Chapter 1: Moving Day

Bakugo could hear the moving truck parking on the street outside of his house. His mother had told him that a new family, the Sayuri family, would be moving in next door to them this morning.

"We're going to help them move in, Katsuki! No arguments! Put those muscles to good use, brat!' she had said to him, with a smile and in her usual way during dinner.

"I'm not wasting my time helping some nobodies move their junk!" he bellowed at her.

The UA entrance exam was two days away. He wasn't worried about the exam at all, in actuality. But he wasn't going to waste his prep time either.

"They have a daughter in your grade, Katsuki." His father said, his chopsticks poised in the air, "When we spoke the other day, her father told me that she's applying to U.A. as well, for the hero course."

"So? She's just another idiot standing in my way!" Bakugo barked.

"Or a friend." His father responded quietly.

In the end, he knew it would be the same. There was no getting away from the fact that he would be spending his day helping their new neighbors with the move.

"I'll train afterwards," he'd told himself as he'd fallen asleep, "No stupid family's going to mess this up for me."

Standing now on the front steps of their neighbor's house, Bakugo held a tin of sweets his mother had baked the night before. How humiliating. He was fuming and could already tell this day would be a complete pain in the ass.

He lifted his free hand and blew into it for warmth. It was nine in the morning and incredibly cold; at least there wasn't any wind. He grinned, letting a soft burn ignite throughout his body; it was a good thing he had heat to spare. He knocked on the door and waited, glancing casually around him.

A soft tinkling sound rang out on the porch. Bakugo looked up and saw the strands of a windchime gently swaying in the stillness; the different colored glass caught the light and sparked brightly in his eyes. ...Stupid…

There was something about the sound that didn't make sense to him, but before he could sink his teeth into what it was, the front door opened. A small woman, with glasses and her hair pulled back into a braid, opened the door. Looking at him with a soft smile, she said, "You must be young, Bakugo."

He offered her a quick bow and held out the sweets, "I'm Katsuki." he said gruffly.

She took the tin from him,"Yes, your mother mentioned she would be sending you over. Thank you so much for coming. My name is Yua Sayuri, please come in."

Bakugo stepped in the living room and looked around at the boxes. There weren't too many. Maybe he would get out of here in record time.

A man stepped out of the kitchen, "Morning, Bakugo! Welcome to our home! I see your mother wasn't lying when she said you were a solid young man. You look like you could lift this whole damn house over your head, let alone a few boxes!" He wiped his hands clean on a rag and then flung it over his shoulder, "The names Eito. Thanks for the help!" He extended his hand to Bakugo.

In spite of himself, Bakugo found himself wanting to smile as he returned the man's handshake. He never fell for flattery, but he entirely agreed with the man.

The man went on, "Our daughter Mei is around here somewhere. She may turn up, she might not. Funny that way; you have to keep your eyes on her."

"Eito, don't make jokes about Mei so soon." Yua said softly standing next to him, "Bakugo won't know you're teasing and we want her to make friends." Looking at Bakugo she said, "Your parents mentioned you were applying to U.A. So is Mei. Since we're new here, it would be very nice if she had someone to walk with her to the exam."

"Don't want her getting lost!" Eito laughed. "Not that she would. Mei can take care of herself."

"It would make me feel much better, Eito." Yua said gently.

Bakugo tried to stifle the anger swelling within him. It wasn't enough that he had to help these people move, suddenly he'd become an escort to some pathetic wanna-be hero girl?

Yua turned to him again, "Would you mind?"

He nodded at her stiffly, knowing his mother would skin him alive if he said no. "So, what do you want me to do?" he asked as politely as his anger would allow.

Yua nodded, "I'd like to clear out the living room here before we finish emptying the truck. My husband and I will be unpacking in the kitchen, but those boxes by the stairs need to go into Mei's room. It's the first door at the top of the stairs."

Bakugo turned from her and lifted the first two boxes, one on top of the other. As he climbed the stairs he thought he felt a light breeze on the back of his neck. He was annoyed with himself when goosebumps broke out on his skin. "Stupid drafts…" he growled, as he kicked the bedroom door open at the top of the stairs.

He looked around curiously. The walls of the girl's bedrooms were painted a soft blue and the windows were large and open; sheer white curtains floated gently in the crisp air, but Bakugo could not feel the breeze that carried them. The floor was a traditional mat and a Western-style bed sat in the center of the room under one of the windows. Looking down into the boxes he carried, Bakugo saw that they both carried books and several glass globes filled with water and plants...She reads horror novels...

"Do you like them?" a soft voice whispered in his ear.

Bakugo spun around violently, his rage high; dropping the boxes to the floor he held a ball of fire in his palm. "Show yourself!"

He heard a soft laugh. "I will, but be more careful with my plants, please. They're fragile."

Looking around, Bakugo could see no one. He was alone in this room, or else his sanity was slipping. The idea that he might be going insane only enraged him more. "Quit playing around. Who the hell are you?"

Suddenly Bakugo could smell the ocean. Fresh air mingled with sea salt flooded his nostrils, and then the smell of baking cakes and chocolate. The heady aroma made him dizzy. "What the hell is going on here!?" He barked at the empty room.

Suddenly in the window, a figure began to materialize. "Calm down! It takes me a second."

Bakugo watched the air twist ...is it getting thicker?... around the figure until, sitting before him, was a girl.

"Hi. I'm Mei. And you're Katsuki Bakugo." She said from her perch on the window sill. The girl had pale skin and long white hair that seemed to float around her. Soft jade eyes watched him, and she smiled kindly. She wore a dark green turtleneck and black jeans; her frame was delicate, as though she might fly away at any moment. A soft blush rested on her cheeks from the cold air swirling around them.

He stared at her, but it was hard to know exactly what he was seeing. The girl's skin seemed to move and shimmer over her body, like white smoke under glass. It was like looking at a mirage or a dream. ...Wow…

Bakugo didn't know what to say. He was feeling such a volatile mixture of surprise, rage, and curiosity that he was almost speechless. He could not let her know how unstable she'd made him feel. No one did that to Katsuki Bakugo.

"WHAT'S WITH ALL THE MAGIC CRAP!? YOU THINK YOU SCARE ME?!" He scowled at her, feeling his face flush with anger and embarrassment.

"Of course not." She said, blushing, "There's no need to get angry."

"I'M NOT ANGRY!" he barked at her, "I…"

She was gone.

Bakugo felt shock race through him until he heard her voice speak to him from the window sill. "If you're going to yell at me, I'll just leave!"

Bakugo said nothing, but brought his anger down to a simmer, never taking his glare from the window sill.

He watched her gradually reappear. He inhaled the faint scent of firewood.

Mei sat in front of him now with a glint in her eyes that told him she was serious. She would not tolerate him yelling. The absolute nerve of this strange girl made his blood boil. He was Katsuki Bakugo; he could speak to anyone, any way he liked.

He looked at the steel in her eyes once more. He would let her get away with it, just this once. Struggling to keep the anger out of his voice he said, "Chocolate cake."

Her serious look turned to one of confusion and then amusement, "What...Oh! You could

smell that?"

"What was it?" he asked, choosing not to meet her eyes and instead directed his scowl around the room.

"It's part of my quirk." she said.

"Chocolate cake's part of your quirk?" He let his glare land on her for a moment and gave her a condescending smirk.

"My quirk is called 'Air'. I'm made of air." She said simply.

He looked directly at her. Made of air? If anyone could actually be made of air, it would be this girl. "You're not making sense!"

"People can't normally see air. So, if I want people to see me I need to make my own air density thicker. You smelled the air I pulled into myself so that you could see me. I try to pick pockets that smell good. Air from the ocean, air from a bakery I like in Paris, and air from a camp ground not far from here."

"The air right here's not good enough for you?" He barked.

"The air right here doesn't smell like chocolate cake," She said with a giggle. "Didn't you like it?"

Bakugo felt himself start to blush. He would rather die than tell this strange girl he had, in fact, liked it. "What a stupid question." He mumbled behind grinding teeth.

"Thanks for helping us move in, by the way. We appreciate it a lot." She said, moving past his discomfort.

He smirked, "Can't be that thankful. You didn't even greet me at the door." He looked at her challengingly.

"I met you on the front porch actually." She stared back at him with a smug smile.

"The chimes." Bakugo said.

She nodded, "I also walked with you up the stairs. I'm never far away." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

...Is she...playing...with me?... Bakugo thought. The idea that this girl might be teasing him made his stomach grow hot. The feeling pissed him off.

"If you're made of air, you're gonna get wrecked in the entrance exam." Bakugo said snarkily, his confidence surging as he pushed away the warmth. This frail little girl didn't stand a chance against him, and the thought of crushing her was enough to make him smile.

"Big talk for someone who doesn't know what they're talking about. You must be feeling ready." Mei said, crossing her delicate arms in front of her chest.

He let out a mocking laugh, "Listen girly, I was born ready to go to that school. This test is just a formality for me."

Mei raised her eyebrows. ...Is she impressed?... he wondered briefly. Not that it mattered to him, of course.

"What's your quirk?" she asked.

"None of your business." Bakugo sneered.

"So, it's not just being an ass?" She asked him with a small grin.

His expression soured slightly, "You won't laugh when I demolish you in the exam."

Mei stood up; as she walked past him and into the hallway she turned to look at him over her shoulder, "That might be harder than you think, hot-head."

Bakugo listened after her and could barely hear her footsteps as she went down the stairs. ...as light as air…, he thought, and let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"We'll see about that." He said to himself. A threatening grin spread over his face. He would show her exactly who she was dealing with at the entrance exams. Then she'd be more careful about blowing in his direction.

POV Change:

Move in day was finally here and Mei's whole being hummed with excitement. She had already carried a few things up to her room and it was really coming together, she thought. The color on the wall was perfect.

She felt pretty today. Not that anyone could see her, she thought smiling. Sometimes she preferred to go unseen. Today, in this new place, was one of those times. She wanted to soak in her new space before it had a chance to soak her in.

Mei heard the sound of a door slamming at the house to her right. She glanced over from where she stood on her new front porch and saw a boy about her age leave his house. He was wearing a brown leather jacket over a red sweater, and jeans. Even under these clothes, Mei could see his body was made of lean muscle. His blond hair looked like an explosion and his red eyes were angry and focused on something Mei could not see.

He was walking in her direction and, again, Mei was glad he couldn't see her. Something about him made her limbs want to shake. His face was so intense and his body moved like a coiled snake; he was both terrifying and mesmerizing at once. The boys at her middle school had not looked like this.

Mei felt her heart skip a beat as she saw him stop and begin to unlock her gate. He was coming here? Why? Then she remembered her mother telling her that the neighbor boy would be helping them with their move. This was him. Mei felt her face flush at the idea of living next door to this boy.

He walked up to their front door and Mei saw that he was holding a tin of baked sweets. He was even more intimidating up close, she thought. She was only standing about three feet away and she could feel the air going in and out of his lungs; it surged back into the atmosphere and she thought it tasted like smoke.

He blew into his hand and then smiled to himself. It was a self satisfied grin, Mei thought, as she felt the air around him grow warmer. The smile of someone who did not know what it was like to second guess himself. He knocked on her front door.

Suddenly, the boy turned to look directly at Mei, making her gasp. Her intake of air rattled the windchimes above them. The boy looked at them and she saw him squint as the shards of colored glass reflected the sun into his eyes. He hadn't looked at her. He had just been looking. She let herself relax as her mother opened the door.

Her gentle mother spoke to the boy kindly, "You must be young, Bakugo."

...Bakugo… Mei thought, wondering what the name would sound like in her voice.

He bowed to her, a gesture Mei thought he wasn't used to offering. He held out the sweets for her to take, "I'm Katsuki."

...Katsuki… Mei smiled at the name. No wonder he was confident.

Her mother took the tin from him,"Yes, your mother mentioned she would be sending you over. Thank you so much for coming. My name is Yua Sayuri, please come in."

Silently, Mei followed them into the house. She was sure not to make any noise at all; her mother was always very good at knowing when she was in a room. Her father came out of their new kitchen. He'd been making them breakfast.

"Morning, Bakugo!" her father said, "Welcome to our home! I see your mother wasn't lying when she said you were a solid young man. You look like you could lift this whole damn house over your head, let alone a few boxes!"

Her father wasn't wrong, Mei thought, deliberately not looking at the boy.

"The names Eito. Thanks for the help!" He extended his hand to Bakugo and Bakugo shook it. "Our daughter Mei is around here somewhere. She may turn up, she might not. Funny that way; you have to keep your eyes on her."

Mei felt herself go hot. Her father, unlike her mother, was not good at knowing when she was in a room. This was not the first time he'd said something that Mei would happily get him in trouble for later. ...not to this boy, daddy. Please...

"Eito, don't make jokes about Mei so soon." her mother said, stepping in to save her. "Bakugo won't know you're teasing and we want her to make friends." ...Ugh...now I'm a friendless freak…

Her mother went on, "Your parents mentioned you were applying to U.A. So is Mei. Since we're new here, it would be very nice if she had someone to walk with her to the exam."

"Don't want her getting lost!" her father laughed. "Not that she would. Mei can take care of herself."

"It would make me feel much better, Eito." her mother said gently. She turned to Bakugo again, "Would you mind?"

He nodded at her stiffly. Mei did not miss his lack of enthusiasm and felt that she'd never been more mortified in her life. She would have to have a talk with her parents about boundaries. For this boy more than anyone else.

"So, what do you want me to do?" Bakugo said gruffly.

Her mother nodded, "I'd like to clear out the living room here first. My husband and I will be unpacking in the kitchen, but those boxes by the stairs need to go into Mei's room. It's the first door at the top of the stairs."

...Wonderful mom, send him into my room… Mei tried to think if she had picked up the dirty clothes that had been laying next to her bed.

She rushed past Bakugo, maneuvering her body so that she would not touch him, even in her gaseous state. She heard him growl "Stupid drafts…" and then she was in her room. With a gust of air she blew the pile of dirty clothes under her bed. ...Thank goodness… my bra was right on top…

A moment later, Bakugo kicked in her bedroom door and carried in her boxes. Mei watched him silently as she lowered herself onto her window sill. The curtain's stirred around her. She saw Bakugo notice them. He looked around her room and then into the boxes he carried. He looked over her plants and the title of her books with a small curious scowl on his face.

Then Mei had an idea that made her feel like giggling. ... let's have a little fun, Katsuki…

She carried her voice on the air until it was right by the boys ear, "Do you like them?"

Bakugo spun around violently, and dropped her boxes to the floor. Mei's eyes widened as she saw him holding a ball of fire in his palm. "Show yourself!" he screamed at nothing!

Mei sat silently for a moment and then couldn't help but let out a laugh. The look on his face was so serious. It was both thrilling and very funny, she thought. With a smile she said,"I will, but be more careful with my plants, please. They're fragile."

The scowl on his face deepend. He was not happy with her. "Quit playing around." he said, "Who the hell are you?"

Fine, Mei thought, a bit of anger growing in her at his tone. She would show herself. Quickly, she summoned a few of her favorite air pockets and felt her body begin to solidify.

"What the hell is going on here!?" Bakugo barked at the empty room.

"Calm down! It takes me a second." her own annoyance ringing in her voice.

As she grew ever more present, Mei could not hold onto her anger. The look on this boy's face was just too much. It made her happy. When she was finally all there, she spoke to him. "Hi. I'm Mei. And you're Katsuki Bakugo."

He stared at her for a moment, with all sorts of emotions dancing in his eyes. ...What do you think of me?... Mei wondered, shyly, and became suddenly aware that she wanted him to like what he saw. She kept her face still.

Suddenly, he erupted, "WHAT'S WITH ALL THE MAGIC CRAP!? YOU THINK YOU SCARE ME?!" He scowled at her.

"Of course not." Mei said, blushing, "There's no need to get angry." She had only been trying to tease him a little. She was embarrassed at how upset he was.

"I'M NOT ANGRY!" he barked at her, "I…"

...No way...absolutely not... Mei let the air escape her so that she faded back into invisibility. She saw his surprise and was satisfied, "If you're going to yell at me, I'll just leave."

Bakugo said nothing but she saw him wrestling with himself. Only when the air around him began to smell less like brimstone, did Mei let herself reappear.

She stared at him evenly, daring him to yell again. She hoped he wouldn't. The truth was she wanted very much to stay here and speak with him. Mei was surprised to find that she liked him being able to see her. But, if he yelled she would have to keep her word.

"Chocolate cake." he said suddenly, his voice hard but calm.

...What are you talking about?... she looked at him for a moment. And then she understood."What...Oh! You could smell that?" He was more sensitive than he let on, she thought.

"What was it?" Bakugo asked, as he avoided looking at her.

...Nonsense...why would he want to look?... "It's part of my quirk." Mei explained.

"Chocolate cake is part of your quirk?" he looked at her skeptically.

"My quirk is called 'Air'. I'm made of air." She said simply, with a small gesture down to her body. Mei knew that most people didn't have a hard time believing this. Her middle school friends often told her she looked like a wisp of cloud.

He frowned, annoyed with her, "You're not making any sense!"

She went on, "People can't normally see air. So, if I want people to see me I need to make my own air density thicker. You smelled the air I pulled into myself so that you could see me. I try to pick pockets that smell good. Air from the ocean, air from a bakery I like in Paris, and air from a camp ground not far from here."

It was actually a little bit embarrassing. Mei liked to use her favorite air pockets to form herself and she did so as a guilty pleasure. Sometimes the effort it took, like the effort of calling air from Europe, was excessive and she knew that. She couldn't ever recall someone calling her out for it. A blush crept into her face.

"The air right here's not good enough for you?" He barked.

"The air right here doesn't smell like chocolate cake," She said with a giggle. "Didn't you like it?"

"What a stupid question." He mumbled.

...Is he blushing?..., she thought. She couldn't be sure.

"Thanks for helping us move in, by the way. We appreciate it a lot." She said, changing the subject as quickly as possible.

Bakugo smirked at her, seeming to relax, "Can't be that thankful. You didn't even greet me at the door." He looked at her challengingly.

"I met you on the front porch actually." She stared back at him with a smug smile. Nevermind that she had been happy to hide from him and had almost panicked when she thought he'd seen her.

"The chimes." Bakugo said, knowingly. She saw the dots connecting.

She nodded, "I also walked with you up the stairs. I'm never far away." She stuck out her tongue at him and saw him tense.

He recovered himself quickly."Being able to disappear isn't going to help you at the entrance exams." Bakugo said snarkily.

...There's that confidence..."Big talk for someone who doesn't know what they're talking about. You must be feeling ready."

He laughed, "Listen girly, I was born ready to go to that school. This test is just a formality for me."

Mei raised her eyebrows. ...Girly, huh?... "What's your quirk?" she asked.

"None of your business." Bakugo sneered.

"So, it's not just being an ass?" Mei asked him with a small grin.

He hadn't liked that, ""You won't laugh when I demolish you in the exam."

She stood up and walked past him. Once she was in the hallway, she looked back, "That might be harder than you think, hot-head." she teased, and felt her pulse race at her own boldness.

Quickly, she floated down the stairs and went into the kitchen. Her mother was there putting dishes away. Her father kissed her on the head as he went outside to check on the progress in the truck. Mei heard and then saw Bakugo coming down the stairs to grab more boxes. He glanced around the room quickly before ascending the stairs again.

...Was he looking for me?... Mei wondered.

"Mei, darling." her mother said, touching her on the shoulder, making her jump.

"Ma!" Mei yelped.

Her mother smiled, "You met Bakugo, I see. He's a fiery young man, don't you think? Very handsome."

"Mother please…" Mei blushed, "He's rude."

"Perhaps. But still I think we will like him." Her mother winked at her and Mei wanted very much to disappear.

Yua handed her daughter two tickets. "Here, these are from your father for you and Bakugo."

Mei looked at them. "Fireworks? But..." she studied the tickets more closely, "These are for tonight! Ma, I don't know him at all."

"Yes, for tonight. Your father wanted to do something nice for the young man to thank him for his help. And of course you don't know him yet! But it will be good for you to spend time with him. Having a friend on your first day at a new school will be very important."

"Ma, I don't think Bakugo wants to be friends with me." Mei said quietly, as she saw Bakugo heading to the moving truck for more boxes.

"Why not?" her mother asked, her confusion deeply lined on her face, "You're a lovely young lady. So, strong and smart and unique. What's not to like?" Her mother smiled and pinched her cheek.

Mei sighed and looked up as Bakugo came back through the front door. She offered him a small smile and she saw his eyes widen and then narrow in response. Then he was back up the stairs.

"Oh, and one more thing, Mei." Her mother said sweetly, putting glasses into a cabinet, "When you are with him watching the fireworks, make sure you're all there. It will be no fun for him to watch fireworks with an empty space."