Well, here we are again! Another Friday, another chapter!

Not much to say up top, since I like to keep things brief up here. The meaty Author's Note is down at the end of the chapter. All I'll say here is:

I hope you like the pace things are going at, because we aren't getting back to cannon's time-line anytime soon. I'm currently a few chapters ahead on my end, and while the plot is progressing, it's going slow for now. I mainly mention this as a friendly warning so you don't get your hopes up about seeing the USJ incident or other similar important events within the next several chapters.

For now though…

On with the show!

—

It can be weird how time smoothes over things.

Somehow, school was starting in a week. Already, a month or so had passed since Izuku had discovered the 'Waifutrix.' He still hadn't gotten over the name, refusing to refer to it by that title despite Rias convincing him to use it as the name of his 'quirk.'

She'd made good points:

It was memorable and distinctive, both good things usually, and… most importantly to her… she thought it was funny. Actually, she hadn't truly convinced him; bargain would be a better term. In exchange for naming his 'quirk' that, the redhead would keep letting him use her form—which, according to her, was something she could not do and thereby disable his ability to transform altogether.

To continue the bridge analogy, the spirits could simply not step on the bridge in the first place if they wanted.

Though he didn't have any particular desire to use his 'quirk,' Izuku relented at that, since he was pretty sure that there had to be something useful he could apply her powers toward while he was in the Support Course.

Of course, when he discovered she was just messing with him—the spirits were compelled to take that first step onto the bridge—he was… annoyed, to say the least. He'd already sent the title to the Quirk Registration Office, and there was no escaping the name anymore without going through a frankly absurd amount of paperwork. The Office was notorious for avoiding computers at all costs too, so it would only make the process more painful if he tried to do something.

So, now he was stuck with a 'quirk' called 'Waifutrix.'

Ugh… I can't let anyone hear that once I get back to class…

Izuku thumped his head against his textbook, letting the thick papers muffle his words.

"I'll never live it down…" he mumbled.

There had been some good things recently too, though, so he couldn't complain all that much. For instance, he had finally caught up on his studies, and even started on the second term's content. On top of that, he'd managed to fix the clock he'd made, the electronics within finally starting to look like more than just a mass of multi-colored wires.

Mineta had never called him back, but Izuku was hopeful that the simple fact that he wasn't quirkless anymore would allow him to be something more than the school pariah. He was considering joining the computer club, or possibly the costuming club—both could be useful for making Hero gear—and there was a distinct possibility of actually making friends there.

"Izuku!" he heard his mother call. "Dinner!"

"I'll be down in a second!" he shouted back.

Izuku closed his textbook, wiping away the slight smudge of drool he'd left behind inadvertently, and stretched out with a yawn. Once he was done, he headed to the dinner table.

As soon as he sat down, he knew something was up.

His mom had made his favorite, Katsudon, and was nervously wringing her hands on her lap. Katsudon was rare at their table, with his mother preferring to get him to eat a variety of healthy things. If she left Izuku to his own devices, he would be living off of nothing but cheap ramen or whatever else was fastest to make so that he could study more.

"Is everything okay…?" he asked immediately, instantly wary.

"Of course!" his mother said with a mildly twitchy smile.

Just like him, she couldn't lie to save her life.

"Mom…"

"Oh, fine! I have something to bring up that you're not going to like. It can wait until after you've eaten, though. It's not that big of a deal," she explained.

Izuku sat at the table, still giving his mother a silent stare of suspicion.

"Izuku, honey, you should start. Your food will get cold," she chided. "...We can discuss it while we're eating, since you're so certain."

He nodded, clapping his hands together and muttering thanks politely before grabbing his utensils and reaching for a slice of pork.

"So, how are your studies? You spend all your time cooped up in your room, so I don't hear from you that often," Inko began.

"They're going well. My latest project is figuring out how exactly I can create a simple 8-bit processor. It's actually kind of interesting, but it's super hard," Izuku said between bites of food, taking care to finish chewing before speaking. "I don't think I want to specialize in that direction too much. High-tech tools and equipment are cool and all, but I think the heroes that use them are a bit too reliant on them. The more complex it is, the easier it is to break, so I don't really think they're good things to bring into the field."

He paused, digging out some rice from under the egg.

"It's great stuff to have for a communications or strategy hero, since they're on the backline and don't need to worry about wear and tear," Izuku explained. "The fun stuff is costuming and augmentation gear, the lower tech stuff that combat heroes tend to use, but the materials required for making quality equipment are really hard to get unless you have a license or connections—like a Hero school."

Izuku's mother nodded along as she ate, following as well as a parent who doesn't really have any idea what their child is talking about but still cares enough to pay attention. Simply mentally distilling down the purpose of what they were saying into intelligible points.

"Do you have any plans for once you start your second term?" she asked.

"Um…" Izuku mumbled. "Maybe? There isn't much I really need to worry about once school starts up again. I'll just be going back to classes and continuing to tinker with things. I'm considering joining the computer club or the costuming club, but I'm not sure which to go with."

"Didn't you say you liked the costuming more…?" Inko suggested.

"Well, yeah, but that's not as hard," Izuku stated before taking another bite of his food.

Seeing his mother's confusion, he hastily carried on.

"Well, lots of people want to specialize in costuming, it's more popular and more likely to let you make a name for yourself outside the support community," he stated. "Especially because it's easier to be decent at—but that's just it. Since it's easier and more popular, there's a lot of people doing it."

"Oh, so it's more competitive then?" she clarified, following her words with a sip of tea.

"A lot more," Izuku nodded. "The higher tech stuff is a lot harder, and most people find it boring, so there's a lot less competition."

"But you just said you don't like it as much," Inko said.

"Yeah, but… sometimes what we want to do isn't the best thing to do," Izuku said, a bit of melancholy leaking into his voice.

"You can't let that stop you!" his mother declared. "You can do it, Izuku! I know you can! You're a smart boy, and you have a lot of creativity. I remember all those designs you used to make!"

It was… an odd experience to have his mother telling him to go for what he wanted, not what was reasonable, but… it was also nice. Is this what someone supporting what you cared about was like?

"...I'll think about it," Izuku said with an embarrassed smile.

The meal continued apace, falling into similar bits of small talk and covering some of his mother's classic talking points, like 'will you try and socialize more,' 'can you at least open your window to let the sun in while you're studying,' and other various bits of advice that came from her maternal worries.

Eventually, as dinner was wrapping up, Izuku finally pushed toward the topic his mother was avoiding.

"So, what's the thing I won't like?" he asked warily.

His mother, who had begun absentmindedly nudging the last bits of rice in her bowl around, finally set down her chopsticks and pushed the dish away.

"I've let you go on without doing this for a few weeks now, since you spend so much time inside and it's summer, but with school coming back soon…" she explained. "You need to do some clothes shopping."

Izuku raised an eyebrow, tilting his head a bit in confusion as he chewed the last bite of his own meal.

"To be clear, I mean clothes that fit you properly, specifically when your quirk acts up," she continued.

Izuku started choking on the bit of pork he'd saved for last, coughing and sputtering for a moment as he reached for his drink and downed the steadily cooling tea in one gulp.

Letting out a sigh, now that his throat was clear, he spoke up. "But why?"

He'd tried not to sound whiny, but a bit still leaked into his tone. It was embarrassing enough being a girl the few times he switched to experiment—using Ryoko's energy to try and solder something probably wasn't the best idea, but it had seemed like one at the time—there was no way he was going to use the watch when he was out in public, or worse at school.

"I don't mean to embarrass you when I say this, sweetie, but… you're rather pretty as a girl, and I don't think you want boys looking at you that way if you slip up and switch. Your clothes are meant to fit perfectly for a boy your size, not an attractive young woman," Inko explained.

She made a fair point, but it was purely reliant on the idea that the watch could activate without his consent, which wouldn't be happening now that he'd stopped tinkering with it as frequently as before.

"But it's fine! I haven't changed accidentally since that day with the doctor!" Izuku protested.

"...Are you sure? Quirks usually take longer than that to settle down once they pop up. Mine didn't stop yanking at your grandmother's hair for two years after it activated," Inko stated.

Oh no... Now I seem even weirder.

"Um…" Izuku stumbled, unsure where to continue his statement.

Suddenly, he heard a distinctly familiar voice echoing—like it was far away and over several hills. 'Aha! So this is where the exit is!'

Izuku felt a familiar tingle and saw a flash of green. It was quite evident what happened… Glancing down only confirmed it.

Hi, Rias…

'Hello to you too, mister!' Rias exclaimed cheerfully. 'It's great to be outside that watch again!'

Outwardly, Izuku sighed: "...I guess I'm not past that stage yet."

It was over. Her mother had won, and she knew it. Izuku could feel a headache forming already from that realization.

"Fine… I'll get some clothes," Izuku conceded, wincing at how different her voice was.

"Oh, wonderful!" Inko exclaimed happily. "I even have some ideas I think you'll like! They'll look good when you're a boy, but I think you'll like them especially when—"

"But!" Izuku cut in. "I'm going alone. It's my quirk and my problem, it's not fair for me to cause you trouble."

Please buy it, please buy it, please buy it…

'Oh, Izuku, you have no idea how this woman's mind works, do you?'

"You're never trouble to me, Izuku!" his mother denied.

Crap, crap, crap! She's not buying it! What do I do, Rias?

'Well, you could declare that you don't care if the boys look at you, but I think that's more my thing than yours,' Rias replied.

Izuku felt her cheeks redden a bit, mentally adding a reflexive 'ew.'

"B-u-t…" Inko continued, either not noticing or ignoring Izuku's sudden blush, "I can see how going clothes shopping like this might be an awkward thing to bring your mom along for."

Oh thank go—

'Don't! Stop referring to him so much! I feel everything you do, and holy-headaches are a pain,' Rias interrupted.

Oh. You did say you're a devil… but I thought you were kidding. Devils are real?

'I think you should answer your mother before asking questions like that, hm?' Rias countered.

"—zuku? I-zu-ku…?" her mother repeated.

"Huh?"

"Did you just space out again?" Inko asked worriedly. "Are you just tired, or do you think it's some problem with your quirk? We can have you at the doctor tomorrow if—"

"No! It's fine!" Izuku interrupted nervously.

Though informative, going to the doctor's was an embarrassing enough experience once. She felt no desire to repeat the process again.

"Well, if you're sure…" the woman ceded.

Izuku nodded vigorously, unintentionally flipping her hair around more than was a good idea, actually. It smacked into her face first, with the longest parts of it somehow reaching past her shoulders and onto the table—catching on the bowl and yanking it back toward her when it got caught on the edge.

The remaining liquids and oils of the meal splashed backward, soaking into her purposefully baggy clothes and making Izuku instantly look away from the sight.

'You are just adorable! Why is this embarrassing you? You've already gone... So. Much. Further…' Rias whispered seductively into Izuku's ear.

"Eep!" she squeeked.

I-I told you to s-stop it with the innuendo, Rias!

'And I did!' Rias denied. 'I never said anything about stopping permanently! You just make it so easy, Izuku.'

Inko stood up and collected the bowl from the floor while Izuku steadfastly refused to look down. She quirked an eyebrow at the red-head's actions and offered her a napkin.

"While I appreciate your manly manners, Izuku, it's your body, honey," she declared. "It's okay to look at it."

But it's not my body!

Within the part of Izuku's mind that Rias dwelled in while their souls were connected, the girl blinked in surprise.

'That's… actually rather sweet… In your weird prudish way at least.'

"I'll clean this up honey," Inko stated. "You should go take a shower to—"

"A shower?!" Izuku exclaimed, her panic almost comical. Her cheeks were so warm that steam practically trailed from her skin.

"Yes, a shower. Honestly, Izuku, you need to do something about this. It's just how your quirk is, sweetie, it's not healthy to get so worked up about it," her mother affirmed.

"B-b-but—!"

"Shower. Now."

"Yes, mom…" Izuku mumbled, leaving the room feeling like a particularly scolded child.

As the girl ascended the stairs, she heard Rias begin to speak: 'A shower, hm?'

Don't even start.

Izuku pulled open the bathroom door, stepping in and closing it behind her. With great reluctance, she began undressing while staring at the ceiling.

'Fufufu…' Rias laughed, the moment Izuku had gotten her shirt off.

Izuku paused, wondering what the spirit was going to do now.

A phantom image of the girl's hand flowed out of the markings on Izuku's left arm, tip-toeing her fingers up Izuku's limb and drawing her attention away from the ceiling.

What're you doing…?

Rias' head popped up next, a sensual grin spread across her face as she stared Izuku in the eyes. The phantom arm coming to a sudden stop at Izuku's shoulder, moving over and tapping the central divot between her collarbones.

'I'll be sure to show you all the best spots to wash…' Rias whispered seductively, the illusion of her leaning further out of Izuku's arm and revealing the slightest beginning of her unclothed chest.

"Eep!" Izuku's eyes widened comically, blood spurting from the girl's nose as her eyes rolled up into her head.

The moment she was unconscious, there was a flash of red light, followed by the thump of Izuku's normal body landing on the thick bath towel.

…

As soon as she heard the loud 'thump' come from upstairs, Inko charged up the stairs, panic in her eyes. Tearing open the door, she found—

Izuku, with a shirt half-way off his head and a thin trail of blood leaking from his nose.

Her son had fainted from the simple sight of his other form being partially bare.

Of course, she checked to make sure the fall hadn't hurt him, but the moment that was done she shook her head in fond exasperation.

"Oh, what am I going to do with you, Izuku…?"

—

Uraraka Ochaco was an unusual girl.

She didn't care about make up, or clothes, or boys… Though, that isn't to say she didn't appreciate them, simply that they didn't occupy most of the space in her head like a lot of the girls she'd tried to befriend at school. There were more important things in life for her.

Namely, money.

Though she wasn't a greedy person by nature, money was still something she was focused on making. The reason being the thing she actually cared about the most: family.

Her parents owned a small construction company, but, unfortunately, their quirks couldn't assist with their jobs. This forced them to rely on older tools and put them at a disadvantage when compared to the more popular companies in their industry. It was unfair, but that's life.

Her quirk, on the other hand, was perfect for construction. The quirk, creatively named 'Zero Gravity,' allowed her to make anything she touched with all five of her fingertips no longer affected by gravitational pulls—at the cost of extreme nausea if overused. A fantastically useful quirk that she wanted to use to help her parents, but they stubbornly refused her at every step.

'Pursue your own dream,' they said, 'don't let us drag you down.'

It drove her crazy.

All she wanted to do was take care of the people she cared about by making enough money to support them, maybe find a boy to settle down with at some point, and live a peaceful life. It was simple, and she was happy with that. Yet… her parents refused her, repeating the same things over and over again like they knew what she wanted better than they did.

Hmmph!

She'd show them! She'd go for one of the highest—potentially—paying jobs out there!

Being a pro-hero would undoubtedly get her a good amount of money, and it would likely get her parents' company some publicity through sheer association, hopefully bringing them even more success.

But, while she was hopeful she would get into a Hero School—particularly her top choice, U.A.—that didn't really do anything to help her make money now. It was why she was at the mall today, while they were at their latest construction site and she had no school. Now that she was fifteen, she was just barely old enough to apply for a part-time job at one of the stores.

She was hoping there was an opening at one of the clothing stores, since while she didn't care about it in the usual way she saw other girls care… she still had something of a soft spot for fashion.

Currently, she was trying to decide which shop to try and apply to—looking at the mall's directory to be sure of all of her options.

That's when she noticed him, out of the corner of her eye.

He was sitting at one of the little tables that filled out some of the walking space of the mall, the kind of place you'd sit at to eat a snack or take a break with your friends. He had spiky green hair, the type she saw on the kind of boys that were either too absent-minded to comb their hair or thought they were cool enough to leave it that way on purpose. Dressed in a loose-fitting t-shirt, jeans, and a grey jacket, he looked remarkably average.

But that wasn't what caught her eye.

It was the fact that the boy was staring at the women's clothing store like it was a dragon's gaping maw—waiting for the flames to flow out and incinerate him. He kept leaning forward in his chair while looking at the entrance to the shop, starting to get up, before shaking his head nervously and sitting back down.

The boy was so clearly terrified that she immediately dismissed the idea of him being a pervert. But that left the question… Why was he considering going in?

There wasn't a girl there with him to drag him into the shop, and he didn't seem the type to try and buy a present for his girlfriend at a store like this—though that was blatant supposition on her part.

As a naturally curious girl, was it any wonder that she found herself walking over to check on the boy?

"Hi!" she exclaimed, clearly startling the boy. "Are you okay? You look like you're about to cry!"

—

What do I do?!

He hadn't thought this through at all! Much as he hated to admit it, Izuku should have let his mother come with him for this venture. While it would have sucked to have her with him, it would have at least brought an excuse to enter the shop. There was no way he could walk into a women's clothing store alone!

The watch was an option, but in all honesty, he had originally planned to just walk in, grab the baggiest clothing possible—he could alter it himself back in the safety of his room—and stop by a crafts store for some loose fabric to use as a wrap.

There was no way he was going to own, much less purchase in public, a bra.

Yet, that plan had forgotten the detail that had him so worked up currently. There was no way for him to enter the store as a guy without looking really weird, but he also really didn't want to go in under one of the watch's transformations. Ryoko would probably be an incredible nuisance, demanding that her 'little sis' try on various outfits, while Rias would no doubt take the golden opportunity to see how much blood he could lose in one day without fainting from light-headedness.

Of course, while he was sitting there, being indecisive, he received a careful reminder about the existence of a specific part of Murphy's Law. It can always get worse…

"Hi!" a voice exclaimed suddenly, startling Izuku so badly that he thought his soul left his body for a moment. "Are you okay? You look like you're about to cry!"

Twisting around to face the source of the noise, Izuku almost jumped again.

A-a girl! A pretty girl! Oh my god, did she see me looking at the shop?! Does she think I'm a pervert? Am I a pervert for doing this? Oh god, oh god, oh—

"Woah, woah, calm down!" the girl stated.

The person in front of him was roughly his height, with brown hair that flared out around her neck before curving back in around her cutely round face, which had a slight perpetual blush on her cheeks. She was dressed casually in an unzipped hoodie, a t-shirt, shorts, and seemed to generate an aura of bubliness.

Oh. Does she even know what a pervert is? She looks too innocent… Gah! Bad thoughts, bad thoughts! Damnit, is Rias corrupting me?!

"Better now?" she asked with a smile.

"Um, yeah, sorry," Izuku replied.

"Don't mention it!" the girl stated.

"Right…" Izuku trailed off.

Where exactly does one take a conversation like this…?

Oh! I'm stupid! That's obvious!

"Erm, I'm Midoriya Izuku, nice to meet you," he said politely.

"Uraraka Ochaco," the girl answered in turn.

Uraraka pulled a seat up from a nearby table, placing it back first toward his table and sitting down. The girl leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her palms as she stared straight at him.

"So! Why were you staring at 'Jill's' like a robot army was going to pile out at any minute?" she asked unprompted while tilting her head toward the store he'd been avoiding entering.

...what?

"You look like too much of a scaredy-cat to be trying to get a peek, but you still clearly wanted in. What's up with that?" the brunette clarified.

"Uh…" Izuku trailed off, again.

Should I…?

"It's… kind of embarrassing," he stated, trying to shoot the topic down.

"I don't mind!" Uraraka countered.

What do I say to that?!

"You know, if you don't explain, then I may just decide you were planning something dastardly!" the girl stage-whispered.

Uraraka kept smiling at him—she didn't seem the type to actually make a scene like she was implying. She was probably messing around... but clearly she wasn't going to drop this.

"Ugh… Fine," Izuku conceded reluctantly.

I need to plan things better to avoid situations like this...

"I was actually going to be shopping for myself—"

"You're a crossdresser?" Uraraka chimed in.

"What?! No!" Izuku denied. "It's because of my quirk."

"Your quirk makes you a crossdresser?" she asked, her face looking utterly confused and innocent.

"No, my quirk turns me into a girl when I use it!" Izuku stated, a bit louder than he intended to.

The weird looks he got from the nearby pedestrians most certainly didn't help his situation.

"O-h-h…!" Uraraka trailed off. "...Can I see?"

"What?" Izuku asked, instantly thrown off.

"I've never met someone with a Transform' quirk before! They're not too common nowadays. Most people are Emitters or Mutants!" the girl explained.

"...Um…" Izuku mumbled.

"And why are you going here for clothes, anyway? There's semi-custom shops that cater to people with mutant quirks. I'd think they can handle someone who transforms," Uraraka continued.

"Wait, really?" Izuku cut in. "That's a thing?"

"Yeah! Didn't you learn about it in your quirk adjustment class in elementary?" she asked.

Sighing, Izuku shook his head. "My quirk developed really late, as in a month ago. I had no idea those classes were even a thing!"

"That's really weird!" the girl declared cheerily.

Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"But, I'll tell you what… You show me your quirk, and I'll help you with clothes shopping. I'm pretty sure there's a store that would work for you around here."

"Really?" Izuku asked. "Thank you!"

I wonder if those kinds of stores sell their fabrics? I imagine they must be special materials to accommodate different body types and oddities…

"Yeah! It'll be fun!" Uraraka declared.

Despite himself, he found that Uraraka's cheery demeanor was making him feel a bit better about the situation.

I don't think it'll be that bad to show her.

"So, are you gonna change?" Uraraka asked. "Oh! Is it super creepy to watch or something? I can look away if you want!"

Izuku slipped his hands behind his back and fumbled with the watch's mechanism, feeling the moment that the face popped open.

"No, it's fine," Izuku began.

He twisted the top once, hoping that it would let him avoid Rias at least.

"It happens pretty much instantly…"

He depressed the surface.

"...In a flash of green light."

—

The boy was funny, in an adorable kind of way. Like a puppy that kept tripping over its own tail. Enough so that Uraraka had kind of let herself just go with the flow and promise to help him with his hilarious problem.

It was cute that he made such a big deal out of shopping for clothes that worked with his quirk.

Unfortunately, she kind of forgot the whole reason she was at the mall was to look for a part-time job while her parents were too busy to notice. Now she'd agreed to help Izuku and probably wouldn't have enough time to apply anywhere today.

Oh well. I can look another day. Besides, isn't it a hero-y thing to help people in need?

So here she was, staring at the boy.

"...In a flash of green light."

His body generated a bright flare of light, just as he'd warned, but it was kind of like lighting a flashlight in the sunlight, you could tell the source was bright, but the rays didn't really go anywhere beyond that.

A moment later, where the nervous green-haired boy had sat was a girl—just as he'd said.

She had purplish black hair that trailed just beneath her shoulders, with perfectly flat-cut bangs to cover her forehead and two long tresses framing her freckled face. A bit shorter than Izuku was a moment ago, she had a dainty looking build with hands that were oddly tough-looking despite their slender shape.*

Aw, how come a boy-turned-girl is bigger than me?

Though probably exaggerated by the difference in fit, the young woman across from Uraraka was rather curvy, despite the underlying look of toned musculature that stood out from her visible stomach.

Most notably, however, was the other girl's eyes.

The irises were an incredibly pale shade of purple, without any pupils whatsoever.

"Are you blind…?" Uraraka let slip before she could stop herself. "Oh wait! No, I didn't mean to be insensitive! I'm sorry!"

—

Izuku immediately knew something was different this time.

What the…?

He could see hair at the corner of his eyes, clearly of a different length, style, and color to Rias or Ryoko… Was this a new form? How had he not discovered it already?

He glanced down, quickly checking to make sure—

Why are all of you like this?

Seriously, would it kill the watch to make one of the transformations male? Or, at the very least flat-chested? It was already going to be annoying figuring out how to create an under-wrap that fit two separate sizes while still being comfortable and not embarrassing for her normal appearance, and now she had a third size to worry about!

'Umm… I'm sorry to trouble you.' A voice mumbled in her head. 'I can't really help it, but I don't mean to be a burden for you.

Well… this was new. Someone being more self-recriminating than her? She wasn't sure that was possible.

Don't worry about it… I'll… I'll deal with it.

"Are you blind now…?" Uraraka suddenly gasped. "Oh wait! No, I didn't mean to be insensitive! I'm sorry!"

Izuku blinked, confused completely and utterly by the girl's statement.

'Our eyes are special,' the new girl explained gently. 'We don't have pupils… and we can see differently than other people.'

Oh. Thanks. You're a lot more helpful than the other two.

She was pretty sure that the girl was blushing in her head. That was a weird turnaround...

"No, my eyes are just weird…" Izuku replied, her voice naturally following the gentle tone of the girl in her head.

What's your name? I'm pretty sure you already know mine. Ryoko and Rias both did when I met them.

'Hyuuga Hinata,' the girl answered. 'And yes, I do already know your name, Izuku-san.'

Nice to meet you, Hinata.

"Oh. Alright then," Uraraka nodded. "Is this it…?"

"What do you mean…?" Izuku replied.

"Well, since you were so embarrassed earlier, I thought you were going to be super ugly or something," the brunette stated nonchalantly.

"Uhm… No, this is it," Izuku replied.

There was no reason to explain the abilities of the different forms to someone she'd just met, even if she thought the girl was cute.

"Then, you have nothing to be worried about! You're really pretty! That's nothing to be ashamed of!" the bubbly girl declared.

Izuku felt her cheeks heating up at that.

I can't believe I'm blushing about being called 'pretty' by a girl, while I'm a girl. What has my life come to…?

'At least it's a compliment…?' Hinata added kindly.

"...Thanks," Izuku muttered.

Without even realizing it, she'd started poking her index fingers together repetitively. Was this some sort of nervous tic?

"Um… Can we go now?" Izuku asked.

"Aren't you going to change back?" Uraraka asked.

"I… kind of can't," Izuku explained. "Once I transform, I'm stuck that way for a while. I usually revert after a few hours if I'm being active."

Uraraka quickly waved her arms around in distress. "I'm so sorry! I wouldn't have asked if I knew you'd be stuck!"

"I-It's fine, please, don't apologize," Izuku pleaded.

It was weird having someone apologize to her like this. Most people just kind of ignored her or acted with basic decency. Of course, there was Bakugo too… and he would never say anything positive to her, even if it killed him.

Izuku was sure of that.

"Well, if you're sure… Let's go!"

Uraraka perked up rather quickly, grabbing Izuku's hand and tugging her along excitedly.

"I know just the place!" she declared as she kept yanking the other girl along. "They have adjustable sizes and they even have this one—"

The rambling continued from there, and Izuku's mind was quickly overwhelmed with trying to keep up, along with the fact that…

I'm holding hands with a girl!

'Maybe you'll be able to do it again as a boy?' Hinata offered, clearly trying to be helpful. 'She seems friendly.'

And there was the depressing reality check.

...Just let me enjoy this.

…

It turns out that the shop Uraraka had in mind wasn't in the mall.

The place was a decent walk away, at least fifteen minutes or so. Now, this wouldn't have been that terrible, Izuku was used to walking most places, but for the fact that Uraraka was still dragging her along.

"Uh, Uraraka…?" Izuku tried, for the second time since this adventure had begun.

"Oh, and there's also this—"

'It's no use, Izuku-san. She can't hear you,' Hinata chimed in. 'I've seen her type before. Once they get excited about something, they're lost to us until they run out of things to say or lose their path of thought.'

Isn't the phrase, 'train of thought?'

'What's a… 'train?'' Hinata replied.

Oh. Do you know what electricity is?

'Of course! Though usually everyone in the village called it lightning chakra.' Hinata answered.

...Really? Interesting. Well, a train is—to greatly oversimplify—a metal box that's powered by electricity. People stay in it and it transports them from one station to another. It helps with getting around.

'Hmm… I believe I've heard of something like that up in Snow Country, but I've never seen one myself.' the spirit-girl replied.

It sounds like you know a lot about where you came from… Do you know how you got here?

'I do not. I remember that… the village… it was attacked, I believe… I'm not sure. Everything gets… hazy, when I try to focus too much upon anything recent.' Hinata explained. 'I'm sorry I can't be more helpful, Izuku-san.'

Don't worry about it! You've been a lot better than Ryoko or Rias! Getting answers out of Ryoko is like pulling blood from a stone, and Rias just keeps turning everything I say into some kind of lewd joke.

'Ah. That's… a shame,' Hinata muttered. 'Is… is it okay if I ask you a question?'

Of course! You've been so straightforward that I'd have to be a terrible person not to help out!

'Thank you,' the gentle girl affirmed. 'Have you heard the name "Uzumaki Naruto" before?'

For a moment, Izuku didn't see the world around her.

Instead, all she could see was someone standing in front of her, his body clothed in an obnoxious orange and blue jumpsuit. He was yelling at some people—bullies?—and scaring them away. Then he turned around, and Izuku saw his face. Yellow hair that was just as obnoxious as his clothes stuck up from his juvenile face, with eyes shut in a mischievous way that reminded her of foxes. Whiskered cheeks were drawn back in a brilliant smile, and—

Izuku blinked, and the vision was gone.

Um… I can't say I have, sorry.

'What about the phrase "Jinchuriki?"' Hinata continued, her tone beginning to shift towards the desperate. 'Or at least "Hidden Village?"'

'The power of human sacrifice?' I've never heard of that before, and I haven't heard of the other one either.

'...Have you at least heard of "Shinobi?"' the girl said, practically pleading with Izuku now.

You mean Ninja? Weren't they a kind of spy or assassin back in the feudal days?

'...I see.' Hinata mumbled despondently.

The girl went completely silent then, and to Izuku's mental sense, it felt like Hinata had turned away from her.

Hinata…?

"Did you hear that?" Uraraka suddenly asked.

Izuku blinked a few times, slipping back to reality almost instantly.

"Hear what?" she responded.

A loud crackling buzz warped the air, shattering the sound barrier as a tendril of lightning arced through a nearby building.

The duo instantly turned toward the direction the electricity had come from—a somewhat small steam turbine power station, a little over a block away and partially obscured by the buildings between them.

"Oh no!" Uraraka exclaimed.

Immediately, the girl booked it in the direction of the metal structure. Izuku followed her without thinking, instinct pressing her to help.

"What's wrong?" Izuku called.

"That's the new power-plant!" the brunette explained. "My parents are working there!"

As they spoke, one of the cranes that was positioned nearby the station's lone smokestack lit up with a massive stream of electricity. Portions of the metal turned red-hot, losing their strength enough that the gigantic machine began to fall apart under its own weight.

It hit the ground with a palpable thump, the ground shaking for a moment even as Izuku and Uraraka arrived at the vicinity of the site. Orange-wearing people streamed out of the area as electricity arced from the building. The yellow reflectors on their hard hats and vests reflected the energy as they yelled and evacuated.

Uraraka looked around wildly, checking the faces of each of the fleeing construction workers with the unique kind of desperation that was only possible when one's family was in danger.

She grabbed one of them, garnering their attention and instantly shouted at the burly man: "Did you see the Urarakas anywhere?! Did they get out!?"

The man seemed to recognize her when he responded.

"You—You're their kid, right? I—Sorry, I didn't see them. I think they're still in the main building. They were working in the generator room today and—"

Uraraka ignored anything he said past that, taking off in the direction of the main structure.

"Hey! Wait! It's dangerous, kid!" the man shouted.

Meanwhile, Izuku stood there, frozen by indecision.

S-should I follow her?

'Being a hero is dangerous, kid,' That Man's words echoed in her mind.

I… I can't. I'm not a hero, I'm just some kid who was stupid enough to think he could be one.

"What the hell?! Why didn't you stop her?!" One of the other workers shouted at the one nearby Izuku. "This place is falling apart! It's way too dangerous for a kid!"

"I know! But she just ran off!" the first worker protested. "...Besides, the heroes will be here soon, right?"

"That's the thing, you thick-headed idiot! All the big names are off helping out with that typhoon in Singapore! All we have left are the idiots who take care of the petty criminals!"

Izuku knew she couldn't do anything. All her current form could do was 'see differently,' whatever that meant. She would be worse than useless in this situation, only making things worse with her presence and adding another person for the professionals to save…

So why was she running after Uraraka right now?

"Crap, crap, crap…" she muttered repeatedly, ignoring the shouts of the two workers behind her as she took off.

Too focused on her thoughts, she didn't notice how she was moving well faster than a normal sprint, already almost catching up to the brunette despite the other girl having nearly half a minute to get ahead of her.

She caught up a moment later, sliding across the gravel until she came to a graceful stop right next to Uraraka. The girl was struggling to shove open a door. Seemingly, something had fallen down on the other side and obstructed the entrance.

"I-Izuku…?" the brunette stumbled, adrenaline making her tremble a bit. "What're you…?"

"I—I came to help," Izuku responded between heavy breaths.

Lightning arced from the building in front of them, stabbing into the ground near their feet and charring the gravel there instantly.

"L-let's get the door open," Izuku suggested.

Uraraka nodded and pressed her shoulder against the door, glancing at Izuku expectantly. The pale-eyed girl nodded, moving to assist—

'The vent,' Hinata suddenly interjected, her voice eerily calm when compared to her previously shy tone. It sounded like a taut wire, simple, elegant, and easily capable of cutting you if plucked improperly.

Huh?

'On your right, roughly ten feet up. It's likely wide enough that you two can fit,' Hinata stated.

Izuku looked where directed and spotted the afore-mentioned opening. The cover was hanging off the opening, barely attached and clearly warped into a new shape by having been struck by the wildly surging electricity.

"Look!" Izuku stated, gesturing at the duct. "I don't think we'll be able to budge the door… but we can get in there! Although the vent is kind of high up..."

Uraraka twisted around, staring up at the aforementioned opening.

"Right," she nodded, standing up. "I can get us up there. Take my hand."

"What do—?" Izuku began, before shaking her head.

Now's not the time to hesitate.

She reached out, letting the brunette latch onto her right wrist. Uraraka shut her eyes firmly and curled her empty hand in front of her, extending her fingers straight out in an odd gesture that seemed to help her focus. A flash of pink sparked from the point she was making contact with Izuku, and the pale-eyed girl felt her feet leave the ground.

Staring in wonder, Izuku watched as Uraraka lifted her above her own head without any effort. She didn't let the wonder stun her, however, and immediately figured out what the other girl was trying to do.

The moment it was in range, Izuku latched onto the side of the vent, pulling herself partially into it.

"I've got it! Let me go and I'll pull you up after me!"

Uraraka stayed silent, clearly focused, and let go instantly. The feeling of weightlessness remained, hindering her motions somewhat, but Izuku still promptly clambered into the opening fully before turning around.

"Ready!" she called.

The brunette took a deep breath, like she was preparing to endure something, and tapped the side of her stomach. Pink flared from her fingertips and she started floating upward. The girl remained perfectly posed in her standing position, bringing both arms into a symmetrical version of the earlier gesture, and clenched her eyes shut.

Sweat beaded down her brow as she fell upward, the motion occurring slowly over several seconds. Her face was beginning to turn green when she came within range of Izuku's grasp. As soon as she could, Izuku reached out and caught Uraraka by her hood, pulling her into the tunnel swiftly.

Uraraka let out a gasp, her eyes shooting open as she stopped holding the gesture. Both girls dropped several inches, landing on the insides of the vent with a metallic 'thunk!'

"Ugh… that sucked," she mumbled.

"You okay…?" Izuku asked.

"Yeah, my quirk just makes me nauseous," the brunette replied. "I'll be fine. We need to get going."

Izuku nodded and turned around to face the vent. The pitch black vent.

Uh, Hinata…? I'm beginning to see a problem with your idea.

'It isn't a problem,' Hinata denied. 'You've experienced using your energy with the others, right?'

Izuku nodded.

'Good. Activate your eyes and try to maintain your focus. Keep your range within a few arm-lengths.' Hinata ordered, though whatever she was talking about with 'range' flew over Izuku's head.

"One second," Izuku stated to Uraraka. "I'll be able to lead us."

The fact that the brunette nodded emphatically, trusting her utterly without hesitation, was quite a boost to Izuku's confidence.

Just… gotta…

Directing energy like this was not something she was used to. What little she'd experimented with was just summoning it in general. She'd yet to make the 'Flower of Destruction' as she'd nicknamed it with Rias' powers, nor had she managed the 'Starsaber' with Ryoko's.

Get it…

The difficulty here was the fact that Izuku was trying to direct her energy in such a specific manner. Maneuvering it in general? Fine, but getting it up her spine, through the head, and into her eyes? That was so much more specific that it felt impossible.

Almost… there…

But what did heroes care for the impossible? If she was going to play hero here, she better act the part! What was the motto of U.A. again? It felt relevant here, but it wasn't popping to mind, given how much focus Izuku was exerting.

"Got—" Izuku cried, finally making the connection.

Everything was different all of a sudden. She could see… She could see everything! From the dirt between the grooves of her shoe to the corner up ahead, even the beads of sweat on the back of her own torso, everything was visible… At the same time.

"AH!" she cried, clenching her eyes shut in pain. Her hands came up to her face instinctively, trying to mend the pain she could feel bursting from her eye sockets.

"Izuku?!" Uraraka called.

It was too much, far too much. Even if she could only see within a few meters of her, it was everything in that zone—barring a miniscule blindspot sticking out from the back of her neck.

'FOCUS!' Hinata shouted.

Izuku relaxed, the pain was mostly gone now. It was still there, lurking just out of her immediate thought, but it was something she could work through now.

'Narrow your vision. You need not see everything at once. You can simplify it to what you want to see while being simply aware of everything else,' Hinata continued.

Izuku complied, the control coming with an instinctual rapidity that surprised her. She could see now, perfectly even, as light was no longer how she viewed the world. It was enough that her usual field of vision had returned, while, as Hinata had said, she was simply aware of everything else. She still knew that speck of dirt was beneath her shoe, but she wasn't focused on it, and therefore she didn't see it.

Now that she could think again, Izuku registered the worried presence at her side.

"Izuku? What's wrong?" Uraraka asked.

The pale-eyed girl pulled her hands away from her face, wiping away the thin trails of blood she felt coming from her tear ducts, and turned to face the other girl.

"S-sorry… Never done that before. It overwhelmed me," Izuku explained.

Uraraka let out a gasp.

"Y-your eyes…"

"Hm?"

"T-they, they look broken…" She stuttered.

Izuku, following the path that just felt right, reoriented her focus within her sphere of awareness. Now, she was looking at herself like a spectator to the conversation.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I… I see what you mean."

Where before her irises had merely been odd because of their lacking pupil, now they truly did look 'broken.' Cracks spread across the lilac orbs, forming a sick parody of a pupil's outline. Extending through the skin surrounding her eyes were a series of enlarged veins, pressing out similarly to the veins on a strongman's arms.**

"Y-you do?" Uraraka asked.

Izuku blinked, and it was weird to see that happen instead of not seeing that happen.

"Oh, uh, doing this is part of my quirk—" Izuku began.

"I thought your quirk turned you into a girl?" Uraraka interjected. "Wait! No, this doesn't matter right now! Can whatever you just did help us navigate the vents?"

Izuku nodded.

"Then let's go already!"

—

*I'm borrowing Hinata's design from Naruto Shippuden here, and using the wiki to make sure I get my data right. It never occured to me, but did you know she's only 5' 2"? Interesting, huh?

** I'm simply describing the Byakugan a bit more… poetically? Let's go with that. It looks essentially like it does in canon.

AN:

So, a cliff-hanger, huh? First one of the series! Should I be celebrating that? I feel like I shouldn't be, but I kind of am… Hmm. Well, on with the author's note!

A few of you guessed about Hinata's inclusion.

I'm glad you picked up on my hint there. 10 points and a digital cookie to anyone who can guess the other character I was foreshadowing in the last chapter. Her symbol is a lot harder to describe without being long-winded, on top of her being comparatively obscure, so good luck with that!

On the topic of the Waifu list, or whatever you want to call the roster of characters in the watch… Thanks for all the suggestions! I've managed to decide upon my base roster of five characters, along with a sixth that'll be added later on much like Ben 10 adding new aliens over the course of the show.

And, to clarify, because of the greater degree of effort I'm putting into each spirit, ten is my absolute limit, and I may not even hit that by the end of the story, who knows?

While I'm on the topic, I'd like to ask both for more Waifu suggestions, along with your opinion on Two Potential Waifu Candidates. Neither of them have been added to my list quite yet, and both of them come from reviewer suggestions, but I'm unsure about a few things when it comes to including them.

Candidate A: Ranma, from Ranma ½.

For those of you unfamiliar with the character, it's important that you're aware that he/she is a fellow temporary gender-bender like this story's Izuku, though in Ranma's case that's a result of an ancient Chinese curse. He (for simplicity's sake I'm sticking to one pronoun), is a martial artist in the classic exaggerated anime manner, with many comedic adventures and romantic problems. Ranma ½ is a harem comedy series, among the first of its kind, and actually inspired my interest in the gender-bending trope in the first place.

Ranma is a strong contender simply for the fact that it would be an entertaining dynamic for Izuku to have a guy friend that's experienced similar circumstances to him. Furthermore, Ranma's combat abilities are rather unique in vibe and don't clash with anyone that's a confirmed presence on the roster.

My main issue is the fact that, to properly portray Ranma in the spirit of the character, Izuku's form would still have the curse that Ranma is known for, making Izuku male half the time while in Ranma's form. I'm worried that this goes against the spirit of the Waifutrix as a concept, and that it could feel weird or awkward, so let me know what you think.

Candidate B: Asuka, from Senran Kagura.

For those of you unfamiliar with Asuka, she's the protagonist of the well known, fan-service heavy, anime Senran Kagura. She's a very lovable kind of character, with an appearance that definitely fits the comedic aspects of the Waifutrix.

Asuka is a candidate because, frankly, I enjoy her personality and her… 'personality,' if you catch my drift. She just has the perfect feel for a series like this along with the fact that her abilities are a mix of comedic and effective. Combat scaling wise, Senran Kagura is vague enough with scale that I could believably balance her to suit this story.

My issue is the fact that she's a ninja… and I already have Hinata on the roster. Though, classically, Hinata is portrayed as more of a scout character and not too strong herself, I don't plan to take her fully into that direction due to Izuku's independent nature. (I go into more detail on this further below.) Asuka's abilities are stereotypically ninja, and clearly inspired either from Naruto, or similar folklore that inspired Naruto as a series. This… is quite the potential problem in my eyes. Asuka's inclusion essentially boils down to whether or not you all think there's a wide enough margin between these two characters.

I think it may be possible to pull them apart if I portray Hinata as more of a Hyuuga Mercenary than a Shinobi and Asuka as a 'Modern-Day-Ninja,' but I'm curious what you all think.

AN 2, Electric Boogaloo:

I've already rambled on for quite a bit, but I have more to say. This time, it's on the topic of the Hinata and the Byakugan.

To start, I'm just going to say this now: for the purposes of this story, Boruto does not exist. It's a shared hallucination we're all experiencing at the same time and know is not real. Now, repeat after me… 'You do not recognize the bodies in the—'

Sorry, wrong thing.

'Boruto does not exist.'

There we go!

As such, I'm going to be taking Hinata's abilities from Naruto/Naruto: Shippuden and twisting them to suit my purposes. My first example being the Byakugan.

It always felt underwhelming when compared to the frankly bloated Sharingan when it comes to both capability and how much we know about it. Despite the fact it's the default dojutsu for Kaguya, the literal goddess of Chakra.

Accordingly, I'll be reworking how exactly the Byakugan functions a bit for this series, but I'll be remaining true to the source material for the most part, just explaining more of its functions and rebalancing it so it isn't ludicrously overpowered like a lot of things become in the Naruto universe if not constrained. This chapter and the next one should give you a good idea of what I'll be doing with it.

When it comes to Hinata's other abilities, I'm going to only be focusing on things that are part of 'her style' or so utterly basic and commonplace that literally every shinobi uses them. An example of what I mean by this is that Izuku won't be able to do elemental Jutsu while in Hinata's form, but he will be able to wall/water walk.

If I allowed a more open ended approach, then Izuku might as well stick to Hinata's form exclusively and never bother using any of the others.

Now, finally, there's the topic of Hinata being a more tracker/support character rather than a combat type in canon. Given how I'm choosing to balance the spirits, Izuku's abilities in Hinata's form cannot be constrained to just that.

My attitude towards balancing is that no spirit can surpass any of the others in usefulness or raw power by an extreme margin. Will they vary and have their own niches/specialties? Absolutely! But, I don't want there to ever be a case where one character is just vastly better than the others.

As such, Izuku will use Hinata's Hyuga abilities to develop a way of fighting that still works and fits Hinata's niche, while also utilizing her tracking abilities when relevant. The bare-bone beginnings of this is actually displayed in the next chapter, but there'll be a lot more added on and modified to complete the style.