Leinei groaned softly as she fell face first on her bed at home, letting her school bag fall to the floor as she looked up and rolled over. Her eyes were dry and throbbing, her head aching as she draped her arm over them. And that was just from the lesson tests Aizawa had made her take. They hadn't even begun Quirk training, him saying that they would focus more on that once he had more of a grasp on how she learned.

Book work? That has always been a cinch for her, excelling in the classroom where Reina and Keigo excelled on the training floor. Aizawa had placed her towards the top of the class in everything but Hero Theory. There were some things she would never agree with, despite them being the textbook correct answers, and she wouldn't really hesitate to write what she believed to be the right answer compared to what they wanted the right answer to be.

"Leilei!" Reina's voice came from downstairs, the sound of the front door slamming behind her causing Leinei to wince as she sat up. "Can you come downstairs and help me put the groceries away?"

"Coming," Leinei called back, getting off the bed and walking past the mess of clothes in the hallway outside the bathroom door. Reina was never the cleanest person, a scatterbrain at home more than anything. It was decently clean, but definitely wasn't winning any awards unless it was for the most clothes scattered.

"You really need to do some laundry," she tells her sister as the red haired girl takes her beanie and mask off. She rolls her eyes and hooks her arm around the smaller girl's shoulders, squeezing her to her side as Leinei struggles to push her off. "Reina!"

"Nope, I need a hug from my favorite sister!" she teases, wrapping her other arm around her and squeezing tightly as Leinei gasps and squirms. "How was school?"

"Your only sister," she corrects her, finally getting away from her sister's death grip. "And it was fine. I made some friends, I think."

"Really?" Reina asks excitedly as she hands Leinei the milk to put in the fridge. "Any cute guys?"

"I mean, I think?" she replies with a shrug. "I wasn't really paying attention. Oh, Shochan is in my class."

"Lil Sho?" She tilts her head as Leinei shifts some stuff around while she puts the nonperishables in the cabinet next to it. "How is he?"

"He seemed...different. He had a scar on his face that I don't remember being there when we were kids."

"Yeah, I heard there was some incident, but no concrete details," Reina verifies. "Did he recognize you?"

"No, but he asked about you," she replies, closing the fridge and opening the freezer to take the tubs of ice cream she'd bought. "I mean, we weren't ever really close-"

"No, you were more so close with Natsuo and Touya," she cuts her off, patting her back. "But, hey, one friend is better than none. Did you two talk?"

"Well, I don't think we're really friends at this point in time," she chuckles. "And just...enough for him to ask your name and to tell me to go back into the classroom. I did get to be friends with a few guys in class."

"Oh really~?"

"Ew, no, why do you have to be so dirty minded?"

"My little sister is growing up!" Reina cries, wrapping her arms around Leinei's stomach and hugging her tightly. "Mom, Dad, she's leaving us!"

"I'm not leaving anyone!" Leinei uses her elbows to push her off, closing the freezer. "You're more dramatic than Keigo is sometimes."

"Yeah, but it's my job as your older sister to be dramatic," she says matter of factly, moving back to her bags and folding them back up to place them in one of the counter drawers. "Anyway, these friends?"

"Well, there's Izu," she starts, holding up one finger as she leans against the counter. "Green hair, wants to be the next symbol of peace. Almost as anxious as I am," she giggles. Reina nods, tilting her head as she leans on the counter next to her. "Then there's Kaminari. Yellow hair, tries to flirt, but he's sweet. Kirishima, red hair, teeth like a shark, super sweet and keeps Bakugo in line."

"Who's Bakugo?"

"Ahm..well, I wouldn't really call him a friend yet…" She smiles weakly. "He's a little mean, curses a bit. Oh, and there's Sero, he's the one that invited me to come talk with everyone."

"And they're all friends with each other?"

"Actually, I think Izu and Bakugo don't get along very well. But Izu's friends Uraraka and Iida seem really nice! Maybe I'll get to be friends with everyone."

"Yeah, maybe," Reina agrees, smiling as she rests her chin in her hand. She was relieved Leinei was fitting in well here. UA was a good choice. "How were remedial lessons with Eraserhead?"

"He just had me tested on bookwork to see where I landed," she admits, leaning back off the counter and balancing on her heels as she looks up at the cabinets. "He said I shouldn't need any remedial work on basic subjects, but Hero Theory is something I have to work on."

"Well, if you'd stop with that evangelical crap," Reina sighs, shaking her head as she stands up. "Hero Theory is easy. It's copy paste right out of the textbook or whatever they tell you. You've had this drilled into your head since you were nine."

"And maybe I just don't agree with it," she suggests, standing straight and staring at her sister. "I-you…"

"I what, Leinei?" Reina demands, crossing her arms over her chest. "What now? Are you still on this shit about not being a hero?"

"My quirk isn't exactly the most heroic," she grumbled, looking away and dropping her arms. "Look what happened."

"That is not true and you know it," Reina scolds her. "Your quirk can do a lot of good, you just have to train yourself and get it under control. You can do so much, if you just try."

"I've tried for years," she says, her voice breaking. "I can't do it, and because of that-"

"That was an accident. That's why they got you the help you needed, and you're doing so much better! You're making friends and you're in a better environment, and you're home with me for the first time in years. What happened at Shiketsu, yeah it was bad, really bad, but...Lei, it wasn't your fault."

Why do I even try?

"I'm going for a run," Leinei says, ending the conversation as she turns on her heel and heads back upstairs to change out of her uniform and something appropriate for the run. Reina sighed behind her and she knew it was going to be another night by herself in this mess of an apartment. Where Reina goes, she doesn't know. It wasn't her business, but she could feel the shame her sister carried when coming home, so it couldn't be good.

Leinei had changed into a short sleeved t-shirt and running shorts, glancing down at the scars on her forearms and shaking her head. It's not like anyone from school will see me. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail as she walked down the stairs, stopping by the door to pull her sneakers on.

"Your lunch is in the fridge for tomorrow," Reina says, trying to start up a new conversation. "I tried my hand at cooking-"

"I'll just get lunch at school. Lunch Rush actually cooks really well," Leinei replies passively, tapping her toe twice on the floor before opening the door. "I'll be back soon."

"Lei-"

She shuts the door behind her as Reina tries to talk to her, hearing the thud of her sister's fist against the door. Her shoulders slumped as the tension left her body, just by being outside. She hated being in that apartment, but it was better than living in whatever quarters the Commission had for her. But living there was frustrating; her sister hadn't tried to be a sister in so long, let alone a responsible adult beyond the agency, and now she wants to act like the parent.

"Oh, Salinsa!"

She stiffened and looked to her left to where the voice came from. Izuku stood there, rubbing the back of his head nervously as he smiled at her. She shifted so her arms were hidden behind her back, but so she could face him.

"Izu, hi," she replies, forcing a smile. "I didn't know you lived here."

"Yeah, all my life," he laughs. "You guys must've moved in a little bit ago."

"My sister moved in a few years ago," she confirms, nodding. "I just recently moved in with her."

"Really? Who's your sister?" he asks.

"Her name is Reina. I have a brother too, but I don't get to see him as much."

"That's so cool! Well, I hope that we can be friends since we're neighbors then."

"Yeah, sure," she agrees, her smile softening a bit. "I was actually about to go for a run."

"Me too! I try to get a few kilometers in before and after dinner," he says, smiling as he visibly relaxes. "You're a lot calmer outside of school than in."

"Really?" She starts to walk to the stairs leading to the ground floor. He nods as he walks with her.

"Yeah, you seemed to be really anxious before. You're more relaxed now, but I guess new places do that. I was a wreck my first day," he tells her as they walk down the stairs. "Mr. Aizawa threatened to expel us if we failed the first test, and I swear I felt my soul leave my body."

"Yeah he's pretty scary isn't he?" Leinei chuckles. "He told me to have the school directory memorized by tomorrow."

"Oh he's serious about that stuff," Izuku promises as they reach the ground floor. He starts stretching his leg behind him as she bends over to do a hamstring stretch. "I can help you with that; my mom will be glad I actually have friends beyond Kacchan."

"Would you even really consider Bakugo a friend with the way he talks to you?" she asks as she stands back up and pulls her foot up to her rear as he starts his own hamstring stretch. "He doesn't seem to consider you one."

"Kacchan and I grew up together," he grunts, looking up as she switches legs. "He's always been that way, so I don't take it personally. A lot of the time, anyway."

"Yeah, everyone keeps saying that," she chuckles, letting her foot down. "How's Shoto in class?"

"Hmm?" He stood up, tilting his head before it clicked. "Oh, Todoroki, he's a little intense, not talkative much, but he was so cool during the USJ incident!" He looks at her, confused. "But you referred to him by his first name. Do you two know each other?"

"Used to," she says with a dismissive shrug. "Are we going to run, or talk and stretch?"

"I just don't know what's going on with her," Reina says into her phone as she shuffles around the kitchen and pulls some stuff down for dinner. "She acts like I'm nothing to her, completely disregards what I have to say."

"That sounds like a normal teenager, Reina. I'm sure you were the same way."

"No, if I talked that way to our guardians growing up, I would have been grounded indefinitely. Literally locked in my room and my food sent through a doggy door." She rubs her face as she bends over to get a frying pan out. "But since she lives here now, she thinks she can just be this way! How do you deal with it?"

"Long hours usually. Late nights at the office. Nights with you."

"Haha, very funny. I can't exactly do that at the moment. She's already suspicious as is."

"I know, my dear. But she has been through an ordeal in the last year, plus keeping up with her studies the way she has? She probably feels you don't understand what's going through her head."

"Because I don't!" Reina exclaims, slamming the pan on the stove before smacking her hand on the counter. "She has had the best training growing up, she has me and Keigo, she has therapists, she's in the best Hero Course in the country, subjectively. She's getting all of these things handed to her, where Kei and I had to work for everything we have."

"She's just going through a phase. She'll be out of it before you know it. Then again, both of my sons are still in the phase."

"Oh trust me, I know," she promises, chuckling as she leans over the counter with her arm tucked under her chest. She tilts her head back. "How are the kids?"

"In school and still hating me. Well my daughter is less hateful, but...I think they'll come around eventually."

"That's fair. I'd suggest getting all the kids together, but that doesn't seem the safest route for a reunion. Considering they don't know about us."

"They just know I work with you sometimes. Anyway, as for Leinei, just back off and let her work through her issues alone. That's how I let my kids go."

"Sound advice. Thanks, Enji."