Hey, quick note. Updates are going to be slower from here on out. Hopefully a little longer too. But that isn't saying much, huh.

Anyway, let's move onto reviews.

Shen: When you asked what Ichigo's Zangetsu was like, it is the fused form from his Mugetsu training. I needed a reason for him to only have a single sword, and I didn't want him to only have Juha or Shiro. So, fused it was.

Plus, it makes inner dialogue really fun to write.

Megakdre100: Sure?

Zanka no Tachi 31: Oops, I guess. I mathed it out wrong somewhere then. Thank you, and I will make the modifications needed when the next chapter goes up.

Guest-Questioner: First off, no, actually. I plan for Class 1-B as well as some of the general studies classes, of which I still have to pick, to have a majority of men. And I agree with you that bromance trumps Romance in some moments. I would argue that Bromance is more important than romance in most scenario's actually. That's why I plan for Shinso to eventually migrate into 1-A. I feel like there could be some cool chemistry with him and Ichigo.

Guest 2: Centuries. My bad. Should be fixed as of now.

SomethingAncient: I won't be genderbending all the guys, as I don't think I would be able to pull off a story like that, but there are a few that I have chosen to. I guess for motivation, I would have to point at Total Command for that. He made gender-bent characters more lovable than their originals somehow, so that was my inspiration. And having the ability to have a centerpoint of a character like say Kirishima, and give them your own little quirks (Get it?) and differences, it's what making writing fun. Though again, I couldn't change all of them, so I settled at where I am.

That's all for now, enjoy the chapter.


(-)


It would suffice to say that, never before in his life had he showered nervously. At least, not until 30 minutes ago. Having the only shower-room in the facility being uni-sex put him on edge the entire time, so he couldn't exactly relax as he would have liked.

Ah well. College wasn't exactly a comfortable place, he supposed. 'Doesn't mean I should be looking around my shoulder when I'm trying to shower.'

He was able to get out unscathed, no one else showering at such an inconvenient time, which made him sigh in relief. 'You are such an annoying child sometimes. I wouldn't be the end of the world if you were seen naked.'

'Of course, it wouldn't be, but my reputation would plummet if I saw one of my classmates bare without any consent!'

'Sounds like a sorry excuse.'

'Fuck you.'

He cut off their link, tired of the spirit's shitty remarks. He still hadn't seen the dick's face but was sure he would soon. He had been talking more and more about finally kicking his ass, so the promised day was most likely upon him.

When he arrived back to his room, the skyline had gone black while a few blue-ish yellow arcs of electricity banked off the outstretched clouds. It was kind of peaceful, soothing. Even when a surprisingly strong bolt landed barely 200 meters away, he just fell silently onto his bed as the raindrops started to flood his window.

A few minutes passed before he decided that he was going to bed, forgoing dinner for an extra hour of sleep. He could just have a bigger breakfast in the morning if he really needed it. He had already turned the light off and had moved to turn off the bedside lamp.

And with a click, the room fell dark as he slipped silently into sleep.

The rain refused to stop until the next morning, and he really couldn't care less.


(-)


Reiko woke up to a homey, delicious scent flowing through the dormitory house, and it was an unfamiliar scent. She wasn't used to food being cooked in her 'home,' the orphanage she had lived in for the entirety of her life being a 'fend for yourself' kind of place. No one cooked anything, and everything they ate was packaged.

She was just glad the unhealthy fat had gone to her sweet spots.

Phasing through the ground, her clothes following which she was extremely thankful for, Reiko landed right in front of the entrance to the large kitchen that had been placed for their convenience. And, poking her head in the doorway, she found the source of the mouthwatering smells.

"You see, if you add mushrooms, then it gives it a little extra punch to the flavor!"

The orange-haired man only groaned. "I'm sure it does, but some people probably don't want everything to taste like fungus."

A rolling pin collided with his head. "Hey! Who knows how to cook here?"

The recipient of the attack groaned. "You. Sorry."

Kinoko smiled. "Good. Now let's move onto the bacon!"

"Yes, Ma'am."

He had to learn very quickly that when mushrooms were involved, Kinoko was a whole different being.

Reiko watched their interactions for a while, any of Ichigo's criticisms being met with blunt force trauma, and it reminded her a little of one of the manga's she read. She blushed lightly, remembering that it had ended with a rather intense, 'love-making' scene.

That could be fun to watch.

"Oh hey, Reiko-chan! Did you want to join us in making breakfast?"

The mushroom enthusiast's invitation was kind, but she didn't think she had the bone structure to handle deadly blows to her head. "No thank you."

Kinoko shrugged as Reiko left the room. "I wonder why she didn't want to help us?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Maybe because she didn't want to be black and blue by the time we finally finish."

This time, he had been hit with a pan. "I'll leave you bloody if you keep that attitude up."

Saliva fell down his throat, creating an audible gulp. "Yes, Ma'am. I'll change it right away."

They worked rather well together, though everything had either been fried with mushrooms, seasoned with mushrooms or baked with, you guessed it, mushrooms. The only thing he had managed to save was the pancakes he had made, instead opting for chocolate as a semi-filling. Everything else had been hit with Kinoko's love for the fungi.

"I think we made enough for now. There should be plenty for everyone today, and probably some leftovers as well." He commented on the mass of food that was stacked on the table as well as the opening bar counter that connected the kitchen to the dining room.

Kinoko smiled. "Yeah! You make a pretty good partner, though I wouldn't mind if you didn't criticize my every choice."

Well, in all honesty, he had just been looking out for the people who didn't like mushrooms, especially with how common they were. He himself didn't mind, but he was sure someone in the building wouldn't.

"Hey! Classes start tomorrow, right?" She asked him, as they moved down the line of foods and filled their plates.

He nodded, putting a piece of bacon into his mouth. "Yeah. It's going to be hell to get through since we got Aizawa." He mumbled through the bacon.

When they started to eat, the smells had made their way up to the highest level of the dorms, and people had started to climb down to the level of the kitchen. "That smells so good! Did you make this, Kinoko?" Eiko asked as she walked into the room.

"Not by myself. This big guy helped with a lot!" Her mouth being full of simmered shrooms, it had been a little hard to understand her.

The red-head looked at him with surprise. "Wow! A guy who can cook is so manly! You should have told me earlier, Ichigo!"

"Eh. Didn't see a reason to bring it up."

With the rest of his classmates flowing in, he made quick work of the plate he had made for himself. He had a lot of free time today, though he was sure most of it was going to be spent training. Maybe Yoruichi would have something new to teach him. Or did he want to train with Kisuke again? So far, the guy was 1:1 on almost killing him, so he probably shouldn't. Then again, Ichigo had gotten the largest power boost he had received thanks to that.

Hmm…

Nah. The gym was fine. Class was tomorrow, and he'd like to make it there in one piece. Placing his dishes in the sink, he parted the curtains that covered the kitchen window as he looked outside. "Nice day out, but still a little wet. I'm guessing I could stay for a good couple of hours." He mumbled to himself, dropping his hand.

"W-Wait, Kurosaki! A-Are you going to train?"

He turned his head, looking back to the speaker. Oh yeah, the short, timid, green-haired girl that had somehow managed to be All-Might's successor. "I got to change first, but yeah. Why?"

She bowed in front of him. "May I come with you, Sir!"

He looked down at her. "Drop the sir, and stop bowing. It's Ichigo, first of all. And second, I don't care. Do what you want."

She listened like a robot. "Yes, okay! I will change to and wait for you here if y-you don't mind?"

He started walking towards his room. "Again, I don't care. Just be ready, cause I don't want to wait."

He heard socked feet running as she practically flew up the stairs, taking his words seriously and going as fast as she could. Jeez. She took his words a little too literal. A few minutes later, and he arrived back at the door in a short-sleeve, white workout tee, a black hoodie, and borderline blackish-gray sweatpants, the bulk of his body covered as he waited with slight irritation for his 'partner' to show up.

"Sorry for making you wait, I-Ichigo! I couldn't pick out what I was going to wear!" Izumi reappeared at the platform that transitioned the direction of the stairs wearing black yoga pants and a matching tank-top over her sports bra.

"Whatever. Just, let's go before anyone else decides they want to come."

They walked out of the building and out of the UA Wall without saying a word. Probably cause Izumi thought he was mad at her, and he wasn't into small talk. Either way, he was the one who broke the silence. "So. Why the hell did you want to come along with me?" He almost demanded in his usual, pissed off sounding voice.

She let out an 'eep' at the question. "Just c-cause you s-seemed nice I guess?"

He gave a disbelieving snort. "That's bull-shit. People don't exactly 'perceive' me as nice, so give me a real reason. Well, I think I already know, if I'm being honest. Still, it'd be nice to know for sure."

He could tell that her eyes were glued to his back. "W-What do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm betting it has something to do with Toshinori."

She sputtered, as they continued to walk. "H-H-How do you know that name?"

"Doesn't matter how, it just matters that I do know. Now tell me, was I right or wrong?"

Izumi looked down at the ground. "He told me that you had been training for a long time and that I could learn from you while he wasn't around. And I wasn't lying, because he also said that you were really nice and considerate, even if you don't show it."

So the fucker was giving him his student? He was going to receive quite the text later. "Sounds about right. The guy really shouldn't be the one training you, but neither should I. Maybe I could get you a half-decent trainer though. Not right now, but eventually sometime soon."

She smiled hopefully. "You mean that? I mean, I like All-Might a lot, but you'll really will find someone better than him?"

Her joy was a little contagious. "I have someone in mind already. It just might take a while to set up."

She started to cheer silently, which made him smirk.

'I wonder how Yoruichi will act when I tell her she's got another student, and All-Might's successor no less.'

When they reached the gym, he had to pay for Izumi to get in since his membership was one-person only and she forgot her wallet, to which she apologized profusely for not paying for herself. He waved her off, saying that it wasn't a big deal as he led her to the workout room that came with the subscription.

"I guess the first thing to do is stretch, though I'm sure you have your own set. This isn't usually what I do, so I'll just follow your regimen for now and see what kinks I could work out of it."

She nodded, and they took a seat on the floor. "I usually start with the really simple stretches and m-move from there."

Stretching? Kinda boring, but whatever. He had enough mind to oblige to her suggestion.

Break.

"After stretching, I go ahead and run for about 30 minutes, though it was usually in the sand. W-we can do as long as you want." Izumi explained as they walked out of the private room.

Shaking his head, he stopped her from going further. "I guess with how your quirk works, you need to get more muscle mass to support the power you will be using. Cardio won't help much with building that. So, I say cut that out of your gym workouts and spend more time building your muscles. And all of them, at that. You never want one muscle group to completely outshine the others." He pointed out, Izumi looking at him with childish curiosity. "Anyway, most of your cardio will come with the more combat-focused training, whether it be me, your possibly new teacher, or just anyone. Hopefully, they put up enough of a fight so that the 'battle' is dragged on long enough."

Sitting down on a bench press machine, he continued to elaborate. "I rarely train…" He didn't like how that sounded. "Well actually, I wouldn't even call it training here. Working out describes it best, but anyway, I don't usually come here. Dojo's, boxing gyms, all the stuff that is a little more combat orientated is a lot better for becoming a hero. It works most muscle groups and gives you a little more hands-on experience."

Wow. Where the hell did all that come from? Maybe he should take up a second job as a personal trainer…

Just kidding. He was too much of a dick for that.

"That's really good advice, I think. I'll h-have to do a little more research on that later."

He nodded in agreement. "Not a bad idea. And, I guess for a final tip, if you do decide to go to a gym, make sure it's one that acclimates for quirks. If you don't, the weight limit is going to be a little to low. I know, because it was hard to find a gym around my house that had 1-ton plates."

Izumi hummed to herself. For a guy she thought that would constantly berate her, he seemed to be a pretty level headed guy.

Maybe she could get used to training with him.


In an unnamed bar on the outskirts of Musutafu City.


"Kurogiri. How's the recruiting process going?"

The question came from a hoarse, decayed, and almost wicked voice.

Black, wispy flames shifted about, as the person who the question was directed to grabbed another dirty glass. "Rather poorly, if you ask me. Almost all of those who have signed up have been low street thugs." His own incredibly deep responded in kind.

"Dammit. I was hoping for at least a few high-level players to show their face." The decayed voice cursed, his grip tightening on his glass while making sure to keep his pinkie off.

There was a deep chuckle. "Oh. You must have misheard me. I said 'most' of the people, not all. There was one in particular that seemed rather… bloodthirsty, and he had the means to back it up as well. I have never seen such a versatile quirk before, not including Sensei's of course."

His grip on the glass was loosened. "Oh? I do hope you will tell me a little more about this man."

The wisp gave its version of shaking its head, their bright yellow eyes moving from side to side. "There is no need to. I told him to meet here within… Oh! The next hour!"

Cracked lips gave a demented smile. "I do hope he manages to live up to my expectations because having a mini-boss would fit perfect for my plan!"

It would have been frightful to most to see that what could be a slaughter was being played down to a little more than a video game.

Tomura only saw it as a little more fun to stir the pot.


(-)


Minoru Mineta was known for being jealous. 'Course, it wasn't unfair given his unchangeable height and stature, but he was overly so. Maybe because he felt like he was owed everything, that he was smooth and should be able to get his way. It never turned out that way for him though, as being shot down had become a daily occurrence.

In spite of all this, he had never been as envious before as he was now. Not even close. 'That lucky piece of shit!'

He scanned over the list of names for the umpteenth time. 'He managed to get into a class with only girls! He must have some connections or something, 'cause there's no way he got a higher score me! I placed 16 in the exams, and there wasn't a single guy above that!'

With a grumble, he tossed his phone onto the table in front of him. "Ichigo Kurosaki. You better watch your ass, because I'm here to nab that spot right from beneath your feet."


Why the hell was he shivering? He had just finished the final rep of his workout and he was sweating his ass off. Shivering should be impossible.

Oh well. It had been a good 3 hours since they had arrived at the gym, and he was too hungry to pay attention to it any further. 'I should probably get Izumi something to eat as well. I don't think she had any time to eat breakfast.' He looked around his spot, spotting the long green fluffy hair that stuck above all the machines.

"Izumi. Are you ready to go?" He asked, draping his towel over his left shoulder as he rounded the corner.

The shy girl nodded. "Y-Yeah… I think so."

He threw a second towel at her face. "Good, then follow me. We're getting something to eat."

She wiped the sweat off her face with the towel that was thrown at her. "O-Okay."

She followed him as they navigated out of the maze-like building, Ichigo leading them out relatively quickly as he eyed the many restaurants that were placed around the city square. "Do you have a specific preference for food?"

"Hmm?" She looked up at him as she processed his question. "O-Oh! Yeah, I uh… really like katsudon if you know a place that serves it. I-If not, it's fine!"

Katsudon, huh? He remembered a place nearby that served it, and it was pretty high quality for its price. "Alright then. Should be a place around the corner that serves it."

She shuffled behind him as he continued to lead the way, passing by a number of different shops and cafes before moving to enter a smaller, family-owned restaurant. He stopped abruptly when he realized the clothing or lack thereof, she had been adorning. "Take this. I don't think you want to enter this place in what you have on right now."

Another article of clothing hit her face. It had been a hoodie this time, and she looked at him confusingly before she remembered that all she had to cover her top-half was a tank top. And it was then that she resembled his own namesake. "Th-Th-Thank you!" She squealed in an even higher-pitched voice.

"Mmh."

When she had the incredibly oversized jacket on, they entered the store, a small bell chiming as they did. "Welcome to Akiwasa Cafe! It's nice to see you again Kurosaki!"

Ichigo raised his hand in a lazy wave as the found an empty table, not being very difficult since today was a slow business day. That being said, they were quickly met with a waiter bringing both a glass of water as well as two menus. After a short monologue, he left them alone as they chose what to order. "There's two types of katsudon here. If I remember it right anyway. I personally don't have a preference, cause they make it good either way."

She looked intently at the menu. "I don't think I've had shōyu-dare katsudon before." She mumbled to herself, browsing intensely.

"Get whatever. I don't care all that much."

When the waiter returned, Izumi ordered the shōyu-dare katsudon as he thought she would, followed by Vanilla Ice-cream topped with shredded Mochi. A bit much for him, but she seemed content with her choice.

He went with a simple udon soup and didn't follow it with anything else. However, he made sure he got it in the largest serving possible. "Alright then! We'll be out with your orders when they're ready!"

He nodded his thanks as the waiter left them once more.

With nothing else to do, he stared blankly out the window, watching people walk by as he spectated the park that sat across the street. There were kids at the small playset the was set in the middle and they couldn't have been over 7 years old, yet they were still from what he could tell, playing heroes and villains. It hurt him to think about how sheltered they were, innocent towards the dark intentions of true villains. It hurt even more to think that it wouldn't last.

"Why did you want to become a hero, Ichigo?"

Resting his head on his chin, he continued to observe as if she hadn't spoken to him her mouth opened to ask him again, but there was no need. "There are many reasons why. I have a legacy to fulfill for one, but that probably pushes me forward the least. It's a way to make a living as well, but I don't care much for that. I kinda fit right into the job as well, given my quirk, so there's that too. But, if you were to ask for the main driving force, I guess you could say it is that."

He pointed out the window. "If we didn't have heroes, children wouldn't be able to grow up like that. Innocence would be scarce, and I've got two little sisters who I was unable to shield from that world. So, I guess, I want to be a hero to take the burden off of others. To allow kids to grow up as they should. So that people won't have to worry about facing tragedy. To save people who need saving."

He turned his gaze onto her. "That's what being a hero is about, right?"

Izumi stared at him with an enigmatic wonder, one that scared him a little. She had been expecting a more simple answer, like wealth or fame or just to be a hero, yet he had managed to put into words the feeling she could never describe, even with the most filled of dictionaries.

He truly was an enigma. Toshinori had been right about that.

"Alright then. I have the katsudon for the lady…" A new waiter had stopped at their table, holding a tray that held their orders as he set said meal in front of Izumi. "Then the udon soup for you, and the ice-cream!" He finished, emptying his tray. "Now, will that be everything for tonight?"

Ichigo looked at Izumi for confirmation, receiving it in the form of a nod. "Yeah. Should be all of it."

The waiter smiled. "Alrighty! I'll be back with the order payment!"

By the time Ichigo had grabbed his fork, Izumi had already dug into her meal, a good four or five bites missing from her bowl. "Thish ish sho good!" She slurred with a euphoric smile, with the missing bites being found inside her mouth.

"Mmh." He took a bite of his udon. Ooh. A little warm, but still good.

Their conversation was replaced by the clinking of silverware on their porcelain bowls, as they calmly, or should he say, he calmly ate his meal, as Izumi was a little more rapid and greedy with her bites.

'Huh. I guess she really likes her katsudon.'

When they finished, Izumi got her ice-cream to go, the waiter placing the frozen cream onto an edible cone that she brought with her as they walked out. Their pace was slow, Ichigo wanting to be lax before the start of the never-ending chaos that was college. With that being said, it took them 15 minutes to return to UA, something that could've been achieved in less than five.

It would be accurate to say that he hadn't minded.


(-)


A little shorter than usual. Kinda wanted a little filler before the first-day arc, which is coming next.

Sorry about the lack of significance.

Latta!