Amaya awoke to sunlight shining through crevices of the blinds in the nurse's office. She felt a bit sore but was ultimately much better than yesterday, Recovery Girl was a miracle worker. Granted the way Recovery Girl's quirk worked made Amaya uncomfortable, but she felt better than ever so who was she to judge?

She sat through the blinds and looked over at the chair where Midoriya sat last night. A pair of clothes that were not hers were in its place with a note on top. She furrowed her brows wondering who could've left them there since Aiza—

Aizawa.

Suddenly full of energy, not caring about how or who brought the clothes, Amaya changed into the simple purple hoodie and black sweats, letting the note fall carelessly to the floor. They were quite big on her, the sleeves completely covering her hands. The sweatpants dragged on the floor and the hoodie reached mid-thigh. Rolling the clothes up to the point where she wouldn't trip over them, she power walked through the small office on a mission to see Aizawa.

"Not so fast Young Hitachi," All Might's powerful voice announced, stepping and blocking Amaya's path. Normally she would've stopped without complaint, but right now her patience was running low at not having seen Aizawa since the attack.

Brow twitching, she looked at All Might with a hint of annoyance, "Yes?"

All Might sighed, he already knew what the girl's intentions were and he could understand her frustration.

"Young Hitachi I promise that you will be able to see Aizawa very soon. I've already spoken to the police about your quirk and defended you on your behalf. No interrogation needed, all you must do is sign some legal papers confirming what your actual quirk is and consenting to not using it unless permitted otherwise. After that I shall escort you to the hospital myself," All Might clearly explained, finishing off with a bright smile.

Amaya narrowed her eyes at him. She wished she could do this legal stuff later, but she'd do anything to see Aizawa, so she relented. She didn't miss the fact that All Might had to "escort" her to the hospital. Probably just wanted to keep tabs on her new quirk.

She bit her lip nervously and wrapped her tail around her arm. It was official now; everybody knew of that blasted quirk. There was no hiding her true nature and she just knew that any progress she made with her classmates probably went down the drain. More so if they saw her in action. As she walked alongside All Might on the streets, she could feel the stares of everyone on her.

"Jesus kid relax. These people probably don't know about us. If anything, they're staring because you're with the buff guy over here. Calm your panties and stop acting like a little bitch."

"Is this your way of comforting me? Are you comforting me?"

"As if, I don't need your dumbass to be anxious is all."

"Whatever should've known better. I guess you're right though, I shouldn't care, this had to come out at some point. All I need to worry about is seeing Aizawa."

With that goal in mind Amaya prepared herself for the worst. Anything to see her hero.

Thankfully everything at the police station ran smoothly and Amaya and All Might got out of there pretty quickly. It really was just a simple matter of signing papers which Amaya appreciated. She didn't know if she could open up about her quirk once again. While she could've gone without the nasty looks some of the cops gave her, she knew that was impossible.

Walking with the number one pro-hero was very weird and left many staring at the pair in shock. Amaya would've fangirled if not for the situation and reason why she had to walk besides such a tremendous hero.

It also sucked that wherever they went people would come around to catch a glimpse of All Might and then see her. She felt lucky that All Might was with her otherwise she knew mobs would be after her. Today sucked.

Yet Amaya had a few things to brighten her day. She couldn't help the small blush and shy smile that spread on her face every time she stared at the purple hoodie she wore. Even though she hadn't seen the note that was left on the floor, in her haste to see Aizawa, All Might explained that a tired Shinso had been worried about the USJ attack he saw on the news and visited her in the morning. He apparently didn't want to disturb her rest but noticed all she had was a hospital gown and so brought a pair of comfy clothes for her to change into when she woke up.

"Hehe. Who would've thought Shinso could be so thoughtful and caring? I don't know why he did so much but it's very sweet of him."

"Just remember that he's gonna find out about us and that nice side of his might disappear like you in this stupidly long hoodie."

"Quiet. I don't need to think of useless things right now, I'm going to see Aizawa."

That shut her mind quickly and she focused on walking through the hospital's halls. With each step Amaya took, she felt like her body was becoming heavy. She didn't know why she was so nervous about seeing Aizawa, she missed him like crazy.

"Maybe that's it…"

All Might and her paused in front of Aizawa's hospital room door, All Might stared at her patiently waiting for her to move but she couldn't. She wasn't sure if she was ready to see Aizawa all hurt. The image of his face slamming into the ground was so traumatic she didn't know what she'd feel once she saw the total damage.

All Might felt for the cat girl, he really did. He reached out to comfort her, but she straightened up before he could, face determined. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

The sound of a steady beeping filled the quiet room, and Amaya walked forwards on trembling legs.

Right by the entrance she could see Thirteen resting on the bed. Her medical condition caused Amaya's stomach to churn looking over all the damage this teacher took protecting the class. If this is what Thirteen looked like, then Aiz—

"Breathe. Just breathe and take small steps."

Taking a deep breath, she slowly started making her way to the drawn curtain near the corner of the room. "Just like a Band-Aid." With that thought in mind she almost ripped the curtain off with how strong and fast she pushed it.

There on the white cot was her caretaker, her guardian, her hero. His black locks sprawled on the pillow, all bandaged up, head to toe like a mummy. She'd never seen Aizawa so weak, so vulnerable and defenseless before. Pressure built in her gold eyes, her body shuddered, hating how much he struggled to breathe.

She shakily took the open seat near him and just looked at his damaged body. It only took a few seconds of watching him for her breaths to start coming out faster. She felt the room closing in and gripped her chair to stabilize herself. Her head ached, the pressure was building and becoming unbearable now. All Might's voice was fading from the background.

Was this her fault?

She should've just fought Midoriya and dashed to help Aizawa, consequences be damned. Or she should've used her miasma the minute she saw that disgusting creature near him even if she'd be seen as a monster.

"Those bastards will pay. They'll regret ever hurting Aizawa."

"Aizawa, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so—"

"Young Hitachi! He's alright! Please get a hold of yourself!" All Might exclaimed, shaking the girl lightly from her shoulders. He knew she'd be affected seeing Aizawa in this state, but he didn't realize it went this deep. The poor girl was having a panic attack.

Wide feral eyes looked around the room and small whimpers started escaping her. He had to strain his hearing to catch her mutterings of "I'm sorry."

All Might frowned, feeling once again the overwhelming urge to hug the petite teen. Seeing her breaking down and absolutely terrified pulled at his heart strings, it reminded him of whenever Midoriya cried. He didn't know how else to calm her down and briefly wondered if he should get a nurse.

The small girl slowly reached out to touch Aizawa's hand but stopped herself.

Did she even have the right to do that?

She'd been avoiding him all because she was too scared to admit that she—

"I-I love you. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you," Amaya whispered, tone broken and breathless.

She held her hand back, ashamed and guilty, and wrapped her arms around herself. Her tail hugged her waist and her black ears were so low on her head they could've been mistaken for hair.

All Might's hands dropped from her shoulders and he couldn't stop himself from gaping at the cat-girl.

He knew that Hitachi could love, she was human after all, but he'd never expected her to openly admit loving someone and Aizawa no-less.

"Why are you upset? I'm not dead," a deep voice croaked out.

Amaya's watery gaze snapped to Aizawa's wrapped head, not believing he spoke.

"It's not your fault kid, I heard what you did and I'm proud," Aizawa's raspy voice softly called out.

"A-Aizawa?" Amaya gasped, reaching out to touch him but then hesitating.

She felt a large hand lightly place her own on Aizawa's bandaged one and turned her head up to meet All Might's warm gaze.

"It's alright Young Hitachi, you won't hurt him," All Might gently encouraged, giving Amaya one of his bright smiles.

All the pressure exploded with All Might's words, allowing Amaya to finally let loose and cry. Eyes turning bright red, nose twitching and sniffling, Amaya let herself ugly cry as she softly grasped Aizawa's hand. Aizawa slowly grasped her hand back, only helping in producing more tears and hiccups to come out of the girl.

"I-I'm so-sorry! I-I didn't m-mean to ignore you! I just…. I really care about you Aizawa! I-I love you and that scared me. But I'm not scared of that anymore!" Amaya blubbered, rushing through her sentences and face flushing at admitting her true feelings.

Although no one could see, Aizawa's eyes also filled with tears and he felt warmth blossom at the girl's earnest words. He ignored his own pain for a moment and squeezed her hand as hard as he could.

"Me too kid. Me too."

Amaya didn't know when, but she fell asleep in the uncomfortable chair, head resting on Aizawa's bed, her hand still clutching his.

All Might had left the young girl with Aizawa knowing that she wasn't a threat, believing the police were just being too strict with restricting and watching her. Aizawa had fallen asleep for a bit after the girl's cries had calmed down and she decided to sit with him for the rest of the day. He was awake now and felt a sense of relief, despite his pain, at seeing Amaya peacefully resting. He never expected her to care for him as much as he did for her, but it felt so nice.

Aizawa's been teaching for some time now and so he was used to dealing with snotty-nosed brats. He was also getting used to caring for his students, even the ones that annoyed the hell out of him. However even he could admit that he's never cared about a student as much as he has for Amaya. His pride and personality weren't meant for soft, gentle, affectionate love.

It still wasn't.

But with Amaya, he couldn't help but make some sort of exception, wanting to protect her as if she was his child.

Maybe it was because of her past, though he knew some pretty sad backstories himself.

No that wasn't it, he knew it was because of her determination, her pure honest feelings of wanting to help others. Aizawa wouldn't lie, he's met lots of kids with the same feelings, he's a hero teacher for god's sake. Yet he's never lived with those kids. He's never had to see a student's scared but fierce eyes looking back at him every day, measuring him and debating whether he was good enough to trust. He didn't have the opportunity to see day by day as a child grew comfortable in his household and himself like he did with Amaya.

He knew he slipped up sometimes with showing his care for Amaya, but he never regretted it. Other students might catch on to his care for Amaya and think he was giving her special treatment. It wasn't really fair but life didn't seem to be fair to her either so he wanted to help her out however he could. His efforts were not in vain and he could clearly see that she appreciated it and was making an effort to better herself every day.

Aizawa never saw himself as a parental figure, but maybe, just maybe, if Amaya did, it wasn't so bad.

U.A. had closed down for the rest of the week in order to let the chaos die down and for the teachers and students involved in the USJ incident time to heal.

It was very much needed, not just because they had to rest and take care of their physical injuries but it also helped with processing what actually happened. They were attacked by villains... that surely had to have left some form of PTSD on the students. At least it did for Amaya; ever since she got home her night terrors started. However instead of them being ugly memories of her past, she would now wake up screaming at night because of monstrous creatures, the sounds of Aizawa's bones breaking and red eyes.

She knew these nightmares would be with her for a while and Aizawa's missing presence didn't help. Hopefully once he came home they would away.

Nightmares weren't the only annoying occurrence in Amaya's schedule this week; Amaya's week was filled with her either visiting Aizawa in the hospital or going home to feed Mochi, unfortunately with a guard following her everywhere but the bathroom each day.

"Seriously, they find out I have this quirk and it's like starting from scratch. 'Watch out for the villain's kid!'"

"What did you expect, dumbass? These chumps are always going to be scared of you. I don't know why you don't let me come out to show them just how dangerous I can really be."

"Because I'm not trying to get shocked or shot."

"Fine... wimp."

Amaya huffed at her inner beast, ignoring the confused looks from her current guard walking her to Aizawa's room. Amaya felt lighter at seeing her guardian sitting up in his bed. He was making a steady recovery, albeit still looking like a mummy, and didn't seem to be in much pain these days.

"Aizawa, I fed Mochi and cleaned the house so that it's all nice for when you can come back to sleep in your own bed," Amaya happily hummed, a small smile on her face as she sat down in her chair.

"Thanks kid, I'm glad I can leave today. I've missed that fat cat and my sleeping bag," Aizawa sighed, moving his body and legs to touch the floor, ready to stand.

Amaya absentmindedly nodded looking through her novel when she processed his words.

"Wait. What?!"

"Aizawa what do you mean today? You still need to rest!" Amaya exclaimed, standing in front of him and gently placing her hand on his bandaged chest.

"If I stay here any longer, I'll go mad. Besides, classes start again tomorrow, and I have to prepare," Aizawa explained, lightly slapping the small cat-girl's hand away and trying to stand.

Amaya allowed it, giving him space but frowned watching his slow movements.

"You're being stubborn, I don't see any reason for you to come back to classes. Besides, you've been given time off to rest. Why not use it?" Amaya whined, looking at Aizawa's form in concern.

Although she couldn't see it, she felt Aizawa giving her a tired look.

"Look kid, I know you're worried but pro-heroes get banged up all the time. I'm alive and recovering, I can't stay and use up this bed when someone else might need it more. So, let's just go home alright?" Aizawa drawled out, limping slightly as he collected his clothes and walked into the bathroom to change.

Amaya pouted, understanding his actions but not happy with them either. No one wanted him to come back home more than her, but she also didn't want to risk him hurting himself. Amaya knew Aizawa wasn't weak and that he'd be fine at home, but she couldn't stop the feelings of concern at watching him push himself. Sighing, she knew how stubborn he was and instead made herself useful by gathering all his belongings, a pout still present on her face.

Once Aizawa returned from changing he took note of Amaya's face and felt just a bit guilty for making her worry. He patted her head, feeling relief at her face transforming from a pout into a slight smile. He gave a small grin back and both started to walk out the hospital room.

Aizawa noticed the guard standing near the entrance and felt miffed at the fact that Amaya had to deal with this for a whole week. That's another reason why he had to return, not that he'd let Amaya know. She needed him more now than ever because the government was even more scared of her, since they discovered her real quirk. He only caught a glimpse of her power considering he was struggling not to pass out at the time, but from what All Might explained, it was a strong quirk.

He had to be there to stop guards from following her and possibly 'punishing' her, he had to make sure the public didn't swarm her, he needed to be there for her.

"I got it from here, you can leave now," Aizawa addressed the guard, his voice coming out bored.

The guard looked hesitant but seeing Aizawa's piercing glare, stepped back and walked away. Aizawa noticed Amaya's shoulders relax and wondered if she'd been tense this entire week. He knew the unfortunate answer and felt confident in his actions to move forward. He knew she felt better in his presence and felt satisfied at being able to give her this comfort at least.

"Let's get home so I can take a nap," he yawned, walking ahead.

Amaya smirked, giving him a look. "I thought you wanted to go home to work?"

"Same thing."

Amaya hadn't felt this anxious since her first day of school. She didn't know who actually saw her quirk and who just heard of it. She also didn't know how her classmates and teachers were going to treat her now.

She felt comforted by the fact that Aizawa was going to be there today but felt guilty that he was probably pushing himself for her.

"Ugh would you relax? Aizawa knows what he's doing and who cares what these assholes think. It wasn't like you were popular to begin with."

"Thanks… I think?"

Amaya huffed, shaking her head to get rid of all negative thoughts. Today was just another day she had to get through. Midoriya didn't seem to hate her and hopefully Shinso still liked her. Maybe Iida and Uraraka wouldn't judge her either. All she could do was focus on why she was at U.A. in the first place: to help others.

With that mindset in place she ignored the incident at USJ and the fact that Aizawa said he wanted to see her quirk in action to train it. Her lack of sleep and nightmares also didn't help with her paranoia but she ignored that too. That didn't matter, what mattered was that she wasn't late to class right now.

Amaya walked to class at a regular pace, not looking at anyone even when she could feel their burning stares. Her hands shook slightly as she reached for class 1-A's handle but hearing her fellow classmates' loud conversations put her at ease. They were all safe and she was glad. Feeling calmer she slid the door open and walked through.

Silence and stares greeted her.

"Well this is fucking awkward."

Trying her hardest to not be affected she briskly stepped over to her seat, keeping her tired face neutral. She didn't know who was looking at her, but she didn't care, keeping her gold eyes trained only on her seat, glad for once that it was in the corner away from everyone.

Midoriya frowned at his classmates, he didn't like how they all were staring at Amaya, like she was some kind of monster. He felt frustrated that some of them actually believed she was a part of the villain's group and almost yelled at them when Amaya entered. He noticed that she looked more tired than usual, she also seemed to be masking her emotions and he felt guilty that she had to resort to that.

Bakugo kept his eyes trained on the cat-girl for a completely different reason. He didn't see exactly what that pipsqueak's quirk was like Deku, but he had arrived with Shitty Hair just as that damned Nomu was being destroyed and that small extra passed out. Someone small like her actually caused serious damage to that monster and with a hidden quirk no less. It irritated him that she had been holding back and hiding her quirk the entire time. Did she really think she needed to 'protect' him from her quirk? That she was better than him with that stupid quirk? Heh, he didn't care what her quirk was, he'd seen that she could take care of herself without it. He just couldn't wait to now beat her when she wasn't holding back.

Todoroki watched Hitachi in mild annoyance and interest. He knew she was smart in terms of combat strategy and quite resourceful, but he never knew she had such a powerful quirk. It made him wonder why she didn't use it before, but he could guess it probably wasn't in her best interest to do so. Still… that girl.

Thankfully before anyone could make a comment, Iida burst through the door surprising the class.

"Everyone! Morning homeroom is about to start! Stop talking and take your seats!" he commanded, standing in the front with his arms spread out, overlooking the class.

Iida's sudden appearance seemed to make everyone forget about Amaya for a moment. Instead they used their energy to tease Iida.

Amaya felt bad but her mouth twitched upward, wanting to laugh at the class for reprimanding Iida. Although, Amaya was grateful for the distraction and let herself grin towards him, even if Iida didn't know what he did.

Aizawa entered shortly after, causing a ruckus. Many of the students couldn't believe he was back after that villain attack and were looking at him like he was crazy. Amaya couldn't help but agree, even if she knew why he was back that didn't stop her from frowning at his actions.

"My well-being doesn't matter. More importantly, the fight is not over yet," Aizawa spoke, raising concern and unease in the class.

"Wait what fight? He didn't mention any fight? He's too injured! What the —"

"The U.A. sports festival is drawing near," he muttered, staring blankly at the class.

Amaya's tail, which had been swaying in nervousness, dropped at his sentence. She felt a twinge of annoyance hit her for Aizawa's dramatic way of making causal announcements.

"Seriously?! If it's just a dumb sports festival, he didn't have to make the atmosphere all weird. He's going to cause me a heart attack one day I swear."

The rest of the class began cheering, excited to do something completely normal. Well… most of the class. Some students were concerned about having the sports festival so soon after the USJ incident happened. However, Aizawa was quick to reassure them. U.A. was going through with the sports festival to show the world that they weren't shaken by some villains and that the school's security was top notch. Besides, this wasn't a normal sports festival either apparently.

Amaya had heard her middle school classmates gush about how prestigious U.A. was. She'd even seen its name pop up in the news when she occasionally caught a glimpse of the TV while living with Ms. Reí. She'd be stupid not to notice all the great pro-heroes that taught here and knew this was a top tier institution.

However, she didn't realize how publicized and important this sports festival was. She should've guessed considering how much money this school seems to have, but still… All her childhood she was secluded from these public showings, only having time to train and study with Kou. So, she hated to admit it, but she was utterly clueless, even Mineta knew what it was.

"Our sports festival is one of Japan's biggest events…"

"Did he say Japan?!"

"In the past, the Olympics was a sports festival, and the whole country was crazy about them. As you know, with reductions in scale and population, they're now a shell of their former glory. And now, for Japan, what has taken place in those Olympics is the U.A. sports festivals," Aizawa explained gazing at every student, ending it on Amaya.

Amaya looked back at him with her eyes wide and ears perked. She understood that as a hero school courses and events had to be elevated but they were still in high school!

"Of course, all the top heroes around the country will be watching. For scouting purposes!" Yaoyorozu cheerfully added, her energy making the other students add on.

Amaya on the other hand was still stuck on the fact that the entire country was going to be watching this event, more specifically watching her.

"Well isn't this just a shit show. Win or lose, you'll still get booed. I bet you won't even be able to compete, everyone's too much of wuss to deal with you. More so now that they know I exist."

Amaya frowned at the voice in her head and started chewing on her lip.

It wasn't wrong.

Would she even be able to compete?

Were they going to let someone like her be out there in the field with all those students?

She knew she'd never harm anyone but in the world's eyes she was still the daughter of monsters. Even if she could compete everyone would hope she'd lose. Managing to give herself a headache she faced plopped on her desk hoping to ignore everyone. Sadly, Aizawa's last words made it nearly impossible to do so.

"Time is limited. If you expect to go pro, then the path to your future will open at this event. One chance a year, a total of just three chances. No aspiring heroes can afford to miss this event!"

Amaya quietly groaned and pulled at her hair in frustration.

"Oh yea. You're fucked."

"I know."

Lunchtime finally came around and Amaya felt like she could breathe again. As she prepared herself to go, all she could hear were her classmates' enthusiastic cries of the sports festival. She winced at Uraraka's deep declaration that she was going to do her best at the festival, just wanting to forget about that event. As much as Amaya would love to support her classmate, she was too busy dwelling on her fate. On the bright side everyone was so focused with the sports festival that nobody even looked at Amaya in fear or commented about her quirk. At least she could enjoy her lunch in peace today.

"Hey Amaya-chan! Come eat lunch with us today? Please!" Uraraka pleaded, causing Amaya's eyes to widen.

"Wait? She isn't scared of my 'new' quirk?"

"Yes Amaya-san, we've tried multiple times to invite you with us, but you always leave before we get the chance. We're sorry for our poor behavior the last time and truly wish to enjoy our meals with you," Iida apologized, bowing at the end of his statement.

Amaya felt her cheeks flush, only used to people apologizing out of fear but not because they actually meant it.

She didn't understand.

They had to have known about her quirk.

Even if they didn't see it, her other classmates did and probably gossiped about her. Besides the news made it public knowledge that she did have a 'secret' quirk, although they thankfully didn't know what it was and couldn't reveal it. Still she received dirty looks so much more now when she walked around. When Aizawa was in the hospital Amaya didn't know what she hated more: Aizawa hurt, having to be guarded like a criminal, or being slightly glad to have a guard because it looked like people wanted to hurt her. She could still hear people shouting at her.

"You should be arrested for hiding information like that from the government!"

"What's your quirk villain! We have the right to know for our safety!"

"As if your parents didn't do enough damage, now we have to deal with you too!"

"They should've kept you locked up like the dirty animal you are."

Amaya shook her head from the onslaught of memories. Right now, she had to focus on Iida, Uraraka and Midoriya waiting for her to answer.

"Wait. You guys still want to have lunch with me? Even with a quirk like mine?" Amaya asked, her voice coming out frazzled and slightly insecure.

Midoriya softly smiled and stepped forward, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Your quirk doesn't make you a villain. And it doesn't change our mind about you. We just want to eat with our fellow classmate and friend," he gently affirmed, turning red as he realized he touched her, stepping back to give her space, all while sputtering like a cute dork.

Uraraka and Iida came closer as well, smiling kindly.

"I didn't see what your quirk was, but I did hear about it and all it seems like to me is powerful. I'm not going to stop being friends with you because of something like that," Uraraka calmly added on, squeezing Amaya's arm in comfort.

"Friend? I'm a friend? Their friend? Even though I'm like this and my parents are villains?"

Amaya felt heat in her eyes and only by pure pride was she able to resist them from watering. A small sincere smile made its way across her face.

"I appreciate that you guys took the time to seek me out and I'm grateful you accept me even like this. I'd really like to eat lunch with you guys—"

"What about that tall insomniac?"

Her face dropped in realization. That's right. She still had to talk to Shinso! While Amaya did want to eat with this group, she and Shinso already established a comfortable lunch routine. Plus, she needed to know how he felt about her quirk.

"But I already have a prior commitment. You see I usually eat with someone else during lunch and—"

"Y-you could always invite them! I-if you want I m-mean. Unless you don't then…" Midoriya interrupted, mumbling to himself at the end.

Amaya felt her tense smile relax at listening to Midoriya's rambling voice.

"I'll have to ask. But maybe I could walk with you guys to the cafeteria?" Amaya asked, cringing at her awkward tone.

Thankfully the other three didn't notice it and nodded to the idea, still smiling brightly.

"Let's go!" Uraraka giggled, leading the way. Amaya trailed off behind her, taking a moment to reel herself in. This was real. They still talked to her and didn't judge her. Midoriya even called her as their friend. This was so weird, but Amaya could get used to this group.

"You seem more tired than usual Amaya-chan is everything alright?" Midoriya asked, his face full of worry as he once again glanced at the dark circles under the cat girl's eyes.

Amaya jumped a little at being spoken to, her mind in the middle of taking in the comfortable silence from before.

"Oh yea I'm fine, just having trouble sleeping since the attack," she shrugged, looking ahead.

Uraraka nodded in understanding, "Me too. It was really frightening, I can't believe pros deal with this everyday."

"Being a hero is no easy task, what they do is truly admirable. I hope we too will one day achieve the same level of greatness as them," Iida added on. Midoriya agreed and the group was chill for a bit before Midoriya interrupted the silence once more.

"By the way Uraraka-chan I was wondering," Midoriya started, looking intently at Uraraka.

"Yes?" she answered back, stopping to look at him.

"Why did you decide to come to U.A. and become a pro-hero?" he questioned, his innocent face peering at her curiously. Amaya and Iida stopped as well, both wanting to hear the carefree girl's response.

"Huh? Um… because…" she trailed off, explaining her reason.

Amaya dug her claws into her hand to stop herself from reacting. The minor pain kept her from scowling and glaring at Uraraka. Uraraka was a sweet girl, she had to have a better reason for being a hero. To become one for something as frivolous as money it just… it disgusted her.

"You want to become a hero for money?" Midoriya exclaimed, also taken aback by Uraraka's reasoning.

Uraraka nervously rubbed that back of her head, her voice coming out shaky. "To boil it down simply… yes. Sorry it's such an unwholesome reason!" she apologized, her face demonstrating true guilt.

"At least she knows her reason isn't the best."

"Still shitty."

"I know you all must have such admirable motivations. It's so embarrassing…" Uraraka sighed, turning her body away in shame.

Amaya bit her lip to stop herself from adding on, but Iida's comment made her choke.

"Why? How is having a goal to support your livelihood not admirable?" He chimed in, honestly supporting her. Amaya had to take a step back, an action noticed by Midoriya who quickly glanced at her in concern.

"Iida too? He thinks that's enough of a reason to become a hero. What's wrong with these guys?"

"Heh told you. You shouldn't get close to people, especially so-called heroes. They only know how to let you down."

"Right… but it's unexpected," Midoriya added, not judging Uraraka but still surprised by her answer.

"At least Midoriya doesn't seem to agree that much. I knew he was different."

"We'll see if that piece of broccoli isn't a total dickwad too."

Frowning at the mean comment, Amaya ignored her inner beast and tried to listen to Uraraka's explanation. She prayed Uraraka wasn't like those fake heroes, otherwise….

"My family owns a construction company, but we haven't gotten any work at all, so we're flat broke. With my quirk there'd be no need to pay for equipment and I could help my parents with buildings. I've told my dad to let me help him with the company since I was a little girl but, he's adamant that I should follow my dreams…" Uraraka's voice dropped to a quiet tone at the end, her body hunching over as she remembered something. Instantly she did a 180 and clenched her fists tight, looking at the group with resolution.

"I'll definitely become a hero and make money and let my parents take it easy!" Uraraka announced, her brown eyes lit with fiery determination.

Amaya stared back at Uraraka intensely. Her reasoning wasn't completely egotistical or shallow. Amaya still hated it and honestly Uraraka could've just studied for a career that makes a lot of money if that was her only reason. But Amaya chose to believe that Uraraka also wanted to become a hero for good reasons. Amaya hoped that Uraraka was in U.A. not only to help her parents, which admittedly isn't terrible, but also because she was following her dream. Amaya begged to any deity that existed that the gravity girl's dream brought pure intentions.

"I don't think I could ever hate Uraraka. I mean we are friends now. I suppose wanting to be a hero to make good money for her family isn't awful. She must really love her family if she's willing to be a hero with that motivation in mind."

"Tch. Whatever, heroes still suck. There's no such thing as a hero, and you and the rest of these dweebs will never be one."

Ignoring the cruel thoughts Amaya gave Uraraka an awkward smile and turned towards the boys, ignoring Iida's wild clapping and cheering. Just as she was going to try and leave, All Might appeared, asking Midoriya out for lunch. Amaya couldn't help but stare between the two confused but didn't say anything and took that as her chance to leave as well.

"You know I never noticed it until now, but All Might and Midoriya seem kinda close. I wonder what their relationship is?"

Departing quickly, she walked towards the classroom where Shinso and her usually had lunch. She couldn't help but find All Might's invitation to Midoriya as cute. Like a father wanting to spend time with his son. Gold eyes widened at the thought.

"No way. I mean there's no way, right? Could Midoriya really be All Might's son? Maybe an illegitimate child?"

"Who the hell cares. You shouldn't. Focus on you, not some dumbass kids."

Deciding that maybe listening to the voice in her head wasn't such a bad idea, Amaya opened the door to the abandoned classroom and crashed into a broad chest. The force from the impact was more than her small body could handle and she began falling backwards until two arms grasped her waist, steadying her.

Face flushed, she quickly brought her gaze to meet Shinso's surprised expression and noticed his own red cheeks. It was quiet for a second before Shinso realized he was still holding onto her and immediately let go, taking a step back. Both avoided eye contact and Amaya placed her hand on her chest, hoping to calm down her spiked up heart rate.

Thankfully before she could say anything embarrassing, Shinso spoke up.

"Are you okay? I heard about what happened at the USJ event," he muttered, still avoiding looking at her face.

Amaya coughed, clearing her closed up throat and shakily responded with, "Oh um yeah I'm okay. I noticed you dropped clothes off for me. I don't know why you'd do something so kind for someone like me, but I appreciate it. I'll return them to you tomorrow."

Having gotten over his embarrassment, Shinso looked at Amaya in disbelief. What did she mean by someone like her?

"You may be a part of those idiots in class 1-A but you're actually not that bad. Why wouldn't I do that for you?" he asked, his tired purple eyes staring at her in mild concern.

Amaya bit her lip and moved her eyes to look at his chest instead. "Why would you even want to be associated with a villain like me? Haven't you heard; I have a dangerous quirk that I've kept hidden. Aren't you scared I'll hurt you?" she bitterly questioned, tone frustrated, and hands clenched so hard her knuckles turned white.

Shinso felt something swell in his chest. He knew exactly what this girl was feeling, and he hated that. Without warning he grabbed her skinny arm and pulled her through the classroom, closing the door and making her sit in the nearest desk. Amaya didn't even have time to protest or fight back because her mind was still stuck in a negative space. Shinso sat in the desk next to hers and then proceeded to gently flick her forehead.

Amaya frowned and brought her hands up to her head, hissing slightly at the sudden pain. Before she could curse at him for that he began to speak again.

"Idiot. Look you're you. Not your parents and not your quirk. I don't care about that crap. You're quiet and weird and pretty antisocial but you're not evil. You are not a villain. So, stop moping and let's eat. If you're going to be like those dumb heroes then you're going to need to build more muscle on that scrawny body of yours," with that said Shinso pulled out his bento and started eating, a small tint of red coloring his cheeks.

Amaya couldn't stop her own blush and she felt a smile slip out.

"Shinso really is such a sweet guy."

Nodding, she began eating as well, looking over at the purple haired guy every few seconds.

Curious and a bit self-conscious, Shinso looked back at her with what he hoped was a bored expression. "What is it?" he drawled out, trying to appear irritated.

"It's nothing really. Just… you're very kind Shinso. I was wondering why someone as nice as you ate lunch alone and, well I guess now with me. I'd assume you have friends in your general course classes," Amaya admitted, shaking her head and smiling a little more.

Shinso controlled his face from appearing too shocked by her comment but his eyes showed surprise. He shrugged at her and turned his head away.

"Let's just say you and I aren't so different."

That's all he said on the matter, leaving Amaya curious but she could see he didn't feel the need to continue their conversation. Nodding, she kept eating her own food.

The rest of that lunch was spent in a peaceful and comfortable atmosphere.

After lunch the rest of Amaya's day was thankfully uneventful. Her classmates would stare at her at times in fear or curiosity but didn't have the guts to speak to her which she was glad for. She couldn't help but mentally cheer when it was time to leave, emotionally exhausted from everything today. As she prepared her things to go, she noticed her classmates not moving and heard a commotion coming from out the entrance of the classroom. Black brow raised, she stepped forward until she was next to Midoriya, Iida, and Uraraka.

Outside room 1-A was a crowd of students Amaya had never seen before, blocking the door.

Iida stepped forward, raising his hand and addressed the crowd. "What business do you have with class 1-A?"

"We can't get out! What'd you come here for anyway?" Mineta added, his small fist raised in annoyance.

"Scouting out the enemy, small fry," Bakugo calmly explained, moving through the students and heading out to the entrance, not intimated in the least.

"Pfft. Small fry. He's kinda funny. Why don't you dumbasses just leave already? Blondie ain't scared."

"Well there's a big crowd in front of us and I'm not good with that, so I'll just stay here."

"We're the ones who made it out of the villains' attack. They probably wanna check us out before the sports festival," he continued, looking at the crowd in boredom.

"Hey, angry porcupine makes a good point. Damn if he was always this cool, he'd actually be decent to hang with."

"Right…"

"There's no point in doing stuff like that. Out of my way extras!" Bakugo exclaimed, irritation dripping off him in waves.

"Wow. He's got balls. Almost respectable."

"He's also rude and pissing these guys off!"

"Stop calling people 'extras' just because you don't know them!" Iida reprimanded making exaggerated hand motions. Midoriya and Uraraka looked nervously between Bakugo and the crowd, who were quickly becoming angry.

"I came to see what the famous class 1-A was like, but you seem pretty arrogant," a new voice called out, tired and familiar.

"Wait isn't that—"

Shinso began pushing through the horde of students and ended up staring directly into Bakugo's eyes, his gaze unwavering.

"What the hell is Shinso doing?"

Still speaking, Shinso directed his question to Bakugo. "Are all the students in the hero course like this?"

"HAH!" Bakugo growled, Midoriya and Uraraka shaking their heads to try and communicate to Shinso to stop.

Shinso didn't care.

"Seeing something like this makes me disillusioned. There are quite a few people who enrolled into general studies or other courses because they didn't make it into the hero course. Did you know that?" his focus was only on Bakugo, but Amaya couldn't tear her eyes away from Shinso.

"Wait. Is that why he hates heroes, or rather, 1-A? He tried to get into the hero course but failed? What was his quirk? Why didn't he make it in? Why didn't he tell me?"

Amaya felt bad for Shinso, wishing that he would've explained this to her, feeling hurt that he didn't.

"'Let's just say you and I aren't that so different.' What does that mean? Why didn't he tell me?"

"Ugh shut up! You're so annoying. It's his business, why the hell should he tell you? You guys eat lunch but are you really friends? And if, ew, you are then he doesn't have to tell you shit. Stop being a whiny bitch."

Amaya bit her lip, tuning into Shinso and Bakugo's interaction, not wanting to deal with her thoughts. She didn't want to admit that her beast was right and just wanted this hurt feeling to disappear.

"The school has left those of us a chance. Depending on the results of the sports festival, they'll consider our transfer into the hero course. And it seems that they may also transfer people out," Shinso said, watching as most of class 1-A stiffened in surprise.

"Aw shit. Now we gotta deal with this crap?"

"Scouting out the enemy? I, at least, came to say that even if you're in the hero course, if you get too carried away, I'll sweep your feet from under you. Consider this my declaration of war," Shinso finished, smirking at the class. He made eye contact with everyone and when his eyes caught Amaya's gold stare they softened for the slightest moment before hardening once more.

"Shinso," Amaya whispered, grasping her arm in comfort. She nodded towards him, not that he could see.

"If Shinso is declaring war then he's serious. I support him 100%! I hope to see you succeed in the festival!"

"This dude also has balls. Hmm. Didn't see that coming."

Amaya straightened and fiercely peered into Shinso, closing her hand into a fist and nodding. Shinso noticed the action and looked away, trying not to feel affected by her but the smallest smile slipped before he turned to leave.

Shinso's declaration started a domino effect in which all the other students started harassing and warning class 1-A about the festival.

"HEY! HEY HEY HEY! I'm from class 1-B next door! I heard you fought against villains, so I came to hear 'bout it! Don't get so full of yourself!" Some muscular dude shouted, amping up the crowd.

Bakugo simply walked away seeming disinterested in the guy's exclamation, pissing said dude off more.

"Wait a minute Bakugo! What're you gonna do about all this? It's your fault that everyone's hating on us!" Kirishima called out, voicing the rest of the class's thoughts.

"It doesn't matter," Bakugo claimed.

The class looked at him like he was crazy, which honestly didn't seem too far-fetched.

"It doesn't matter as long as you rise to the top," he finished, tone never coming out angry, only determined as he pushed through the students.

"Not gonna lie... that was pretty hot."

"What?"

Blushing at her own inner-comments Amaya quickly walked away, trying to head the same direction as Bakugo, hoping to disperse her embarrassing thoughts.

As she walked, she heard passing comments around her.

"Heh so it's true, class 1-A lets a villain in but not me? I'm definitely going to take her spot."

"Oh my! It's Hitachi, why on earth would they ever let someone like her compete, surely she's going to hurt us!"

"That kitty won't last two seconds in the arena."

Gritting her teeth, she walked towards Aizawa's office, forcing herself to brush off everyone's comments.

"Some heroes. If we're allowed to play, I'm definitely going to give them something to talk about."

"Shush! We're not hurting anyone."

"Boring."

Rolling her eyes, Amaya entered the office and turned to see Aizawa getting ready to leave, for once not sleeping on the floor. He looked up at the sound and nodded towards her.

"Hey kid, I'm just about ready, let's go."

The two dark-haired figures began their trek home, avoiding Amaya's fellow classmates from seeing them and enjoying the quiet. Well Aizawa was, Amaya was trying not to freak out about this whole sports festival thing.

"You're really nervous huh?" Aizawa suddenly spoke, causing the cat girl to almost trip in surprise.

"Huh? Oh umm… yea. I've only just heard about this event and it seems like such a big deal. Am I even allowed to participate?" Amaya mumbled, rubbing her tail between her fingers for comfort.

Aizawa sighed and took out his keys to open the front door of their complex. "Of course, you're allowed to participate. You're in class 1-A, right?" he rhetorically asked, opening the door and taking his shoes off.

Amaya copied his actions, but slower. Hesitantly she called out, "Even with my quirk? I mean aren't you guys scared of it?"

Aizawa turned and stared right at her, analyzing her question. "Kid you said there's a seal on it right. Meaning only, you can use that quirk if you truly wish to do so?"

"I mean yea, but I would never—"

"Why not?" he asked, shocking Amaya to the point that she dropped her bag to the floor with a resounding plop noise.

"What?"

"You heard me. Why not? It's your quirk. If you train it enough then you could use it without hurting anyone," Aizawa elaborated, making his way to the kitchen to fetch a snack. He smiled at Mochi and rubbed her behind the ears before turning to see Amaya, still standing frozen by the entrance.

"What did he just say? I knew he wanted to train me in my quirk, but I thought it was to contain it not use it! I can't!"

"You sure as hell can. What you can't do though is get rid of me and that's what you're scared of right?"

"Aizawa I can't just use my quirk. It doesn't matter if I train it, it's still too dangerous!" Amaya confessed, hugging herself and looking at the floor in shame.

Aizawa came closer and started rubbing her head roughly, tilting her head to look up at him.

"You might be a Hitachi but don't forget you're also Amaya. You are not your parents and your quirk is only as dangerous as you are. Any quirk can be dangerous and used for evil. Stop with this pity fest and let's train so you can give it your all for the sports festival," he encouraged, lightly pulling on her ear as a form of teasing. She softly slapped his hands away and felt a smile creeping up.

"Only if you train me. At least then I'll feel better knowing if I can't get a grip on my quirk you can keep me in check," Amaya negotiated, staring earnestly at Aizawa. Aizawa nodded and moved to the couch with Mochi.

"Okay. But your training starts tomorrow and don't think I'll go easy on you. You better show me all that your quirk can do," he finished, settling down and watching a film.

Amaya slowly acknowledged him, taking her seat beside him and frowning.

"That's what I'm afraid of."