A shoutout to Nekoguest and Diamond-Grl45~! Your words really fuelled my inspiration on this one ;D Thank you!

Also a BIG thank you to you who faved/followed! =)


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Chapter Two

A New Dawn


Inside the dimly lit surveillance room in U.A, the school's board of directors, judges, teachers and staff, were currently in the process of reviewing each examinee's performances after the cumulative results of the entrance exam. The cream of the crop has been chosen, and now it's time to determine which of them will comprise this year's highly anticipated Hero Class: Class 1-A.

Playing on the central screen was a close-up footage of a certain ash-blond boy. He stood on top of a disembodied robot, his fists alight with smoke and his mouth curled into a fiendish grin as he looked all around him.

"Now about this year's top examinee no. 2233…I think it's quite clear where he'll reside in."

"Bakugou Katsuki, huh? What a terrifying young man. His confidence is...something else."

"True, but his natural talent on the field along with his remarkable Quirk leaves no room for doubt that he is befitting of being in this class."

The board nodded their agreement. It was an unanimous vote. In another screen beside the one in the center, three huge columns were featured with the first one having the label of 'Top Passers', the second bearing the label 'Class 1-A' and the last one being 'Class 1-B'. A representative of the board, who operated the computer and controlled the contents of the screen, received the card with the student's name and promptly maneuvered the mouse over the names of the passers, found the indicated name in the card and dragged that name unto the column labeled 1-A.

"Next applicant?"

"How about this rank no. 4?"

At the proposal the video shifted into a close-up of a blue-haired girl running, summoning crystals, and defeating mock villains with a small smile on her face.

"Koseki Alumi, was it?"

"Ooh, she's quite easy on the eyes. She reminds me of Azayaka Reika before her Silver Queen days. I mean, look, they even have the same color of eyeswoah, wait a minute..."

"Yeah, but I'm getting more of the Sakagi Yorina vibes on this one."

"I thought you said that was the one with the blonde hair?"

"Well, we sure have a handful of beauties this year, that's for sure. When was the last time that happened?"

"Since moi."

No one chose to address Midnight's statement.

"So, about Miss Koseki's performance, she's scored 50 points on Villains and 20 points on Rescue. From this footage, we can see she was the first to separate herself from the group, followed by the execution of her Quirk and then coming to the aid of her co-examinees."

"From the other video, it seems her Quirk is highly flexible, seeing as how she used it as a means for transportation."

"She has good control over her Quirk and is obviously adept at utilizing it. But enough about her Quirk. She was able to keep a level head despite being surrounded by multiple enemies. She was also able to quickly determine the mock villain's nature and took advantage of the battle center's vastness."

"Yes, we added that as an addition to her overall performance as well."

"Well then, I think she belongs in this class."

"But there are already many talented aspirants in 1-A. Perhaps she's more suited in 1-B, to establish an equilibrium on power and skill in both classes."

"If that's your concern, the four recommended students were already divided equally between 1-A and 1-B. If you can recall, two of them were foreign students, both of which are already in 1-B, and one of them is the son of a prominent hero in Portugal."

"You mean the one with that Quirk?"

"Ah…Yes, I remember. But 1-A has Endeavour's kid, you know."

"Now that you put it that way..."

"No. We must place her in 1-A, the class which has Aizawa as the homeroom teacher and All Might as the instructor for their Hero Basic Training."

"Nedzu-san…"

"Let us not forget that these children are the top of the fold. They have succeeded in the entrance exam, each one of them worthy to uphold U.A Academy's honor as a Hero Aspirant of this school. While some are far ahead in the race, that does not mean the others have no chance of catching up. This division of 1-A and 1-B is not meant to be a competition to see which class is superior, as they all have the potential to be splendid heroes!"

"Well said, principal!"

"That got me damn near emotional."

"Yeah, all right. Although I can still feel a strong sense of favouritism extending towards 1-A…"

"You're the only one who thinks that, Vlad."

"Now then, I believe we have reached a decision? Good. It's decided. Koseki Alumi will be a part of Class 1-A."


One Week Later

It was still dark outside, but the heavens above already showed signs of the sunrise. Alumi ran under this dark aurora sky with its intermingling streaks of pink and orange hues, her breathing appearing in small clouds of mist as she ran in a steady pace. The cold early morning air was brisk against her skin and she always loses herself in this feeling. It was the closest she's ever felt to flying when in the state of sound mind.

In short, Alumi loved jump-starting her day with a morning jog. But more than that, it served as an effective distraction. Seven days had already passed after the day she took the entrance exam. It was now the month of March, and the traces of ice that the winter days brought had thawed out completely, the cold season receding in preparation for spring.

Alumi can't quite remember how her days went after that, but she certainly remembered the dreams she had at night. The nightmares weren't coming as frequently as they used to in the past, but after that day, it all came back to haunt her.

She closed her eyes tightly and ran as fast as her feet could carry her. How far would she run this time? How long would it take for her to break free from the horrors that come to her at night? She'd been through this already. She was convinced her nightmares had lost their power over her.

Years of dealing with the same problem over and over again had taught her how to cope with them, but that didn't make them disappear completely. They had always been there and she tried drastically to keep them out of her consciousness. Her Sensei urged her to be the one to rule over them, not the other way around. After all, she was supposed to be strong now and the strong are not weakened by immaterial things such as nightmares. She was definitely much stronger and more capable than the powerless little girl she used to be.

She decided, as she began to slow down and finally come to a stop, that the reason why they returned to torment her after a long period of absence wasn't because she was still weak, but because she finally took the first step towards her goal. Completing the entrance exam was what triggered her buried fears to rear its ugly head once again. But this time, Alumi knew, she would not falter.

The morning air grew warmer as the sun made its appearance, and light began to pour over the ground, painting the world around her in warm colors. A smile crept up Alumi's face as she relished at the gentle breeze that caressed her face. She loved the sunrise, it reminded her of hope in a new beginning.

"I suppose this is enough for today." She hummed in satisfaction before turning on her heel and began the short journey towards her home.

Upon reaching their block, Alumi spotted the mailman depositing a couple of letters into their mailbox. She approached him casually with a smile on her face.

"My, you're quite early today mailman-san."

The mailman, upon noticing her, immediately turned to face her. He gave a brief bow and said, "Good morning. I am here to deliver letters for the Koseki family. Are you a member of this household, miss?"

"Yes. Thank you very much for delivering them. I'll be taking the letters now."

He took the letters out and handed them to her. They exchanged courteous bows before the mailman finally zoomed away on his scooter. Alumi also departed from the mailbox and opened the white tinted gate to their house, closing it securely and going up the stairs of their front porch.

"I'm back~," she sang before locking the door.

As usual, it was the silence that greeted her upon entering their house. Since both her parents were very passionate workaholics, Alumi was always by herself most of the time. Their careers of choice demanded them to leave their homes more often than not. Not that Alumi really minded. Because just like how she handled her nightmares, she learned how to cope with her loneliness, too.

She placed the letters on the kitchen counter before scurrying upstairs for a much needed bath. She returned with wet hair half an hour later, with a pink fluffy towel wrapped around her shoulders, her exercising garb replaced with a simple cream blouse and a pair of orange shorts, and she smelt much lovelier (which was the best part).

She sat down on one of the high chairs after making herself a cup of hot vanilla oatmeal. "Now then, let's check if the results are here." Alumi directed her eyes on the letters and began sifting through them. "Hnn…The electric bill, a letter for Mother, a letter for Dad, a letter from a teen magazine company, a let"

She paused. 'A letter from a teen magazine company?'

Alumi narrowed her eyes as she read the label. It was addressed to her mother, but she knew she was involved. She opened the letter without a second of hesitation and read its content with a blank expression. Her mouth tightened into a straight line as she continued to read. It eventually reached the point where she didn't want to read anymore because Alumi crushed the paper in her fist and pushed it aside. She released a soft sigh, shook her head, and picked up where she left off with the remaining letters.

"Where was I…? Ah, right. A letter from Dad's company, and…" Alumi's eyes widened with delight when she saw what she was looking for. "And last but not the least!"

U.A's letter was sealed with the school's official seal molten in red wax. Alumi was so overwhelmed with a mix of joy and anxiety that she felt the need to prepare herself by taking a huge gulp of vanilla oatmeal. She quickly wiped her mouth with her towel and attempted to open the letter as calmly as possible.

This was it…The exam's results from her school of choice. Of all the hero academies in Japan, Alumi chose U.A not only for its standing as the top hero school in the world, but because this was the school in which her saviour, the hero who saved her that day, once studied and graduated from. With this, she would either fulfill her promise or be forever doomed with the bitter despair of loss for the rest of her life.

Alumi peered inside the envelope and was surprised to see another object with the letter. 'I wonder what this is…' She tilted her head in confusion as she took the oval shaped device out and placed it on the counter. That's when the device suddenly glowed and buzzed into life, a hologramized screen popping out into her face and nearly startling her out of her chair.

"Congratulations, Koseki Alumi! You have passed the entrance exam!"


Her phone rang and Alumi momentarily detached herself from the loop of cooking lunch. She lowered the stove's heat and wiped her hands on the apron around her waist before grabbing the ringing machine from the counter.

Alumi's eyes lit up when she read the caller ID, sliding her finger over the answer button right away.

"Dad! Good afternoon!"

"Well you seem energetic. Good afternoon to you as well, Alumi. How are you? Have you been sleeping well? I hope you're not skipping meals."

"Yes, everything is fine. In fact, I am currently making lunch. Which reminds me, when are you coming home? Perhaps you've called so that I can make an extra portion of food for you?"

Her father laughed from the other line, the sound making her smile. "You are as sly as ever, Alu. I might just take you up on the offer. Ah, but I'm not talking about lunch, though. Things are finishing up nicely around here that I just might make it home tomorrow around early afternoon."

"Really? That's wonderful! I look forward to dinner then."

"Make it a good for three, okay? I contacted your mother earlier and it seems like she can make it tomorrow as well."

"So both of you will be here tomorrow..."

Alumi fell silent.

"Alumi? Is something the matter?"

"Oh, I'm just happy that I received two wonderful news today," she chimed.

"Two? What's the other one?"

"Hnn…I think I'll tell you about it once you're home, Dad."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, because I want to tell you in person, both to you and Mother. Now I don't want to keep you from work any longer, and please don't forget to eat your meals on time."

He chuckled. "All right, I got it. I'll see you tomorrow, Alu."

"Un. Take care!"

She ended the call and smiled softly. "Tomorrow it is..."

Alumi was about to put the phone down when she remembered who else needed to know her admission to U.A. Dialing a certain number, she pressed the phone to her ear and waited. The person on the other line picked it up almost immediately.

"Hello, it's me," Alumi greeted before chuckling sheepishly. "Yes, yes, I know. I'll come visit soon and tell you all about it in person. But first, is Sensei there? I have some important news…"


It was a Saturday. Alumi began her day with the usual morning jog and flexibility exercises, and spent majority of the morning cleaning around the house and going grocery shopping for their much anticipated family dinner get-together.

True to his father's words, her parents arrived late in the afternoon. For Alumi, a shared meal with her parents was more of a phenomenon than a common occurrence. Still, nothing much changed. It was as tranquil and uneventful the last time she remembered, with her mother and father exchanging details about their respective occupations, and her partaking in their conversation only when asked.

It was going smoothly, that is, until her father suddenly turned to her.

"So, Alumi, what's this other good news you wanted to tell me and your mother?"

Alumi hoped they didn't see the slip of unease in her eyes, or how her grip on the fork tightened when they fixed their expectant gazes on her. She wasn't used receiving such concentrated attention from them, but that didn't mean Alumi wasn't prepared. She's been waiting all day for this.

"Dad, Mother…" she started while keeping the excitement from leaking into her voice. "I've been accepted into U.A., I ranked fourth in the entrance exams."

Alumi watched each of their reactions carefully. They straightened in their seats and shared the same look of surprise, but while her father looked thrilled, her mother, on the other hand, looked betrayed.

"This is great news!" Her father exclaimed ecstatically before turning to his wife. "Did you hear that, dear? Our Alumi ranked fourth in Japan's number one hero school. She's going to become a hero!"

"Yes…I heard her clearly," her mother said, her expression turning blank, her bluish-purple eyes containing an unsettling gleam of disapproval. "Alumi. You applied to U.A without our permission."

It was an accusation, and her heart thumped in apprehension. Her father immediately went to her aid.

"No, dear. Alumi had my permission. I was the one who signed the consent forms," he said calmly, but it did little to appease the ochre-haired woman.

Her mother's eyes narrowed in anger and she shot her husband a glare. Her father retained his calm composure, but Alumi could see a shadow of guilt behind his brown eyes.

The tension was thick, and Alumi almost winced when her mother's words sliced through the silence.

"And here I thought I made it clear that I don't want you to pursue being a Hero…" She sighed dramatically. "You disappoint me, Alumi."

She saw her father attempt to chastise his wife, but shook his head instead, not saying anything. Alumi preferred it that way. The last thing she wanted was for her parents to get into a dispute because of her.

Unable to look at her mother in the eyes, Alumi lowered her gaze to hide her frustration and pressed her lips together. She never wanted her mother to feel such sorrow and disappointment, but this was her dream. How could she not understand that? They have had this conversation before and it all ended the same – with her mother shooting her down and growing colder, and Alumi feeling utterly miserable.

But Alumi would not give in to these feelings. Not anymore. She was now one step closer to achieving her dreams, and no one – not even her mother – could stop her from doing just that.

And so Alumi remained silent, afraid to say anything that might possibly result into another argument. No words could convince her mother, and for what it's worth, one could only guess which parent Alumi inherited her stubborn trait from.

"I will not ask you to withdraw from the school since they've already accepted you. U.A is one of the top schools in the country. It would be a shame."

Alumi looked up with hopeful eyes.

"But know this, Alumi." Her mother's voice turned stern once again, her eyes hard as steel. "I will never approve of you becoming a Hero."

The silence that followed was deafening.

'Of course,' she thought bitterly. How could she even begin to think her adamant mother would suddenly turn over a new leaf? Such a feat would be miraculous.

Alumi already knew that, but the words stung deeper than she expected. Apparently, just because she's gotten used to it, doesn't make it hurt any less.

"I'm going up ahead," her mother announced as she rose from her seat, giving the blue-haired man beside her a cursory glance as she did. "Don't stay up too late, Alu. It's bad for your skin."

Alumi almost flinched under her mother's sharp gaze. "Y-yes. Good night, Mother…"

Her father's eyes followed her mother's leaving figure and Alumi lowered her head in contrition, once again left to feel miserable in the dust.


After finishing kitchen duty that night, Alumi went up to the second floor for bed. As she made her way to her room, however, she saw that the door to her parents' bedroom wasn't closed all the way. And from the small gap she could hear their muffled voices flitting from inside.

She paused by the door, then shook her head and was about to leave when she heard her mother's voice increasing in volume.

"…I just can't believe she would disobey me to this extent."

'Ah…they're talking about me.' It didn't surprise her one bit. She knew her mother was restraining herself earlier at the dining table. It was only around her father that her mother could truly be herself.

Alumi knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but something compelled her to stay. She strode towards the door as silently as she could and pressed her back against the wall beside it.

She heard her father's voice next. It was much quieter than her mother's but Alumi heard him clearly. "Now honey, Alumi isn't in some kind of rebellious stage. It's just that she's growing up. She's bound to want to do things for herself."

Her mother huffed. "I've left her to her own devises up to this point because I saw how much effort she's been putting on taking care of herself. It made me happy…I thought that, with her looks and talent, she would surely reach greater heights if she becomes a model, or perhaps even an actress. She has lots of potential and I'm not saying that just because she's my child."

"Yes, but you know how much she dislikes that…" he said tentatively, earning another huff. "Alumi may not say it, but she's not exactly keen on popularity."

"And that's what makes me angry! I just don't understand what she's thinking! She's going to garner attention to herself either way, but she is obviously much better suited in show business than being a hero. Actually, anything is fine as long as it's got nothing to do with being a hero! Over and over I told her so many times to consider her future properly. She led me to believe she grew out of her childhood obsession with heroism, but then she suddenly goes and applies to U.A, with you two – especially you, Hiro!– not telling me anything!" she half-screeched, making Alumi wince.

Her father was silent for a moment, as if he was contemplating what to say next. "Yes, and I'm terribly sorry for keeping it from you. But...Reika…What is it that you're truly afraid of? Is it for Alumi's sake, are you afraid of what may happen to her? Or is it the fact that she's slowly going further away from us?"

Alumi's eyes widened. It hadn't occurred to her that her parents would think so deeply about her wellbeing. The discovery brought upon a bittersweet feeling, and she brought both her hands to her chest and clutched them together, her heart pounding anxiously as she waited for her mother's reply.

The silence stretched, and it was her father who filled the void.

"I know it's hard. Even I'm worried that she's chosen such a dangerous occupation, but this is Alumi's dream. She's been working hard for this! It's more than a childish obsession now."

Her father's voice was gentle but firm, and Alumi was filled with an overwhelming happiness that he somehow understood her feelings.

"I know that, Hiromu! I trust in Alumi's abilities. She became strong without me even noticing it, but it's just…" Her mother's voice cracked with emotion.

Alumi stifled her gasp with a hand. Was her mother crying?

"I-it's just that, I can't help but notice…that after Haruki died, she's changed so much! She did all these things on her own, and I-…I don't even know how it happened! I feel like I…I haven't done anything for her. I know I said s-some terrible things, but I just wanted to protect her, but now…It's too late! I-I'm too late!"

"Dear…" Her father went to comfort her, and Alumi presumed her mother was wrapped in her father's embrace right now, surrounded by his security and warmth.

"It's hard even for me, but let's have confidence in her. Alumi is strong. She is even stronger than us. Because after all that's happened, she is facing her fears head on. Alumi may not have told us, but I know that the reason why she wants to be a hero so badly...is for his sake."

A feeling of sadness pressed down on her until Alumi could hardly breathe from the weight of emotion. She felt her own tears coming as she listened to her mother's quiet sobs. She eventually walked away, with her eyes closed tightly and her heart heavy with guilt for eavesdropping on her parent's conversation. Still one thing remained the same, and that was the determination to achieve her dreams.

'I'm sorry, Mother. But Dad is right. I'm doing this for Haruki's sake. I promised. I'm not going to run away from my nightmares anymore.'

She may not see it now, but someday, Alumi would make sure she would make her mother understand.


Two days had already passed when Alumi woke up with a start in the middle of the night.

She felt out of breath, her heart was racing so fast she could feel it throbbing in her ears, deafening her.

Another nightmare.

It was just like the usual – horrible and sick. However, what terrified her this time was that it wasn't Haruki who showed up being killed. This time, it was a boy with black green-tinged curly hair, his legs broken and right arm heavily damaged.

It frightened her that it was him. He certainly piqued her curiosity from the moment she laid her eyes on him. And now, seeing him in her brother's place with blood dripping from his mouth…

Alumi shut her eyes and swallowed.

When she finally decided to open her eyes again, the dim light purple hue of her nightlight greeted her vision, painting the room in an almost ethereal and warm glow. Seeing the light helped to calm Alumi's nerves, the ringing in her ears retreating to the back of her skull.

Just when she began to relax, Alumi panicked, hoping she didn't scream in her sleep. Her parents were asleep right down the hall, and she would rather spend her days in isolation than disturb their much needed rest. More than that, she didn't want them to think she was incapable of handling her fears. She was already seventeen years old and a Hero Aspirant. The days where her father used to run to her side every time she woke up screaming and crying were long gone. The days where she used to visit a psychotherapist were over.

Alumi shifted her eyes to her beside alarm clock. Twelve twenty-four AM.

She turned and snuggled deeper into the warmth of her bed, willing herself to go back to sleep.


April first arrived in a blink of an eye.

As usual, Alumi woke up at five am, performed her daily flexibility exercises, made breakfast, and prepared herself for school. This Monday was like any other, but it was also the start of something new.

As she was putting her black wedged Mary Jane shoes on, her father had descended the stairs. Hiromu Koseki silently watched his daughter's back with a mixture of fond pride and sadness crossing his features. He resigned himself to support her in any way he could, but the feeling that his beloved only remaining child slowly drifting away from them and gradually changing into an amazing but nearly unrecognizable person hurt him more than he wanted to admit.

"The uniform suits you well. It's a shame your mother missed you on your first day," he commented, making Alumi turn with an easy smile on her face.

"You think so? It's really too bad, I suppose…"

Reika wasn't able to go home for almost three weeks now. She was as busy as her husband, but even Hiromu had his day offs.

"It can't be helped. The new project they're producing is set to air this April, after all." He sighed, sharing her sentiments, before giving her a gentle entreating look. "Now Alumi, I hope you're not upset with your mother because of what she said that night at the table..."

Alumi shook her head, still smiling yet a little surprised at how her father decided to bring that up now. "No, I'm not mad at all. I understand Mother's concerns. I know she's only thinking of what's best for me, but…This is something I want to do. I've been preparing to do this for a long time now and you understand that, don't you Dad?"

"Of course." He smiled with consoling eyes. "Your mother may say otherwise, but I'm sure she's just as glad as I am that you've reached this far."

'I doubt that." Alumi initially thought. But then she remembered her mother's words that night, and she hoped that really was the case. Suddenly her smile felt painful and she turned away before Hiromu could see her wavering smile.

"Well then, I best be on my way now. Breakfast is on the counter, I'll see you later Dad!"

She was about to open the door when her father's voice called out to her once more. When she turned to look at him one last time, Alumi was greeted with the words 'Congratulations, Alu. I Am Proud Of You. Go Get 'Em.', on top of her father's palm which he projected from his eyes. Alumi stared with wide and fascinated eyes. Her father usually didn't use his Quirk outside of work, but right now he was cheering her on with it.

At that moment Alumi felt the luckiest in the world for having such a wonderful father. She smiled sincerely, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

"Thank you, Dad…" she said as she dropped her head into a bow, the gratitude she felt radiating throughout her entire being.

That day, Alumi left with the confidence that everything would be all right. Because the sun was still shining, she had all the support she needed, and the journey had just begun.


A/N:

We finally get to meet Alumi's parents and even get a glimpse of her past! =D It's full of some pretty heavy stuff, I know. Alumi used to have a bad case of PTSD (and still has traces of it that's for sure), but she surely knows how to handle it. That's because there were some certain people who helped her, and it's not just her parents, which would be a good time to say that OCS will definitely pop out in the near future, so look forward to that! =D

And I'm terribly sorry for the absence of the canon-timeline and characters ;_; but be of good cheer because we're heading there~!


So, here I have a few things I want you guys to know about (let's call this the tidbit section):

Alumi's name is derived from the word "Aluminum", which is the primary source of Corundum – a very hard mineral occurring in the ground, the crystallite mineral that Alumi usually uses (more of her Quirk will be revealed in later chapters). Her name is also my homage to Alumi Niumbirch, the heroine of Hiroyuki Takei's Shaman King Flowers, whose name was also derived from the Aluminum element. Although if we're going be all japanese-y, 'Alu' (pronounced as 'Aru' in japanese), comes from a combination of kanji (琉る- ryuu, ru) which means "gem, or precious stone", and (- Mi) meaning beautiful. Aru also means "to exist", so Alumi's name can be depicted as "existing beauty". As for her family name, "Koseki" means "Ore/Mineral" in Japanese.

If Alumi were to have a voice actress, it would definitely be the voice of Chisaki Hiradaira from Nagi no Asukara, portrayed by Ai Kayano-san.

I am fully aware it was Shiozaki Ibara from 1-B who ranked 4th during the entrance exam, but for the sake of this fanfic, overlook it please? I'll also warn you ahead that I'll be running over some canon-characters because of this story. In fact, I just might erase Kouda Kouji-kun's existence while I'm at it ._.

Alumi's father's Quirk is called 'Holo-Vision'. He can materialize his thoughts, words and project images into a hologram-like structure through his eyes. He can also crystallize the object shown but the effect has a limited time and so the crystallized image will eventually vanish. He is very adept at using it in his work. Incidentally, his name comes from the kanji (- Hiro) meaning "tolerant, generous", and (- Mu) meaning "dream, vision".


So there you have it, I hope you enjoyed the second chapter.

See you on the next! :)


[Edited]: Changed the name for Alumi's mother to 'Reika' since that bears more semblance to her Quirk, cleaned up some grammatical errors, edited/re-wrote some scenes and added some minor changes.