were just simply too many heroes in the world, each with their own idea of what a hero was supposed to be. While some saw themselves as public servants, others saw themselves more as enforcers, or even as higher class citizens than non-heroes.

Case in point, Endeavor, the number two hero.

All Might had made sure to carefully study up on every student entering the hero course, and the Todoroki surname belonging to a boy named Shoto had not escaped him. The boy had gotten in on a recommendation, no doubt his father's influence had been responsible. Although All Might had many grievances with his second place, he knew the man was a well respected and admired hero to many both inside and outside the business. Young Shoto's quirk was an interesting one, he noted. The power to control both fire and ice. Once again, All Might's mind drifted to Endeavor. The man's loveless marriage was not unknown to his fellow heroes, all the fire user was interested in was creating a perfect child. A child to surpass All Might himself.

'Truly, you'll never change...' All Might thought sadly, shaking his head. He could only imagine what kind of childhood young Shoto had endured, and he hoped that U.A. would soften the edges his father created. 'I'll have to ask Aizawa to keep a closer eye on him,' he decided, before continuing to ponder his lesson plan.

He recalled the beach once again, His protege's frustrations with his former childhood friend replaying in his mind. And now, it would seem the two would share the same class. An interesting outcome, if not an unexpected one. All Might had observed the explosive boy's handiwork during the entrance exam, his sheer power easily allowing him to place first in the rankings. The boy had truly been lucky to be born with such a powerful quirk, and young Midoriya's claims of arrogance hadn't been wrong after all. The explosion user was too good, simply put. And All Might feared that would stifle his growth. Bakugo needed to be humbled before he could truly become a great hero, and it needed to happen sooner rather than later.

"Hmmm..." All Might leaned back in his office chair and turned his gaze to the ceiling. Perhaps it was time for his advice to Midoriya all those months ago to finally bear fruit. Although he had planned for the exercise to be strictly randomized, perhaps a few strings could be pulled to help...certain students grow.

His mind flicked to young Midoriya, then to Bakugo, then to Todoroki.

It would be a calculated risk, but one All Might hoped his protege would overcome. Now was the time to test the boy's resolve, because if Aizawa's words had any merit...

"Toshinori...will your protege be ready to face him?"

"No..." All Might muttered. "But he will have no choice..."

...

As fate would have it, U.A. was really just like any other high school. Alongside the hero courses, there were classes for ordinary subjects such as history and math. Izuku knew he should have expected this, but as Present Mic continued to yammer on and on with seemingly no end, his excitement for the day had dwindled. Sighing as he absentmindedly took half-assed notes, he stole a look around the classroom. There was at least one thing to look forward to today, and that was All Might's class following lunch period, which would happen right after Present Mic's class he was currently sitting in. Izuku had no doubt it would be a practical class to display everyone's quirks. although he had already glimpsed what everyone could do during Mr. Aizawa's surprise physical exam today, he only wanted to learn even more. Outside of Kacchan, he really didn't know what to expect from everyone else.

Well, there was Mina too...

He caught Mina's gaze, after apparently having stared at her too long without realizing he was doing so. She gave him a smirk and a small wave, and with a silent yelp Izuku quickly tore his eyes away, cheeks turning red as one of his classmates sniggered. Apparently, Mina wasn't the only one to notice his staring...Great...

After meeting with her during the orientation speech, Izuku hadn't had a moment to talk to the girl. Maybe he wasn't supposed to, he knew that All Might disapproved greatly. In truth, Izuku didn't blame him. He leaned back in his seat and trained his eyes to the ceiling. His mind wandered back to the night he had met Mina, the night he had gained his power. The memories of that yellow, greasy blood coating his body sent chills up his spine, and his fists clenched tight enough he thought he could hear the muscles strain. He couldn't remember much of his very first transformation anymore, it had seemed so long ago sometimes. So much adrenaline had been pumping through his veins, his carnage against the batch of demons had passed by in a blur. The blood, however? Izuku wasn't sure he'd ever be able to wash away that feeling.

Another thing he had remembered was Mina's eyes widening with horror as he flew into his frenzy.

'Oh my god,' he groaned, kicking himself internally. 'That's right, she saw me transform. How could I let that slip my mind?'

He had been so happy to see her again, so eager to try to restart their friendship, he had forgotten the key detail that could be the nail in his coffin. She had seen him transform into a demon, so if she ever remembered what had happened that night...

All Might's warnings replayed in the young devilman's head, and with a nervous gulp he scanned over the classroom once more. The weight of the situation threatened to crush him completely, and the boy began sweating a storm. His hands felt cold and clammy, his breathing beginning to sound uneven.

If his secret ever got out...everyone in this classroom, everyone in this school, would be out for his head.

Fuck, had he really been so arrogant? Did he really think a normal school life here would be possible?! How long would he have until somebody caught wind of him? All Might said that the pro heroes all knew about demons, so that would mean his classmates would eventually learn about their existence too! Oh God...sooner or later somebody would think too hard about his "quirk", and be able to put two and two together. Fuck, was he just delaying the inevitable?!

Was the room swaying now? Izuku gripped the sides of his desk and forced himself to take a deep breath. 'Stay calm, Midoriya,' he told himself. 'You're overthinking things, everything will be fine...All Might has your back, and Mr. Aizawa too.' He nodded to himself. Yeah, that was two pro heroes already. Two people he could trust, two people he could confide in.

"Um...dude?" A voice from his right startling the young devilman, and he turned to see a black haired boy with large teeth staring at him with curiosity and mild concern. 'Sero,' Izuku remembered.

"Y-Yeah?" Izuku whispered back.

"Are...are you okay, man?" Sero leaned in closer, eyes shifting from side to side. "I mean, you look like you're about to have a heart attack." He jerked a thumb back towards where Mina sat. "It's not that girl, is it?"

"What? No!" Izuku hissed, looking at the floor. "I just...really need to use the bathroom, that's all."

Sero, though trying to be more subtle about it, recoiled and let the conversation end there. Sighing and knowing he now had to live up to his excuse, Izuku hesitantly raised his hand to attract Present Mic's attention.

The pro hero stopped and singled out the meek boy with a pointing finger. "Midoriya!" he exclaimed. "What's up, young man?"

"I...Can I please be excused?" Izuku stammered. "It's an...emergency, sir."

Present Mic seemed to ponder the thought for a moment, before shrugging and turning back to the board. "Sure," he answered, "just make sure to take a hall pass with you."

"Yes sir." Izuku quickly stood up and made his way to the door, swiping a small colored card as he did so. As he left, he noticed Mina looking at him once more, her features unreadable.

'I'm a mess,' he thought as he roamed the halls, paying attention to the label of each door as he passed them by. Finally, he reached the one with the correct label, and he hesitantly knocked on the door.

There was no answer at first, but when Izuku tried a second time there was a small grumble from inside. Taking this as an invitation, Izuku slowly opened the door and peeked his head inside.

"M-Mr. Aizawa?" he called to the seemingly empty office. He noted the barren space, with no decorations or anything out of order. Simply a desk with a chair on either side, and a filing cabinet in the corner.

"...yeah, yeah," came the tired reply from below. Glancing down, Izuku saw that Aizawa had seemed to be taking a nap on the floor, the older devilman rubbing his eyes as he inched his way out of his yellow sleeping bag. Aizawa popped his back with a grunt, then began the task of rolling up his sleeping bag. "What do you want, Midoriya?" he asked. "Our lesson is over for the day." A dry chuckle sounded from the man. "That is, unless you want to get your ass kicked again."

"Um, no it's not that..." Izuku denied, stepping inside the office and shutting the door behind him. "I just...I guess I just needed someone to confide in."

"..." Aizawa sighed and sat down at his desk, motioning for Izuku to do the same. "I'm not the student counselor, kid," he said, shaking his head. "Besides, I think All Might is more suited for your troubles than I am."

"All Might isn't a devilman," Izuku bluntly retorted, shocking himself for a moment. Aizawa raised an eyebrow, and Izuku cleared his throat. "I-I mean, I just thought it would be a good idea to talk to you, since you and I share the same situation."

"Not quite," Aizawa corrected. "I got my demon under control. It's power is essentially my own now, I never have to worry about going berserk or anything like that."

"A-And that's just the thing!" Izuku exclaimed. "I don't have that! I'm scared that someone here will eventually wise up to my situation, and that they'll ask the right questions, and..." He trailed off when he noticed his hand tremble.

"So," Aizawa grunted, "it seems it has finally hit you that you're in the lion's den, eh?"

Izuku nodded. "What I'm asking, sir, is...How are you so confident that your secret is safe? How do you not constantly worry about it?"

"Hmm..." Aizawa hummed in thought for a minute, before shrugging. "Don't know," he answered truthfully. "Midoriya, you need to realize how many strings I had to pull to keep this thing under wraps, what kind of dirty deeds needed to be done to ensure that the pros never found out about me." His eyes hardened as they locked onto his student. "By all means, I should've been dead three times over by now. I simply knew the right people."

"So...I'm screwed, then?" Izuku whimpered.

"Not quite," Aizawa assured. "You're a relatively unknown kid. No offense, but you're not special to anybody. Strength enhancement quirks are a dime a dozen, and one that turns your fingers into claws or changes your skin green isn't going to turn any heads. As far as the teachers care, you're just a kid who was late bloomer, and got super lucky in the gene pool. You aren't the first, and you probably won't be the last."

"Oh..." Izuku nodded, his anxiety settling as logic began to dictate his mind. "So...I'm okay?"

"As long as you keep your demon powers under control, yes." Aizawa confirmed. "Demons...they make you lash out, more prone to emotional outbursts, more passionate. You gotta keep that under check, Midoriya. Look at me for example." The teacher spread his arms wide, a sarcastic smirk on his face. "Do I seem emotional and passionate to you? Do I seem like a hormonal monster?"

Izuku blushed and looked his teacher up and down. "No," he finally answered. "Actually, you look rather apathetic."

"Good, that's the idea," Aizawa chuckled, lowering his arms. "It'll be harder for you, though. You're an emotional kid, a teenage brat, and that stupid crush you have on Ashido isn't helping at all."

"I-It's not a crush!" Izuku cried out.

"Mhm," Aizawa nodded. "I know there's only so much All Might can teach you, and he seems to have done a somewhat decent job so far. You got the basics of control down, that's all fine and dandy, but it won't be enough. There will be times your demon gets the better of you, there will be times you'll snap. For example, your little panic attack when you came into my office, or the way you tried to tear me apart this morning. You'll need to learn complete mastery over your demon for those moments." He leaned back in his seat and gave a rare, hidden smile. "I can teach you that part. We can disguise your training as after school lessons."

"Really?" Izuku gasped, before smiling wide. "T-Thank you, Mr. Aizawa, that would be great!"

"Don't mention it." Aizawa said. "Just let me know whenever you're ready, we can start whenever. I'll make sure All Might is made aware, wouldn't want him freaking out his protege went missing for the afternoon." He nodded to the door. "Now, you should probably get back to class, that hall pass you picked up is only good for ten minutes."

"R-Right!" Izuku stood up and bowed to the older devilman, but paused on his way to leave. A question lingered in his mind, and he turned to look at his teacher. "Mr. Aizawa?"

"What?"

"Do you think...there's more devilmen out there?" Izuku wondered. "More people in the same situation as us?"

"In the pro hero world?" Aizawa answered with a question of his own. "No, not likely. One hero like me is hard enough to hide, but a second one? They wouldn't last a day."

"And outside of the hero world?"

"Probably," Aizawa guessed. "They are probably out there, scared half to death. They'll probably be trying their hardest to live a normal, quiet life. Though...I guess some demon powers would end up in the wrong hands..."

Izuku blinked. "A supervillain?"

"..." Aizawa sighed and waved Izuku away. "That's enough questions for now. Get back to class."

"...okay," Izuku finally relented with a sigh. "Thank you for your time."

...

Mina shifted her weight impatiently as she was forced to wait in the lunch line. She normally never cared for school lunches, she wasn't fond of slop, only eating it because it was a marginally better option than her mother's own cooking, but the lunch in this school? She inhaled a deep rich scent of fish, rice, and broth, causing her mouth to salivate wildly. This time, the lunch seemed simply divine! She caught sight of the school's chef, Lunch Rush, happily serving out portion after portion, and she simply wished the line would move faster. Seriously, how could school food smell and look so fucking delicious?!

"C'mon...C'mon..." she whined. "Hurry upppppp!"

"Sounds like somebody isn't having a good time," Kirishima teased from behind her. "I've never seen you so eager for lunch before, Ashido!"

"That's because meatloaf made out of a dog's ass doesn't count as lunch, jerk!" Mina jokingly spat, turning to playfully glare at her horn buddy. "C'mon, I know you're just as eager to eat as me."

"True, true," Kirishima admitted with a sheepish grin. "It does seem pretty good, and I macho man like me needs as balanced of a meal as he can get."

Mina snorted. "You ate that cardboard pizza everyday back in junior high," she reminded him. "Hardly a balanced meal, dummy."

"Can't a guy get character development?" Kirishima laughed. "I'm a changed man, Ashido! The boy you knew once is no more!"

"Keep telling yourself that."

Eventually, finally, their turn came and they were able to pick up their lunch. Mina could've scarfed it all down still standing right there, but as she looked over the vast dining area she pondered where she would sit. She caught a shock of green hair, and realized Izuku was dining by his lonesome. Well, not his lonesome, Iida sat across from him, arm dramatically chopping up and down as Izuku chuckled at whatever joke the stern young man had unintentionally made.

"So I'm gonna sit over there with those guys," Kirishima said, gesturing over to a table that included Tooru, Sero, as well as a blond boy with black highlights and a punk rock looking girl, neither of which she remembered the names of. "You coming with?" His grin turned smug. "Or are you going over with your new boy toy?"

Mina's cheeks turned lilac, but she returned the smug look with her own. "I'll choose my boy toy, thanks," she shot back, waving at him as she walked away. "Catch you later, horn buddy!"

She happily skipped over towards the duo of boys, quickly realizing there was a third member sitting with them. She recalled the brunette girl as the one who threw the ball to infinity and beyond, Ochako Uraraka if she remembered correctly. The gravity user was sitting next to Iida, seemingly content to simply listen to whatever he and Izuku were discussing. Without warning, Mina plopped her tray next to Izuku's startling the boy as she chirped out, "Hey, guys! Mind if I grab a seat?"

"By all means," Iida allowed.

"The more the merrier!" Uraraka beamed, returning the same energy Mina gave. 'Oh, I like her,' the acid user mused.

"O-Of course," Izuku stuttered, trying to recover himself. "That would be great."

"Aww, thanks, Izuku," Mina said, casually dropping his first name, which caused the other two to cock their eyebrows.

"First names?" Iida noted curiously. "I admit, I must have missed it before. I had no idea the two of you were so close. I assume it's because he saved your life, Ashido?"

"Whoa, really?!" Uraraka gasped, leaning forward towards Izuku. "Deku, I had no idea you were already a hero!"

"Deku?" Mina parroted, her turn now to raise an eyebrow.

Izuku looked away, his cheeks turning pink. "It's just a nickname," he mumbled. Coughing in his fist, he turned back to Uraraka. "It was during the entrance exam," he explained. "the giant zero pointer knocked over a building and pinned Mina to the ground..."

"And Izuku here leaped up and tore the thing right in half just for little ol' me!" Mina praised, scooching closer to Izuku so that their thighs touched. Izuku froze up, his whole face going beet red.

"No way!" Uraraka whined. "And I missed it? I was in another group, that sucks..." She smiled. "Deku, your quirk must be really strong."

"A-Ah, you think?" Izuku seemed unused to the praise. "I guess, it's just a strength enhancement quirk, turns my fingers into claws too I guess."

"A most impressive quirk to witness," Iida chuckled, pushing up his glasses. "I admire your modesty, Midoriya."

"Thanks..." Izuku coughed, and Mina noted how he didn't try to scoot away from her. "A-anyway, Iida, you were talking about your brother?"

"Oh! That was correct!" Iida cleared his throat. "Anyway, back to the point..."

While it was interesting to hear about Iida's older brother's heroics, Mina's mind wandered back to earlier in the day, remembering how suddenly nervous and ill Izuku seemed during Present Mic's class. She had tried passing along a note asking if he was okay, but as the note reached Sero the boy seemed more content to ask Izuku himself rather than pass the message. Izuku had been quick to get out soon after, but when he came back he seemed much calmer. Mina had meant to ask the green haired boy what had been the problem, but he had exited the classroom as soon as the bell rang. Mina worried that maybe he didn't want to talk to her, but sitting next to him now she could safely say that probably wasn't the case.

The first day of school was passing by as a blur, so much seemed to happen in just a few short hours, and they still had All Might's class after lunch! Mina couldn't help but find herself giddy at the thought of it, no doubt it would be much less stressful than whatever the hell Mr. Aizawa's physical exam was. Seriously, what a jackass...

On the subject of All Might, she recalled also the hidden looks Izuku and the number one hero had shared, and her previous question returned. Did Izuku know All Might? Well, or course he KNEW All Might, but did he know him-know him? As lunch ended, she made sure to catch up to him as he waved goodbye to Iida and Uraraka.

"Soooo...they seem nice!" she said. "They your knew friends?"

"Friends?" For a moment, Izuku seemed to pause. "I...I guess they are. They are pretty nice people."

"Am I your friend?"

"Of course!" Izuku exclaimed, a bit too quickly. He seemed to catch on, and immediately began stammering as Mina chuckled at his earnesty.

"You know, when you're not standing up for the literal little guy, you're pretty awkward, aren't you?" she noticed.

Izuku looked down. "Is...that bad?"

Mina immediately realized her mistake, her eyes widening as she gasped. "Of course not! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-" She stopped when she noticed his shoulders bobbing up and down, and he slyly smirked at her.

"Got you," he chuckled.

"..." Mina's mouth stood agape for a moment, before she grinned and playfully punched his shoulder. "Jerk!" she hissed, not really meaning it. "Maybe there's hope for you after all."

"Maybe," Izuku agreed as they walked the halls to their next class. "Hey, Mina?"

"Wassup?" Mina chirped.

"...never mind," Izuku sighed. "Don't mind me."

"Hmm..." Mina stopped, catching Izuku's attention. "Actually," she said, "there's something I've been wanting to ask you."

Izuku suddenly seemed very, very nervous again. "Y-Y-Yes?" he gulped, not quite meeting her eyes.

The pink girl narrowed her eyes at his odd behavior, but did not question it. "Do you know All Might?" she asked. "Like, on a personal level?"

"Oh?" Izuku suddenly relaxed, an easy smile forming across his lips. "Yeah, actually, I do...I got into some trouble once, and All Might was there to help. I asked him for some tips on becoming a hero, and he just kind of...stuck around, I guess." He chuckled and shook his head. "More accurately, I just wouldn't leave him alone. I owe him a lot for the help he's given me, so I'm making it up to him for all the trouble I caused by attending here."

'That's...a lot like the reason I'm attending U.A.,' Mina noticed. She cooed softly, "that's so sweet. I bet that means you're looking forward to his class?"

"Oh, for sure!" Izuku said as they finally reached their classroom. "I want to show him just how well I can do now!"

"I mean, I've seen how well you can do," Mina muttered, blushing faintly as she sat down at her own desk. She waved to Izuku as he moved away from her, and she waited patiently for class to officially begin.

So Izuku was attending U.A. as a way to pay back All Might, and she was attending U.A. as a way to pay back Izuku...funny how things happened sometimes.

A minute later, the door flung open as the number one hero practically leaped into the room. "I AM HERE!" he boldly announced, striking a pose as the classroom filled with an exciting buzz. A buzz that Mina was quick to join, gasping in delight at seeing Japan's greatest hero not ten feet away from her.

"Holy shit, it's actually him!" Kirishima gasped.

'And Izuku personally knows him? That's so cool!' Mina thought.

The number one hero was wearing a more classic attire than his normal outfit. A blue cape hung from his shoulders, his upper body covered in red and white spandex. Blue and white pants and yellow boots completed the look, making All Might appear right out of a comic book.

All Might waited for the class to die down before clearing his throat. "Now," he began," I know you're all eager to begin, but allow me a few words first. From now on, whenever you attend one of my classes, we shall meet outside in the physical exam area. Sometimes you'll be wearing your gym uniforms, but other times, including today, you'll be expected to appear in your hero costumes." An excited, collective gasp came from all the students, making All Might chuckle. "Eager, are we?" he jested. "Now, instead of the physical exam area, will you please meet up at the entrance exam area? We shall be using the city for our practical lesson today. First, remember to stop by the locker room and change into your new costumes. U.A.'s top designers poured their heart and soul into remaking the designs you sent in, so I hope you are all satisfied. Now, dismissed!"

'I wonder what Izuku's will be,' Mina wondered as she made her way to the girl's locker room. As if reading her mind, the boy sheepishly appeared by her side, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"I bet you and everybody else's outfits will be great, Mina," he confided. "Mine...Mine is just something homemade. My mother saw one of my sketches for a hero costume and decided to sew it herself."

"But that's so cute!" Mina reassured him, bumping their shoulders together. "That just shows how much your mom loves you, dork."

"Y-Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"Of course I'm right," Mina self praised. "Besides, with a strength based quirk like yours, there's no need for anything fancy, right?"

"Simple is best, they say," Izuku agreed with a nod. They stopped outside the girl's locker room, and the green haired boy turned to her. "Anything interesting about your costume, Mina?"

"It's colorful," Mina answered with a wink. "Guess you'll have to wait and see~"

Chuckling to herself, she left the boy outside as she entered the locker room, sighing contently as she was finally able to peel off the constricting school uniform.

"You work fast, Mina!" Tooru's disembodied voice teased. "Look at you, teasing Midoriya like that!"

"Oh stop it, you," Mina said as she rolled her eyes. She began putting on her own hero costume: a blue and purple leopard print leotard. With a cute mask, boots, and vest to go with it, she thought she was just the bee's knees. Turning towards her invisible friend, she struck a pose and grinned. "What do you think?" she asked.

Tooru catcalled and clapped her gloved hands together. "If that doesn't turn heads I don't know what will," she answered truthfully.

"Aww, you're sweet, Tooru," Mina beamed, before staring at the space the invisible girl stood. "So, aren't you going to put on your costume?"

"..." Tooru remained silent for a minute. "This is my costume, Mina!"

"Oh. Oooooh..." Mina took a second look, noting the gloves and the boots. And especially the lack of anything else. "Well, I guess it makes sense given your quirk," she finally said, a little awkward. 'This definitely feels a little illegal, especially for a school.'

A few minutes passed as the two girls made their way towards the fake city, where they saw the rest of their class gathered. A wide assortment of colors and designs assaulted Mina, some good like Asui's, and some bad like Mineta's. Poor, poor diaper boy...

Curiously, Izuku seemed to be absent. Frowning, she turned to her closest classmate: a white armored and fully masked tall man who she deduced was Iida. "Where's Izuku?" she asked him.

"Oh, um..." Iida's muffled voice sounded just as confused as her. "Strange, he was here a minute ago." He looked around and called out, "Midoriya?"

"...right here," a voice meekly came from around a corner.

"Awww, come out, Izuku!" Mina encouraged. "Why are you hiding there?"

"Cuz..." Izuku grumbled. "All of your costumes look so cool, while mine is just...plain."

"Hey, are your really going to insult your mom's handiwork like that?" Mina asked, putting her hands on her hips. "You owe it to her to wear your costume with pride."

"She is right, Midoriya!" Iida loudly agreed. "It is not the costume that makes the hero, and you've already proven yourself during the entrance exam."

"You're right..." Izuku finally agreed with a sigh. "Okay, just promise not to laugh."

"You'll look great," Mina promised.

With a deep breath, Izuku stepped out of the corner, fully facing his two friends. Mina was about to compliment him when her breath hitched and her blood suddenly ran ice cold.

'What...what the...' she internally whimpered.

A demon stood before her, ready to strike. Mina took a step back, much to Iida's shock.

"Ashido?" he called out worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Mina?" the demon growled, taking a step towards her.

The city disappeared, and suddenly Mina was in a nightclub. She looked around her surroundings, gasping as a putrid yellow liquid lapped at her boots as the bodies of several...monsters surrounded her. They were dead eyed and still, their throats torn to shreds.

"Mina...what's wrong?" asked a demonic voice.

She turned to her front, and whimpered. A tall beast, with green fur covering it. Giant wings stretched from its back, looming over her. It had a sadistic grin on its face, viewing her as a wolf views an injured deer.

"...W-what..." she gasped. "...what are you?"

"Mina..."

She blinked, and instantly she was back at the fake city, Iida and Izuku huddled close to her, worry apparent on their faces.

"I..." Mina shook her head. "I-I'm so sorry...I had no idea what..." She took a deep breath.

"Do you need to visit the nurse?" Iida asked. Mina shook her head again.

"N-No, I just...I need a minute, that's all." She took a shaking breath, running a hand through her hair. "T-Thank you...Iida."

"Mina..." Izuku gulped. "I'm sorry..."

"For what?" Mina forced a chuckle, willing herself to look at the boy. "I'm just being weird here, you're fine, don't worry." She smiled weakly, trying to play off whatever the hell had just happened. "I'm just surprised by the costume you chose, that's all. It's...bold."

"She brings up a fair point, Midoriya," Iida agreed, not quite calming down, and still keeping his head tilted towards Mina. "As someone as introverted as you, it speaks a lot."

In hindsight, it was a silly costume. A green jumpsuit oversized gloves and shoes. Two little bat wings (or were those devil wings?) poked from the costume's back. Izuku wore a mask with black mesh eyeholes that allowed her to see his guilt ridden expression. It broke her heart to see it, and she tore her eyes away as she caught a glimpse of the final feature of his costume.

The mask had two devil horns on it.

And it terrified her.

And judging from his expression, and the way he slowly stepped away from her, he knew it too.

...

This story will be receiving regular updates again, though at a slower pace to better compliment my schedule. Expect an update once or twice a month moving forward. As always, please leave a review. Stay wykkyd, ya'll.