This is actually an old story that I deleted from this site to rework. So, here it is again with a new name. This first chapter has very few changes but the following chapters will be different from their originals. The reason is that it was just a bit TOO fantastical and superstitious, for lack of better terms. Anyways, it still gets pretty crazy, but so has the actual My Hero story lol.

Oh! This story takes place in the past, for now. The beginning mostly follows Shota (Aizawa) and Hizashi (Present Mic) in their U.A. years. It takes place very shortly after the incident with their friend. The second part of this story will be about a teen All Might, and the third will be present day stuff. I might have to put it on hold at that point though to see where the real story goes. I like to try and keep as much cannon stuff as possible and just build around it, ya know? But with shipping. Lots of shipping. Oh yeah, if you don't like gay shit, then you should leave now. I am totally NOT against having gay ships as well as hetero ones. You've been warned.

Shota glanced at Hizashi out the corner of his eye; his classmate was as loud and energetic as always, despite what had happened only a month ago. How could he be over it so quickly? Maybe he wasn't. Maybe it was how he coped. But his attitude now was no different from how he always was. Whatever. Shota clicked his tongue in disapproval and turned his attention elsewhere. Was he the only one who noticed the two extra desks in the classroom today? One was directly in front of him and the other was to its left. Surely someone else had to have noticed the two extra and empty desks and the annoying shift in the rows?

"All right, settle down and take your seats already," their homeroom teacher demanded as he entered the classroom. "Yamadaaaa," he growled dangerously.

The eccentric, wild-haired boy quickly threw himself into his seat and smiled brightly with mock innocence. Once everyone had settled into their seats and quieted down, their teacher continued.

"Now… Although it's not very customary in the second year, we have two new students joining our class. Some of you may have noticed the extra desks?" Silence. He grunted. "Right. Well, neither of these two have attended any other hero school. This will be their first."

"They're just jumping right into second-year?" Someone asked, tilting her head. "How?"

"Well, some…exceptions were made after careful consideration of… I don't have to explain that to you!"

The student flinched and lowered herself in her seat.

"Ahem. Anyways, the basic explanation is that, one: they are much too powerful and skilled with their abilities, not to mention old enough for second-year, and two: they are from the Tora Clan. And for those of you that don't know, the Tora Clan are the only people who, from the time quirks first manifested up to now, are allowed to use their quirks in public at any time and for any reason, so long as they don't use them to cause trouble or harm others, even without being licensed heroes."

Several of the students gasped and started talking amongst themselves. "That's crazy!"

"Hey, what gives them the right?"

"Yeah, what's so special about 'em?"

Their teacher growled. "That fact that you don't know means we need to start teaching more in the history classes… The Tora Clan is very unique, in many ways. They are one of the two SuperBeast Clans, clans that have been around for a very long time. The other is known as the Ookami-Kage Clan. Both had great influence in the world, particularly in Japan. Of course, that was a long time ago… There are some rumors and stories that claim the two clans always had quirks, even before the first one that they teach about in schools."

"Is that true? Were they really the first people to have quirks?"

"No one knows. Except for them, I suppose. The truth lies shrouded in many mysteries and ancient tales. Both clans were always said to be rather mysterious and secretive, especially the Ookami-Kage." He narrowed his eyes at the name. "So, don't expect our new students to reveal any secrets of their history to you! Anyways, it's not too surprising that you youngsters haven't heard of them. The Tora Clan was wiped out long ago, save for two survivors that went on to have children of their own. Nowadays, there are only three surviving Tora Clan members left. Two of them will be joining us later. The third you may know as the Tiger Hero, Light Claw."

A ruckus picked up. "Light Claw is part of that clan?!"

"Wow! I thought he just had a typical transformation quirk."

"But I still don't get what's so special about those clans?"

"AHEM." The students silenced themselves so he could continue. "There are many things 'special' about them. One of those things, is that they are naturally born with multiple quirks. But you can ask them later for yourselves about that part. In the meantime – Hm? What is it, Hizashi?"

Hizashi had his arm raised high. "Hey, you mentioned that the Tora Clan got wiped out. What's that about? What the heck happened to them?"

"Oh, that. Well, supposedly the Tora and the Ookami-Kage Clans were once very close. Their leaders, who were the first of their name, were good friends. I heard them described to be like siblings. Eh, but one day, for whatever reason, the Ookami-Kage betrayed the Tora and attacked them. It was apparently a surprise attack, and they slaughtered every one of them, save for the two siblings that got away… Then, the Ookami-Kage up and vanished. Not a trace."

"A whole clan just vanished?" Someone asked. "How?"

"Did they die?"

Their teacher shrugged. "No one knows what happened to them. Sometimes, there are reports of them, but they've never been confirmed."

"What kind of people were they?"

"Hm?"

Everyone turned to look at Shota. They were surprised that he had spoken up.

"The Ookami-Kage and the Tora," he said. "What kind of people were they?"

"Hrm, well from what I learned, both were always a little…superstitious. They supposedly had strong connections to the 'spirit world' and were said to conjure up mythical beasts and monsters to aid them at times. Never saw Light Claw do any of that, but like I also said, they were also pretty secretive. Supposedly, none of the clan members age after reaching adulthood. This longevity is said to rub off on and affect their mate as well. With a certain quirk, I suppose it could be possible, but whether or not this is true remains to be seen. Both clans kept to themselves, mostly interacting only with each other. They say the only ones outside of the clans that ever learned their truths were the people who married a member of one of the clans and joined the family. I hear both clans were not very selective with breeding, meaning they never inbred amongst their own clan. They had a different view of purity than most ancient clans. While other clans of old sought to keep their bloodlines 'pure' those two believed that purity came from true love and not bloodlines. Let's see… The Ookami-Kage were always the more mysterious of the two, as such, we know more about the Tora. And from what I know, the Tora, despite being rather reclusive, were always kind and welcoming towards others, even those outside of their clan. They have a strong bond with nature and spirits, so they say. They are also very powerful in their beast forms, taking on the form of large tigers, each with a unique appearance, and using fangs and claws along with whatever other quirks they have to complete tasks or best foes. So, from what I know, the Tora are friendly by nature but not to be trifled with, and the Ookami-Kage don't matter because they no longer exist. Any other questions?"

A student raised his hand. "Why are the Tora allowed to bypass the law of public use of quirks?"

"Good question. That's because of their ancient and powerful authority and influence on Japan. There are other factors to it as well, but we'll get into that later. It's time for exercises. Your new classmates should get here when we get back."

Shota had a feeling there was more to it than that, and perhaps their teacher knew more than he was letting on. What kind of influence could a nearly extinct clan have that allowed them to bypass such a crucial law? Money? Surely not. No, it had to be something else. Perhaps the last remaining Tora held more power in their hands than anyone could ever know? What if their supposed power and connection to the other world was not just stories and assumptions? Who, or what, were the Tora Clan and the Ookami-Kage? If they held so much power, why didn't they know about their existence until now? What really happened to the two clans? And where were the Ookami-Kage? Dead? Alive? Had they spirited away to the other world?

Shota shook his head. Why was he thinking like that? It was all so irrational and superstitious. There wasn't any point in wasting time trying to figure it out. They were just superstitious, reclusive clans that outsiders made up stories about. Nothing else.

…

Most of the students were anxious and excited, which helped some during their exercises and hindered others. Everyone was just too excited to meet their mysterious new classmates and ask them questions, despite their teacher warning them not to overwhelm the newcomers when they arrived. The only one who was not excited was Shota. He was rather indifferent about it. Why get so worked up over it? Their presence would not really change anything or affect him in any way, so it wasn't a big deal to him.

When morning exercises were over, they returned to the classroom to await the arrival of the new students. The classroom was filled with chatter and anticipation for several annoyingly long minutes, and everyone's excitement and noise were preventing Shota from getting in a nap before lunch. Just when he thought he was actually about to doze off, Hizashi brought him back to consciousness by suddenly throwing his arm around Shota's neck and leaning hard against him.

"HEY! What are you doing?! This is no time to be sleeping!"

"Get off of me," he grunted.

He did not. "Aren't you excited to meet the new students?"

"Not really."

"All right, take your seats, all of you!" Their teacher had returned. "The new students are here, and I'd like their first impression of you to be at least somewhat decent." He waited for them all to scramble into their seats and quiet down before he opened the door again. "All right, come on in."

A very attractive, fair-skinned girl stepped lightly into the room, followed by a very pretty-faced, yet timid-looking boy. What was noticed immediately upon laying eyes on them was that they both had furry tiger ears atop their heads rather than human ears on the sides. The girl had long lilac-colored hair that was wavy at the ends and her ears were a snowy white, and the boy's hair was wild and yellow, matching his ears, with streaks of purple throughout. Another thing that stood out between them were their strikingly purple eyes. The girl's eyes in particular seemed to captivate several of the students, as there was a strange, bewitching quality about them. Shota quickly forced himself not to look at their eyes, noticing the strange captivation.

"Everyone," the teacher said, "these are the two new students I told you about. They are both of the Tora Clan." He nodded to the newcomers. "Go on and introduce yourselves."

The girl nodded then turned her amethyst eyes upon the class. "My name is Michiru. Because we share the same name, my cousin and I would prefer to be addressed by our first names. If that's all right, I mean."

Several of the students still seemed captivated, even more so now after hearing her lovely, clear voice, while a few others finally released the breaths they had been holding. They turned their attention on the boy, whose ears folded back as he moved closer to his cousin.

"This is Jaz," Michiru introduced him. "He can be a bit…timid."

"Jaz?" Hizashi perked up. "That's a weird name. Is that English?"

Jaz seemed even more nervous now and was almost standing completely behind Michiru in a vain attempt to hide himself from view.

"No," she replied, turning her curious gaze on him. "It's… Well, it's ancient spirit dialect. It's their term for lightning."

"Spirit dialect, huh?" He crossed his arms. "I don't think they offer that here…"

The teacher did not look amused by his joke, but Michiru did not appear bothered and smiled a little. "I'd be surprised if they did."

"Sensei said you guys have multiple quirks," another student spoke up. "You can turn into tigers, right? What else can you do?"

"A bit too much, really," Michiru admitted. "Well, for the most part, we can only use those other quirks when we're in that beast form. Jaz, for example –" Her cousin did not look happy to be pointed out again. "He has a quirk labeled Lightning Pelt. As a tiger, his fur is thick and coarse and stores static and electricity that he can release at will. If he tries hard enough, he can concentrate it around his claws or his tail."

"Cool!" Hizashi said loudly, causing Jaz and several others to flinch. Surprisingly, Michiru did not appear bothered or surprised, but her snowy ears did twitch a bit.

"What about you, Michiru?" Someone asked.

"Mine is strange. It's called Aura Power. Um, basically I can turn my aura into physical barriers or platforms. I can also release what my brother calls an Aura Pulse, which I can use to affect others' auras or their physical bodies. It's…easier to do than to explain. My brother has the same ability, but he's much more skilled with it than I am."

"Oh, yeah," someone said. "I've seen videos of Light Claw making these dark blue platforms to leap around through the air on or using them as shields. They seem to come out of nowhere!"

"Wow!"

"Oh yeah, I saw him doing that on the news a while back. So, you can do that, too?"

"Well," Michiru said. "Like I said, he's much more skilled than me, but yes."

"Can we see?"

"Yeah! Let's see!"

"That's enough," their teacher took over. "You can have a demonstration later. It's almost time for lunch."

Sure enough, the bell sounded and they eagerly shuffled out of the classroom. "Hey you two," a girl with feathered arms and bird-like legs and feet went over to Michiru and Jaz. "I'll show you to the cafeteria."

"Yeah," another student joined them. "Then we can show you guys around a little!"

Michiru smiled and nodded. "All right. Thank you." She glanced back at her cousin behind her. "Let's go, Jaz."

Shota got up last, following slowly behind the crowd. Hizashi slowed his pace to meet him. "They seem nice," he said.

"I guess so," Shota replied.

"That Jaz guy's really quiet."

"Unlike you…"

He shrugged. "Seems kind of weird for someone whose quirk is related to electricity and lightning."

"Why's that weird?"

He shrugged again. "A really powerful bolt of lightning makes loud thunder, right?"

"Hm."

"He didn't say a single word the whole time. Not even a noise!"

"Some people just aren't as talkative as you."

In the cafeteria, they joined the line of people waiting to be served. While Hizashi was busy socializing with someone behind them, Shota kept to himself and placed his hands in his pockets, hunching his shoulders and keeping his head lowered. Far ahead in the line, he spotted Michiru conversing politely with some of their classmates while Jaz silently listened. Shota had been watching her for much longer than he had intended, not realizing until Hizashi leaned close to him and gave him a small start.

"Got your eye on something?"

Shota jumped a little and pulled away from him. "Can't you ever learn what personal space is?"

"Nope." He leaned back and grinned. "She's really pretty, huh?"

"Tch." He turned away, annoyed, but it only seemed to amuse his friend more.

"Never seen you take an interest in anyone before."

"What are you going on about?"

"Heh. Nothing."

After receiving his meal, Shota snuck off to the roof like every day. His intention was to be left alone, but Hizashi had joined him, as he often did. A few minutes before the bell ending lunch would sound, they went back inside and made their way back through the halls, encountering their new classmates along the way.

Michiru and Jaz were being led by two of their classmates on a little tour of the building. Hizashi smiled and waved as they passed, causing Jaz to move to Michiru's other side, but earning a friendly smile from Michiru herself. She briefly locked eyes with Shota as they passed each other, giving him a sweet smile that made him halt and turn to look at her, but her attention was already turned back to the girl leading her around. He stared, surprised at the strange fluttery feeling in his stomach and chest. What was that about?

"What are you doing?" Hizashi asked, turning to look back at him.

"Nothing. I just felt a little off for a moment." He rejoined his friend and continued walking.

"Off? Are you getting sick?"

"Maybe…"

When they returned to class, the teacher had them all gather outside in one of the training yards to test the newcomers. "Just give us a small example of what you can do," he told Michiru and Jaz. "I'd like to get a basis behind the two of you and what level you are both on. Do either of you need a test dummy or the assistance of a fellow student?"

"No," Michiru replied. "I don't think so."

"All right." He waved his hand. "Go on then."

Michiru exchanged a look with her nervous cousin and smiled kindly at him. "I'll go first, okay?" He nodded and she stepped away from the crowd.

In the blink of an eye, she had suddenly turned into a large tiger with long, flowing fur on her tail, face, and limbs. She almost resembled a tiger mixed with a lynx and was even larger than any tiger they had even seen. Her size and flowing fur, combined with her snow-white coloration and lilac stripes, made her look like some kind of spirit or mythical creature from a storybook.

She spotted a single sparrow darting across the sky high above them and suddenly leapt from the ground towards it. Startled, the little bird quickly changed direction, but Michiru reacted just as quickly and kicked herself off of a translucent purple barrier that appeared and disappeared the moment her paws had left it. Several onlookers gasped as she caught the bird in her mouth then landed gracefully on all fours back in the same spot she had left from. She stood up straight then opened her jaws to release a translucent purple ball that held the sparrow inside. Upon falling from her jaws, the ball disappeared and the little bird landed lightly on its feet to look curiously around at them; it did not appear harmed in any way. The sparrow hopped and turned to face her, twittering at her for a few seconds before it fluttered its wings and darted away.

Her ears folded down and she looked a little embarrassed. "Eheh, he said he's not very pleased by my game."

"You can understand animals in that form?" Someone asked.

"Sort of. It's related to my Aura Power. But it's not like how you and I are conversing right now." She sat down, remaining in her beast form and turning her attention to Jaz. "I couldn't think of what to do, so I used the sparrow to demonstrate my aura barriers. I can put up a barrier for myself if you'd like to use me to demonstrate your electric powers."

"I'd rather not take the chance…" he said quietly.

"He spoke!" Hizashi shouted then caught himself just as the teacher sent him a glare.

Jaz let out a faint, odd sound, almost like a grunt, then shifted into a tiger as well. He was the same size as Michiru, with slightly broader shoulders. His fur was yellow, shorter than Michiru's, and looked coarse and spikey. His stripes were a darker purple and jagged like lightning bolts, and the fur down the back of his neck was slightly longer and stiff. His underbelly and the inner parts of his limbs were white and he wore some kind of silver bracers on the lower halves of his forelimbs.

"I…don't really know what I should do," he admitted.

Michiru stood up and lowered her front half just a little, bracing herself. "Just focus your lightning at me. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

He seemed unsure at first but nodded and moved into a similar stance as hers. His tail tip twitched as little sparks began to form around his pelt. Suddenly, he let out a roar, moving his head and chest forward in a jerking motion, and a bolt of electricity shot forth from him and directly at Michiru. Luckily, Michiru was prepared and had already put up a barrier in front of herself that the lightning struck hard and both the electricity and the barrier were dispersed from the impact.

"Very good," the teacher nodded. "So, you are definitely able to focus the lightning in a direction you want. That's good. And Michiru, those barriers of yours appear to have many uses. Platforms, shields, containers… These are very useful quirks. And I'm assuming by those muscular beast forms and sharp teeth that the two of you would be able to hold your own in a fight, hm? Well, either way, we'll find out tomorrow during the training exercises I have planned. All right everyone, let's wrap this up and get back inside."

The two tigers shifted and changed, returning to their human forms. Jaz went over to Michiru to whisper quietly about something to her. He was looking quite worried but Michiru only smiled softly and said something that seemed to console him.

Shota watched them for a moment; he figured Jaz must be fretting over tomorrow's exercises. With a quirk that allowed him to freely control and direct something as volatile as lightning, Shota wondered why Jaz was so worried about performing well. Then again, it wasn't necessarily an ideal quirk for carrying or assisting citizens or rescuing injured people. So, if the training was going to be search and rescue related, he might not do very well. Michiru, on the other hand, would likely do wonders with those barriers of hers. She could use them to protect herself or others, even placing them in a bubble like she did to keep the sparrow safe. Not to mention she could clearly use them to get to high places in short amounts of time. Judging by her interaction with the sparrow, it could probably be safely assumed that her Aura Power allowed her to sense humans as well. She would likely make a great search and rescue type of hero. Jaz might be able to do well with villains and combat if he could manage to overcome his timidness.

"Staring again?" Hizashi nudged him.

"Hm? I was just analyzing their abilities. That's all."

"What? You worried you might have to fight one of them in a training session?"

"You never know. It's likely."

"Yeah, I guess so… Imagine getting hit by a lightning bolt from a tiger… Ouch! I wonder how Michiru would fight?"

"She seems more skilled with defense."

"What do you mean?! You haven't even seen her offense yet! Funny for a rational guy like you to be making assumptions like that." He poked him a few times in the back.

"Quit touching me."

"I'm just saying, don't underestimate a TIGER!"

"I'm not. Now stop prodding me in the back like that. You're jabbing my spine."

After being released from school later, as they were leaving the school grounds, they spotted Michiru and Jaz talking to a large tiger that towered over them. He was dark blue, almost black, with blue stripes that stood out very faintly on his glossy pelt. Shota and Hizashi both recognized the tiger as the beast form of the hero known as Light Claw, who was apparently Michiru's older brother. Both Michiru and Jaz had matching purple eyes, but Light Claw had dark, vividly green eyes that shone like polished emeralds in the afternoon sun. He was smiling as he spoke to them, though they could not make out what they were saying. After a moment, Light Claw nodded and stood up, and Michiru and Jaz took to their beast forms to follow after him as he left.

"That's the third time I've caught you staring at her today," Hizashi teased.

"What?" Shota snapped his head away. "I wasn't just looking at her!"

"Not for the first five seconds, but then you totally were."

"Shut up." He stormed past him, earning a laugh from Hizashi.

"And I saw your face when she took the desk right in front of you!"

…

It was dark. So dark, he couldn't see anything. Suddenly, a pair of gleaming red eyes appeared. They stared at him with slit pupils. It growled and exhaled a forceful hot wave of air that almost knocked him off balance. Suddenly, the eyes vanished and a set of huge jaws filled with razor-sharp teeth lunged for him. It happened so fast that he had no time to react, but he did not feel the maw grip down on him, did not feel the sharp teeth pierce his body. He opened his eyes and looked up. A bronze and golden beast that resembled some kind of dragon was clashing with the shadowy red-eyed monster.

The dragon was serpentine and muscular, with golden scales and bronze plates armoring its underbelly and a mane of bronze fur that trailed all down its back. It looked like a wolf and a lion combined into the form of a dragon, its green eyes gleaming as it bared its teeth in a vicious snarl.

The two creatures were locked and tangled in combat, snarling and slashing their claws, ripping scales and tearing flesh as they struggled. He wondered if he should do something. But what would he do? What could he do? Was this even real?

Suddenly, the tide of the battle changed, and the bronze and gold dragon gained the upper hand. It maneuvered in a strange way, wriggling itself free of the dark monster's claws, then grabbed the monster and slammed it down hard, pinning it with its broad paws as bright fire formed in the golden dragon's maw.

Before he could see what would happen next, he blinked and found himself suddenly standing in the middle of a forest. He looked around, confused. Where was he? Where were the monsters? He turned swiftly at the sound of a roar reverberating through the forest. It was a sound like no other he had ever heard. Like the call of an elk mixed with a beast's snarl. Honestly, it sent a wave of fear through him, and he stood there unmoving for a long time before he felt the ground tremor slightly below him. It shook again…then again…and again, and now he could hear the stomping of the ground and the rustling of leaves as something very big drew nearer to him. Should he run, or should he stay to see what it was and face it? By the time he had made up his mind, the thing had already reached his location and stepped out from the trees.

It was some kind of huge monster, like a deer and a dragon combined. It was very large and tall, with long limbs. The hind legs were that of a deer or similar creature, with cloven-hooved feet, while the forelimbs were slightly longer and resembled scaly arms with dragon hands and talons. Its scaly forelimbs were green, matching the green leafy fur covering the rest of its body, and it had a set of broad antlers atop its head that were completely covered in lime green moss.

What in the world was this thing? Some kind of animal with a quirk? Or was it just some kind of monster?

The forest creature stared down at him with large, almond-shaped yellow eyes that did not appear to have a sclera or pupils. They were just shiny yellow ovals, but he somehow got the feeling that it was still staring directly at him, looking him over and possibly waiting for him to make a move.

"What are you?" he asked.

Its pointed ears pricked up and angled forward at the sound of his voice, but it continued to silently stare at him with those unblinking eyes.

"What do you want?" he asked a little louder.

The creature slowly stretched its head forward and opened its toothless mouth to bellow at him. It was loud and just sounded like a strange deer's bellow to him. Was it really trying to respond to him, or was it merely making noise back at him?

"What do you want?!"

The forest creature let out another bellow, louder this time, and he felt his body vibrate from the force of it. Everything around him suddenly became unclear and blurry, swaying then fading until he was left in darkness again and suddenly opened his eyes to find himself laying in his own bed in his own room.

Shota stared at the ceiling for a long time before he blinked and turned to look at the time. It was four in the morning. Great, he thought. Just what in the world was all that? He rarely, if ever, had dreams that he could remember, and they were never anything so vivid or strange.

…

"All right everyone," their teacher called for their attention. He had had them change into their hero outfits and gather by one of the training grounds.

Michiru and Jaz did not appear to have any kind of special costumes or outfits, so they were in their typical training uniforms. Many of the students assumed that this was because they were new, but others claimed it was likely because their hero costumes were not costumes at all, but rather they were their beast forms. Shota also thought that to be the mostly likely reason, considering that Light Claw always went around in his beast form, and anytime that he was a human, his clothes were not anything particularly outstanding or special.

Their teacher continued. "Today's exercise will be something a little like capture the flag. You will be randomly split into pairs, then we will draw straws to see which duo will be going against which. One pair's goal will be to protect the flag and prevent the other pair from capturing it. However, if the other team gets a hold of the flag, that does not mean the fight is over. You will have the opportunity to take the flag back while the other team tries to get it to the finish line. Obviously, if they do make it to the finish with the flag, they win and you lose. But if the defending team manages to keep the other from crossing the finish with the flag until time runs out, then they win. Understand?" The students nodded. He began to pull tabs from a small box, announcing the name of the student on each tab and pairing them together. "Ueno and Kubo. Yamada and Jaz…"

Hizashi perked up, surprised. "Oh?"

"Chiba and Abe. Michiru and Aizawa…"

Shota winced, feeling a weird rush of anxiety for a split moment. He had yet to even speak to this girl so of course he had not even introduced himself to her. This made it very surprising to him when she walked right over to him. Another classmate must have told her the names of the other students sometime yesterday and pointed them out.

Hizashi moved to join Jaz off in the back of the group, stopping in front of him and lifting his hand up in greeting. "Yo!"

"Er, h-hello…" Jaz was clearly trying to avoid eye contact.

He placed his hands in his pockets and leaned forward, peering at him from the top of his sunglasses. "You're really shy, huh?"

"W-Well, um…" Jaz shifted his feet, blushing a little and desperately trying not to look at him. "S-Sorry, I just…um…"

He chuckled and stood himself back straight. "That's fine. Don't worry about it. I've got enough Voice for both of us!"

"Is that your quirk, then?"

"YEAH!"

Jaz cringed, his ears folding back flat against his head.

"Whoops. Sorry." Hizashi scratched his head. "I guess I could try to be a little quieter with you."

"N-No. It's fine, really." His ears were ringing. "Ah, I'm just…not used to it, but I'll be fine. You don't have to change anything for my sake."

"Hm?" He tilted his head.

"Maybe just, uh, I'll stay behind you."

"Heh, okay," Hizashi grinned.

"You're Aizawa, yes?" Michiru smiled. "We haven't personally met."

"No." He flinched. "I-I mean, yes! Er, yes, that's me, and no, we haven't really met."

There was a glint of amusement in her purple eyes but she did not remark on his stumbling. "Tori was telling me yesterday about some of our classmates' quirks."

"Tori? Oh, you must be talking about Ueno."

"Yes. Sorry, we have a tendency to refer to people by their first names. Your quirk is called Erasure?"

"Yes. Um, if I look directly at someone, I can cancel their quirk, depending on the type of quirk… It wears off when I blink."

"That sounds very useful."

"Does it?" He was trying to avoid her enchanting gaze. "Depends how I use it, I guess…"

She tilted her head. "Is that modesty or doubt?"

"Er…"

"First up for the defending team are Ueno and Kubo," the teacher announced. "Trying to take their flag will be…" he pulled from another box. "Michiru and Aizawa."

"We're first…" Shota grunted.

"Get to your places in the mock city. Ueno and Kubo, you two will go first. You can take and hide the flag anywhere, but at least one of you has to remain near it or keep it in sight."

The girl resembling a harpy, Ueno, took the flag then headed into the zone. Following behind her was a boy with large bat ears atop his head and wings protruding from his back. Michiru and Shota remained by the entrance while they waited for the okay to start.

"Tori called her quirk 'Eagle'," Michiru said. "As far as I know, she has all the attributes of one except for a beak. She mentioned that she can even fly. What about the boy? Kubo? I'm assuming he can also fly."

He nodded. "He also has an animal-related quirk. 'Bat'. His eyesight's not good like Ueno's, but he makes up for it with enhanced hearing and an x-ray-like echolocation ability."

"My Aura Power gives me a similar ability. I can sense nearby living things, even plants."

"How near?" He looked at her.

"Mm… It depends. A maximum reach of about twenty meters if there's few other living things around. In a forest, probably about ten or so meters before I realized someone was there due to all the plants and animals in the way."

"Do you have any skill in combat?"

"Not sure if I would call any of it skill, but I have a hard blow with my paws. If we're talking about skill, then mine lies with agility and stealth." She chuckled. "Surprising for such a large white beast, right?"

"I had heard that wild tigers are talented at sneaking up on people and prey. But it's true that your beast form is notably larger than any normal tiger. Still, good agility will come in handy when dealing with Ueno, especially when she's in the air."

"I'm pretty good at climbing, too, even without leaping from my barriers. Eh, in my normal human form though, as I am now, I don't have much experience doing any of those things."

"You don't?"

"No. I've never encountered a situation where I couldn't shift."

That made sense. Anytime he ever saw Light Claw in action on the news, he was always in that beast form, only reverting back into a human to go into buildings at times. This suddenly raised another question.

"Is there a limit to how long you can remain a tiger?"

"Not at all," she replied. This actually surprised him a little. "However," she said, "it is possible for us to be forced out of that form and turned back into a human. Not every time, but if we were to receive a hard-enough blow or impact, there's a chance that it would force us out of beast form."

"I see."

A buzzer sounded, signaling that the timer had begun.

"I was too busy asking you questions to have time to explain about this capture cloth…"

Michiru had transformed into the large white tiger. "I'm adaptable," she told him. "I'll figure it out when I see it. I'll lead the way until I locate Tori and Kubo. We can come up with a plan on the way. Unless you have one already?"

"I might… Let's get moving and I'll explain."

.

"You see 'em yet?" Kubo called up to Ueno.

She flew down and perched herself atop a streetlamp. "No. No sign of them. Maybe they're having troubling finding us?"

They had decided to camp with their flag in a dead-end alleyway between two large concrete buildings. While Ueno repeatedly flew laps around the area to search for any signs of their opponents, Kubo remained within the alley's entrance to guard the flag.

"Maybe," he said. "I haven't heard anything either."

"It's been almost eight minutes since the buzzer went off. I'll make another lap one last time."

"I'll be here."

Ueno flapped her feathered arms and took back to the air, flying up along the street and leaving him behind. Once she had flown around the corner of a distant building and disappeared from view, his ears perked up and angled backwards. He thought he heard something and turned to see.

When Ueno returned from her lap after about a minute and a half, she was shocked to find Kubo tangled up in Shota's capture cloth, his mouth covered, and dangling upside-down from the balcony of a window. Quickly, she slashed her talons through the cloth and lowered him to the ground.

"He's got the flag!" Kubo said as he ripped the cloth away from his mouth. "This way!"

.

Shota was skimming across the rooftops at remarkable speed, but he knew it would not be long before Ueno and Kubo caught up to him. He chanced a quick glance over his shoulder and spotted them from the corner of his goggles. They were in hot pursuit and rapidly getting closer.

With a burst of speed, Ueno took the lead and flew past Shota, coming to a stop in front of him and forcing him to skid to a halt. Before he could run off in another direction, Kubo had appeared to block him.

"The most your Erasure can do is stop Kubo from using his echolocation," Ueno grinned, flapping her arms to stay aloft. "You can't erase my talons!" She dove at him, talons at the ready.

Shota suddenly had a flashback from his dream and remembered the jaws of the dark creature baring down on him. He clenched his teeth and braced himself, lifting his arm to instinctually protect his face, but there was no need. Ueno's talons thunked hard against the purple barrier that had suddenly appeared and curled protectively over Shota. The impact not only surprised her, but knocked her back and off balance, and she flapped her arms rapidly to right herself in the air. Kubo took the chance to try and lunge for him, but a large white blur barreled him over from the side and pinned him beneath its paws.

"Go!" Michiru told him.

Without a second thought, Shota took off again, making a beeline for the finish.

Kubo was surprised at just how strong the tigress was and caught himself wondering if a normal tiger could hold him down this easy too. Michiru had him pinned on his belly, one of her forepaws holding down his right arm and the other holding his left wing down on his left arm while her back paws held him down by the waist and leg. The most he could do was move his right wing, but he was only able to weakly hit it against her chest, which did not appear to faze her in any way. And the claw that his wing had couldn't even get through her thick fur, so he was unable to retaliate or escape.

Michiru watched Ueno right herself and take off after Shota. He had had Michiru stealthily follow him from a small distance, hoping to take them by surprise. Michiru was to follow then assist him when they caught up and attacked, surprising them and immobilizing one of them. She had hoped to catch Ueno, but ended up having to tackle Kubo instead. She knew Ueno would be able to easily catch up to Shota again. Now, she was worried if he would be able to escape her. She had an idea…

She leapt away from Kubo, a large bubble forming around him as she did, preventing him from escaping, then she ran after Ueno and Shota. Her barriers only lasted so long when she was too far from them, so she had to move as quickly as possible before Kubo would be set free. Luckily, Michiru was incredibly swift and nimble in this form. Perhaps not as swift as Jaz, but certainly fast enough to catch up to them and even pass Ueno just before she reached Shota.

Shota glanced back and saw the white tiger nearing him. He locked eyes with her for an instant and, although she could not see his eyes, he could clearly see the intent in hers. The moment she caught up to his side, without her slowing, he jumped and grabbed a hold of her, climbing onto her back just before she leapt to bridge the gap between this roof and the next.

Shota ducked as Ueno dove at them with her talons outstretched, once again hitting a barrier that appeared from nowhere, and once again losing balance. Before Ueno could correct herself and focus back on them, Michiru suddenly bolted to the right and leapt off the building, landing and pushing herself off from the side of another building, then landing on the ground and taking off again without pause.

The buzzer sounded loudly as Michiru dashed across the finish, and she steadily slowed herself to a stop and allowed Shota to jump down from her back and present the flag to their teacher.

"Fantastic!" He took the flag. "Great teamwork you two!"

"That was awesome!" Hizashi said as they rejoined the class. "And not a scratch or speck of dust on either of you! Heh, you two make a good team, huh?"

Shota briefly shot a glance over at Michiru. She had returned to her human form and was sheepishly accepting the others' praises. "…It's part of a hero's job to know how to work well with others at times," he said and walked past him.

"Bah!" Hizashi huffed.

A few more rounds, then it was Jaz and Hizashi's turn. They were to defend the flag.

"Where do you think we should take it?" Hizashi asked as he twirled the little flag in his hand.

Jaz glanced around the mock city then peered up at one of the taller buildings. "Well… I get the feeling that you're not big on hiding, right?"

Hizashi grinned, having noticed him staring up at the roof. "The match is only fifteen minutes. You think we can hold them off that long?"

Jaz transformed then nodded. "I'd rather not be stuck in close quarters with either of our quirks. Um, n-no offense or anything…"

"None taken. Let's get up there!"

The match was an amusing game of Hizashi standing on the edge of the roof and using his Voice quirk to loudly shout at their opponents anytime they tried to come near. Jaz made sure to remain behind Hizashi at all times, not only to guard from the rear but to avoid his eardrums from being blasted out. If their opponents ever did manage to sneak around Hizashi, they were still unable to get close due to Jaz's lightning bolts, which were nearly impossible to dodge and effectively stunned whoever got zapped.

…

After school, Shota was just leaving the grounds and turned the corner to find a huge dark blue tiger sitting patiently in the way. He was surprised at first, then realized that Light Claw was waiting there for Michiru and Jaz.

"Hello, there," the tiger smiled and peered down at him with emerald eyes.

"Er, hello. You're…Light Claw. Michiru's brother?"

"Indeed," he nodded.

For a moment, Shota felt uncomfortable as the tiger stared unblinkingly down at him with wide, curious eyes. He felt a little relieved when he finally blinked, closing his eyes in a cheery smile.

"Ah, so you know Michi. Are you in the same class?"

"Michi? Uh, yeah."

"Ah, sorry." He chuckled. "Michi is the nickname I gave her when she was a baby. It just kind of stuck. You can call me Tsume, by the way. And you are?"

"Aizawa Shota."

Tsume nodded. "I will remember that name."

"You really don't have to…"

Tsume smiled again. "Too late. Heheh. Besides, I like your aura."

"My aura?"

"Yes. Even though it is a bit tinged with depression. Underneath is something very strong."

He wasn't sure what to say to that and only ended up staring blankly up at him.

Tsume's tail twitched and he suddenly leaned forward a little. "By the way, next time you speak to my sister, you should call her Michi."

"I-I should? Why?"

He grinned. "You'll only find out if you do it." Tsume stood up and walked around him. "Excuse me. I have to meet with her and Jaz now. Goodbye for now."

Shota turned to watch him leave. What in the world? Was Tsume sitting here to wait for him? No… He clearly did not know Shota, but that was a very peculiar encounter just now. And what did he mean about his aura? Shota shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it too much, and turned to head home.

To be continued…

Coming up with Japanese names is difficult for me, cuz I have no real knowledge of how characters are named there. Truthfully, Michiru is named after a character from Zombie Loan *awkward chuckle*. I just liked the name. Jaz is made up and Tsume is pretty basic.

For a bit more info or updates on this or my other stories, check out my profile. I write that all there.