A/N: We finally see the principal of Besupin Heroes' Alliance!

As Izuku stepped onto the campus of Heroes' Alliance the next morning, the sheer immensity of what he was about to do began to weigh on his shoulders as he stared up at the flag flying in the breeze. The school building before them was big, about as large as the Yuuei dorms had been, if not bigger.

Inko squeezed his hand and smiled up at him. "You ready?"

He looked from her to the building again. Somehow, it felt as if he was about to change the course of his life. Whether for better or worse, he still didn't know. Swallowing his nervousness, he firmly nodded. "Let's go."

The building was sparsely-decorated inside, with gray tiled floors and oak-brown walls. There was a potted plant here, a bench there, and as they made their way to the elevator, Izuku caught the faintest glimpse of someone hide behind the corner when they noticed him looking.

He raised a brow, but otherwise put whoever it was out of his mind as the elevator arrived and they stepped in.

When the silvery doors closed behind them and Inko pressed the button for the third floor, she mentioned, "If they do accept you - no, when they accept you - we'll be able to get your paperwork in before winter break is over so that you can transfer in the first week of the second semester." She smiled. "Isn't that neat?"

"You sound so sure that I'll be able to get in."

"Why wouldn't I?" She seemed a bit taken aback. "You're my Izuku. Of course you'll get in."

The elevator chimed, and before Izuku could retort, she grasped his hand and led him out as the doors slid open.

Large windows overlooking the center of campus cast cheerful streams of sunlight into the hall, warm against his skin as they neared a door, the plate reading 'HEADMASTER'S OFFICE'.

Knocking twice on the door, both waited for a second.

"Enter," a voice called from within.

Inko looked at her son. Izuku looked at his mother.

Slowly, he opened the door and followed her inside.

The office was more full than the hall outside. A grand, oak desk and matching chair was snugly against the opposite wall, and two grand windows flanked it at either side. The blinds were open, allowing the light to stream into the office. A bookshelf was against one wall, full of different books and tomes, and a rich mahogany rug sat in the middle of the floor. On the wall next to the door was a large hutch that held different framed pictures and trophies and certificates.

The principal looked up from her laptop, reading glasses on the bridge of her nose. She smiled kindly at the two, honey-brown eyes twinkling as she shut the laptop lid and sat up straighter, smoothing down her indigo-purple blazer and white turtleneck. "Welcome, Midoriya-san. Please, have a seat, both of you."

The middle-aged woman was quite pretty; she had black hair in a chic pixie-cut with streaks of gray going down from her scalp in several spots. When she smiled, her eyes crinkled at the corners with crows' feet and her rosy-painted lips creased at the edges.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Principal Inoue," Inko greeted as she and Izuku sat down in the two cushioned chairs before the desk.

"It's always my pleasure to welcome prospective heroes to our humble school." She chuckled lightly, gesturing to the school crest above her on the wall. "Now, Mrs. Midoriya, I know we spoke over the phone. This is your son?"

"Yes, Midoriya Izuku." Inko patted his hand as he bowed his head at the principal.

"Midoriya Izuku, huh?" She seemed to recognize him at once, eyes lighting up as she clasped her gloved hands together and rested her chin atop her interlaced fingers. "I recognized your name from the Yuuei Sports Festival this year. You did quite well, as I recall."

"Y- yeah," he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thank you."

"It will be good to have someone with so much experience already in our school," she continued. "Of course, our students aren't wet behind the ears themselves, but I doubt the majority of our first-year classes have had the experience with villains that you have."

He winced at the reminder. You don't know the half of it.

"You don't have to worry," she reassured, smiling at the look on his face. "I can assure you, our school doesn't see even half the villainous traffic that Yuuei does on a yearly basis. We turn out more graduates, sure, but not all of them go into heroics - even some of our Gen Ed students are only here because of our academics. We don't turn out top-ten heroes, but I'd like to think we turn out less traumatized ones!"

Inko laughed politely at her attempt at humor. "Well, I already feel safer leaving my boy here than at Yuuei."

"Have you heard of Heroes' Alliance Academy before, Izuku?" Inoue asked kindly.

He shook his head. "The only thing I know about it is that I've met some students that go here."

"Is that right…" She hummed. "Well, our little school is formally known as Besupin Heroes' Alliance Academy, or BHAA for short. I am the founder, and I've been the principal for as long as this school has existed, almost twenty years now. In fact, a couple of staff members here graduated from Yuuei too - but instead of becoming full-time heroes, dedicate some of their time to teaching our kids."

"Wow," he breathed. "Did you… did you also go to Yuuei?"

She paused, then, and a flash of pain went across her eyes for the briefest of seconds before it disappeared. "Yes. I was a student at Yuuei for approximately a year before I left. It wouldn't have worked out for me, and so I sought education elsewhere."

The tense tone in her voice made him lean forward, eyes wide. Maybe she was like him. Maybe she understood.

"People constantly told me that I wouldn't be able to become a hero, so I accepted my withdrawal with grace and left for another school." She opened her arms with a smile. "And once I graduated, I went on to university to get degrees in teaching and administration, and just like that - this academy was born."

"What…" he had to ask. "What kind of hero did you want to be?"

Her eyes softened at the eagerness in his voice. "I had dreamed of being a Pro, ever since I was a little girl. I thought Yuuei would be the fastest way to do that, but… it seems that wasn't in the cards for me. In a way, I did become one - now I'm a hero to the students I teach."

"How inspiring," Inko piped up quietly. "I admire your tenacity, Inoue-san."

"Thank you." She chortled, grabbing some papers and tapping them on the desk. "Now, to get to the actual important part of this interview. I've heard bits and pieces of why you left Yuuei, but I don't have the full story. Do you mind filling in the gaps on what happened?"

All eyes turned to Izuku now, and he swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"Well," he began carefully, "to make a long story short, they accused me of being a villain."

Principal Inoue's eyes widened a fraction, and she leaned forward on her hands. "Interesting. Care to elaborate?"

He took a shaky breath. He felt his mother squeeze his hand to comfort him. "Ever since school began this year, there have been rumors about a mole leaking information to the League of Villains. We almost lost All Might, a student got kidnapped, and later on, someone apparently told the staff about… about my notebooks."

Inoue raised a brow at that, so Inko quickly cut in, "Izuku has been keeping hero analysis books ever since he could write. He loves to write about the heroes he likes."

Nodding slowly, the woman gestured with her chin. "Go ahead."

He squeezed his eyes shut, the memories forcing themselves to the surface. "I only wrote them to help, I… I really did. But I went into too much detail, because they… they…"

His throat clogged up with emotion, and he found it hard to keep the tears at bay. He choked out, "They questioned me about them… and…"

Principal Inoue waved a hand, her brow knit together in sympathy. "I've heard enough. I'm so sorry, Midoriya-san. You didn't deserve to be treated that way."

He let out a breath.

"I just couldn't keep him there after they tortured him like that," Inko chimed in, her other hand cupping his. "I'm just relieved he found such kind students from this school. I was beginning to lose hope."

The older woman was quiet for a minute.

Then, she caught their attention. "Inko, would you mind stepping out for a minute so that I can speak with Izuku alone?"

Inko's grip tightened and she responded warily, "... May I ask why?"

"I have no ill intentions, I assure you." She smiled, folding her hands in her lap. "I only want to confirm a few things in confidence. Things that he may not be comfortable talking about around his mother."

"I've been a single parent for eleven years of his life," she said evenly, but as Izuku looked at her he could see the suspicion in her eyes. "We don't keep secrets. Anything you can say to him, you can say to me too."

Guilt churned in his stomach at the gigantic secret he was still keeping from her. As much as he admired his mother stepping up for him, he shook his head and quietly replied, "It's okay, Mom."

"Are you sure, baby?" She searched his face out of worry. "I don't want you to be hurt again."

"I… I'll be okay."

She looked into his eyes for a few seconds more. Finally she sighed heavily and attempted to smile at him, and patted his cheek. "Alright. If you need me, don't be afraid to yell. I'll be here."

"Thank you." He gave her a grateful look as she got up from the chair.

Brushing off her skirt, she gave Principal Inoue a look. "Please take care of my son."

"Of course, Mrs. Midoriya." She nodded to the tiny woman. "I wouldn't dream of doing anything to cause him harm."

She nodded to herself. "Okay." Then, quieter, "Okay."

Inko made her way to the door, pausing a second to glance back at the two before heading out.

Once the door clicked shut softly behind her, Izuku met the principal's eyes, his shoulders tensing the minutest bit.

The principal, to her own benefit, remained peacefully calm. She kept up her smile until Inko left, and the second the door shut, she leaned forward and her expression grew more sympathetic.

"I truly am sorry for what happened to you, Midoriya," she repeated, voice soft with kindness. "Believe me, I know what you're going through. No child deserves to be villainized for circumstances beyond their control."

"You know that I left Yuuei after only a year. I mentioned that before." She continued, watching as the tension left his shoulders. "Well… I never mentioned my Quirk."

Izuku's eyes widened a fraction, and he leaned in. "What… is your Quirk?"

She smiled wryly and showed him her hands, which had been unremarkable this whole time. She had on black gloves with the index removed, revealing her pale finger.

The breath left his chest as he understood exactly what that meant.

She chuckled lightly. "I'm sure you've already figured it out, but… my Quirk is an emitter-type. For it to work, I need all five fingers to be touching a certain object."

"And… they thought you would become a villain," his voice was breathy and quiet, so full of confusion and wonder.

"Exactly." She lowered her hand below the table again. "This was before even your current principal was there, so I really can't say anything for or against his methods, questionable as they can be. But I can say that Yuuei in and of itself has had a problem with its students for a very, very long time."

"But I… I don't understand," he stammered. "What could be so wrong with your Quirk? No Quirk is inherently evil."

"I agree," she nodded. "But to our society, a great emphasis is based upon what you can see of it. Quirks that cause mass destruction can either be labeled as powerful or villainous just due to superficial reasons. Who the person is. What their home life is. What their mindset is. There is no rehabilitation for those society has already decided to give up on."

A hint of bitterness rang in her voice as she gestured to the other wall, where he looked to see several framed photos on it, several different people standing with her in the center of campus holding a diploma.

"But this school… I have dedicated my entire life to making sure those that society deems irredeemable will never have to suffer what I did." Her voice trembled and her other hand came up to clench over her heart. "The children like you, the beaten down, the disregarded, the abandoned… I don't want to see an entire generation growing up believing they're useless or evil simply because of what they were born with - or without."

Izuku startled a bit, and when she met his eyes, he looked down.

She smiled kindly. "Your teacher filled me in yesterday. You are very brave, Izuku, and I would love nothing more than to have you in my roster. I truly believe you will blossom here."

"Even though I was…"

"My best friend since childhood is Quirkless," she admitted. "Believe me when I say you are not defective. You are not broken. You were made to be who you are. What others will see as a curse, I see as a blessing in disguise."

"But you grew up different," he protested quietly with a shake of his head.

"Did I?" She kindly asked. "I was bullied too. Mercilessly."

He clenched his eyes shut for a second before looking up, choking, "I didn't know he told you that."

"He didn't." She nodded towards the door. "Your mother did."

He didn't say anything more, his head hung low as he tried to keep his tears at bay.

"You are a remarkable young man, Midoriya Izuku. If you'll accept, I would love you here at my school." She stood from her desk and made her way towards him.

The only thing he saw was her boots as they clicked into his line of sight, before she squatted down before him and he felt her gentle gloved hand cup his cheek. The soft material of the glove felt cool against his heated skin as she tipped his head up, and he was able to see her honey-brown eyes soft and searching.

"You are not broken," she whispered, her thumb swiping under his eyelid. "You are you."

He nodded jerkily.

Smiling, she stood and called, "Mrs. Midoriya, we're ready for you to come back in."

The door opened and Inko swept in hurriedly, her heels clacking on the tile as she shut the door behind herself and went to her chair, looking into her son's teary face.

"Baby, are you okay?" She asked quietly, swiping at a tear gathering at the edge of his eye.

He nodded again, attempting to smile at her. "Y- yeah, I'm okay."

"Welcome back, Mrs. Midoriya." Inoue's voice was warm as she went back to her desk. "We discussed quite a bit while you were out. I believe it would be in both of your best interests if I recommend someone for Izuku to speak to while we get ready for the next semester of school."

"A therapist?" Inko questioned.

"Yes." She nodded as she pulled a pamphlet out of a drawer at the left side of her desk. Handing it to the woman, she continued, "I have a good friend in mind that I know would be able to help your son work through his trauma. He's very good at what he does."

"I definitely agree," she nodded emphatically as she accepted the pamphlet. "With it just being me, I regret that I haven't been able to be there for him as much as he's needed me. Maybe having another person to talk to, a man, would be good for him."

I don't need anyone else, Izuku wanted to retort. I don't want anyone else. I can't afford to open up to anyone else.

"Your son is a remarkable young man already," Inoue warmly said. "You've brought him up well, Midoriya-san. I will be honored to have him here."

"Thank you, Principal Inoue." She bowed at the waist and stuffed the pamphlet into a side pocket on her purse. "I greatly appreciate it."

Turning to her son, she smiled brightly. "What do you say, Izuku? Do you think this is where you want to be?"

He thought about it for a moment, eyes going from his mother to the principal and back again. Did he want to be there?

The last time I believed that, look where it got me, he thought sardonically. But, heaving a sigh, he nodded. "Yes."

"Excellent." Inoue seemed to sag a little in relief, and her smile grew bigger as she sat down behind the desk again. "I'll send you the rest of the enrollment packet over email sometime today. Get that in as soon as you can, and once that's done, he'll be officially in our school roster."

"Thank you so much," Inko repeated, reaching out to take the hand offered to her. Shaking it firmly, she sighed, "It was great to meet you, Inoue-san."

"You as well, Midoriya-san." The principal's tone was soft, yet quietly empathetic, as she searched the heavier woman's eyes. "I wish you luck. Both of you."

As soon as mother and son were gone, their hushed voices fading from earshot and the door closed once more, Inoue sagged back against her chair with a heaved sigh of relief.

Pressing the intercom button, she said, "Kuu-kun, please come here."

As her finger left it, she covered her face with her hands, feeling the material soothe her flushed skin. She stared at the ceiling with her lips pursed, thoughts swirling around her head enough to make her dizzy.

A knock sounded at the door, and she said, "Enter."

Mochizuki Kuuto pushed the door open and stepped in, gray eyes soft and his smile kind at his friend.

"How did it go?" He inquired.

"He's in." She tried to smile at him, but it felt flat. "I should feel victorious, Kuu-kun. But I just don't know. The things they did to him at Yuuei…"

"Is it worse than it was when we went there?"

"Way worse." She heaved an exhausted breath. "They interrogated a child over notebooks. A child, Kuuto. And then they expected him to go back as if nothing ever happened."

The noiret winced, moving to place a hand on her shoulder.

"I just don't know when the world became so cruel," she bemoaned. "True, it was bad when we were his age, but the kid was Quirkless. He has one of the most powerful Quirks of his generation - nay, of history - and they just… pushed him away."

"No matter how useful you are, if you prove to go against the status quo they will stop at nothing to be rid of you." His baritone voice was soothing balm on her frayed nerves as his hand squeezed her shoulder. "You did good, 'Suka-chan."

Inoue lay her hand atop his and grasped his fingers, a pained grimace on her face. "I should report the bastard."

"Don't," her friend pleaded quietly.

"I really should, Kuuto." She insisted, her face pinching as she opened the laptop again. "If that's what they think leadership is…"

"They had no one else."

"They had me!" She finally shouted, slamming her hand on her desk.

The loud noise made him wince, yet his grip remained on her shoulder.

"I'm older, true, but I'm no less capable." Her voice wobbled with barely-concealed rage as she began typing an email. "I actually went to school for administration and I have a valid teaching license that I renew every time it expires. I care for my kids, Kuu-kun. What do I have that a glorified rat doesn't?"

Kuuto kept silent as she kept typing, her fingers jabbing at the keys harshly.

Finally, she sighed and leaned against the chair again. "What did I have that they didn't want?" She questioned quietly. "My Quirk? My dreams? My family ?"

"You're too good for them, Asuka," he soothed, leaning in to rest his chin atop her head. "They didn't want you because they were terrified of what you were truly capable of."

She kept quiet as he lay his hands on both shoulders, peering at the opposite wall. Above the massive hutch was a single photograph - the day of her graduation from university. He flanked one side and another friend from Shiketsu, Kamiya, was at the other. All three of them were beaming at the camera, but none of them shone nearly as bright as Inoue had as she held her certificate.

Both were quiet for a few moments before Inoue looked up at him. "I'm going to destroy the son of a bitch."

"Asuka-chan…"

"No, I'm serious." She shook her head, her eyes filled with inhuman determination as she turned back to the laptop and began typing anew. "I'm going to make Yuuei regret the day they ruined that kid if it's the last thing I do. And when I succeed…"

Her painted lips curled into a wicked grin. "... I'm going to make sure Japan… no, the world, never forgets what a mistake they made in letting him go in the first place."

Kuuto stared at her worriedly as her fingers flew across the keys, his lips tightly pressed together into a line.

After a minute, he sighed. "I'm worried you're biting off more than you can chew. Yuuei is stronger than you might think."

"I know how strong they are," she interjected hotly. "I was a student there, remember? I know what they're capable of. They turned out All Might and Endeavor, for heaven's sake. One of them is forcibly retired and the other is a hotheaded menace, so I'm not that scared of them."

"I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Oh believe me, Kuu-kun," she chuckled lightly, "I've been dreaming of this day ever since they handed me my withdrawal papers."

"We're home!" Inko announced as she carried a bag between her teeth.

Izuku frowned as he heard footsteps from within. His heart clenched when Hisashi came into view, his happy look fading into one of concern.

"Izuku," he began, and the boy shrunk back, "what happened to your hair?"

"I got him in for a quick dye," his mother answered instead. "Doesn't the black look better? It hides the color well."

"Well yes, but- but your hair is so distinctive!" Hisashi reached out as if to touch it, but Izuku ducked by at the last minute. "Surely you don't mean to keep it like this."

Both pairs of eyes were on him now. Inko smiled secretively towards him and nodded, and he took a breath - and looked the man square in the face.

"Yes," he stated quietly. "I am keeping it."

Hisashi looked as if he wanted to argue, yet he held his tongue and shook his head slowly before turning his attention, thankfully, towards the small woman.

"Inko, darling, you should have asked for help," he scolded, gently taking the bag from her teeth. "What's this?"

"Dinner," she replied. "Why?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but he pressed his lips together into a smile. "Tomura has a sensitive stomach, that's all."

"Don't worry, I remember," she waved off his words almost tersely. "Is he here?"

"He's in his room. I'll call him down." He turned and walked away with the bag.

Izuku let out a quiet breath he didn't know he was holding, and she placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. Her face was pinched, but she attempted to smile at her son.

"I know," she soothed. "Just hold on. We're in this together."

"Together," he echoed.

They took off their shoes and put on their slippers, heading into the small kitchen to set the rest of it on the counter where the other lone bag was. Izuku set down the tray of drinks while Inko counted out the takeaway bowls of food, setting Tomura's aside for him to take.

Izuku took his food and attempted to sneak away, but his mother's grasp on the back of his shirt made him freeze.

"I know this is hard," she said, "but I really do want to try and make an effort to mend this family. I'm not asking you to accept Hisashi, but… at least try to be civil?"

He remained quiet, his head bowing.

"Please?" She begged quietly. "For me?"

He didn't get a chance to answer, as Hisashi entered the kitchen with Tomura slinking in behind him. His hair fell limply over his face, shadowing his eyes as he scanned the counter.

"This one is yours," Inko pointed out, grabbing the plastic-topped bowl and handing it to him with a tentative smile.

He took it without another word before turning and disappearing from sight.

Hisashi watched him go and heaved a sigh, shaking his head. "I'm sorry about that. He's still adjusting. For so long he's been my only protégé, and it's difficult for him to share me."

"As long as neither of you lay a hand on our son," Inko replied, grabbing her chopsticks, "then he's welcome to stay."

"Inko," he tried.

"No, Hisashi." Her voice began to tremble as she stabbed her chopsticks into her rice. "You will never understand how horrifying it is to hear firsthand from your child's mouth that he was held at metaphorical gunpoint and that you've almost lost him to a random villain attack."

Izuku couldn't even look at the man, Yoichi's words making a sick feeling rise in his gut. Suddenly he found it very hard to eat, and he set his utensils on a napkin.

"Izuku?" Hisashi's voice called out. "Are you alright?"

"He's had a long day," Inko replied for him, placing a hand on his back. "Honey, do you want to go lie down?"

He nodded silently, pushing back from the counter.

As he made his way towards the hall, Hisashi called out to him again. "Congratulations on getting into that school, son."

He paused in the doorway, hand grasping the wood. His fingers tightened over it, and he fought the urge to vomit.

"You did get in, right?" The smile on the older man's face was utterly saccharine. "You're my boy, of course you did."

Finally, he turned to look at him. With all of the energy he could muster, he choked out, "Thanks."

"I heard from Kurogiri about your electronics," he continued as if Izuku hadn't spoken. "One of the League confirmed earlier that a team from Yuuei tracked them down to the warehouse they were left in."

They were looking for me.

A lump settled in the teenage boy's throat and he turned away, leaving the kitchen as quickly as he could.

They must think I'm dead.

A/N: Fun fact: The extended scene with the principal and another staff member was originally planned to be a deleted scene - but at the last minute, I decided to add it in. Also, your first hints that she's more than just a kindly middle-aged woman... that plotline will be explored more in The Greatest Loss and in My Heroes Alliance Academia, upcoming entries into the series.

Please tell me what you thought!