AN: Ricardo Valencia - Looks right so far. Several other members of 1-A are also going to be stronger, but I only have so much bandwidth to show what is going on outside the Dekusquad. The only two members who aren't physically stronger are Bakugo (for reasons of refusing Izuku's help) and Mineta (who is currently figuring out that his behavior is Not Okay).

Mew-the-Dark-Matter-buster1 - Don't worry, I am right there with you with IzuOcha. Most of my stories are gonna feature the pairing, either wholly or in part!

When it came time for their free period, Izuku packed his quirk analysis work in his bag and looked over at Momo as they stood up. As they made their way to the door, he saw Tenya and Kirishima stand up as well, to prepare for their own pilot courses. Looking around the room, he saw annoyance on Bakugo's face and disappointment on several others, making a mental note of them.

Joining Momo outside the classroom, they began walking down the hallway. Once they were out of earshot she turned to him and started speaking. "You saw it too, right?"

"Yeah, some people are feeling left out. It was one thing when it was just the two of us, but now that more classes are starting up, people are feeling left out."

"We'll have to talk to them later."

"Mmm." Izuku nodded in agreement. "We can split up the list and see what they want to do?"

"That sounds like a plan!" Momo smiled back.

As they made their way to the classroom that Nezu had repurposed for their class, they heard two voices inside, and Izuku froze. No way. She had joined the class?

"Is something wrong?" Momo asked.

"No! It's nothing!" Izuku said quickly. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he reached the door and pulled it open. Sure enough, Mei Hatsume was there, currently engaged in a rather spirited conversation with Emily.

"Ah, there you are!" Nezu called from the desk. "As you can see, we have a new member joining the Analysis course, on the recommendation of Miss Song."

"You are a support student though, right?" Momo asked in confusion. "Doesn't your track cover quirk analysis already?"

"Yep! Mei Hatsume, at your service!" Mei said as she jumped up and practically charged at Momo. She grabbed the other girl's hand and began shaking it vigorously.

"This course covers much of what the support students do, true," Nezu admits. "However while the support analysis course is focused on a general analysis of quirks, this course is focused on analyzing specific quirks possessed by an individual, and doing so rapidly."

"That's why I recommended her!" Emily called out. "She doesn't take people's quirks into account with her support equipment!"

"You take that back, my babies are fine!" Mei spun around and glared at the other girl.

"It's not your equipment that's the problem!"

"I don't see the problem then!"

"Of course you don't!" Emily practically yelled in exasperation. "You need to custom design your gear based on each person's needs!"

"But then you limit your sales! My babies are designed for a general audience! That way they can reach a wider market of individuals."

Izuku turns to look at Momo, who looked like she was having second thoughts about agreeing to spend time with the upperclassmen that weekend. Finally noticing Izuku, she returned his gaze and the two laughed nervously before they stepped around the pair and sat down, unpacking their notes from their internships.

Izuku found himself strangely nervous all afternoon as he waited for the day to end. Tonight he was walking home with Ochako. While this wasn't the first time he walked home alone with her, this was the first time after his conversation with Emily, and he found himself frequently caught up in his head as he thought about it.

At the end of the day, he sighed in relief as he dismissed the class for the day. Ochako joined him at his desk with a bright smile on her face. Looking over, he saw Tenya offer him an encouraging smile before he left the classroom. Now there was only one more person they had to escape from: his sister. The pair exited school to see Himiko and Atsuko talking as usual, and as they began approaching them Izuku was busy trying to think up some excuse to get away from the pair when Himiko suddenly turned to him and spoke up.

"Izu, I've got some errands to run. Tell mom I'll be home for dinner, ok?" Himiko said, a distracted look on her face.

"Oh, ok," Izuku asked, relief and confusion washed over him.

"Sorry I didn't tell you, something came up," Himiko said, biting her lower lip as she gave him a look. Izuku knew that meant he was in for a heavy conversation tonight.

"Alright. I'll let mom know." Izuku promised.

With a wave Himiko was off, heading toward the nearby shopping district and leaving Izuku and Ochako alone with Atsuko. Ochako tilted her head curiously. "What was that about?"

"I bet it has to do with Song." Izuku jokes.

Atsuko gave Ochako a mischievous look. "Well, looks like I'm the third wheel here." Seeing both of their faces heat up, she turned around to hide her satisfied smile as she threw them a quick wave. "I'll see you in the morning."

"I guess we're on our own now," Izuku said, while Ochako watched the older girl go, both of them secretly happy that it turned out much easier than they thought it would be.

Izuku pulled out his phone and began sending a message to his mom. He had told his mom that he was going to be late but didn't want her worrying about Himiko, so he sent a message letting her know she would also be late. "Alright, I told mom about Himi. Ready to go?"

"Yep!" Ochako gave him a bright smile as the two began walking, Izuku leading Ochako down a different path towards his home.

The two idly chatted about their school day as Izuku led Ochako through Mustafu until they reached a park. With a smile, he motioned toward its entrance. "The path is through here."

"This is so much nicer than sitting on a train."

"Mmm." Izuku nodded in agreement as he turned to look at her. "I used to walk home all the time in middle school."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

As Ochako watched, she saw numerous emotions flash across Izuku's face. "What was it like?" Ochako asked. "Middle school, I mean." She saw him wince and immediately regretted asking. "I'm sorry! This was supposed to be nice and now-"

"It's ok," Izuku reassured the girl. "It's just complicated." Izuku stopped on the path, a faraway look on his face. "You remember how I explained I was a late-bloomer?"

"How could I forget?" Ochako said fondly. "Knowing that I was the first person you saved with your quirk."

"R-right," Izuku said as his face heated up, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "But at the time, since everyone thought I was quirkless, I didn't have a great time at school."

"I'm sorry," Ochako said, a dark look on her face. "You didn't deserve that."

"I know," Izuku said, surprising Ochako. "It wasn't right. Quirkless or late bloomer, Bakugo shouldn't have been able to turn most of my classmates against me that way."

Ochako smiled at her friend, nodding vigorously. "Imagine what would have happened if you weren't so committed to being a hero! You could have been a scary villain, ready to bring terror to those who wronged you!"

Izuku laughed nervously. "Y-yeah." He sighed. "And then it would have been your duty to stop me!"

"I would do it, too!" Ochako got a fierce look on her face as she threw some mock punches. Izuku noticed that her form had already improved after a single week as she did so. Just as quickly, her face softened again. "But… I kind of like having you as my b- est friend instead."

"Me too." Izuku agreed.

"So you want to help quirkless kids when you become the number one hero?" She asked, holding her hands behind her back.

"Yeah. Quirkless kids, and kids with quirks that are traditionally seen as villainous. They need heroes too. Perhaps more than everyone else."

"Sounds wonderful," Ochako admitted. "I'm sure you can pull it off!"

"Mmm." Izuku nodded his head in agreement before he looked at Ochako, and she felt her face heating up at the look of fondness he was giving her.

"W-we should probably start walking again," Ochako said weakly and began walking. A second later she felt, more than heard, Izuku catch up and keep pace with her again, and she cursed her cowardice. They continued walking in silence for a few minutes enjoying the scenery until Ochako finally broke it. "I know I won't be up there with you, but I'll be cheering you on!"

"What do you mean, you won't be up there?"

"Well… because I want to be a rescue hero! I know they aren't as popular as the likes of All Might and Endeavor. But… after Hosu that's what I want to do."

"You ready to talk about it?" Izuku asked softly.

"Yeah." Ochako stopped and smiled at him. "It's just like you said. The people in Hosu needed heroes even after Stain and the Nomus were dealt with. It may not be the same as what you're thinking, but I want to be there for those people. To make sure they know that they aren't forgotten, even after the villain is defeated."

"Ochako-" Izuku could already feel the tears forming. "With that attitude, you're gonna be a great hero! You won't be looking up to me because- because you'll be right there with me!"

Ochako felt herself tearing up as well, hearing those words. Sniffling, she wiped away the tears and smiled at Izuku. Meanwhile, Izuku furiously dug through his backpack to pull out a handful of tissues. He offered one to Ochako before he used the rest to deal with his own tears. "I'm sorry I made you cry, this was supposed to be a nice walk!"

"No!" Ochako insisted. "I- just- thank you. For believing in me."

"You believe in me too," Izuku said. "You were one of the first people outside of mom and Himi to do that."

"Well, here's to believing in each other then!" Ochako said, raising her fist.

"Yeah!" Izuku returned her fist bump.

The two resumed walking, a comfortable silence settling between them. To Izuku these parks had always been filled with bad memories, of him either evading Bakugo or defending other kids from his bullying. But now, he had a happy memory with Ochako to think back on. As he glanced in her direction he saw she was looking back at him, and when they locked eyes they both felt themselves smiling.

"We should visit these parks more often," Ochako suggested. "It's nice."

"Mmm." Izuku agreed. "Same time next week?"

"Yeah! That sounds great!"

Himiko finished up her homework, her cup of bubble tea long since emptied. With a resigned sigh, she looked at the clock and saw that it was finally approaching five PM. Packing up her bag, she quietly slipped into the restroom of the cafe that she had been visiting. Locking the door, she stripped off her school uniform, revealing her black bodysuit underneath. Shoving her clothes into her bag, she pulled out the vial of blood that Nagant had given her and removed the stopper.

Taking a deep breath, she drank the crimson liquid and activated her quirk, she felt the gray sludge wrap around her and the tan face of a completely different school girl stared back at her - wearing a UA uniform.

"Huh, I didn't know my quirk worked that way." Himiko examined herself in the mirror. "I guess it makes sense since I don't know what clothes she would wear, my mind would just supply a UA school uniform." Stopping suddenly, she went wide-eyed as she realized what she was doing. "Damn it, Emmy! You're going to love hearing about this, aren't you?"

With a sigh she shouldered her bag and left the cafe, making her way to the park from Kaina's note. Finding an isolated bench, she sat down and began scanning the tree line for birds.

Minutes later, Kaina casually strolled up and sat down next to her, her runner's attire completely different from the last time they had a conversation. "Have a problem with your clothes?"

"Turns out, when I have no point of reference to work with, my quirk fills in the blank with my own clothing," Himiko explained. "If you want more you'll have to send a picture next time."

"I'll keep that in mind," Kaina said.

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to see how your internship went." She gave Himiko a sly smile. "Since I can't teach you myself, I want to make sure you had a good time.

Himiko stared incredulously at the woman, but she gave her no indication of what she was thinking. She finally relented with a sigh. "You were right. I had an offer from Hawks among my packet. When I went to Nezu he agreed that the offer was suspicious, had it flagged as 'potentially harmful for the student', and removed it from my pool."

"Excellent. He is as smart as ever, I see. Who did you end up interning with then?"

"Ryukyu. Although you already knew that, didn't you?"

"What? Do you think I don't keep up with the news or something?" Kaina asked with a slightly teasing tone. "Why do you think I'm having you go even deeper undercover? I want to keep you as safe as possible. Good thing you've got the perfect quirk to help with that."

"Yeah…" Himiko had to admit, she was grateful for the vigilante caring about her wellbeing. She still felt strange using her quirk for this though. It almost felt like she was a spy instead of a hero. Ironic, considering who she was talking to.

"How'd you impress her enough to let you on a raid? Without your provisional license aren't you supposed to stay away from the action?"

"Like you said, I have the perfect quirk," Himiko replied sarcastically.

"Fair enough," Kaina replied, a hint of amusement in her voice. "I take it Ryukyu saw your potential then?"

"Yep!" Himiko chirped happily. "She had lots of ideas to help me, whether I become an Underground Hero or not."

"Have you decided which way you want to go?"

"I think I'm going to see how high I can go on the hero billboards," Himiko admitted. "Izu thinks I could be a top ten hero once I master my quirk."

"Sounds about right. Any reason he doesn't think you couldn't be number one someday?"

"Because he's planning on being number one!" Himiko had a fond smile on her face. "And seeing how hard he works, I can believe it. He loves All Might and wants to be like him, in every way possible. Including being the number one hero, just like him."

"He'd better be careful. With that attitude, he could get burned."

Himiko laughed. "If you're talking about Endeavor, I think you're mistaken. The only reason Izu didn't beat his son at the sports festival is because he refused to break himself."

"And what about the HPSC?"

"Well, it's a good thing he has a sister in contact with a certain vigilante who knows all about them, isn't it?"

Kaina did something that Himiko didn't expect. She laughed. "You do have a good point. I guess by helping you I'm helping him too, huh?"

"Yep!"

"Well, I'm glad to know I'm helping two future top ten heroes then." Kaina looked at Himiko, and for the first time, Himiko saw a genuine smile on the former hero's face, not one tainted by cynicism. "Maybe there's hope for Japan after all."

Seeing her opportunity, Himiko decided to take a chance. "Have you ever… thought about becoming a hero again?"

Just like that, the wall of cynicism slammed back into place as she laughed coldly. "As if Japan would ever accept me. I'd need to get inside the HPSC and get all of their blackmail material on me, as well as the files showing the missions they sent me on if I wanted to even begin to clear my name. And even then, who wants a hero whose only skill is hurting and killing."

"Gee, maybe if you knew a girl who could get into the HPSC."

"I'm not worth it."

"Are you sure?"

"Kid." Kaina turned to face Himiko, staring her in the eye. "You have an amazing quirk and are already making a name for yourself. I'm a washed-up assassin whom everyone wants to forget ever existed."

"But you kept me safe," Himiko said softly. "That makes you a hero to me."

She was rewarded by seeing a glimpse of shock on Kaina's face before she tried to restore her emotional barriers. But when she spoke again, the wall of cynicism didn't feel so thick. "You're the first person to describe me that way in years."

"It feels good, doesn't it?"

Kaina didn't respond, she simply looked away and began examining the treeline. Himiko continued to stare at the woman, hoping for something, anything, to let her know what she was really thinking. But despite all of her training, the woman remained an enigma.

"Maybe you can never go back to being a top ten hero yourself, but that doesn't make you any less of a hero," Himiko said softly. "I know it doesn't make a lot of sense coming from me, Izu's always been the one who could explain it. But I think there's a lot of good you could still do, even with your quirk."

Kaina turned toward Himiko again. "You've got a good heart kid." She pointed at Himiko's chest. "Never let that feeling go." She stood up and began jogging away.

Sitting there, Himiko was stunned as she tried to process what she saw.

Was it a trick of the light, or was the former hero crying?

The next morning when Himiko awoke, she once again saw something attached to her window. A stuffed animal. Curious, she once again went to her window and opened it, pulling the object inside before she examined it. In her hands was a small stuffed animal in the shape of a phoenix. However, instead of the traditional reds and oranges, the fabric was a tie-dyed color. Holding it in her hands, she traced her fingers along the blue and pink lines that swirled through the fabric, a smile tugging at her lips.

Walking over to the large pile of stuffed animals she had collected over the past two years, she carefully placed the phoenix near the top of the pile. Stepping back, she looked at the doll in satisfaction.

Maybe she could find a way to help the former hero, after all.