When Mangas Collide

by TwoHatchets

Bakugou's life is thrown for a loop when a trio of shinobi infiltrates his school as his new classmates. As Bakugou gets to know them, he discovers that they travel across dimensions in an effort to give everyone they meet a happy ending. Upon discovering their true identities and mission, Bakugou helps them with their plan to save his classmates from an unknown enemy.

5. From Shinobi to Hero

Just a quick announcement, I've noticed more people have read this chapter than the previous chapter. I think this is because these chapters were published a few days from each other. If you don't recall the class welcoming the new students to the dorms I would recommend going back a chapter. I wouldn't want you to miss put on any of the cute moments as these kids get to know one another.

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Kirishima P. O. V.

The summer air was warm and humid, which made his crimson locks fall in front of his eyes as they stuck to his forehead. He constantly had to brush them out of his way, but the sturdy hero continued to trudge on. Ignoring the pain of the straps of his large camping backpack digging into his shoulders. Despite his discomfort, he didn't dare ask for a break to readjust them. There simply wasn't time. They were racing the setting sun, desperately trying to reach the summit before nightfall. Though for what, the redhead had no idea.

The ash-blonde had surprised him one Saturday morning with an impromptu camping trip. The explosive hero had packed enough supplies for both of them and secured permission from Aizawa and his parents but failed to inform the redhead of his plans. Kirishima only found out when Bakugou had entered his room early that morning and started dragging him out of bed. Ignoring all the sleepy complaints and practically dressed Kirishima as he mumbled incoherent questions about the rude awakening. Before he knew it, he was packed into a car with Bakugou and his dad, with a Honey and Oats granola bar placed in his mouth like a pacifier.

With something in his stomach, Kirishima finally started to feel himself come back to life. Bakugou finally explained that he was taking him to one of his favorite hiking spots. "You said you wanted to come along the next time I went," the ash-blonde remarked, turning away from him, from where he sat beside him in the back seat. The tips of his ears turning a light shade of pink.

That made Kirishima smile. "Thanks, man! But you could have let me know ahead of time."

"It was a last-minute thing," Bakugou lied, sinking deeper into his seat. His ears turning redder.

Kirishima suppressed a chuckle.

Yeah, sure it was.

The redhead noticed that Mr. Bakugou was also trying not to laugh at how obvious his son was being. Man, Kirishima sure loved the Bakugou's.

The mountain they would be camping on was a two-hour drive away from campus. The car ride was quiet but peaceful. Bakugou ended up taking a nap for most of it, while Kirishima passed the time looking out the window and striking a conversation with Mr. Bakugou now and then.

Kirishima already knew that Bakugou had gotten interested in hiking because of his dad. The two of them had made numerous hiking and mountain-climbing trips together over the years. They had climbed every mountain in Japan at least once and every trail twice, so it came as a surprise when it was revealed that Mr. Bakugou wouldn't be joining them. Unfortunately, he had an important work trip he couldn't miss during their annual camping trip. Only able to give them a ride there and back since it was already on his way.

So the two boys loaded the heavy camping packs onto their shoulders and hiked up Nozomi Mountain by themselves. The mountain wasn't the tallest in Japan by any means, but it was the Bakugou family's favorite. It had trails for everyone, from beginners like Bakugou's mom Mitsuki; to hazardous rocking climbing trails for those with tons of experience like Bakugou himself. Whatever path you took, it was stunning due to the small about of foot traffic it received. Most people didn't even know about it because you had to walk through an unmarked forest before the trails even started.

As they hiked one of the middle-grade trails for Kirishima's benefit, Bakugou shared that this was the first mountain he had ever climbed. When his father asked if he wanted to go camping when he was four, Bakugou said he only wanted to go if they climbed the tallest mountain in Japan. Knowing he wouldn't be able to handle a trip like that at that age, his father had tricked him and said that it was. While Bakugou figured out the truth once he got back home, he never enjoyed any other camping trip than the ones on that mountain. So the hothead forgave his father for deceiving him. After that, any time they needed to get away from the world around them, the family would pack into their car and head here. Even his mother, who hated the outdoors, would join in on occasion. Though she would bitch the whole time.

Kirishima listened to his friend in respectful silence. It was the most he'd ever heard Bakugou talk about anything besides how much he hated Deku. He never realized how significant these outings were to him. The redhead felt incredibly honored to be invited to tag along to one of his family's favorite traditions. Despite the ache in his shoulders or the damp hair smacking him in the face with every step, Kirishima continued to smile the whole way up the mountain. With each step and every childhood memory shared, he felt like he was becoming closer to the supposed Beast of Class 1-A.

After six hours of hiking, they finally reached the summit. "We made it!" Kirishima yelled, throwing his arms into the air in victory. However, the action threw him off balance, and he quickly fell over backward from the weight of the camping pack still attached to his back. Landing with an "Oof!" as he laid there comically like a turtle stuck on his back.

"Stop messing around, Shitty-Hair!" Bakugou scolded harshly, though he offered him a helping hand up. Kirishima took it gratefully. Apologizing with a chuckle as he did so. "Whatever, we still have a shit ton of stuff to do while we still have some light."

That was true. The sun had just started to set. Painting the sky, a breathtaking display of oranges and pinks as it enveloped the wispy clouds in the distance. Everything from the forest to the lake at the base of the mountain and the connecting waterfall was enveloped in beautiful orangish gold light. The view was breathtaking. Kirishima wanted nothing more than to stare at this scene before him forever.

A sudden click brought him back to reality. His scarlet eyes moved towards the sound only to get distracted by the equally dazzling new scene in front of him. Bakugou stood before him, his hair looking golden in the brilliant light. The sight took Kirishima's breath away. The explosive hero's expression looked surprisingly soft for a second, before turning incredibly annoyed.

"Didn't you hear me? We got stuff to do!" Bakugou yelled, breaking the spell.

"R-Right!" Kirishima stammered with a blush. Immediately grabbing two random pieces of their tent in a futile attempt to connect them, even though they didn't go together. The blonde watched him for a second before rolling his eyes. Roughly yanking one of the pieces from him and gently handing him the correct part. The redhead nodded his thanks before clumsily getting back to work.

By the time they finished setting up camp, the sun had just finished setting. The last traces of orange and pink faded to shades of purple and light blues, and even they were slowly paling in brilliance. Bakugou had brought an assortment of ingredients to make campfire kabobs for dinner, somehow managing to bring different types of meat to roast since he knew that was Kirishima's favorite. However, after constructing a few kabobs, Bakugou started making them for the redhead when he just loaded his with beef.

"No, you're not pulling that shit like the rest of those idiots. You have to eat a fucking vegetable!"

"Alright. Alright!" Kirishima laughed, his hands raised in surrender. "So, are you finally going to tell me why you dragged me up here?"

"I already told you. My family comes here every year, but they're all busy this time," Bakugou answered nonchalantly. He leaned back and twisted his lean body to grab one of his camping packs. He unzipped it and started rummaging through its contents. "Besides, I wasn't about to sit in a light-polluted city during one of the biggest meteor showers of the decade," Bakugou remarked, pulling a telescope from his backpack with a determined smirk on his face.

Kirishima practically jumped to his feet. "Dude! Are you serious!" the redhead exclaimed, his voice full of childlike excitement. His scarlet eyes scanned the still darkening sky. The first couple of stars starting to become visible. "I've never seen one of those before! Meteors are so manly!"

"They are?" Bakugou asked, taken aback by the sudden excitement.

"Of course! They killed all the dinosaurs after all!"

"Yeah…"

"Oh man, this is so awesome! You're the best Bakugou!" Kirishima cheered, sitting beside his friend. Their shoulders brushing against each other due to the limited space on the log they sat on.

"Yeah… whatever," Bakugou huffed, looking away.

It took another 30 minutes for it to be dark enough to see the stars clearly. At that time, Bakugou expertly set up his telescope and his DSLR cameras. He had promised his dad that he would take photos of the meteor shower for him since he couldn't make it. Kirishima teased him for being a softy, but the blonde retorted that he only did it for the new camera lens he scored out of the deal. Kirishima didn't realize the blonde was such a photography nerd. He was learning so much about his friend on this trip.

Kirishima thought the sunset earlier was the most marvelous thing he had ever seen, but the starry sky above him was even more stunning. The different shades of purple, pink, green, and blue leftover from the sunset swirled and mixed in a mesmerizing display across the steadily darkening sky to create an aurora light effect above them. The dark veiled sky decorated with millions of brilliant silver twinkling lights. Kirishima had never seen so many stars. The redhead had lived in the city all his life and had only ever gone camping during their summer training camp. Though there were no stars to see thanks to the smoky overcast that night.

The shark-toothed teen just stared in awe at the beautiful scene in front of him. Bakugou sat beside him, occasionally snapping a photo of the sky with his camera set up on a tripod a few feet away, with the remote in his hands. His other camera was rigged to the telescope beside them. The redhead had attempted to ask his classmate questions about how he was able to take photos in the dark, but then Bakugou started talking about the technicalities of cameras and photography. The explanations confusing him even further.

Something about long-shutters? Or taking Speed? ISO? In search of what?

The sturdy hero could practically smell his brain smoking as it short-circuited.

"You're missing it," Bakugou scolded suddenly, nudging Kirishima's shoulder with his to break him out of his trance.

The ash-blonde pointed his face toward the sky. Kirishima's eyes followed his gaze and immediately lit up with childlike wonder as he saw the first meteors flying across the sky. His famous shark-toothed grin spreading across his face.

Kirishima wasn't sure how long he stared up at the sky before a voice broke into his thoughts.

"Hey, Kirishima."

The redhead barely had time to glance at his friend before he heard the familiar click of a camera shutter going off. He blinked his eyes cutely a couple of times before his eyes settled on the camera in Bakugou's hands. Most of the ash-blonde's face was covered by the camera. Though Bakugou's satisfied grin was hard to miss, even in the darkness. The camera no longer hooked up to the telescope beside them.

The Ball-of-Sunshine's cheeks felt warm with embarrassment. "Hey, no fair, Bakugou!" Kirishima protested, pointing at the camera.

Another click.

The redhead blushed even harder. "Hey! Stop!" Kirishima protested again, trying to grab the camera. Only for Bakugou to hold it above his head, out of Kirishima's reach.

"What's the matter?" Bakugou teased, a playful smirk on his face. He was always so childish when it was just the two of them. "You camera shy or something?"

"I'm not," Kirishima pouted. "I just don't think it's fair that you can take photos of me, and I can't take photos of you."

"So, you want to take my photo?" Bakugou asked smugly. Trying to embarrass the redhead even further.

"Well, yeah," Kiri answered matter of fact. Not sure why Bakugou thought that admitting it would be embarrassing. It's not like anyone else was here. Even if there were, he doubted it would make him embarrassed to admit it. It was manly to acknowledge your feelings, after all. "You're my favorite person, after all. I want lots of pictures of and with you."

Bakugou's plan backfired. It was his turn to be embarrassed. He turned his head away to hide the blush on his cheeks. Though it was still barely visible in the dim light.

"You suck at taking photos," the ash-blonde finally mumbled under his breath. His face still facing another direction. Kirishima had to suppress the giggle that threatened to escape his lips at his adorable little Tsundere. "So how about I put one camera on a timer so it can take multiple photos of us as we stargaze?"

Kirishima's eyes brightened. "Sounds good!" Kirishima cheered, grabbing onto one of his arms. The act almost causing Bakugou to drop his $5,000 camera. "Whoops," Kirishima chuckled nervously. Ignoring the death glare, Bakugou sent his way.

They spent the rest of the night watching the meteor shower. The camera they set up continued to take a photo of them every ten minutes until it ran out of battery. Kirishima enjoyed getting a closer look at the meteors through the telescope but enjoyed it more when he could see the whole sky. That and he enjoyed sneaking glances at Bakugou, who split his time watching with him and taking photos of the shower. It was refreshing to see the hothead looking so calm and focused on something with silent intensity.

Bakugou showed him a few photos he was especially proud of, and they made Kirishima's jaw drop. They were both staring at the same sky, but Bakugou's photos highlighted the most beautiful parts of it. There wasn't anything Bakugou couldn't do. After much convincing, he finally allowed Kirishima to take a few photos himself, though only after triple-checking to make sure the strap was wrapped around him correctly. Kirishima thought his pictures turned out alright, but after Bakugou gave him a few tips, they looked drastically better.

"Did you make a wish?" Bakugou asked as the last meteors crossed the sky. Referencing how the Mountain was locally known as "Wish Mountain." His arms were crossed behind his head as he laid on top of his sleeping bag. Their entirely constructed tent a mere 6 feet away, completely forgotten.

Kirishima laid against him. His crimson hair tickling Bakugou's face. "Hmmm... I wish we could stay like this forever," he stated truthfully. A sleepy smile on his face.

"You're so corny," Bakugou snorted, but there was a small smile on his face.

This made Kirishima grin even more. "Yeah, I know," he replied sleepily. "What did you wish for?"

Bakugou was silent for a moment. He shifted into a sitting position, ignoring Kirishima's sleepy protests. Without warning, Bakugou leaned over and kissed him. Kirishima was frozen in place for a second but then leaned into it. A few more moments passed before they parted.

"This," he stated simply, an awkward smile gracing his perfect features.

"Now, whose corny?" Kirishima giggled.

"Shut up," Bakugou yawned, settling into a more comfortable position. "Get some sleep, Kiri."

"G'night Bakugou," Kirishima mumbled. Snuggling back into Bakugou's side, before drifting comfortably to sleep next to the person he loved.

"Hey, Shitty-Hair," a voice whispered impatiently in Kirishima's ear. His body rocked from side to side as someone shook his shoulder. The motion was gentle at first but steadily became rougher when the redhead didn't respond.

Kirishima groaned pitifully. Instinctively rolling over in a feeble attempt to ward off the annoying force trying to wake him up for school. He heard an impatient huff to his left before he felt the warm, comforting blankets around him getting ripped from his grasp. His sleepy groans instantly morphed into agitated growls at the rude intruder for interrupting his peaceful dreams.

The Ball-of-Sunshine had never been much of a morning person. His close friends often described him as a hangry demon first thing in the morning. Many of which, had been an unfortunate victim to his sharp teeth after they carelessly tried to wake him.

The aggravating presence, however, was not impressed by his sudden change in demeanor. Instead of backing down, they roughly grabbed hold of his face and shoved something into his mouth. Kirishima was startled for a moment before a comforting smell calmed him down enough to absentmindedly start chewing.

"Mmm… Honey and Oats," Kirishima mumbled around the granola bar in his mouth. The treat quickly disappearing with each satisfying crunch, while his right hand carelessly rubbed the sleep from his eyes. A childhood habit that never went away, even after injuring himself at the tender age of four.

"You're always such a mess in the mornings," a familiar voice complained above him. "You're gonna end up taking someone's finger one of these days. And I swear, if you bite my hand again, I will destroy you."

"That was one time," Kirishima groaned, finally awake enough to blink the sunlight from his scarlet eyes. After a few seconds, they finally adjusted to sunlight that filtered through the common room's blinds. Standing above him was none other than Bakugou. Kirishima couldn't help but notice that he looked well rested for once. The ash-blonde raised an eyebrow when he caught Kirishima staring at him. The redhead quickly averted his gaze in embarrassment. Instead, focusing on the sleeping forms of their classmates. All of which were still sprawled about the common room from their sleepover the night before. "And Recovery Girl stitched you up just fine."

Bakugou was not amused.

"Maybe, but having to explain to Aizawa that I was late for class because I had to get fucking stitches because you nearly ripped a chunk out of my hand was completely fucked up, Kiri," the ash-blonde muttered. He threw another granola bar at him. "I still have a fucking scar from it for fuck's sake!. You're so lucky he was the one who ordered me to wake you up. Otherwise, I would've gotten detention."

Kirishima grinned. "See. It all worked out in the end."

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "Yeah. You're right," he agreed sarcastically. "It's not like we've ever had to go to Recovery Girl for any other embarrassing reasons."

Kirishima blushed hard. Bakugou would never dare say it aloud with the sleeping bodies of their classmates littered around the room. But he was definitely referencing the time when Kirishima had accidentally bit Bakugou's tongue during one of their first makeout sessions. They had played it off as a training accident, but Bakugou continued to hold that incident over him.

"I said I was sorry," the redhead groaned. "Give it a rest already."

"Never."

This time, Kirishima rolled his eyes.

Glancing around, it appeared that most of the class was still sound asleep on the various couches. Most cuddled with their friends on the floor under a mess of blankets. Seemed only Momo and Koda were missing, the latter probably upstairs feeding his rabbit before school. Iida was snoring across the room, no doubt exhausted after trying to babysit their rowdy class.

Their class was famous among the school for throwing over the top sleepovers and game nights. Their hijinks were a fun topic, even among the other departments. Unfortunately, that was because some of their hijinks escaped the safety of their class dorm. Like the time Kaminari and Sero tried to tight-walk the distance between the Class-A and Class-B dorms on Sero's tape. As one would expect, the tape broke halfway across. The dark-haired boy managed to grab Kaminari before he died, and luckily TetsuTetsu had enough time to activate his quirk before he crashed to the ground. That stunt made the school paper.

So no one was surprised when the small sleepover with the squad, plus the trio was soon derailed to a class sleepover in the common room. The Bakusquad had dragged the shinobi up to the fourth floor to have a sleepover in Bakugou's room, despite the ash-blonde's many protests. But as soon as they opened the door to his room to reveal the forgotten charred feathery aftermath from that morning, they collectively decided to hold it on the first floor instead. The terrifying look Bakugou shot him will forever be burned into Kirishima's memory.

It was for the best that they had the sleepover downstairs. The whole class wanted to make sure the newcomer's first night in the dorms was a positive experience. They had a Disney movie marathon, played board games, and ate junk food until they all thought they would puke. It was a blast. Even little Eri miraculously joined in on the fun halfway through the night. Having successfully sneaked past Aizawa's room and pleaded with her big brother with the best puppy dog eyes Kirishima had ever seen. The goth boy was putty in her hands, and no one could blame him. Well, maybe Aizawa, when he inevitably found out.

The trio seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. Though at one point, Kyo panicked when he felt something wrap around his arm and immediately flipped the invisible Hagakure onto the ground. She squealed loudly but luckily wasn't injured, aside from her feelings. Kyo let her go instantly, then angrily told her to get lost by throwing a pillow at her-which she dodged-only for it to hit Bakugou in the back of the head. And that started the biggest pillow fight in Class-A history.

Kirishima smiled happily when he saw Tohru and Mina cuddled together to his right. Beside them was Uraraka and Tsu with little Eri nestled between them. A cute black cat held limply in her grasp. They looked absolutely adorable. He scanned the living room for the twins, but they were nowhere to be seen.

Weird.

"They were already gone when I woke up," Bakugou grumbled, guessing what his friend was thinking. He took a bite of his granola bar before continuing, "Ponytail woke up a little after I did. She woke up RockFace before she left."

"That's weird. I thought for sure the twins would still be asleep," the redhead mused. Remembering how the twins had basically dropped dead after the pillow fight. It never crossed his mind if twins fell asleep at the same time, but he got his answer to that question regardless. Sero and Shinsou had barely caught them before they both face planted on the floor. The class tucked them in on one of the couches in the corner and continued being rowdy for another couple hours before Iida finally made them all go to sleep. The twins hadn't so much as twitched the entire night.

"They have Homeroom with us, right? Do they even know where to go?"

"Don't know. Don't care," Bakugou replied with a shrug. "All I know is I'm going out for a run. You coming or what?"

Kirishima felt energized after eating, and the first good night's sleep he had in a long while. "Of course!" the redhead beamed, taking the hand Bakugou held out for him. Though his tone wavered at the end when the ash-blonde pretended to drop him back on his ass. "That's not funny," he pouted, but Bakugou only smirked back at him. Sometimes Kirishima hated that dumb, beautiful face of his.

It didn't take them long to get ready for their run. Bakugou had retrieved a change of clothes for both of them before waking him. After a quick trip to the locker rooms to change, they were ready to go. Deciding to take their usual route, which consisted of running around the entire length of the gated campus and three laps across the track when they passed it.

As they ran at a fast, but manageable pace; Bakugou quizzed the shark-toothed teen on school topics. If Kirishima got three questions right in a row, he was allowed to bore Bakugou with a dumb stunt the squad did or was planning to do soon. The redhead must have improved because he was talking explosive teen's ear off.

"So Kaminari said, 'hold my chocolate milk,' and headed straight for Todoroki with his hand covered in electricity. And then-"

"Shitty-Hair," Bakugou groaned, slowing to a stop. His hand catching the redhead's face to prevent him from pulling ahead of him.

Kirishima pried the hand from his face. "Hey, I was in the middle of a story!" he protested between pants. "I earned that story."

"Except I was there for that!" Bakugou panted angrily. His eye twitching in annoyance. "Dunceface wanted to know if Icyhot would let off his Ice or Fire quirk if he was zapped in his sleep. And the answer was neither. The bastard kicked Pikachu so hard he was knocked unconscious for two fucking hours."

"Huh, I guess you were there for that," the Ball-of-Sunshine chuckled. Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment."Then why didn't you stop him?"

"Sometimes, you just have to let Darwinism run its course."

"Harsh."

A flash of orange caught Kirishima's attention further up the trail. "Hey, aren't those the twins?" Kirishima asked, shielding his eyes from the sun to get a better look at the two forms ahead of them.

Bakugou followed his gaze. "Tsk, I guess we figured out where they've been this whole time," he muttered. His crimson eyes narrowed in an emotion Kirishima couldn't quite place. "Come on. We have to go that way to get back to the dorms anyway."

"R-right," Kirishima agreed hesitantly, falling into step with his friend.

The two shinobi didn't notice them as they approached. It wasn't like the heroes were hiding their presence in any way, but as they approached, it became clear they were too busy arguing to pay much attention to their environment.

"Didn't you learn your lesson yesterday? You should be taking it easy," Tsubasa cautioned, his voice a little bitter. Nothing like the polite, friendly way he spoke the day before. He walked a couple of feet behind his brother, trying to get his attention. His brilliant wings sheathed at the moment. He reached a hand out toward his brother.

"I'm fine," Kyo answered curtly. Shrugging off the hand, his brother tried to place on him. His pace quickened slightly as a result. "If you're waiting for me to thank you. You can forget it. I didn't need to be saved like this."

Kirishima wanted to find another route back to the dorms. It sounded like these two needed to work something out with one another. The last thing they needed was for two strangers to barge in and ruin everything for them. The redhead nudged his friend's shoulder in an attempt to steer him down the side path.

Bakugou had other plans. Much to Kirishima's horror, the explosive hero then proceeded to violently kick a rock in his path. The stone skidded across the ground before it crashed into a nearby metal trashcan with a deafening BANG! The unexpected sound caused the twins to jump, which earned an angry hiss from Kyo when his crimson eyes locked onto them.

"Tsk serves you right for blocking our way," Bakugou muttered, shouldering his way between them.

Kirishima followed closely behind him. "U-uh sorry about him," the redhead apologized for his friend. Bowing respectfully to each of them in turn as he did so. "He's a little cranky in the morning."

"Kirishima!" the explosive teen called angrily from a distance away.

"I know!" Kirishima called back. Breaking into a run to catch up with Bakugou. He looked over his shoulder and flashed one last smile to the bickering brothers. "We'll see you later!"

Aizawa P. O. V.

The underground hero was reaching the end of his patience with the troublesome shinobi known as Kyo. Before the bell had even rung, he had seen Kyo twirling a kunai in his hands while he walked through the halls. Either he didn't notice the concerned looks the other students gave him, or he didn't give a fuck. Either was equally plausible. Eraser Head was going to get a lecture from Nezu if this behavior continued.

"Kyo, did I see you with a weapon earlier?" Aizawa questioned impatiently when Kyo approached the classroom with his teammates in tow.

"That would be against school policy, right?" the copper-haired teen stated innocently, without answering the question.

Aizawa rolled his eyes. He was too tired for this. "Just get inside," he ordered, shoving him roughly inside the classroom. Away from curious eyes.

Due to the four new additions to his class, Aizawa added a new desk to each of the four existing rows. He had initially planned to sit the newcomers in the back row but seeing how the explosive shinobi was proving to be a hazard to everyone around him. Aizawa took this opportunity to switch Kyo's intended seat behind Sato with Shoji, who was in dire need of a new place as well. The poor boy blocked the view of the peers behind him no matter how low the kind student slouched in his chair. This way, Aizawa could keep an ever-watchful eye on Kyo in the front row. The rest of the newcomers were easy to find seats for. Shinsou was seated behind Uraraka, and Tsubasa was seated behind Todoroki, which provided him with ample room to accommodate his broad wings. Tohru was seated behind Momo. Keeping her out of Mineta's line of sight to avoid incidents like the day before.

"Now that we've gotten that taken care of," Aizawa began when everyone was settled in their seats, "I know you're all eager to start your next phase of training in your Heroics and Quirkless classes. You'll have ample opportunities to prove yourselves later. For the next hour, you're all going to be focusing on improving your hero costumes for the colder weather," the underground hero yawned. Ignoring the excited cheer that rang throughout the classroom.

"Awesome new costumes!" Mina cheered.

"This is so exciting!" Hagakure agreed, angling her body towards Jirou.

"Aw man, but I can't draw for crap," Kaminari whined to Kirishima.

"Feel free to examine your costumes or head to the Development Studio to get inspiration. Most of you probably know what you want to add, while the newcomers will have to design their costumes from scratch," he encouraged as he pressed a button on his remote. The walls in the back corner slid away to reveal where their hero costumes were stored when they weren't in use. "You have three days to submit your designs detailing the upgrades to your costumes," he finished, stepping into his sleeping bag. Ready for his daily nap.

Students started breaking into groups as they bounced ideas off of one another. In the back corner, he saw Uraraka, Jirou, and Bakugou grabbing their current costumes, with Kyo trailing behind them with a sketchbook. Meanwhile, Midoriya, Iida, and Shinsou went outside to talk to with support class. He spotted Tohru getting a closer look at Mina and Asui's costumes. To his right, he noticed Tsubasa speaking with Shoji and Yaoyoaruzu. The latter was busy making an assortment of swatches of different materials for him to compare. Content with their initiative, Aizawa closed his eyes. Willing sleep to waft over him for the rest of the class.

"Sensei, do you have a minute?" the copper-haired teen's voice interrupted.

Of course, the teacher thought bitterly. "What do you want now?" he grumbled irritably while his eyes stubbornly remained closed.

"Well, I basically know what I'm going to do for my costume already, but I was wondering if I could get a closer look at your capture weapon?" Kyo asked apologetically.

Aizawa cracked a wary eye open to study his face. There wasn't a trace of mischief or ill-intent reflected in his crimson eyes. Simply curiosity. The teen scratched the back of his head nervously under Aizawa's scrutinizing gaze. Eavesdropping behind Kyo was Todoroki and Bakugou. Both of which not bothering to pretend otherwise.

"I won't have time to teach you how to use it," the shaggy-haired man finally answered. He reached inside his desk, instead of removing the scarf around his neck. After rummaging blindly inside for a few moments, he pulled a smaller version of the weapon out. "This was supposed to be for Shinsou, but the length was too long for him."

Kyo's eyes sparkled with child-like wonder. "Thanks a bunch, sensei!" he beamed, reaching for the weapon.

But Aizawa had other plans. He pulled the scarf out of the copper-haired teen's reach. The shinobi's expression dropping a bit. The Eraser Hero then grabbed the metal bin by his desk and held it up for Kyo. "Before I hand this over, please disarm yourself. You can pick your weapons up after class," he proposed, giving the bin a little shake.

Kyo looked torn. He obviously wanted to keep up the gag of hiding weapons on himself but also wanted the chance to see a weapon he'd never seen before up close. Eventually, the teen begrudgingly started filling the crate with his arsenal. The teen relinquished most of his tools without much difficulty, but he hesitated on the last two. His hands gripping the sheathe protectively. Instead of dumping them in the bin with the others, he offered the hilts to Aizawa.

"Will you keep these safe for me?" Kyo asked, gently placing them in his teacher's hands.

The sheath was made from black leather with intricate designs carved into it. Curious, Aizawa unsheathed one of them. Instead of the traditional shape, these mismatched kunai were both three-pronged. Understanding washed over Aizawa as he gazed at them. Recognizing them as Kyo's mothers. The hero carefully sheathed them. He placed it tenderly on top of his desk. In full view of both himself and Kyo when he returned to his seat.

"Don't worry, nothing's going to happen to them," Aizawa reassured kindly, handing over the capture weapon replica he had promised to give. Kyo gave him a respectful bow before heading back to the others. His prize held triumphantly above his head.

Aizawa hid a smile behind his scarf. He didn't want to admit it, but it seemed he was already growing fond of the trio, despite trying to keep his relationship with them strictly professional. Perhaps it was because he had a soft spot for children with painful pasts. The faces of Todoroki, Shinsou, and Eri were a few that came to mind. He couldn't deny that he felt a sort of kinship with the trio. They came from a similar background as him, after all.

The familiar sounds of his students chatting happily helped the Eraser Hero doze off to sleep. His drowsy mind recalled the days he thought he was doomed to become something he didn't want to be. A time before he met a wolf shinobi who taught him that fate was something you decide for yourself.

Many people referred to Aizawa as an underground hero because he didn't like to be in the spotlight. Not much was known about him or his past. Even hero fanboys like Midoriya had trouble figuring out who he was when first meeting him. Only figuring it out when he revealed his goggles and quirk. When questioned, Aizawa would say that he didn't want to be distracted from his work by flashing cameras and pointless interviews. Though that was only one reason.

Eraser Head might have appeared on the hero scene out of nowhere, but the Aizawa name had a proud and terrifying reputation in certain classified circles. Bakugou's explanation of the shinobi's role in society on the first day wasn't wrong by any means. If anything, it gave them too much credit. He would know; it had been a large part of Aizawa's life until the age of 13.

The Aizawa family founded the "secret" Shinobi school known as Binoshi. It wasn't an institution he had fabricated to serve as a cover for his other-worldly charges. The Aizawa family was regarded across the country for the prophetic abilities that made them untouchable in battle, though their specialty was in assassination. Once quirks came into the picture, their fame dwindled. The family almost disappeared entirely until the Japanese government approached them with a solution. To serve as the protectors of the country under their command.

The shinobi's sacrifice had always been portrayed as a noble and just cause in the history books, but Aizawa knew the truth. The family did it to protect themselves. The country gave them an ultimatum; fight for Japan or perish like villains. It was a simple as that. So the family did what was required to survive. Selling themselves and their training methods in the process.

Over time, the country's officials took over the program. Stripping it from the Aizawa family's control, leaving them in charge in name alone. These power-hungry individuals changed the program to pump out the strongest living weapons imaginable. Preying on the poorer districts to sell their children to the program for a slim chance to receive the means to continue living. Though only if the child managed to complete their training.

It was a brutal program, to say the least. Binoshi would start training kids as soon as their quirk manifested. Their training consisted of martial arts, weaponry skills, combat simulation, infiltration, quirk strengthening, poison tolerance, torture tactics/endurance, and of course, assassination. About 8% of students died before their 10th birthday. If you survived the grueling years of abuse, you had the opportunity to graduate to become a full-fledged Shinobi at the age of 18. It was completely optional, of course, though you refused at your own risk.

As a descendant of the founding family. Aizawa was a prodigy from the very beginning. A model student, even to his seniors. Everyone believed he would become the heir to Binoshi. There was only one problem. Aizawa didn't want to be a shinobi.

While he looked and acted like the perfect assassin. At his core, he wanted to use his gifts to help people, not kill. He blatantly refused to follow orders that went against his moral code. He couldn't be controlled no matter how many times he was punished for disobeying orders. Truly, a cat in terms of personality. Eventually, the higher-ups left him to his own devices. Assuming he'd come around to their side in time. It wasn't like the young Aizawa heir had anywhere else to go. A truth that constantly played in the back of Aizawa's mind.

Each year, he watched as more and more children continued to fall beside him. With each passing, Aizawa wondered how much time he had left before he too was snuffed out. It seemed that death was the only way out of the hell hole he found himself in. A truth some felt strongly enough to do themselves before the superiors could do it for them. Time was quickly running out.

An opportunity to escape that reality presented itself when his family took a business trip to Musutafu, Japan. The Aizawa family had been summoned to an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister, other governmental officials, and Pro-Heroes alike to discuss the future protection of Japan.

These meetings happened every five years, but it was the first time he had ever been invited to accompany them. Aizawa was there to give a demonstration of his skills to everyone in attendance. Pitted against a Hero-in-training student three years older than him in a mock battle. A political way to highlight the strengths of both programs to the general public in a televised event.

"Is it really alright for me to wail on a kid?" the cocky hero student chuckled nervously. He was easily a foot taller than the scruffy-looking child standing before him. His tone was pretentious as he feigned concern, but a dark excitement reflected in his cold eyes.

Aizawa remained silent. His silence, coupled with his indifferent demeanor, unnerved the boy that loomed over him.

"Fine. Have it your way."

The simulation was a degrading experience for the future hero. He wasn't allowed to strike until he received an order from his superior. An unnecessary ploy to demonstrate that the shinobi Binoshi trained were obedient soldiers who would only attack their targets, even when provoked. Forced to endure hit after hit, until he was finally given the order to neutralize his opponent.

In the blink of an eye, an angry Aizawa sidestepped the hero student's sloppy attack. Expertly disappearing from his enemy's field of vision. The shinobi's eyes flashed an intimidating shade of red as he erased his opponent's quirk. When his opponent was shaken by his quirk failing to activate, Aizawa aimed a careful blow to his leg with his elbow. The boy fell to his knees with a pained shriek. Once kneeling, the raven-haired teen captured his head within an unbreakable headlock. The future hero then viciously mimicked the sickening sound of bones cracking in the student's ear, before pushing the terrified boy away from him. The would-be-hero was so terrified that he pissed himself. The room shocked silent from the terrifying display of skill.

Aizawa frowned down at the traumatized teenager, trembling uncontrollably at his feet. While this punk was an incompetent individual, he couldn't help but envy the lot he received in life. The sorry excuse for a hero was free to pursue a noble line of work, while he was forced to carry on his family's bloodstained legacy.

Heroes protected.

Shinobi killed.

It was plainly visible, which one was better.

Disgusted with himself, the underground hero ditched the rest of the party. Slipping effortlessly through the dozen or so Pro-Heroes and Prime Minter's "highly trained" guards stationed around the Banquet hall. Relishing in the fresh air as he explored the streets. Thankful for the isolation. Content, taking in the sights of civilians, chatting happily with one another.

Just as fate would have it. He immediately found himself in the middle of a villain attack. The low-level villain taking full advantage of the city's strongest heroes away at the summit to pillage the Tatooine Shopping District. He was a goliath looking beast straight out of a fantasy game. Tearing down and destroying structures with his oversized hands. Causing droves of terrified people to flee the area in a chaotic stampede. All the while crying out for a hero to save the day.

Aizawa, however, was not that hero.

As a shinobi, he was granted Diplomatic Immunity whenever he stepped foot outside of Binoshi. Governmental officials were unable to interfere or prosecute him for any crimes committed as long as he was acting under his official commander. But hehad to be given an order to be able to act.

Frustrated, Aizawa continued to stroll through the screaming crowd. Unable to interfere despite having the necessary skills to protect those around him. Occasionally dodging or blocking pieces of debris for people as he went. His fists clenched tightly at his sides as he desperately tried to ignore the panicked civilians around him. That's when he heard a child's scream ring-out above the chaos.

While he was too busy trying to tune out the crowd, he failed to notice that the villain had grown bored of looting and had begun attacking people indiscriminately. With a quick scan of the area, he counted at least five bodies lying on the ground completely motionless. Whether they were unconscious or dead was unclear at his current distance. What was clear was that this giant Goliath looking villain was aiming a massive fist at a child no older than six. She cowered on the sidewalk with a stuffed animal clutched desperately in her grasp.

Before Aizawa even realized it, his body had lunged for the girl without his permission. Barely managing to cradle her protectively against himself and roll away, before a giant fist crashed where they had been. Dust from the attack stung his eyes, making him blink more than he preferred. Nevertheless, he stared intently into the rising dust. Waiting for the villain's next attack.

"It's okay. Everything is going to be alright," the future hero promised absentmindedly to the whimpering bundle in his arms. Small trembling hands clung to him fiercely. The stuffed animal long forgotten. A small smile spread across his face when he felt a slight nod against his chest.

Something clattered abruptly to their right. The sudden sound frightened the girl who started fighting against Aizawa in her panic. Her terrified mind screaming for her to run. He knew it was a misdirection. That the villain was actually approaching from the opposite direction. But the struggling girl in his arms slowed his reaction considerably.

Out of options, Aizawa pushed the girl to safety with all his might before a giant hand ruthlessly slammed into him. Effectively knocking the wind out of him as he was painfully pinned to the ground. His vision swam from the tears threatening to fall from them, though he was relieved to see that the girl-while scraped up- sat a safe distance away. A kind stranger already pulling her to her feet to lead her away.

"Huh? What's this? Looks like we got ourselves a wannabe hero," the giant sneered above him. Crushing Aizawa further into the ground until cracks formed under the weight. The villain clearly enjoyed his victim's pain contorted face. "Tell me, hero, was saving that brat worth it?"

Grimy, murderous fingers wrapped around Aizawa's torso. The hand gave him a hard squeeze before lifting him from the ground. The raven-haired teen immediately attempted to wriggle free, but it was no use. The monster's grip was too tight. It was a struggle to even breathe with how his ribs caved in on themselves.

Two are definitely broken.

"Knock that off!" The behemoth warned. Emphasizing his point by shaking him hard. The motion practically gave the teen whiplash from the villain's monstrous strength.

"Release him villain!" a voice ordered out of nowhere. Stopping the perpetrator in his tracks. When Aizawa's vision stopped spinning, he saw a dozen or so police officers surrounding them in full body-armor. Their guns aimed at the menacing figure.

Great. The most useless branch of crime-fighting, the teen, thought exasperated.

As one would expect, the villain immediately held the teenager out in front of him. Using him as a human shield against the officers. A knife suddenly held at his throat. All the while, Aizawa dangled limply in the monster's grasp. An indifferent expression on his face, though inside he felt humiliated. There he was, a highly trained shinobi totally at the mercy of a low-level villain waiting to be rescued by a team of poorly trained police officers.

I'm as good as dead, Aizawa thought glumly. That's if I don't die from shame first.

Aizawa was utterly stuck. Not only could he not pry himself free, but he also wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place. He shouldn't have left the summit, He shouldn't have intervened, even if doing so saved a life and Aizawa most certainly shouldn't have picked a fight with a villain since he wasn't allowed to harm anyone. This whole situation had absolutely nothing to do with him. If, by some miracle, he lived, Aizawa was going to get punished for acting out his own will again.

This sucks.

A dark blur swiftly smacked the monster square in the face. Surprising, everyone in attendance. The blow loosened the Villain's hold on Aizawa enough for him to free one of his hands. Taking advantage, the teen pulled a hidden kunai from his belt and stabbed the villain's forearm. He had already been caught breaking the rules, so it made no difference if he continued to break them.

The villain cursed in pain as he lost hold of the brat completely. However, before the future hero could hit the ground, Aizawa was caught by an unknown individual and whisked away from the scene of the crime at lightning speed. Leaving the fugitive and cops questioning what had just happened.

"There, you're safe now," a friendly accented voice promised. Gently putting the antisocial teenager down on a rooftop a safe distance away.

When Aizawa looked up, he saw a woman in her early twenties, smiling down at him. She had long wavy dark brown hair and silvery-blue eyes. On top of her head were mostly silver wolf ears with black patches sprinkled here and there. She had a matching tail that swayed casually behind her.

"Thanks for providing me with an opening. You were amazing!" she praised cheerfully.

Aizawa blushed, looking away from her. Not used to people praising him. Especially when he didn't follow commands. "Why did you whisk me away? Shouldn't we be helping them capture that guy?" he asked in an attempt to change the subject. Talking about himself made him uncomfortable.

She scratched the back of her head uneasily. "You know I would, but I would get in a lot of trouble if I tried," she admitted. Her cheeks turning red.

"What's the problem? You're a hero, right?"

She chuckled nervously.

Aizawa blinked at her. "Wait. So you're not a hero? You don't have a license?" he asked, completely dumbfounded by her stupidity. She nodded sheepishly in response. The competent looking hero he saw a second ago quickly being reduced into that of a scolded child. His charcoal eyes twitched in anger. "That's illegal! And to make matters worse, you just kidnapped a kid! Way to go, idiot!"

"I know," she agreed glumly. Her tail slumping in correlation with her somber mood. She kept her gaze fixed on the ground for a few minutes before raising them to meet his. Her once intimidating silver-blue eyes were now a kind amber brown. "I never understood why this world was so hung up on rules and regulations when it came to helping people in need. If I see someone in need of saving, I'm going to save them. Simple as that."

Aizawa scoffed at that naive answer. "It doesn't matter how you feel. That's the law. We all have to abide by them, or everything will be in chaos," the teen scolded coldly. Repeating the words he had always been berated with every time he acted up. Regardless, he couldn't help but feel satisfied with himself for saving that little girl earlier.

"Ha! Your one to talk," she grinned, pointing an intrusive finger in his face. Her grin highlighting her abnormally sharp teeth. Aizawa resisted the urge to step away from her. "You broke the law too. You're carrying a weapon without a permit. And before you make an excuse, you have to be 18 to get one."

That was only partly true. Shinobi were allowed to carry whatever weapons they wanted. He decided to keep that information to himself since the truth was more damning in this situation. So he turned away from her with a huff.

"That's why I grabbed you. This way, we both can stay out of trouble. Not a bad plan, right?" she explained smugly, stepping into his field of vision. A mischievous smile on her face.

Aizawa turned the other way. He refused to praise anything this woman said. Even if that had been his plan had, he found a way to escape.

"My name is Amaya Hitsuzen, by the way," she introduced, crouching in front of him with her hand outstretched.

The future hero studied her hand for a few moments. He wasn't supposed to talk to anyone, let alone give his real name to a stranger. But hey, he'd already broken a dozen rules that evening. What was one more?

"The name's Shota Aizawa," he finally answered, shaking her hand awkwardly.

Her face brightened. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Shota."

He rolled his charcoal eyes at her. This woman sure was getting cozy. Already calling him by his first name. "I take it you're some kind of vigilante then? Just the friendly neighborhood wolf girl?"

"What's wrong with that?" Amaya asked, taking a seat on one of the wooden crates on top of the roof. "It might be because of my quirk, but I'd rather live free than be a prisoner to society's standards. Sounds kind of unfulfilling, right?"

Those words struck Aizawa at his core. Freezing him in place.

Amaya didn't notice. "I can't begin to tell you how many people I've seen throw away their lives trying to live up to the expectations placed on them by others. They continue to change themselves regardless if that's what they truly want or not. Giving up on their freedom, their dreams, and their futures in the process."

"That's what I aim to protect by being a so-called 'Vigilante.' I don't want someone to ever feel like they have to become something they're not, myself included."

"I-I want that too…" Aizawa whispered, his voice cracking. His heart longing to be free of the role that was decided for him. "I want to be free too. I don't want to be a shinobi like my family wants me to be."

It wasn't until he was pulled into the woman's warm embrace that Aizawa realized that he was crying. The experience was completely foreign. He couldn't remember the last time he cried or even if he ever had before. It wasn't something Binoshi tolerated. He wiped awkwardly at the tears that flowed freely from his face, though there didn't appear to be any end in sight.

His silent cries slowly turned into desperate sobs. He found himself clutching her back in dire need of comfort. If their roles were reversed, Aizawa would have pulled back. Instead, she pressed him closer to herself. Amaya guided his face into the crook of her neck, shielding him from the rest of the world. Not that anyone was watching, but the gesture comforted him all the same. Her hand gently stroked his scruffy raven hair until he settled down.

"It's okay. You don't have to be anything you don't want," Amaya cooed softly, gently pulling away from him enough so she could examine his face. Her soft hands lightly brushed the tears from his eyes. The brunette rested her forehead against his in a loving gesture. "So you don't want to be a Shinobi, huh? What do you want to be?"

"What I want to be?…"

No one had ever asked Aizawa what he wanted before. The shinobi apprentice never believed it was possible to escape his family's firm hold on him, so he didn't dare dream of a better future. Terrified that any attempt to breathe life into a different life for himself would make it vanish for good. But as he crouched there, Aizawa recalled how fulfilled he felt when he saved that little girl. Knowing that she was alive now because of him. How he envied his opponent earlier that evening and believed he could have done a better job in his place.

That's what I want to do, the teenager realized. I want to protect people.

"... a hero…" Aizawa finally answered.

The former shinobi began to stir from his slumber. His mind somewhere between dreams and consciousness. It had almost been 20 years since Aizawa had last seen Amaya. He thought he had taken her lessons to heart, but the moment he started to doubt his ability to choose his own fate, her sons crashed into his life to remind him.

That couldn't have been a coincidence.

"There's no such thing as coincidence. There is only Hitsuzen," Amaya's haunting voice recalled for him. The phrase, which played off of her surname, had been something the other-worldly shinobi proclaimed often.

The underground hero wasn't lying when he said he hoped that the relationships his students forged with the trio would someday change how the world viewed shinobi. Even though he hated Binoshi with all of his heart. It had always been one of Aizawa's goals to reform the system his family had put in place.

He hoped that the county would come up with a volunteer system to create an army as they did in the states, instead of recruiting children into the program who came from more impoverished families. He felt it was his responsibility as a descendant of the family that continued to send out human weapons; to find a better system for the country's defense. A system that wasn't paved with the corpses of countless children. Hopefully, his students could help change this broken world for the better one day.

"Get out of my face losers!" an annoyed voice yelled, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Aizawa let out an exasperated sigh. It wouldn't be homeroom without someone making a scene. The ever tired hero reluctantly cracked an eye open to see if his presence was needed to break up whatever altercation was about to break out. Fully expecting to see either Bakugou or Kyo in the middle of it with their quirks ready to activate with one misplaced comment. He was surprised to see a group of students crowding around the ill-tempered shinobi with their hero costumes in their hands.

His desk was covered in sheets of paper, colored pencils, and multiple support items belonging to several different students. In his hands was one of Jirou's boots. He was turning it every which way, before setting it down on his desk. The copper-haired brat then began to render a quick sketch of them. When he was satisfied with the result, he held it up to her for her input.

"So, you want me to put the earphone port on the back instead of the side?" Kyo confirmed. When Jirou nodded, he continued, "Alright, if this is going to be for sneak attacks. I would add ports to the back, but also keep the ports on the side. This way, you're not giving away its location when fighting against villains."

"That's a great idea!" the punk rocker replied excitedly, before catching herself.

He smirked at her. "So, you had another weapon idea you wanted me to sketch for you?"

"Hey, no fair! I was next!" The electric-user complained. In his hands was a crudely drawn design that looked to be colored in crayon.

"Psha, no way. You still haven't paid your deposit," Kyo argued. Kicking his feet on top of his desk, with his sketchbook rested against his propped up legs. He threw a Cheeze-it up in the air and caught it in his mouth. "You think I work for free? If you don't offer a treat, y'all can take a seat~" he purred. Utterly proud of himself for his mediocre rhythm.

"You didn't charge Bakugou," the other teen complained, pointing his thumb over his shoulder where the ash-blonde relaxed in his seat. The explosive hero looked up from where he had been busy jotting down additional notes to the Shinobi's sketch.

Bakugou's crimson eyes narrowed into his usual glare, then flipped him off. "That's because I let him take a look at my costume. Even an idiot has to realize how beneficial inspecting a costume tailored to a quirk similar to your is," Bakugou practically spat. He then turned his fiery gaze on the shinobi.

"I think you can agree that I overpaid. This means you owe me one," the ash-blonde declared. Flashing him a psychotic grin.

Kyo rolled his eyes. "Sure, whatever, man."

Mina took this opportunity to steal her friend's spot in line. Roughly shoving the blonde out of the way as she did so. "I've got Chocolate Pocky!" she practically screamed, pushing the box in the shinobi's face. Her hand holding another disaster of a sketch drawn in ink from a pink glitter gel pen.

"Thanks for the business, Pinky!" he thanked, snatching the box from her.

"You're after Jirou. Anyone else want to put down a deposit?" Kyo asked with a smug expression plastered on his face as he watched his classmates rifling through their bags in their hurry to be next in line.

Aizawa glanced at the small stack of papers beside him. His curiosity getting the best of him; he picked one up. The first page detailed Kyo's submission for his hero costume. The ex-shinobi was impressed with his drawing skills. The hothead didn't look like the artistic type, but in Aizawa's hands was a beautiful colored sketch of his proposed costume design from various angles. There were even detailed sketches of support items he wanted to incorporate.

He quickly glanced through the other papers, and sure enough, there were similar designs for Tsubasa, Tohru, Kirishima, and Uraraka. All done in the same drawing style. Each one carefully drawn and tailored to the recipient. Written on the sides, were notes that described the preferred size, weight, and material of each item. No wonder everyone was dying to work with him. It was a pleasant surprise.

Aizawa had hoped the teen would settle down as time went on. But honestly, Kyo-or any of the shinobi-wouldn't fit into his class if they didn't have some abnormal, over the top personality. It was just how this class was. Though, it did put his mind at ease that everyone was getting along for the most part. Being accepted by the class would help them all so much in the long run.

The hero's eyes caught a glimpse of the sheathed weapons resting on his desk. Nostalgic, he reached for them. He had examined them briefly before, but his time, he took the time to appreciate the craftsmanship. Carved into the leather were numerous swirling designs that caved in on one another. At its center was the outline of a wolf. A reference to their mother's appearance and her ability to travel worlds. The medium was different, but it was clearly Kyo's art style. In it, you could easily feel the love he felt for his mother.

The sentiment put a smile on Aizawa's face. He wondered if the twins knew exactly how much they took after their mother. Tsubasa looked the most like Amaya, even adopting some of her mannerisms. Meanwhile, Kyo inherited her free-spirited personality and passion. The gentleness and never-ending love Amaya always portrayed lived on in their teammate Tohru.

That's right, Aizawa realized, looking over at the gentle-hearted kunoichi near the back of the class. She was currently speaking with Uraraka and Kirishima, all of which sported cat ears at the moment. Because the twins tended to attract a lot of attention to themselves, the kunoichi had a habit of blending into the background.

Tohru was also raised by the Hitsuzen family after all.

Aizawa continued to watch the trio mingle with Class-A with peaked interest. Tsubasa and Tohru moved from group to group. Slowly building relationships with everyone in the class, building their trust. While Kyo established intimate relationships from his fixed position at his desk. It was subtle, but they were gradually winning over the class.

Their teamwork was something to behold, Aizawa mused.

To be expected. They had depended on each other for years on countless worlds. All of them played an essential role within their squad. Tsubasa acted as their guide by finding people in trouble with his premonitions. Kyo served as their transportation and main offensive power. While Tohru shielded them from danger by healing their injuries and concealed their demonic nature.

Aizawa had already been made aware of their less-than-human origins through his time with Amaya. Her quirk was named "Ookami" or "Wolf demon" after all. So when he saw the twin's true forms, he didn't even bat an eye. Hell, it was tame compared to the majority of this world's population. The only aspect that had thrown him off was that they appeared to be less demonic than their mother, even though they possessed a higher blood quantum than her. Aizawa had told them that they could both walk around in either form, and no one would take much notice. They'd both seemed self-conscious about it, no doubt remembering a terrible experience in another world. Eventually, only Tsubasa decided to use his form as his quirk.

That's where Tohru came in.

Because she already possessed incredible transformation abilities that tended to go out of control when she felt emotionally unstable. She served as the perfect camouflage to cover for Kyo's accidental transformations. Something Aizawa had been informed happened when he lost control of his emotions.

The trio was indeed a well-balanced team. Covering each other's weaknesses while urging each other to become stronger. The underground hero looked forward to them teaching his students what being a team actually meant.

Bakugou P. O. V.

It was about 40 minutes into Homeroom when the class started getting rowdier than Bakugou would have liked. He'd grown used to the class's constant chatter, especially with the annoying muttering nerd seated right behind him. Deku's muttering still aggravated him, but he'd learned to filter it out more or less. Only threatening the freckled boy's life if he heard him muttering about All Might or One For All in public. For the supposed Future Symbol of Peace, the nerd really sucked at keeping his secret. Bakugou wondered how no one else stumbled onto it besides him.

"I'm going to need to add more support to my arms and legs if I want to protect my body from the strain of One For All. The doctors said I need to be especially careful of my ligaments, so maybe adding an extra layer of material that excels in shock absorption to accommodate these areas would be for the best. It would have to be a flexible material, or my movements will be too stiff to be effective in battle. Perhaps All Might has some recommendations-"

"You're doing it again, you damn nerd," Bakugou growled in warning.

How the hell did I become Deku and All Might's keeper? The thought caused small sparks to ignite harmlessly in his palm.

Deku immediately covered his mouth with his scarred hand. "Sorry Kacchan!" he mumbled behind him, before continuing to jot down notes on what he needed for his hero costume for Kyo's rendition. This time leaving details about his quirk and All Might out of his muttered explanation.

The Copycat was partially to blame for the class's annoying behavior. After Kyo pestered Bakugou nonstop to take a closer look at his hero costume, he had rendered a quick sketch for his own costume. After a few moments, the shinobi held it up for Bakugou's approval.

The ash-blonde instantly hated how stunning it looked. He suddenly felt self-conscious about his drawing, and subtly covered it with his hand. "It's alright, I guess," Bakugou lied, trying to downplay the teen's talents. All Might knew that the kid didn't need more of a stroked ego. However, it was too late. Bakugou's uncharacteristic compliment had gotten everyone's attention, and a large group started to gather around them much to Bakugou's annoyment. The class immediately captivated by Kyo's depiction.

"Wow, it's so lifelike," Kirishima praised with a shark-toothed grin.

"No kidding, I've never seen anything like this!"

"Truly a masterpiece, as expected of students invited by UA," Iida praised, chopping the air as usual.

"That's amazing, Kyo. I didn't realize you had an interest in art," Deku marveled. His finger carefully tracing the detailed sketch of one of Kyo's support items.

"It's just a hobby of mine," the copper-haired teen admitted a little self-conscious. He took the sketchbook back from the nerd. The ash-blonde raised an eyebrow at his anxiousness.

Never would have pegged the hothead as the shy type.

Tohru smiled beside her teammate. "Kyo's always been talented in drawing and designing. He even forges all our tools for us~" she praised in her sing-song voice.

The explosive teen tried to hide his flushed cheeks by furiously erasing a part of his sketch before continuing, "I had to have another outlet besides blowing everything up. It's not like drawing is that useful or anything."

"I think it could have a lot of uses," Uraraka encouraged, resting a hand on the shinobi's shoulder. "Your so skilled; you could probably charge people for commissions."

"You don't say," Kyo mused. A sly smile spreading across his face.

That's more like it, the ash-blonde muttered to himself with an exaggerated eye roll.

Before Bakugou knew it, Kyo had somehow conned the class into paying him for his services. Either with food or a closer look at support items that interested him. Not that Bakugou could blame them for wanting his help. The class was full of aspiring heroes, not artists. Something the Support team complained about often when trying to decipher what they meant by the lackluster drawings they usually sent in.

After observing him work with a couple of the extras, Bakugou could no longer deny that the renderings he provided were impressive. Not only did Kyo draw them wearing their newly altered costumes; he also brainstormed new equipment ideas with the person he was working with. Clearly knowledgeable of mechanics and their battle implications.

The Copycat's competence was the only reason Bakugou took him up on his offer to sketch a design for him. "You can use the privilege of looking at my costume earlier as payment you damn Shinobi," the ash-blonde muttered as he modeled for Kyo with his mask on.

"Whatever ya say, Hero."

Bakugou was more than pleased with the results. The design not only looked awesome but would help him out tremendously during the winter months when his quirk was at its weakest. He spent the rest of the class writing notes for the support team about each aspect of his costume. Though he had to erase the first sentence, Kyo had attempted to write. Appalled when he discovered the copper-haired teen had the worst handwriting he had ever seen-even counting Kaminari. Bakugou didn't understand how an artist could have terrible handwriting, but the dumbass found a way regardless.

"Aren't you done with my design yet?" Kaminari whined for the millionth time, still posed in his trademark attack stance unnecessarily. "This is taking forever!"

"It would go a lot faster if I could concentrate," Kyo growled under his breath. He angrily erased at his drawing for the twentieth time. Adding to the dark smudges that already littered the page.

"For fuck's sake, will you both shut the fuck up!" Bakugou threatened, his eyes shooting murderous intent at the both of them. Their bickering had made him lose his train of thought. Not something he wanted to do when detailing the delicate levels of nitroglycerin his sweat produced to the outsourced support company.

When he felt the comforting weight of Kirishima's hand on his shoulder, he forced himself to take a deep breath. Bakugou knew it wasn't their fault. Kaminari had always been extra bitchy in the mornings when his quirk was fully charged. The abundance of electricity coursing through his body made it difficult for him to focus on specific tasks. And forget trying to keep him still for any significant amount of time. Bakugou could already see the blonde's golden hair stand a little straighter from the extra stored electricity.

"Jeez, forget it!" Kyo yelled, throwing his ruined sketch into the air. With a snap of his fingers, the drawing detonated in a small explosion. The piece of paper instantly catching fire, then crumbling to dust. Right in front of a crestfallen Kaminari.

"That was so cruel," cried the electric-user, hopelessly trying to piece together what pieces survived the blast.

"Kyo, I realize you are new and that you might not have brought up to speed on UA policies, but as you might expect, explosions are not to be detonated in the classroom."

Everyone's eyes glanced at the numerous scorch marks that were permanently burned around the room from Bakugou's temper. The ash-blonde's eye twitched in barely contained rage when the shinobi pointed to the scorch marks under his desk. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."

That response, unfortunately, triggered Iida to start monologuing about the correct behavior students and guests should exhibit when on school grounds.

"Iida is right," Ponytail interjected when she noticed everyone was ignoring the Class President. She stepped forward from where she had been calmly monitoring the situation with Tsubasa and Jirou. She crossed her arms across her chest before she continued, "This is a school for heroes. As such, we should strive to act like them, not demons. "

The creation hero had replaced the triggering word "villains," with what she thought was a suitable replacement. Words like 'villain' and 'criminal' had very negative connotations attached to them, so it wasn't a label to be thrown around so casually. However, words like 'devil,' 'demon,' or 'beast' were considered acceptable alternatives. All of which were popular labels to describe Bakugou by his classmates. The terms no longer carried the same negative connotations that they had before quirks surfaced. Even still, Bakugou didn't miss the way the comment made the twins flinch.

Anger violently flared in explosive shinobi's eyes. "Well, I'm not a hero, so get off my case," he warned coldly. He had walked forward, as well. Only stopping when he stood directly in front of the Vice-president. Kyo had to point his chin up a smidgen to look her in the eyes since she was a few inches taller than him, but the intensity of his gaze forced her to take a step back in submission.

"Y-you'd rather be a demon?" Ponytail asked a little shaken. It was evident to Bakugou that she didn't mean to offend Kyo. She was just a privileged rich girl with a pretentious vocabulary. He could see why the shinobi might take offense since her vocabulary often angered him as well. Even so, Kyo's reaction seemed a bit much, even by Bakugou's low standards.

"Maybe, I do. What's wrong with that?" Kyo challenged. His sharp teeth peeking through the gap between his lips.

Bakugou didn't understand why everyone was so moody today, and frankly, he didn't care. He was preparing to yell at everyone to shut the fuck up when he smelled the familiar scent of caramel. Puzzled, he glanced down at his palms. They had suddenly started accumulating more sweat.

"Ouch," Kirishima whined to his right.

Startled, Bakugou looked up in time to see the redhead retract the arm he had rested on Kaminari's shoulder. Traces of the discharged electricity still seen sparkling off his now hardened arm. Kaminari offered a quiet apology. His golden eyes were slightly panicked.

It was then that Bakugou noticed that the temperature in the room was steadily rising. The abrupt change in the atmosphere threatening to set off the already overcharged electrical pulses coming off of Kaminari or detonate Bakugou's quirk with a single spark.

Detonate…that's right!

He'd almost forgotten. Bakugou recognized this sensation from the day before. He'd felt the temperature rise several times when Kyo held back his quirk.

Shit. If he sets it off now, we're so fucking screwed, Bakugou thought darkly. Positioning himself to intervene if he needed to.

"Hey Kyo, check this out~" The kunoichi quickly chimed in. Expertly stepping in between the opposing teens with her usual carefree demeanor. She waved a taiyaki from one of the hallway vending machines under her teammate's nose. "Can you believe they make dessert taiyaki now? Do you want a bite?~"

"Yeah, sure," he mumbled reluctantly, taking the snack from his teammate's hands. The room's temperature gradually returning to normal as he stomped back to his seat.

The class released a collective sigh, while Bakugou slowly relaxed out of his stance.

"Thank you for the assist Tohru," Yaoyorozu smiled kindly.

Tohru's expression fell slightly. "I didn't do it for you~" she admitted. Her expression was unreadable. "I wanted to keep him out of trouble. To be honest, I didn't appreciate what you said either~" her usual cheerful eyes suddenly off-putting.

"That's enough," Aizawa ordered, unzipping himself from his bright yellow sleeping bag. His movements were slightly stiff from napping on the hard ground. He tossed the sleeping bag into a corner to await his next nap. Taking a moment to comb his fingers through his messy hair before continuing, "Since you've got the energy to spare, go get dressed in either your hero costumes or P.E. clothes and meet me at Gym Gamma."

"Yes, Sir!" the class shouted in unison. An air of unease still loomed overhead with the close encounter.

It didn't take long for the class to regroup at the Gym Gamma. Most had already been half-dressed to model for Kyo's renderings. Bakugou killed some time stretching as he waited for Aizawa to start the lesson. Occasionally wiping sweat from his brow. The gym was warmer than he remembered. His crimson eyes scanned the large, enclosed space. He vaguely remembered that this place was created by Cementoss as a safe place for students to develop new techniques like their ultimate moves.

If we're meeting here, then that means their anticipating a high amount of structural damage, he theorized. His eyes scanned the mostly barren space. Everything was made of cement. Except for the reinforced windows and the green and orange tiles that protruded from the wall thirty feet up.

"What do you think we're doing?" Kirishima asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Probably some sort of sparring match. Maybe breaking into teams?" Bakugou offered. He thought he was getting the hang of how this school operated, but this semester threw all his preconceptions out the window.

A flash of orange caught his attention. Across the room, he saw Kyo mingling with the class. Engaging in friendly chit-chat, sometimes throwing a friendly arm around a classmate or high-fiving someone before moving onto another group of students. The teen had always been a social butterfly, but his actions seemed a little forced to Bakugou.

Was he trying to reassure everyone after the stunt he pulled in the classroom?

Bakugou shrugged it off when he saw Aizawa enter the room with Cementoss, Midnight, and a deflated All Might. His crimson eyes averted his gaze when he saw his favorite hero's expression brighten after seeing Deku.

"Settle down class," Aizawa ordered in a deadpan tone. "Instead of focusing on something new for your first Adaptability activity, we're going to begin by strengthening your overall teamwork."

Puzzled murmuring broke out among the class. "But Sensei, don't we already work well with one another?" Pinkcheeks questioned. She looked around the class for support. Earning a few nods and murmurs of agreement. "We've been through so much together this past year. It's weird to imagine that cooperation is something we still need to work on."

"It's true that you've all grown to trust and rely on one another this year, thanks to all the hardships you have survived together," Aizawa admitted, adjusting the capture weapon on his shoulders. His eyes scanned each student in turn when he continued, "But when compared to groups that have worked together for years, your cooperation is still lacking. Just because your teamwork is decent, doesn't mean it's perfect. As UA students, you should always strive to continue to push ourselves to new heights."

"These skills will come in handy when you become Pro-Heroes and have to work with rival hero agencies," All might explained further. He quickly glanced at a notecard before continuing, "You'll have to be able to quickly establish specific roles within your group. Even the slightest hesitation or bickering could become your downfall."

"Kyo, Tsubasa, and Tohru," Midnight called beside Aizawa. "Please step forward."

The trio obeyed. Slowly weaving their way through the class. Kyo patting people's shoulders as he went. "Take the shinobi, for example. They've known and worked with one another since they were four-years-old," Midnight continued, motioning to the three students standing at attention beside the teachers.

"That's 12 years to understand someone's fighting style, mannerisms and establish their specific roles within the group," Aizawa summarized. His eyes zeroed in on Bakugou for a moment before continuing. "Bakugou and Midoriya have also known each other that long. However, their teamwork is anything but desirable or efficient."

The ash-blondes eye twitched angrily at the snide comment, but he held his tongue.

"As you can see, you all have a long way to go. We don't expect you to suddenly work together like you've done it your whole lives, but this exercise is designed to demonstrate what your cooperation lacks as a class," the underground hero finished with a yawn.

"So what will we be doing?" asked the frog.

"I'm glad you asked sweetie," Midnight-sensei praised. The R-rated Hero pulled a white headband from thin air and tied it around Tohru's head. "You'll all be working together to retrieve this headband from this adorable girl's head."

"Wait, the whole class is ganging up on one girl?" Tail asked apprehensively. His tail slouching in apprehension.

"This is the best day ever!" the annoying grape exclaimed. Only to be attacked by Jirou's earphone jacks.

What's the catch? Bakugou wondered suspiciously. His scrutinizing gaze fixed on Aizawa.

"In this activity, you pass or fail as a class. You will have 30 minutes to coordinate your attacks with each other to retrieve Tohru's headband," Aizawa explained, taking a step forward. "However, she will not be your only opponent. The twins will be acting as her bodyguards."

Crimson eyes moved from the Aizawa to the three shinobi. Bakugou believed he had a good handle on Kyo's fighting style after fighting him himself. It was the other two that he was unsure about. He'd heard a little bit about Tohru's fighting style from Kirishima, but he tended to keep crucial details out of his retellings. The winged shinobi was a complete mystery. Bakugou would have to depend on his limited knowledge of flying quirks and his own experiences maneuvering in the air to help predict his movements.

An evil smile spread across Midnight's lips. "Let's start the new semester with a bang, shall we? Everyone be ready to start when the bell sounds," she announced, retreating to where the rest of the teachers were waiting on the sidelines.

Bakugou settled into his usual crouch. His crimson eyes locked on Kyo. The copper-haired shinobi was crouched protectively in front of the kunoichi. There was a chaotic grin on his face as he made eye contact with everyone. His smile widened when he met Bakugou's fiery gaze. The shinobi then wiped the sweat from his brow, winking at Bakugou as he did so.

The ash-blonde suddenly recalled how Kyo had behaved extra friendly before class. How he had touched people as he talked with them, how Kyo zig-zagged between groups, or how he patted people's shoulders before standing in front of the class. Bakugou had noticed the building was abnormally warm but had wrongly assumed there was something wrong with the ventilation system.

What did Midnight just say?

"Let's start the new semester with a bang, shall we?..."

"Shit…" Bakugou cursed under his breath as the bell sounded for the start of the activity. The explosive hero immediately launched into the air. "Get off the ground, you idiots!" he yelled over his shoulder.

"Too late!" Kyo roared. Both of his hands already poised to release his quirk.

The sound of both hands snapping was instantly drowned out by several explosions and the terrified wails of his classmates. The ground cracked under their feet, sending debris and smoke flying in every direction. Bakugou watched the chaos unfold below him from his makeshift perch on top of the narrow row of orange tiles that protruded off of the cement walls.

"Fuck!"

---

I managed to get this chapter out faster than I expected. The next chapter should also come out relatively quickly since it picks up right where this one ends. I had planed for this fight to take place in this chapter, but it was getting too long. This means that the next chapter with have two class fights in it! The teamwork activity and the first quirkless one.

I wanted to take this opportunity to say that this is a story will continue to have multiple pov's, but will eventually focus on Bakugou's.

I hope you're enjoying the Story so far!