A/N: Endeavor and Bakugo's dysfunctional relationship went down a lot better than I hoped last chapter. They're so bad at what they're doing, but they're trying their best, right?

Anyway, Izuku and Himiko this chapter, and Tenko. Enjoy!

(***)

"Okay, here goes..."

As he sat on the cold hard floor of the main entrance lobby to UA, one arm over Himiko's shoulder, Izuku saw the look on her face and realised just how much what she was about to tell him weighed on her shoulders. There was no anger on her face, no fury flickering in those soulful yellow eyes of her that were staring right through him- this was a look of pain, as if repressing the knowledge of what she could do was the only thing she knew how to do.

Izuku loved Quirks. He was a fanboy and an enthusiast, a spotter, a nerd; he wouldn't disagree with anyone who tried to tell him that he was obsessed with learning about other people's Quirks and marvelling at the potential of some. But he had never seen anyone who felt this way about their Quirk, anyone who was so reluctant to say what their power was capable of.

He had run after her in a heartbeat when she raced out of the classroom in a panic, because Himiko was one of his group no matter how recently she'd joined them. He had meant everything he said when she saved him and Tenko from being attacked by the Yakuza all those weeks ago, and held on to the firm belief that whatever she thought of herself, she too could be a Hero. But they had made it to UA and the idea that her Quirk would be on display had clearly terrified her. Whatever the reason was for that, Izuku had to try to help.

If there was anything he could do at all to restore her confidence in herself, and let her know how honest he had been with her about his faith in her, he had to do it. It wasn't a question of what it meant to be a Hero- it was a question of what it meant to look after the people he cared about. Himiko was hurting, and he had to try to help her with that.

Anything for a friend.

Himiko took a deep, shuddering breath that Izuku felt wash over her skinny body as she sat there, curled into his side with his arm over her shoulder. "Izuku you've gotta bear with me if this takes a lil bit. I-I'm not used to telling people what I can do..."

"I know..." His response was to squeeze her shoulder and look her in the eyes, shooting her a small smile in the hope that it would reassure her that he wasn't going anywhere. "However long you need, p-please take it."

Despite the negative emotion that was currently charged up inside her, Himiko found the energy from somewhere to flash Izuku a small smile, her fang-like canines seeming to sparkle for a second. "T-Thanks Izu. I... guess the name would be a good start, huh? My Quirk... is called Transform."

Izuku tried not to make a big deal of the fact that she had let out a big breath when she said its name, as if it was the first obstacle she had overcome. "Okay... how does it work?"

She paused for a second, before nodding to herself; he took that as a good sign, that she had decided in herself that for her to have said this much, she was willing to let Izuku in on the whole truth. "I... can turn myself into other people."

Incredible. What a gift of a power.

Izuku ignored the rogue thought that coursed through his head- he didn't know if that was his inner Quirk nerd talking, but it was clear things weren't that simple. "O-Other people? So... could you turn into me?"

"I-I guess I could. But..." Her eyes flashed with something, a sense of alarm. "Izuku, p-please, I know you promised you'd tell me if it changed how you felt, but I d-don't wanna lose you-"

"Then I promise I'm not going anywhere too." He squeezed her other hand, the one he was still holding, and his inner teenager tried not to flush bright red that he'd been holding her hand for a while. "You're p-part of our group, Himiko. Whatever you s-say, you're not gonna lose me."

For a brief moment a blush crept back onto Himiko's face. "... thank you, Izuku. I... yeah, okay. My Quirk lets me transform into other people but... I need s-something from them before I do."

"Something from them?"

"Y-Yeah... I need some of their blood, Izuku."

Izuku had not been expecting that as her confession, and from the way in which her back tensed as she said it, the way her voice went so small, he could tell that she had just revealed to him the secret she had been holding back on for a long time. "Woah... how does that work?"

"Huh?" She tilted her head on her side, almost curious that he had responded like that. "You're not... scared of me?"

"Sh-should I be?" Izuku squeezed her hand again and felt himself fail to control the colour creeping onto his cheeks. He didn't care though- what he had to say was important and if in some small way he could stop the hurt she was feeling, he would do his best to make sure he could help. "You're you, Himiko. I... I don't worry when I'm around you. None of us do. I just... want to understand."

Himiko bit her lip, before nodding. "I... I need to drink someone's blood so that I can turn into them. Whatever I take in turns into energy, so... The more I drink the longer I can hold onto the form."

"A time limit?" Izuku's eyebrows creased into a frown as he processed this. "H-How much do you need to make it work?"

"I... only need a little bit," Himiko replied, sounding hesitant as she revealed more and more details on how it worked to him. "One cup lets me look and sound like someone for about... maybe a day?"

"Maybe?"

"It's..." She fidgeted beside him. "It's been a while since I had that much."

"You limit what you drink?" Izuku asked, not necessarily understanding that comment.

"I... try to." Himiko took a deep, shuddering breath. "If I go without it for a while it drives me crazy, though. I get... withdrawal symptoms. I get a lot more reckless."

"How do you-"

"Rare steak," she said, with a dark chuckle. "And... my guardian knows a guy who can get blood bags for me, you know, like the ones you get in hospitals? There's a lot more in the system these days because there's more villain fights happening, so if some goes missing every so often, I guess you now know where it goes, huh?"

"So..." Izuku's mind was racing at the possibilities. "Do you have a limit to how many people you can do?"

"Not that I know?" Himiko said, although she sounded unsure. "I think... the most choice I've had was four or five at a time? But I can't copy their Quirks, just their appearance. And that includes clothes, but... oh god this is embarrassing-"

"Embarrassing?"

She looked at him with a slight rosy tint to her cheeks. "I kinda... need to get naked before I transform because their clothes layer on top of my skin. Otherwise I end up looking like a copy of that person in my clothes and it ruins the illusion."

Izuku gulped. "O-Okay, yeah, I can see that might embarrass you if y-you have to get n-naked-"

"I don't suppose you'd mind-"

"GAH!"

Himiko giggled, despite everything, before her smile faded. "You've... taken this better than I thought you would-"

"It's.." Izuku shook his head and focused on her with a faint smile. "It's a really cool Quirk, Himiko."

"Wait, for real?"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"You're not bugged by the idea of me needing to drink people's blood at all?" She asked him, looking a little lost.

"I mean..." Izuku paused, thinking about the words he next used. He had to get them right. "I'm not... used to the idea of someone needing something like this for their Quirk. I-I didn't think it was possible that Quirks would develop like this, but it makes sense for how you would become like someone."

"You're..." She looked at him, and he couldn't read her face. "You... don't think it's disgusting?"

"N-No! I know it's different but... you could do so much with it, it could be a gift for you!" He smiled at her, gently, and squeezed her shoulder again. "You'd be a great Underground Hero with a Quirk like that. All the undercover work you could do with different people's faces- so many groups and gangs you could get into and break up. You'd be amazing."

"... huh." There was a strange look on her face. "There's... only one other person who has ever said something like that to me. My... guardian. Others... didn't see it-"

"Why would they ever-"

"Because not everyone thinks like you!" Her cry was sudden, and took Izuku by surprise. "My parents, t-they thought I was a monster before they died. They tried to get me to go to therapy and the doctors told me I was all wrong because of what I wanted for my Quirk, the vicious little vampire-"

"But you're not wrong." Izuku didn't mean for his voice to be so firm but it had the effect he wanted, as Himiko snapped out of the panicked cry and stared at him. "I-I mean, none of what you do is wrong. Your Quirk is different to others, but-"

"Sometimes I wish I never had it, Izuku," she said, voice trembling as she looked at him. "People think I'm a monster because of it."

You could help her with that, Izuku.

Izuku tried not to show it, but he stiffened just a little at the dark little thought inside his own brain as Himiko told him what she thought of her Quirk. He had no idea where it came from, but it... it was an idea. He hadn't revealed his true powers to anyone besides Tenko and his mother, but he... he felt he could trust Himiko. He could show her, offer her the chance to take her Quirk from her like he had taken the Quirk from the Yakuza. She had opened up to him, so maybe he could do the same, and give her the choice to live without the Quirk that made people call her a monster...

"No..." he muttered to himself. That wasn't an option. If he offered her that, then what he would be saying to her is that he agreed with all those people. That her Quirk was monstrous and a burden, that she should be ashamed of it and look to find a way to live without it. That's not how he felt about her, and that wouldn't help her.

How could he ever hope to be a Hero if he did that to her?

"Izuku..." She looked at him, eyes wide. "What did you mean, no?"

"I don't think you're a monster, Himiko. A monster... would have left me and Tenko to be hurt by that Yakuza. A monster wouldn't have believed me when I said you could become a hero. A monster wouldn't be sitting here in UA with me." He looked at her and settled his voice. "Your power is a gift, Himiko. And I really do think you can become a hero with that power."

Her response knocked the wind out of his lungs. They had been sat against a wall with his arm over her shoulders, but now she turned and buried herself into him in a hug, deceptive strength in her skinny arms. Izuku could do nothing but awkwardly pat her on the back and feel his green hoodie get slightly damp as she seemed to cry into his chest. He really, really hoped he had got it right with her.

It could have been thirty seconds, or five minutes, or five whole years, but after what seemed like an age and was probably just a moment, Himiko lifted herself off of his chest and blinked tears out of her bright yellow eyes, meeting his gaze. "... thank you, Izu."

"Are you... cry-"

"Happy tears, promise." She sniffed. "Sorry for getting them on your hoodie."

He chuckled nervously. "I d-don't mind, honest. Ask Tenko and he'll tell you I cry too much anyway... I'm just glad you're okay."

"I am..." She stared at him, fondly. "You're something else, Izuku. Thank you. I'll... I'll show them what I can do, for now. And then maybe we can see what they think-"

"Do you have enough blood?" Izuku asked, before realising he interrupted. "Sorry, I just... if you wanna show them do you have enough to show it off?"

"Hmmm..." Himiko poked the inside of her cheek with her tongue and pulled a face. "I think I've got enough for a couple of faces, yeah. Why, what do you-"

Izuku's idea in his head was one which a few days ago his brain would have screamed at him for doing. Something about it still seemed alien, unusual, but after all that Himiko had told him and trusted him with it felt right. He made up his mind, and in response to her question he rolled up the sleeve of his hoodie and held out an outstretched bare arm. "... do you want some?"

Himiko blinked, and stared at him. "Izuku, wait, you're-"

"I'm serious." He smiled again, not flinching under her gaze. "If that's how you can show off your Quirk when you're being assessed and it helps then... why wouldn't I? I trust you, so..."

Himiko looked from his face to his arm, and back to meet his gaze. "Izu, I don't know what to say... thank you."

"It's the least I can do right?"

"I would never have asked you but if you're happy for me to do it, then..."

"Sure!"

"Only... do you mind coming with me into my test when we do it?" Himiko asked, shuffling awkwardly. "I just... I'm worried. If I say it's your blood I've used to do it, then-"

"You don't want someone to have the wrong idea about it," Izuku finished, working out why she was worried. "We can ask Present Mic, sure, if that helps?"

"Okay." Himiko blushed, and brushed some of her blonde hair off of her cheek. "There's one other thing-"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Um... it's easier for me to get blood from elsewhere." She rubbed her hand against the side of his neck and moved some of his messy green hair aside, and Izuku's own face went red. "So if you're happy then... I can start here. Although if your mom's never seen a love bite before, she's gonna ask a few questions."

Izuku froze. This girl was going to be the death of him if she kept doing embarrassing stuff like this. "... Oh man. Tenko and Setsuna are gonna love this."

"And you won't?" Himiko teased.

He could feel himself going practically crimson at this point, as he realised that from the hug earlier they had ended up with her straddling his lap. "H-Himiko..."

"Don't worry, I won't tell." She rubbed at his neck with a delicate hand and then breathed on his neck, sending a shiver up his spine and setting the hairs on the back of his neck on end. "Just... relax, okay? It may tingle a little, but trust me, it won't hurt-"

"I trust you-"

"Okay." She flashed a smile at him and Izuku took a moment to appreciate just how much happiness seemed to be in those bright yellow eyes in that moment- it had surprised him how quickly her mood had swung, but he was relieved he had made the difference. "T-Thank you, Izuku..."

With the slightest of nips that briefly made Izuku wince, he felt her pierce the skin and felt the flow of something wet on his neck. It was strange, and as he sat there on the floor he knew what a sight it would be for anyone if they came out into the corridor and saw them both there like this, Himiko in his lap and humming as her tongue lapped up the small bit of blood she was drinking from him. But even if anyone got the wrong idea, or didn't understand, somehow Izuku was okay with it. He knew the truth, and he was happy with it.

He could see the look on her face as she sat there and shifted to nibble at him again, to tease more of the red liquid that fuelled her power from Izuku. That look of happiness as she drank made it all worth it. The willpower it must have taken to confide him would have been immense, and he was so glad she did; he vowed then that he would do what it took to help her, to help show all those who said the most awful things about her how wrong they were.

Taking her Quirk was never an option. Her Quirk was not a burden she had to carry or live in spite of, and her Quirk did not change who she was. Himiko Toga had a gift, and the potential to be a Hero, and Izuku couldn't wait to stand beside her on that journey.

She lifted her mouth from his neck, delicately brushing her lips against his skin to make sure it was clean and ensuring that no mess was left behind; Izuku felt the tingle from that contact run down that spine. "... Heh. I really owe you, Izu."

"That..." He brought his hand up to his neck and brushed where she had punctured the skin. "That doesn't hurt like I thought it would."

"I'm glad," Himiko said, smiling at him with the most shy smile he had seen on her face. "You... don't feel too tired? I tried to limit how much I took so I wouldn't affect you for your test-"

"I'm fine, I just..." Izuku nodded at her, determined. "I just hope you have enough."

She giggled, and any question in Izuku's mind as to whether what he had done was the right thing evaporated. It was worth it just for that smile. "I'll be fine, Izu! I've got you with me, haven't I?"

"All the way!"

"Right! Now we can both go Plus Ultra!" She flashed him a peace sign before stretching like a cat in his lap, a sensation Izuku's teenage brain found far too enjoyable before an exam. "Come on, we better get back before anyone thinks we fled or something!"

"R-Right! Let's do this!" Izuku took her hand as she leapt up ahead of him, and as they walked back to class he couldn't help but notice the way in which she was suddenly bouncing with each step, humming under her breath, as if the Atlantean weight of her Quirk was no longer crushing her. Maybe his actions had shown her that she would be accepted, that she shouldn't fear her own Quirk; if he had done that even a little then Izuku was over the moon. And maybe, just maybe, they'd make it through the exam together after all...

"Say Izuku, I wonder how Tenko's getting on?"

(***)

"I'm here to see what the future holds for you."

For a moment in the small UA classroom where his Quirk Assessment was due to take place, Tenko Shimura stood defiant under the implacable stare of Sir Nighteye, the Pro Hero brought in by UA to assess him and the others. "You wanna know what the next mission looks like for me, huh?"

Nighteye's yellow eyes, framed by his glasses and always giving nothing away, blinked. "Something like that. If I were to use your interesting sense of analogy, consider me the gate guardian, checking that you meet the minimum rank requirements."

"You game?" Tenko frowned. "Probably gonna sound rude, but you don't seem the type."

"I wouldn't say that I am, although I must confess, I do play a fair bit of All Might: Texas Smash."

"Huh. Unexpected." Tenko allowed himself a little smirk. "It was better than Missouri Smash, I'll give ya that. Nothing beats Detroit Smash though."

"I see you're a fan of the classics." Nighteye pushed his glasses further up his nose and steepled his fingers, a serious look never leaving his face. "But that's not why we're here to talk."

"Right. You wanna see my Quirk."

"Precisely," Nighteye confirmed, looking Tenko up and down. "I've read the notes in your file. Decay seems to be an interesting Quirk, in principle, and one I can't say I've seen in a Pro Hero before."

"First time for everything, right?" Tenko replied, although there was something about the way Nighteye looked at him that made him a little nervous.

"I'll be the judge of that." Nighteye gestured to Tenko's hands. "I note your gloves aren't entirely fingerless. All five fingertips have to touch something in order for Decay to be effective, and you've made yourself gloves which prevent you from normally being able to touch anything with all five fingers."

"That's right..." Tenko said, hesitant. "What are you-"

"Take them off." The blunt way in which Nighteye said it made it clear he wasn't making a request. "I want to see your Quirk at work without limits."

Tenko complied, but there was something about the way in which the Pro Hero appeared to be staring at him that made him feel deeply uncomfortable. "Fine, what do you-"

"What I want is simple." Nighteye strode behind the desk that he had been sat down at when Tenko entered the room, and Tenko was briefly in awe at the height of All Might's former sidekick, a tower of a man. When he got over this, he realised only now that Nighteye had a number of objects lined up along the edge of the desk. "I'm going to see how quickly you can respond with your Quirk, and the level to which you can make it take effect. There are a number of items here of varying size and weight to test you on, which I will throw to you, and assess your speed in being able to decay them with your Quirk. Does that sound simple enough?"

"Maybe too simple." Tenko couldn't help how wary he felt. "Where's the catch? There's usually some easter egg or hidden requirement in a challenge like this, what gives?"

"That's all I ask, Tenko." Nighteye flexed his fingers and brushed over one of the objects. "I will ask some questions, but ultimately I am not going to ask you to fight me, or do something utterly extraordinary. UA is here to teach you how to fight, to bring out the best in you. I am not foolish enough to expect you to already be at the level of a fledgling Pro Hero without any formal training."

"R-Right." Tenko wasn't reassured at all by the man's blunt tone, but he nodded. If this was what it took to get in and support Izuku, he could do it. "Then let's get this done."

"Quite so. First object." Nighteye nodded to himself, selecting a small eraser and throwing it underarm at Tenko. "Does your Quirk have an instantaneous effect?"

Tenko caught the eraser, pinched it between his fingertips, and smirked to himself as Decay turned it to ash in a mere second. "Does that answer your question?"

"Hm." Nighteye didn't respond immediately, instead making a small note on the paper in front of him. This time he selected a plastic ruler, larger and thicker, and tossed it like a boomerang. "Do certain objects hold up longer under Decay?"

This time when Tenko caught the ruler in the middle, the plastic cracked and eroded through, meaning that two halves of the ruler fell from Tenko's grasp to the floor, no longer continuing to corrode into dust without him holding them. "Most stuff decays at the same rate but... you can see what happens depending on size, width, mass, y'know."

"Interesting." Nighteye's eyebrows scrunched slightly, and this time he threw a larger tape dispenser underarm to Tenko. "I see that your Quirk does not continue when you are no longer holding the object. Are you able to cancel at all? Perhaps with the dispenser, you could cancel before the tape?"

Tenko shook his head, as the whole object crumpled into oblivion. "As long as I touch it, Decay destroys it."

"So there is a limit..." Nighteye scribbled something further, and then hefted what appeared to be a sealing stamp in his hand. "I'm currently holding one of my trademark High-Density Seals. I use these in my Hero work as a means to incapacitate villains. Their mass is far greater than their size would suggest, so perhaps this may provide some challenge."

"Got it." Tenko caught the Seal and tried to act nonchalant, despite the weight surprising him and nearly making him take a step back. "What's the question this time?"

"Do you consider your Quirk to be dangerous?"

"Uhh..." Tenko was taken aback, especially as he had to concentrate to give Decay a little boost to its usual strength, so that he could rot through the Seal in his hand. "Yeah of course I do. I have an OP destruction-type ability in my fingertips that could really hurt someone, why would I ever think it's not dangerous?"

"Do you think you can be a Hero with a dangerous Quirk?"

Tenko frowned, as the Seal succumbed to his Quirk at last. "All Quirks can be dangerous depending on who uses them. Endeavor burns people alive on a monthly basis and he's still our Number One."

"Regrettably I can't argue with that assessment. Although I am not here to assess Endeavor." Nighteye scribbled something again, not looking at him. "Do you think Decay is too dangerous for a Hero to possess?"

"... Why would I think that?" Tenko was trying not to let this piss him off, but the anger was creeping into his voice now. "My friends believe in me, and I wanna make a difference. I'm tired of Heroes not doing enough to make people feel safe and I wanna help. If I can use Decay to do it, then I will-"

"But will you use Decay, or will it use you?"

"Hey, what gives?" Tenko asked, balling the hand he wasn't using into a fist. "What is that supposed to mean, you old-"

"Scrutiny is an important part of the admissions process to this school," Nighteye interrupted, before Tenko could insult him. "But to answer your question more succinctly, I want to be sure you're in control of your Quirk."

"In control?! Hell yeah I'm in control-"

"And yet you wear your gloves all the time, to prevent you from touching anything with all five fingertips unless you desire." Nighteye scribbled another small note, and grabbed a metal ball the size of an apple from the desk. "How do you control Decay without your gloves?"

Tenko caught the ball as it was thrown underarm and made a point to leave his pinky finger pointed away from the ball, and gestured at the Pro Hero with the intact metal sphere. "All five fingertips, remember? Yeah it's easier with the gloves, that's why I choose to wear them, but I can hold back without them."

Nighteye sat back in the chair as Tenko tossed the metal ball to the side, watching it thump to the floor with a clang. "Hm."

"Anything else you want me to destroy before we're done with your little tutorial quest?"

"Not... something to destroy, per se." Nighteye looked over at the last object on the desk, and picked it up. "Don't use your Quirk on this one. I want you to look at this and tell me what you see."

Tenko frowned as Nighteye passed him the object, and stared at it in confusion. What he had been handed was a medium-sized picture frame, no bigger than the average tablet, but containing a photo of... a woman. What was strange was that there was something nagging at the back of Tenko's mind as he looked at the woman, a wide smile on her face, soulful black eyes framed by black bangs sticking out of her otherwise straight black hair. "Who... who is this?"

"Interesting... you don't recognise her at all?"

"... Should I?"

"Perhaps. She's a former Pro Hero from a number of years ago. She wasn't necessarily one of the top Heroes, so I wouldn't blame you for not knowing immediately."

"What was her Hero name?"

Nighteye paused. "... I never knew her Hero name. I just knew of her and her real name, and I knew that she was one of the greatest Heroes the world never knew of. Her name... was Nana Shimura."

Nana...

At the sound of that name, Tenko didn't know why but he started shaking, hands trembling as he held the picture frame of the beaming woman. Something ached inside, and he didn't know what. "No... no no, surely you're not-"

"Nana Shimura had a child," Nighteye continued, rising from the desk and striding over towards Tenko, a cold pillar of emotional indifference. "She gave her child up for adoption in order to fight a villain who took her life, and he never forgave her. All his life, he lived resenting Heroes, spreading that message to his family. To his children... to you. Tenko Shimura, son of Kotaro. Grandson of Nana."

"What... what the hell is this-"

Nighteye loomed over Tenko like an iceberg in a suit, cold and imposing. "Only your father is no longer alive. Nor are the rest of your family, Tenko Shimura. Only you."

"Why the hell would you bring up my family-"

"Because you're all that's left of the Shimuras now, aren't you?" Nighteye folded his arms. "You are the last Shimura left alive, and I find myself concerned by your existence. I have no doubt that you never knew your grandmother, but... no trace of your family was ever found after Incident Zero. And yet, here you are, Decay at your fingertips, the sole survivor."

Tenko was shaking so hard he didn't realise that his pinky finger had now touched the picture frame, the photo of Nana Shimura beginning to corrode in his hands. "Get away from me-"

Nighteye moved to take a step forward, but with only a fraction of a second of warning Tenko tipped his head back and cried out as if in pain, as the remains of the photo frame clattered to the floor. The older Pro took a step back and frowned as the air itself seemed to vibrate around Tenko, and Nighteye realised almost immediately that something wasn't quite right. The hard floor underneath Tenko cracked and withered as if it had been touched by his fingertips, and as the desk in the room shook, a pencil which fell off the edge seemed to hit an invisible barrier in the air and crumbled to dust.

"A field..." Nighteye murmured to himself. "His Quirk... reacted to me?"

"Don't you... DARE TALK ABOUT THEM!" Tenko yelled, anguish palpable in his voice, and the floor splintered again with a horrible crack.

"Tenko Shimura!" The shout from Nighteye was barked as if it were an order, demanding his attention. "The past is not my concern."

Tenko blinked, as the air rippled around him, and seemed to shake off some of the anger that had surfaced in that moment. "Then why would you give me a flashback prompt-"

"I'm not here to deal with your secrets, Tenko Shimura," Nighteye said, raising his voice as Tenko grit his teeth and struggled, the air still vibrating as if there was an aura around the boy. "Whatever happened in the past will remain a mystery to all of us, and the truth is something I doubt we'll ever fully know. But if you are a threat to anyone in the future, then I cannot allow you to start at this school. Nor can I allow you to leave this room. That is why I'm here, after all."

"It's as I said to you." Nighteye's yellow eyes suddenly glowed purple as he met the gaze of Tenko, completely distracting Tenko from the thoughts of his family. "I'm here to see what the future holds for you."

Darkness...

A lone man clutching a sword of terrible edges stood under lamplight, and held the sword to the neck of a blue-haired boy...

A green haired young man with freckles and wide green eyes stood by the side of the boy, as a black mass opened a horrendous beaked mouth and screamed like a banshee...

The blue-haired stood in the rubble of a wrecked city, tatters in his school uniform as other students stood beside him and tried not to cower in the wake of an aura of overwhelming evil...

Bright lights twinkled like stars and sang like angels...

"I won't let you... All For One!"

Darkness...

Nighteye blinked and staggered, as the air around Tenko seemed to settle and the boy collapsed to his knees, gasping in breaths of air. "Ah. I am... apparently out of practice."

"What..." Tenko was in shock, and trying to get his breath back under control. "What just happened to me..."

"A downside of my Quirk, I'm afraid." Nighteye composed himself, straightened his tie, adjusted his glasses. "I... cannot go into details, as my Quirk is kept from the public's knowledge, but it may have caused your own Quirk to respond in stress. My apologies... I did not mean to push you too far."

"... Whatever." Tenko had got his breath back now, and glared at the Pro. "That better have been worth it. Are you happy you dragged up my family now?"

"I am... satisfied," Nighteye responded, eventually, before he picked up a pen and scribbled a note on his page. "You may go back to the others and await the results of the assessment. Thank you for the demonstration."

"Am I calling the next one in?"

"No, thank you. I'll do that myself."

"Fine. Just do me a favour and spare that person the interrogation, will ya?" Tenko grimaced. "Weirdest minigame ever."

As the door clicked shut behind Tenko, who couldn't have left quicker if he tried, Nighteye slumped into the chair and groaned, reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket for a bottle of eye drops. "I... should have practiced before I met with him." Eye drops in, he picked up his mobile phone from the edge of the desk, noting with some relief that it had survived the carnage and not been touched by Decay. "I'm not what I used to be."

Within a couple of rings, the phone was answered. "Mirai! You are done with the Shimura boy already?"

"Nezu," Nighteye acknowledged, grimacing as he blinked his eyes. "My apologies that I have not been able to get as clear a vision as I used to manage. It appears a lack of practice on my part has clouded my Foresight."

"... I feared this may happen. Were you..."

"I was able to get some details."

"And what did you see?" If Nighteye didn't know better, he could have sworn he heard Nezu lean forward in his chair over the phone. "What happens to Tenko Shimura?"

"He comes to UA. That much I can be certain of. He... wore your uniform."

"So he's safe enough?"

"I'm... not sure." Nighteye frowned. "He seems aligned with your students, but... he is fated to come face to face with evil. The Hero Killer, and some awful unknown creatures."

"I see..." Nezu was silent for a second. "Very well."

"There's more, Principal. I... heard the name we both feared. His name." Nighteye let out a breath. "He names All For One in the vision I saw."

"He's still alive." Nezu seemed unsurprised, and resigned to this revelation. "After all All Might did for us, it pains me to hear this."

"I share the sentiment, believe me."

"Alright. Thank you, Mirai. It appears if your visions are correct-"

"Set in stone, as always-"

"-then Tenko Shimura must be one of my students this year. That said, I cannot say I hold much comfort in the knowledge that sooner or later, All For One will come for my students. To place them into conflict with an individual like that... I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"I cannot offer you my services at UA. Not with my investigations into the Yakuza continuing as they are-"

"Nor would I ask you to forego your work on those, Mirai. Your work in tackling them is a great service to all."

"Thank you. But as much as I must continue, I will not leave you to face fate with no assistance at all." Nighteye pocketed his pen. "I have an assignment this week with a targeted operation towards the Shie Hassaikai. Perhaps we can meet after my work there is done?"

"I would welcome the opportunity to meet." A clink of china came from Nezu's end of the call, and it was clear the chimaera had just taken a sip of tea. "Please, old friend, take some rest for yourself before you assess any more students. I am grateful for your help, but I know that Foresight will have taken a toll."

"I will gratefully take a break before the next one. Thank you, Nezu." Nighteye hung up the phone before hearing from the Principal, and just for a moment he took a look at the devastation in the room which had been caused by Tenko, the small piles of ash on the floor, the cracks in the concrete.

"Well now," he said to himself, turning over to the next page and circling the name of the next student he would be assessing, "first Tenko Shimura, and now his friend. I wonder how you will fare, Izuku Midoriya..."

(***)

Izuku Midoriya and Himiko Toga. Aged- 15.

Tenko Shimura. Aged- 17.

Mirai Sasaki, Sir Nighteye. Aged- 38.

(***)

A/N: If you thought we were getting Himiko's exam and Izuku's exam this chapter, you underestimated my love for cliffhangers. That and you maybe overestimated how happy I am writing really long chapters. We're at 7000 words here without them, I was never going to stuff it even fuller when I can tease for next time instead...

Tenko and Nighteye is a big moment for the story. I hope you all enjoy that one, and the knowledge that the next time we see Izuku, he gets to go before Nighteye too. Foresight has already been used now though... in any event, we've got some others to see next chapter though, so you'll have to wait. As yet unsure if it'll be Dabi and Shoto, or villains. Maybe even both.

Anyway, we hit 600 favourites and 750 followers as of yesterday. You lot are bloody insane to be giving me those sorts of numbers, especially at this stage with a lot of worldbuilding and all going on, but I cannot stress how grateful I am. Genuinely, thank you so much.

325 reviews were passed this week too- you're all amazing! Real life has been hard this week, so sorry if I've not responded to you yet if you reviewed- work has been hell :(

You know the drill- if you enjoyed this please leave a review, I love hearing from people and having a chat about BNHA and the fic in general. If you haven't already, please also favourite and follow, and feel free to check out my other work. I've done a Shigaraki self-insert called Decay I'm quite proud of, which has had its Pilot chapter posted; feel free to show that some love.

Ya boy, out.