Chapter 9: The Promise

Name: Luna

Quirk: Bast – She can assume the abilities of any cat, from regular housecats and lions to hybrids such as ligers and tigons. Her quirk is named after Bast, the Egyptian goddess of cats.

Appearance: Though usually taking on appearances of the cats' abilities, her usual look has been compared as eerily similar to a character of the anime RWBY known as Blake, however she has a tail, and they are complete opposites in terms of personality and choice of dress. She's 14.

Warning: Language and Adult Themes

When all Luna's visitors left for the day and night had fallen, Luna's thoughts drifted back to USJ. True to Bast's warning, guilt was eating Luna alive. Left alone to her thoughts, all she could think about was how pathetic she was. Though Luna by no means thought she was strong enough to handle the Nomu, she should have been able to deal with a few thugs. But instead, they managed to force her on the defensive, and even land a hit!

Luna tried to occupy herself with something, anything, but it was no use. Every time she tried to close her eyes to sleep, she only saw Aizawa pounded into the ground, again and again. Every time that Luna tried to listen to music from her phone which Ichika was kind enough to bring, all she heard were the shouts of pain from Aizawa. It's like her brain refused to let the past be the past. Luna became desperate, trying to think of anything else.

Luna's brain was not her friend today, that was for sure. The only thing she could think of was her conversation with Ichika that day.

"So, want to tell me what's between you and the most powerful students in your class?"

Luna choked on her rice that she just began to eat "What do you mean?"

"Don't 'What do you mean?' me young lady. Midoriya, Todoroki, and even Bakugo visited you several times, you know."

"They did?"

"Yep." Ichika popped the p "Come on, spill. You aren't eating until you do." Ichika snatched the rice from Luna, and she groaned.

"Do I have to?" mewled Luna.

"If you want to eat, then yes."

"I could just ask for the hospital staff to bring lunch."

"You certainly could." Ichika agreed "Unless, of course, I told them you weren't up to it."

"What?"

"I could tell them many a thing, you know."

"You're worse than the Nomu." Ichika laughed.

"So?" Luna grumbled but obliged.

"Bakugo was my first friend. That's all he is. A friend. Or he was before he tossed it out the window. Midoriya's another friend, but he and another girl are crushing on each other. They look cute, so I'm not going to touch that mess. And Todoroki …" Luna furrowed her brows.

"And Todoroki?" Ichika prompted.

"I don't know. I think we're friends, but he's so distant. I don't know what he's thinking half the time."

"So what you're saying is that he's the mysterious type, but he's also available?"

Luna gave Ichika a hard look "I refuse."

"Why, is he ugly?"

"No. but –"

"But what?"

"I don't know, I don't want that kind of thing from him right now."

"So, later."

"You're incorrigible. Please give me the rice back. I did as you asked."

"Ah, ah, ah!" Ichika wagged her finger "That's not enough, Luna dear!"

"I am going to make myself pass out if you continue this."

"Just like Azi's dry humor! You sure you're not his secret love child?"

"I wish." Ichika paused.

"Really?"

"Aizawa-sensei can't be worse than my father." Ichika finally didn't answer, looking lost in thought. Using the opportunity, Luna snatched a Tupperware container with a few sandwiches with her left hand.

"Why, you!" Ichika simultaneously looked impressed and angry, but then decided to just laugh.

Now that Luna was thinking about it, why did Todoroki visit her? She could understand Midoriya and even Bakugo visiting her, but Todoroki? And apparently several times as well. She wasn't exactly sure what their relationship was. Luna hoped the boy thought of her as a friend, but then there were moments where Luna was not sure. While Luna generally remained composed around people, he somehow was able to fluster her. And Luna didn't like it one bit. It wasn't long before Luna's musings allowed her to drift off to sleep.

The next morning, the doctors and nurses came to check on her wounds. That involved Luna undressing completely, as the damage was all across her body, but thankfully only female nurses and doctors saw her in that way, much to Luna's relief. They deemed her healing well and allowed her to visit Aizawa. He woke up an hour or two ago, and Luna was desperate to see him again.

When she arrived, Luna breathed a sigh of relief at his clear and keen eyes.

"Aizawa-sensei." He gave her a hard look.

"You shouldn't have jumped in. You could have been killed."

"And let you die?"

"I wouldn't have died." Luna gave him a knowing glance, and he huffed in annoyance.

"I'm sorry." Luna said.

"You better be. Next time you do something so stupid I'll personally beat some sense into you."

"Not for that, Aizawa-sensei."

"Then, for what?"

"For my weakness. Had I been faster, stronger, smarter … I could've gotten you out."

"I wasn't able to do so. How could you?"

"That's different. That was after you beat up a third of the villains before being wounded due to Shigaraki and the Nomu. I was different; I was rested, at full capacity. I should've …" Luna looked away.

"Look at me." He commanded, and when she did, she saw no resentment or anger, but concern.

"There was no other way. Only All Might was able to deescalate the situation, and even then; he barely managed it." Whatever he was trying to say, Luna's mind took it differently. Her mind began to work, remembering Bast's demand that Luna's Quirk becoming stronger. Yes. She would become stronger, but not for Bast. No, she would do it for Aizawa and her friends, so that no one had to be in the same position ever again. Luna's unbandaged fist clenched in determination; she would become stronger.

"You're right, Aizawa-sensei." Aizawa narrowed his eyes "The only way I could prevent this from happening again is by becoming stronger, faster, smarter. I will do so."

Normally, Aizawa would have been satisfied at that. However, he did not like the look in Luna's eye. He could tell that despite his words, she still harbored deep guilt for what befell Aizawa at USJ. He was worried. Deeply worried. Aizawa knew that guilt did terrible things to people, and while it could drive them to new heights, it could also force them into pursuit of a goal with reckless abandon. The way that Luna held herself in that moment; ears pricked, tail and fist stiff, eyes shining with determination unsettled Aizawa. He had grown accustomed to seeing Luna as quiet, reserved, controlled. Now, Luna changed for all the wrong reasons. Luna nodded and decided to get to work.

That day, Luna decided to walk. It was a start, after all. Luna wasn't naïve enough to think she could do anything more than that, but it built up her strength. At first, her doctor was hesitant, but he allowed it, on the condition she not overdo it. Luna grabbed a crutch and headed out into the hospital gardens. She set a brisk pace, wanting to push herself. Every step was met with pain, but Luna gritted her teeth and moved on. The pain she felt now was a result of her incompetence, with no one to blame but herself. At least, that's what she thought. Poor Luna didn't realize that she too was human; she was prone to mistakes and errors as much as the next person, but Luna held herself to an unhealthy standard; one which many applied to All Might and the top ten pro heroes. It was on this walk that she encountered Todoroki. He didn't say anything, just accompanying her.

About an hour into the walk, Luna decided to take a break and patted the spot next to her, signaling to Todoroki to do the same. He obliged. They sat in relative silence, but Luna's head was whirling, trying to think of what to say. While she had an entire script ready in her mind, it all seemed to be thrown out the window the moment she actually met him. Eventually, Todoroki spoke.

"I'm glad you are all right, Luna-chan. Well, relatively speaking."

"Thank you for your concern, Todoroki-kun. May I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Why did you visit me when I was unconscious?" The boy looked at her with his mismatched eyes. While his left eye was turquoise, the other was a dark brown. While she knew many of her peers were not at ease when he looked directly in their eyes, Luna thought it produced a hypnotic effect, holding her gaze. While his left eye had the depth of the sea, his right held the depths of a warm, cheery cave; not the dark and foreboding ones, but those that were well lit and homely.

"I guess I was just worried for a friend." He replied, and Luna was elated. He did think of Luna as a friend. That was nice to hear.

"I'm glad you think of me as a friend, Todoroki-kun. Honestly, it's hard to know what you're thinking sometimes."

"Really? Why is that?"

"I don't know. I think that you're hard to figure out because you're quiet and reserved most of the time, as well as closed off and distant."

"I could say the same about you." That caught Luna off guard. She wasn't as quiet as she used to be when she first arrived in Japan. Luna supposed she had Midoriya and Bakugo to thank for that. Todoroki took Luna's silence as a sign that she was offended.

"I'm sorry. Did I offend you?"

"Gods, no! I just … I just don't know what to say. I felt like it would be awkward for me to force anything, and, well …" Todoroki raised an eyebrow, wanting an explanation.

How do I explain this feeling? How do I explain that I lose all train of thought when I'm near him? How do I describe the feeling of feeling nervous and awkward when he's around me?

"I don't know. I just get this weird feeling around you."

"Is it a bad feeling?"

"I don't think so … Damn, why are feeling so hard to understand."

"Yeah …" he trailed off, looking at her with those interesting eyes of his. Luna paused, the gears in her mind beginning to spin. Was he implying something? Before she could understand, he stood.

"Unfortunately, I have to leave now, Luna-chan. I hope to see you in class tomorrow."

"As do I, Todoroki-kun."

Luna walked with him to the garden entrance to the hospital and watched as he left. However, as Luna resumed her walk, she realized that Todoroki had addressed her with -chan, and not -san. Normally, this wasn't a big deal, but Todoroki only addressed his peers as -san. Luna didn't know what to think of it but shrugged. It didn't really matter, did it?

A nurse came to fetch Luna after another two hours. Despite Luna's assurances that she was fine, her doctor was uncomfortable with her walking for so long. She still needed rest, no matter what Luna wanted to think.

Luna arrived back at her room to discover Ichika already waiting for her, another lunch prepared similar to yesterday, with some jasmine rice as well as some sandwiches. Today, Ichika was wearing a bright blue dress. When Ichika saw Luna moving around, she frowned.

"Luna, what am I going to do with you? You can't just move around with your injuries!"

"Sure I can. I have been doing so successfully for the entire morning." Ichika playfully glowered at Luna, who gave her a small smile.

"So, are you hungry?"

"Very much so. Thank you." Ichika waved off the thanks and helped Luna settle back into her bed.

"Did Aizawa-sensei already eat?"

"He's eating a different kind of food right now. As he is entirely …" Ichika swallowed "bandaged, it is a risk to open the wound back up, so the staff are feeding him a special type of food." Luna remained quiet, eating her rice. She wanted to speed through it, but she knew that if she did, she would be left feeling hungry; Luna learned that lesson the hard way. Better to enjoy the food while it lasted.

When Luna finished, Ichika packed the empty containers back into her bag, and remained sitting with Luna quietly.

"Ichika?"

"Yes, Luna?"

"I want to leave the hospital today." Ichika gaped unabashedly at the girl.

"Have you lost your mind? Seriously!"

"You know Aizawa-sensei will probably want to leave as well."

"And I won't let him! He's just as crazy as you are! I'm surprised you two aren't related!" Luna smirked slightly.

"Thank you."

"That wasn't meant to be a compliment!" Luna began to chuckle, and despite Ichika's efforts, she could feel a smile twitching its way onto her face. At that moment, a nurse walked in.

"Aizawa-san. Your husband wants to talk to you."

"Do you know what about?"

"He said something about wanting to leave. Dr. Yorokuma is trying to sway his decision, but he's adamant about leaving." Luna began to shake with repressed laughs, wincing all the while as her bruised body began to ache. The timing of the situation was hilarious. Ichika glared in the direction of Luna, but merely sighed and left the room.

Luna sat back into her bed, smiling all the while. Yes, this will be interesting.

3 Hours Later:

Ichika was grumbling under her breath, helping her husband into her white Toyota Sienna. Luna was currently sitting in the back, buckled in. When she asked to help, Ichika genuinely scowled at Luna, who sweat-dropped. Luna knew better than to push Ichika's buttons right now, so she contented herself with doing as Ichika wanted.

The doctors were against their leaving, but they couldn't change Luna's and Aizawa's minds. They eventually relented, but on the condition that they visited Recovery Girl every day for healing sessions. Luna had been warned that she would be constantly feeling tired, cranky, and drained, but Luna shrugged their concern off. If she couldn't deal with being tired, what would she do when she was a fully realized pro hero?

Luna looked out the window as they drove home. The girl found out that she really didn't like car rides, as they made her extremely nauseous. She didn't say anything, because that would only cause to further stress Aizawa and Ichika, so Luna held her face composed and neutral.

She found that listening to music seemed to distract her body enough to calm its ominous rumblings to that of choppy waves. She recently discovered an American music group called Citizen Soldier, and she had to say, their music was good. Like, really good, despite having a small fanbase. Luna also connected to many of their songs on a personal level and was surprised by the amount of people who did too. Comments upon comments were written, saying how the music helped them through some of their darker moments, and Luna was a bit disappointed that she didn't find them earlier, when she lived with her father.

They finally arrived at Aizawa's house, and the entire remainder of the day was spent resting. Despite Aizawa's and Luna's pleas (rather, Luna's pleas and Aizawa's grumbling), Ichika insisted that they rest because they "were going to be running around God only knows doing what, the least you two can do is rest today!"

So Aizawa and Luna resigned themselves to a day in their beds, though Luna had a bit more freedom, which Luna may or may not have rubbed in Aizawa's face. He glowered at her, and his gaze promised pain, but Luna contented herself with the knowledge that he couldn't really do anything until at least another few months.

Luna spent the rest of the day trying to get some sort of exercise in, without the knowledge of Ichika, of course. She stretched, did sit ups, practiced changing her legs into her favorite form, the cheetahs, and tried some awkward pushups. With a cast, she was incredible hampered, and had to be absolutely sure Ichika wasn't nearby, because Luna wasn't exactly in the most agile form. The day was spent this way, with Luna and Ichika having a quick dinner before she dashed off to help her husband. Luna hoped that she would someday find someone who she could care about as much as Ichika and Aizawa cared about each other.

The next morning was a Monday, so it was a school day. Luna had to wake up slightly earlier than normal, as did Aizawa, but they managed to get to school without a hitch, though Ichika still grumbled about it the entire way there. Luna stayed behind to help Aizawa to the classroom. At first, he tried to protest, but when he realized he needed some help with the elevator key, he just sighed, but let Luna help. She heard her classmates asking about a substitute teacher, but Luna just shook her head and opened the door.

"Good morning." Aizawa said, grumpy about the fact that he needed help opening a door.

"Aizawa-sensei, you're back so soon!" exclaimed the class.

"You're too much of a pro!"

"So you're all right Aizawa-sensei? May I ask where Luna-chan is? Is she still in the hospital?" asked Iida.

"Can you really call that all right?" gasped Uraraka loudly as Luna stepped through the door as well.

"Luna-chan, you too?!" said the class as one. Luna flattened her ears but nodded and took her seat. Tokoyami half-turned and nodded at her. Luna gave a small smile, then turned her attention to the front of the class, where Aizawa was standing.

"My well being doesn't matter. More importantly, the fight is not over yet." Luna's classmates began to whisper about villains, and Luna would be lying if she said she too wasn't curious.

"The U.A. Sports Festival draws near."

"That's a super normal school event!" Class 1-A exclaimed, and Luna whimpered, now covering both her ears in despair. Not this class too! Tokoyami gave her a sympathetic glance and shook his head.

"Wait a minute!" protested Kaminari, and Jiro nodded.

"Is it okay to have a sports festival so soon after the villains snuck inside?"

"What if they attacked us again or something …?" Ojiro worriedly asked.

"Apparently, they think of it as U.A. showing that our crisis management system is as solid as a rock by holding the event. Security will also be strengthened to five times that of previous years. Above all, our sports festival is a huge chance. It's not an event to be cancelled because of a few villains."

"But that's a good reason, isn't it? It's just a festival of sports." asked Mineta.

"The U.A sports festival isn't just some fair. It's a chance for students to show themselves off to the pros, who would shortly afterward send in requests for the students to intern with them. Have you not seen a festival before, Mineta-kun?" explained Luna.

"Of course I have! That's not what I meant!"

"Our sports festival is one of Japan's biggest events. In the past, the Olympics were called a festival of sports, and the whole country was crazy about them. As you know, with reductions in scale and population, they're now a shell of their former glory. And now, for Japan, what has taken the place of the Olympics is the U.A. sports festival! And, like Luna said, it is a chance to showcase your abilities to the pros, who will undoubtedly be looking for those at the forefront of it."

"After we graduate, it's typical to join a pro agency as a sidekick." Kaminari explained.

"A lot of people miss their chance to become independent after that and become eternal sidekicks, though. Kaminari-kun, I feel like you'd be one of them. Since you're dumb." Jiro continued, and Kaminari grimaced and sunk lower into his seat.

"Of course, joining a famous hero agency will get you more experience and popularity. Time is limited. If you expect to go pro, then the path to your future will open up at this event. One chance a year, for a total of three chances. No aspiring hero can afford to miss this event. If you understand that, then don't slack off on your preparations!"

"Yes, sir!" said the class. Luna could not get more miserable. When she looked at Aizawa, he looked to be smirking at her, though it was impossible to tell through the bandages.

So, this is your tactic, eh Aizawa-sensei? Just you wait. Luna thought.

"Homeroom is dismissed."

The rest of their classes to lunch went by smoothly, and Luna left the room, intending to go visit Recovery Girl, as she was ordered to by her doctor.

"Wait, Luna-chan!" Luna turned and saw Midoriya running up to her. Luna stopped and waited for the boy, who smiled gratefully.

"Yes, Midoriya-kun? Can I help you with anything?"

"I just wanted to say it's good to see you again! When I visited you, you were still unconscious, and I wasn't able to see you on Sunday. Sorry about that." Midoriya said sheepishly, but Luna waved his apology off.

"No need to apologize, Midoriya-kun. I understand you have things to do. I'm not conceited enough to blame you for not visiting me yesterday. Truthfully, it was best if you didn't. I was a bit of a mess."

"Are you feeling all right, Luna-chan? Isn't it kind of early to be back?"

"If Aizawa-sensei can turn into a mummy and come to school, a broken arm won't stop me." Midoriya laughed, and Luna went, with Midoriya walking side-by-side with her.

"May I ask where you are going, Luna-chan?"

"I was going to visit Recovery Girl. My doctor said it was the only way that he was allowing me back, so, here I am."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"You don't have to. I'm sure Iida-kun and Uraraka-chan are waiting for you."

"They'll understand; it's not a problem." The two of them arrived at Recovery Girl's office, and Luna knocked. When she heard an affirmative, she walked in.

"Ah, Luna. There you are. I was beginning to think you wouldn't show." Recovery Girl said.

"I didn't want to, but my doctor practically threatened me to be here every lunch for the next two weeks."

"And you, Midoriya? Did you need something?"

"Ah, no Recovery Girl-sama. I just wanted to talk to Luna-chan on the way here and followed her."

"Ah, the protective boyfriend type, eh?" Izuku panicked, turning red and shaking his head vigorously.

"Recovery Girl, you really shouldn't tease poor Midoriya-kun like that. His heart may just give out one day." Luna frowned, though her cheeks were touched with pink as well.

"I suppose it's a good thing that I'm the nurse, eh? Anyways, as much as Luna appreciated you walking here, I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave for her exam." Midoriya looked relieved, hastily closing the door behind him before running to the cafeteria.

"All right then, Luna. I need to take off your upper garments for me; I need to check your bruises." Luna nodded, and carefully took off her uniform, leaving herself in her socks, red bra, and red underwear. She shivered slightly, not used to being so exposed. "Sorry about that. I'll make it quick."

Luna nodded and let Recovery Girl look at her from all angles. Luna didn't feel too uncomfortable with it; Recovery Girl felt like a concerned grandmother. After a few minutes of looking Luna over, Recover Girl nodded and motioned for Luna to get dressed. However, what Luna heard made her freeze.

"Let me get the door for you, Aizawa-kun."

"All Might-san, I'm perfectly capable of doing so. Besides, with your luck, you'd just barge in onto some female student who's undressed."

"What utter nonsense!" exclaimed All Might and opened the door. Everyone froze. She saw All Might and Aizawa get a sudden nosebleed, and Luna couldn't have been more embarrassed.

Luna broke the spell by trying to hastily trying to grab her clothing, but that led to her slipping and falling on her shattered right arm. She cried out in pain, her eyes already filling with tears.

"TOSHINORI! GET! OUT!" bellowed Recovery Girl, and All Might practically broke the door in an attempt to close it as fast as possible. Recovery Girl rushed over, sighing. "I might have to install a permanent lock for that man. Let me see your arm." Luna whimpered, but slowly extended her right arm to Recovery Girl, who looked it over.

"All right. It's not like it's any worse than it was before. This injury won't be healed in a day or two, but this will be a start. Kiss!" Recovery Girl's lips landed on Luna's forehead, and Luna sighed as she felt a little better, but much more tired. Luna finally got dressed and sat herself onto a bed as Recovery Girl went to open the door to the tomato red faces of All Might and Aizawa. "Don't you know to knock, All Might?! There's a reason I have a sign for that!"

"I-I'm sorry! L-Luna, I'm so-so s-sorry!" All Might stammered, and Luna felt her face heat up.

"Please, just … just don't talk about it …" whispered Luna, looking at the suddenly very interesting pattern of the quilt on the bed.

"Y-Yeah! Sure thing!" There was a pause.

"What did I say, All Might?" Aizawa drawled, and Luna shrank into the bed, wishing she would be swallowed by the ground. Or kidnapped. That would be much more preferable to the situation. Aizawa had actually came for the same reason that Luna did, and All Might wanted to help open the door. Luna didn't feel any anger at the man; it was an honest mistake. He made a hasty goodbye and left, with Luna feeling a sudden sense of déjà-vu.

Aizawa too was kissed by Recovery Girl, and Luna left with her homeroom teacher.

"I'd have thought you wear all black." suddenly said Aizawa, and Luna groaned.

"Aizawa-sensei, seriously?"

"Yes. It was quite the surprise you like other colors than black and dark purple."

"Hey! I do!"

"Like?"

"I think amber is pretty." Aizawa snorted, motioning for Luna to open the door to the teacher's lounge, and she did. Luna prepared Aizawa's special food for him while he sat on one of the couches.

Luna helped him eat it, and suddenly, Luna had a very funny idea.

"Here comes the airplane!" she cooed, and if looks could kill, Luna would have been disintegrated by the glare she received "What? I have to get you back for that somehow."

"I was getting you back for yesterday."

"No, you did that when you intentionally provoked the class into yelling several times."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Aizawa said, and Luna just snorted, helping him eat without antagonizing the bandaged man anymore. When he finished, Luna cleaned everything up before lying down on one of the unoccupied couches. Before she knew it, Luna fell asleep, and when she woke up, she panicked when she realized she had slept about 30 minutes into her next class. Luna fumed when she realized Aizawa had left without waking her up, and stormed her way to her next class, hero basic training.

When she arrived, All Might informed her that she had been excused for today and the following week. Luna tried to argue that she needed practice, but Toshinori steadily refused, saying that she needed to heal.

"Luna, as much as your determination and drive is admirable, you can't overdo it. Remember what you advised Young Midoriya to do when he first started?"

"I do, but this is different! I haven't even done anything!"

"Yes, you have. And are. You're healing. I know that Recovery Girl's Quirk takes a lot out of the patient, so you wouldn't even be at your best." Luna was furious but nodded. "Besides, Ichika told me she would personally hunt me down if I let you participate." Luna brightened a little at that. Ichika would totally do something like that. "You could help me conduct class, though. It'll get you moving a bit, but it won't be too strenuous for you."

"Thank you, All Might-sensei."

And Luna did that. She was pleasantly surprised that what she was asked to do was indeed making her move around a lot, which she appreciated. By the time class ended, Luna was exhausted.

Luna returned to their homeroom, where she would wait with Aizawa until every other student left. When Uraraka tried to leave, however, she found the outside of their door surrounded by other students. The class immediately noticed.

"W-What's going on?!" asked Uraraka. Luna's tail began to twitch. She didn't like the way the students outside were looking at her.

"What business do you have with Class 1-A?" inquired Iida.

"We can't get out! What'd you come here for, anyways?" complained Mineta.

"Scouting the enemy, small fry. We're the ones who made it out of the villains' attack. They probably wanna check us out before the sports festival." stated Bakugo, walking out of the room. Mineta pointed at Bakugo and gave Luna an offended look. Luna merely shrugged. It's not like Bakugo cared for what she had to say. Bakugo approached the front of the crowd, who instinctually leaned away from him. "There's no point in doing stuff like that. Out of my way, extras!"

"Stop calling people extras just because you don't know them!" Iida reprimanded.

"I came to see what the famous Class A was like, but you seem pretty arrogant." an unfamiliar voice rang out, and a tired looking student with wild purple hair made his way to the front of the crowd. "Are all the students in the hero course like this? Seeing something like this makes me disillusioned. There are quite a few people who enrolled in general studies or other courses because they didn't make it into the hero course. Did you know that? The school has left those of us a chance. Depending on the results of the results of the school festival, they'll consider our transfer into the hero course. And it seems like they will also transfer people out. Scouting out the enemy? I, at least, came to say that even if you're in the hero course, if you get too carried away, I'll sweep you off your feet. I came with a declaration of war."

There was an intense stare off between the new kid and Bakugo, and Luna tried to hold it in. Like, she really tried, too. Luna didn't mean to snort, but she did. He looked at her.

"You found something funny?"

"Well, yes." He realized she wouldn't say anything until he asked, which Luna was kind of happy to see made him a little angry.

"What's so funny, then? Enlighten me."

"Well, I could start off with the fact that you're just an average Joe Schmoe, coming to challenge us. Maybe I'd take you seriously if you even got into the hero course first. But here you are, just your average student, challenging a class that literally defeated a bunch of villains while you sat in your nice, safe classroom." He honestly looked kind of hurt, but Luna ignored it. That's what he gets for 'declaring war'. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have places to be."

"Joe Schmoe?" asked Iida.

"Joe Schmoe is an American expression. It means a regular person. When you're called a Joe Schmoe, the person is saying you are ordinary. In this case, Luna meant it in an insulting way; she's calling the little shit a regular nobody. I like it." Surprisingly, it was Bakugo who explained, smirking at the purple-haired boy.

Luna went past the boy, intentionally shouldering the boy aside as she left. Perhaps it was cold-hearted and downright mean to say the things she said, but honestly? Luna didn't care one bit. Here was some random kid off the block challenging her friends and her. She remembered her promise to herself, and Luna intended to keep it. She would do anything to protects her friends, even go to hell and back, if she had to. Luna met Aizawa on the curb, who nodded to her. Luna was still a bit miffed about the whole oversleeping thing, so Luna decided to ask Aizawa about it.

"Aizawa-sensei?"

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you wake me up when the bell rang?" He didn't answer at first, with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Honestly? I kind of overslept as well." Luna paused and looked at her teacher. He looked a lot more tired than Luna was used to, which was kind of startling because Aizawa was already always tired.

"Well, okay. I could understand that. But why not wake me up when you woke up?"

"You needed the rest. You were excused anyways, might as well get some needed sleep." Luna gave Aizawa a surprised look. "What?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"You're probably the first person to worry about my sleep after …" Luna swallowed the emotions threatening to crack her voice "after my mother left." Aizawa didn't say anything, just looking at Luna through the corner of his eyes. Luna, meanwhile, stared ahead, holding her face carefully composed and her body language neutral, but Aizawa could see she was incredibly stiff with effort.

She and Aizawa waited for Ichika to pick them up, and they drove home. The first thing Luna did was finish her homework. It was slightly worse than usual, but Luna was dead on her feet, and just wanted to sleep.

She crashed sometime around 5:30 p.m., and when Ichika went to check on her for dinner, she smiled when she saw Luna curled into a ball with blankets surrounding her. Ichika was reminded of the cats that made little nests to sleep in and found it oddly adorable that Luna did that too. She merely closed the door, letting the girl get her rest.

Hey guys! Welcome back! Sorry about the long break between chapters. I promised one every two to three days, and here this is at the very end of that. The problem is that y profile has an error; whenever I tried to upload anything or visit my account, it kept saying "Error 1, please email the support team" or something similar. Now, I can upload and use my account, which is nice, but the stats of my stories are frozen, specifically the views. Whenever I try to see, it still says "Error 1", and the views are frozen to the beginning of the week. Anyways, sorry this chapter is short; it's supposed to be a fluff/filler chapter, getting Luna out there to start preparing for the sports festival. Hope you enjoyed! – Bananaman out!