Chapter 17: The Hero Name

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

Specific Warnings:

The next morning was rainy. Very rainy. And Luna didn't appreciate it one bit. She glared at the thunderclouds outside, watching as the rain slid off her windows and dripped into the backyard below. The occasional boom of thunder deafened the rain, and Luna sighed as she imagined how sopping wet she would become.

"It just had to be rainy after yesterday, huh?" Luna grumbled, but she put on her uniform and grabbed her new purple raincoat that Ichika was kind enough to buy within the first week of living in the Aizawa household. As she plopped down into the kitchen, Ichika was already there, humming a song that Luna didn't recognize.

"Good morning!" Ichika chirped.

"Morning. Maybe not good, but yeah." Luna said. Ichika frowned slightly at Luna before the pieces clicked in her head.

"Oh, so this little kitten doesn't like rain?"

"I don't like water period."

"So, you won't like this?"

When Luna turned, she saw that Ichika was now aiming a fully filled squirt bottle in her direction. She fluffed her hair in alarm, dilating her eyes.

"Don't you dare!" Luna hissed, but Ichika wasn't fazed in the slightest. She learned that Luna was more bark than bite to them. Or maybe more hiss than scratch would be a better metaphor?

The following five minutes resulted in Luna being chased by Ichika, who was now cackling like mad. When Aizawa came downstairs and saw the madness that was going on, he had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Aizawa-sensei, help me!" Luna pleaded, using her homeroom teacher as a shield while Ichika tried to squirt Luna around the man. Aizawa sighed, before an idea popped into his head and he gave a mysterious little smile.

"Luna, you want to be a hero?" he asked.

"Of course I do!" Luna cried, ducking as a squirt of water almost nailed her in the face.

"Are you planning to use civilians as meat shields whenever a more powerful villain comes along?"

"No!"

"Well then, good luck."

As Aizawa said that he walked off unexpectedly, resulting in a squawk of alarm and her being sprayed copiously with the squirt bottle. Luna froze, allowing Ichika to lay it on her. When she was done, Luna had water dripping from her eyelashes and hair.

"I got you, I got you!" crowed Ichika victoriously while Luna glowered at her.

Luna snatched the bottle, now aiming it at Ichika's direction, who noticed and raised her hands in a 'I surrender' motion.

"Luna dear, let's put the bottle away. You're going to be late at this rate." Ichika laughed nervously, her eyes never leaving the spray bottle. She tried to back away slowly, but Luna crept along with Ichika, a smug smile on her face.

"Revenge!" cried Luna, and began to chase Ichika around the house, occasionally landing a squirt or two.

"Azi! Save me!" yelled Ichika and ran into the kitchen, where the man was trying to prepare a mug of coffee. He sighed in mock irritation as he was used as a shield a second time in the span of five minutes, this time by Ichika.

"Ichi, you do realize I can't help?" Aizawa said, smiling a little at the panic etched in his wife's face.

"Why not? I'm your wife!" Ichika said indignantly.

"And Luna's practically our daughter." Aizawa said, but then the three froze when they realized what he said. The spray bottle dropped from Luna's hands, now staring up at her homeroom teacher in shock, amazement, and a little horror.

"Huh?" was all that Luna could manage, still trying to process what her homeroom teacher said.

For the first time in a long time, Shouta Aizawa was rendered speechless, unsure of what to say. He didn't mean for it to slip, but now that he did, he wasn't sure what to do.

Ichika unfroze the spell by laughing nervously, her eyes flicking between her husband and Luna, who both laughed nervously as well. Ichika handed the mug of coffee to Aizawa and whipped out breakfast for all three of them.

The three remained quiet throughout the meal, with the two adults occasionally watching Luna, who went through breakfast with a thoughtful frown on her face. The truth was she thoroughly entertained the idea of becoming part of the Aizawa household. Instead of like three days ago, Luna was a bit more open to the idea, though the girl wasn't sure why. Surely some flapper pie and cold plate wasn't that influential?

I say embrace the idea.Bast said. Don't you want to?

I do, really. It's just … what will happen when he comes back?

You can expose him.

Luna bit the inside of her cheek, thinking. What Bast said was logical; not only would she have to stop worrying about her father, but she could also remain here, in the first place she experienced familial love in over four years.

However, a part of her remained terrified; she wasn't lying when she talked about those questions that ran through her head, though some of them were assuaged by the fact that Aizawa and Ichika would take her in. But … how would she prove it? There wasn't anything she could show the court, and even if she pointed to her numerous visits to the hospitals, her father would be able to come up with a plausible excuse for them. The only way she could prove his guilt is if she walked into the courtroom with some wounds he gave, but Luna wasn't willing to go that far, and she was sure Aizawa and Ichika wouldn't approve, either.

Luna sighed, getting her dirty cutlery, and depositing it into the dishwasher. She put on her purple raincoat and grabbed her backpack, where she waited for her homeroom teacher. He shared a quick kiss with his wife and booked it to the car, with Luna quickly following. She dumped her backpack into the backseat and jumped into the front seat with Aizawa.

The road to her school was quiet, with only the radio playing local important news. Luna didn't really pay attention to it, instead focusing on the pitter-patter of rain against the car and the sounds of traffic near her.

There was an uncomfortable tension that hung between the two, neither of whom knew how to fix. They would occasionally steal glances at each other, but wouldn't speak, as if it were some taboo to do so.

They arrived at U.A. relatively quickly, and Luna dashed to her homeroom, sopping wet even though she was only outside for a moment. She deposited her raincoat into her locker and went to the classroom, absently wondering what would happen today, as Aizawa didn't mention a peep.

When she entered the classroom, most of the class was already there, so Luna just took her seat. Todoroki seemed to be asleep, or at least in some meditative state, so she didn't want to disturb him, and just talked with Tokoyami while she waited for her homeroom teacher to arrive.

While she spoke with Tokoyami, she absently heard her classmates talking about being recognized in public, which filled them with a lot of happiness, except maybe for Sero, who complained about being recognized as 'that one kid who was frozen'.

"Morning." Aizawa said, sliding the door open and walking in, being suspiciously dry. Luna sent him a curious glance, and he looked at her like she was an idiot before mouthing 'umbrella'.

"Good morning!" the class said obediently, everyone sitting in their seats.

"Ribbit? Aizawa-sensei, your bandages are gone. I'm glad." Tsu noticed.

"The old lady went overboard with her treatment. More importantly, we're having a special hero informatics class today." The class instantly stiffened, worried about what was to come. Aizawa paused a moment for dramatic effect before letting the cat out of the bag. "Code names. You'll be coming up with code names."

"We're going to be doing something exciting!" Most of the class cheered, and Luna winced. This was just about the only thing she didn't miss about her class: the obnoxious habit of yelling at the same time.

Aizawa flashed his Quirk, and everyone quieted down. "This is related to the pro hero draft picks I mentioned the other day. The draft begins in earnest in the second and third years, after students have gained experience and can become immediate assets to the pros. In other words, for them to extend offers to first years like you shows that they are interested in your future potential. These offers are often cancelled if interest dies down by graduation."

"Adults are so selfish." Mineta bemoaned quietly.

"So we'll have to prove ourselves once we get picked, huh?" Hagakure asked.

"That's right. And here are the totals for those with offers." With that statement, Aizawa pressed a button on his remote, and it flashed all the offers everyone had. Todoroki was first, with 4123 offers. Next came Bakugo with 3556, Luna in third with 2547 offers, Tokoyami with 2192 offers, and then a massive drop-off, with the next person being Iida with 360 offers.

Luna's ears perked when she saw the copious amounts of offers she received. Sure, she didn't get as much as Todoroki or Bakugo, but she expected that. What she didn't expect was to get more than Tokoyami, which made her mouth quirk up for a second before landing on Luna's schooled neutral face.

"In other years, it's been more spread out, but all eyes were on the top four this year." Aizawa stated absently.

"Gah, there's such a big difference!" complained Kaminari.

"Those pros don't know a good thing when they see one!" huffed Aoyama.

"Todoroki's first, Bakugo's second, Luna's third, and Tokoyami's fourth…?" wondered Jiro.

"It's kind of the opposite of the placings in the sports festival, with Todoroki and Bakugo switching like Luna and Tokoyami." Breathed Kirishima.

"Some people are too scared to ask for a guy who had to be restrained on the podium." Sero reasoned.

"What're the pros scared of?!" shouted Bakugo.

"But what about Luna and Tokoyami?" continued Kirishima. "I mean, it's not like they're scared of Luna, right?"

Luna, currently, was wondering the same thing as her class chatted around her. Because she refused the fight with Tokoyami, she was placed fourth, yet, for some reason, she had more offers than him. She could see that Tokoyami was also slightly confused at that, but it was clear through his body language there was no anger or resentment.

"Keeping these results in mind, whether or not anyone asked for you, you will all be participating in internships with pros."

"Internships?" asked Midoriya.

"Yeah. At USJ, you already got to experience combat with real villains, but it will still be meaningful training for you to see pros at work firsthand."

"So that explains the hero names!" Sato said clenching his fist in anticipation.

"Things are suddenly getting a lot more fun!" cheered Uraraka.

"Well, those hero names are still temporary, but if you're not serious about it ..." Aizawa started.

Suddenly, the door was opened, revealing Midnight, and she finished Aizawa's sentence. "- There'll be hell to pay later!" The class gawked at the sudden intrusion, looking at their homeroom teacher for an explanation. "Because a lot of hero names used by students become recognized by society, and they end up becoming professional hero names!"

"So, that's how it is. So Midnight will be making sure your names are okay. I can't do stuff like that." Aizawa continued, pulling out his sleeping bag. "When you give yourself a name, you get a more concrete image of what you want to be like in the future, and you can get closer to it. This is what it means when they say, 'Names and natures do often agree.' Like 'All Might', for example."

And with that, whiteboards were passed out to the class, and everyone got to work thinking of their names. Some immediately jumped right into it, a clear idea in their heads, while some others like Luna paused, hesitant. Luna herself didn't really know what to be called; she didn't want to compare herself to the very first hero with Bast's given Quirk. So, Luna absently tapped the black marker against her cheek, in thought.

While she pondered on what to name herself, she absently heard her classmates begin to present after a short time, starting with Aoyama.

"Okay, let's start presenting names starting with those who are ready." Midnight said.

"Here I go … Shining Hero: I Can Not Stop Twinkling! Which means, you can't stop my sparkles!" Aoyama proudly decreed.

"It'll be easier to use if you take out the 'I' and shorten the 'can not' to 'can't'." Midnight suggested.

"You're right, mademoiselle."

"It's okay?" said the class, perplexed at the hero name that was actually just a sentence in disguise.

"Anyways, choose one – English or French." Sato complained.

"Then I'll go next!" Mina bounced up to the podium. "Hero name: Alien Queen!"

"Are you trying for the thing with acidic blood? I wouldn't if I were you." reprimanded Midnight.

"Dang it."

"Ribbit, may I go next?" asked Tsu.

"Go ahead, Tsu-chan!" allowed Midnight.

"I've had this in mind ever since I was in elementary school – Rainy Season Hero: Froppy!"

"That's so cute! It seems so friendly! I like it! It's a great example of a name that everyone will love!"

The class began to cheer for Tsu, chanting 'Froppy'.

A name that everyone will love, huh?

Ooh, I know! I got it! Kitten! Wait, no, that's too generic. Calico! But you're not a calico … Kawai Cat! Meh, never mind. Kitty Cat! No, doesn't really seem to match you …

And so, Bast began to unload potential hero names into Luna's brain like one might unload a minigun. Luna knew Bast was only trying to help, so she didn't get too mad.

Bast, thank you for the suggestions, but I want to come up with my own name.

Oh, okay!

"Then I'll go too! Sturdy Hero: Red Riot!" announced Kirishima.

"'Red Riot'? You're paying homage to the Chivalrous Hero: Crimson Riot, right?" asked Midnight.

"Yes. It's pretty old-fashioned, but the hero image I'm going for is Crimson himself."

"If you're baring a name you admire, it'll come with that much more pressure."

"I'm prepared for that!"

Next was Jiro. "Hearing Hero: Earphone Jack."

"That's good. Next!"

"Tentacle Hero: Tentacole." Announced Shoji.

"It's like tentacle with octopus thrown in!"

"Taping Hero: Cellophane!" said Sero.

"Nice and simple! That's important!"

"Martial Arts Hero: Tailman!" Ojiro flexed his tail to prove his point.

"Your name reflects your body!"

"Sweets Hero: Sugarman!" Sato said.

"So sweet!"

"Pinky!" shouted Mina.

"Peachy pink complexion!"

Luna spared a glance at the sleeping Aizawa, wondering how the man wasn't awake yet, before turning back to her empty white board.

Something simple … Something unique … Hm…

Truthfully, there was an idea beginning to swirl around her head. When Luna first arrived in Japan, she had wanted to immerse herself into their culture, and as such, studied a lot of it, from something as simple as the history of their writing system to their old polytheistic pantheon. One yokai stood out from the Japanese mythology to Luna, and she thought it fit her. Well, technically it wasn't just one, but … she could make it work.

"Stun Gun Hero: Charge Bolt! Combining 'charge' with 'lightning bolt'!" yelled Kaminari.

"Oh, I feel tingly!"

"Stealth Hero: Invisible Girl!" proudly said Hagakure.

"That's great!"

Luna bit her lip, apprehensive.

Bast, what do you think?

Honestly? I love it! It fits your Quirk so well!

"Everything Hero: Creati." Modestly said Yaoyorozu.

"Creative!"

But does it suit me? I mean, they did cause a bit of unwanted destruction in their wake, plus their reputation isn't exactly the best.

Psh, please. They were cats who could summon fireballs; do you honestly think that they'd be model citizens? And besides, they aren't all bad, not like their cousins. Some were pretty good.

"Shoto." Said Todoroki, without any flair or shouting.

"Your name? Is that okay?"

"Yeah."

All right. I think I'm ready. I'll go once people stop volunteering.

"Jet Black Hero: Tsukuyomi." Said Tokoyami, and Bast erupted in laughter.

What?

Oh my gods, the coincidence is incredible! Hahahahaha! I met the uptight prat a few years ago, and specifically said he doesn't want people like your feathery friend to name themselves after him, and here we are! I can't take it! Hahahaha!

"God of the night!"

"Freshly Picked Hero: Grape Juice!" Mineta's couldn't even see over the podium, so he had to hold his whiteboard up as high as he could.

"Pop and kitschy!"

Koda didn't say much, but Luna didn't really expect him to; he was incredibly shy. His white board said, 'Petting Hero: Anima', and Midnight gave the boy a green light.

"Okay, got it!"

"King Explosion Murder!" That snapped Luna out of her thoughts, and Luna gave the boy an exasperated smile; of course he would come up with something like that.

"You probably shouldn't use something like that."

"Why not?!"

"You should be 'Explosion Boy'!" offered Kirishima.

"Shut up, shitty hair!"

"What I thought of was 'Uravity'." Hesitantly said Uraraka.

"Sounds stylish!"

Finally, Luna saw there were no volunteers left, so she hesitantly raised her hand, to which Midnight nodded happily. As Luna made her way up to the podium, she felt a coil of nerves in her stomach begin to form.

She finally arrived, took a deep breath to steady herself, and looked at her class. She even saw Aizawa crack an eye open, so she really can't mess this up.

"My name is a bit … different, but … I hope it works. Shape Shifter Cat Hero: Bakeneko." Luna said.

Silence met her name, with the class staring at her with emotions that ranged from confusion to even a bit of apprehension.

"Aizawa-chan, are you sure? Bakeneko aren't exactly the friendliest yokai?" Midnight asked hesitantly.

"Uh, what's a 'Bakeneko'?" asked Kirishima.

"A Bakeneko is a cat yokai. They have several different origins, based on Japanese mythology, but the most common ones are that a cat consumes too much lamp oil, or they grow old enough. What happens is they gain the ability to shapeshift into humans, speak in human languages, walk upright on two paws, …" Yaoyorozu hesitated. "But they are also feared. They have been attributed to cursing humans, manipulating the dead, possessing humans, and guiding wolves to attack humans. Sometimes, the Bakeneko was said to form as a result of a grisly death by their human master and would be conceived with revenge to only fuel them. The attack might take years, sure, but in the end, it was said that the Bakeneko always got their revenge."

The class simultaneously gulped, looking at Luna, who shrunk slightly at their gaze.

Come on kitten, stand up for yourself!

"The reason that I chose the Bakeneko is partly because of their ability to shapeshift, sure, but … the primary reason was because it was a feared and respected yokai. I wanted them because they aren't tied to their masters like Inugami, dog yokai, but I also wanted something that wasn't necessarily evil. The Bakeneko are, generally speaking, neutral to humans, but they have their bad bunch as well, just like humans."

The class began to murmur amongst themselves, and Luna sighed dejectedly.

"Aizawa-chan, don't get me wrong, I think the name's creative and all, it's just … the Bakeneko are primarily known as malevolent yokai; there are barely any stories of good Bakeneko, and there are too many about the bad ones. Please understand." Midnight said, trying to not hurt Luna's feelings.

Luna nodded and made her way back to her seat, wiping the board clean. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned, seeing the concerned gaze of Todoroki.

"I liked it." He said, and Luna nodded her thanks, but didn't say anything.

Kitten? I think I have an idea.

No offense, Bast, but if the name is something like Kawai Kat, I have to refuse.

No, no, nothing like that. There … There's another legendary cat species, though it's from China, if you're interested.

Oh?

The Zouyu, a legendary cat, is said to only appear in the presence of a true leader. They are said to be incredibly righteous, very loyal to those it deems worthy, and generally speaking, benevolent and kind. When provoked, the cat was said to lay waste to small armies, resistant to weapons and even magic.

Luna raised her hand, asking for permission to search up a lead she was following, and was allowed to. She pulled up a Wikipedia article on them.

Zouyu, also called zouwu or zouya, is a legendary creature mentioned in old Chinese literature. The earliest known appearance of the characters 騶虞(zou yu) is in the Book of Songs, but J.J.L. Duyvendak describes that the interpretation of that little poem as referring to an animal of that name is "very doubtful".

Zouyu appears in a number of later works, where it is described as 'righteous' animal, which, similarly to a qilin (a chimera creature, a mix of dragon and horse), only appears during the rule of a benevolent and sincere monarch. It is said to be as fierce looking as a tiger, but gentle and strictly vegetarian, and described in some books (already in Shouwen Jiez) as a white tiger with black spots.

Luna pulled up a different article on them as well, to get a clear image on what they were supposed to look like. This time, the article called the cat a Zouwu.

The Zouwu is supposedly 'five-colored' and resembles a 'gigantic elephant-sized cat'. It is supposed to be a monstrously large feline-like beast with a striped body, scraggly mane, four fangs that curled out of its mouth, long sharp claws, and a disproportionately long, ruffled multicolored tail. Zouwus were said to be incredibly powerful and fast, capable of travelling 1,000 miles in a day.

According to some legends, they were capable of teleportation, despite powerful human magic that was supposed to be able to prevent it. Their hides are incredibly tough, capable to taking both spears and elemental magic as if shaking off a fly. Many wonder in the famous Nemean Lion from Greek mythology was a Zouwu.

The temperament of a Zouwu varied, but they were said to be incredibly protective of chosen humans, and sometimes even entire settlements. They were often neutral to regular humans, not willing to attack unless provoked, and even then, the ensuing battle would surely leave many dead before the beast would even begin to tire.

It was said that Sun Wukong, the infamous monkey demon king from Chinese mythology, once fought their queen to a standstill, neither able to get an advantage over the other. The legendary battle was notable in the fact that only one other powerful figure, Erlang Shen, was even able to best Sun Wukong in battle.

Luna hummed appreciatively, though she wasn't sold on the idea of the supposed protectiveness of certain humans. Luna desired to be free, independent from manipulation or want from others, and to see such a mighty beast be bound by loyalty was … a bit disconcerting. But then Luna thought about her friends, her current family. Luna shook her head, her eyes seemingly gleaming.

Luna's eyes fastened to Iida, who was strangely dejected and downcast when she showed off his whiteboard, which merely read 'Tenya'.

"You're using your first name too?" asked Midnight.

He didn't answer, a sure sign that something was wrong, and Luna vowed to help. There was something so wrong with seeing Iida unlike his usual robotic self. When Midoriya and Bakugo didn't volunteer, Luna once again raised her hand.

The class watched Luna, unsure of what she chose this time.

"I … I took the constructive criticism in favor of choosing a better name, and … I decided on this: Protective Hero: Zouyu."

"Zouyu? Like the mythological creature from China?" Midnight clarified, and Luna nodded tersely, wondering if she was going to toss this name aside as well. To her immense relief, Midnight clasped her hands and smiled.

"I love it."

"Uh, what's a Zouyu?" asked Kaminari.

Once again, Yaoyorozu came to the rescue. "The Zouyu is a well-respected and liked legendary Chinese cat. It was said to only appear when there was a truly good ruler. It was said to choose specific people and protected them fiercely, sometimes even from truly powerful foes such as dragons and phoenixes."

"Luna-chan, you have an interesting fascination with mythology. Ribbit." Mused Tsu.

Luna gave her a sheepish smile. "What can I say, I guess I'm into mythology."

The class nodded in appreciation, and Luna sat down in her seat, the ball of nerves in her stomach dissipating completely. Now, all who remained was Midoriya ad Bakugo.

"Midoriya-kun, are you ready?" asked Midnight.

"Yes!" Midoriya stood at the podium, looking at his chosen name intensely.

"Midoriya!" gasped Mineta, and quite frankly, Luna was a bit apprehensive about his chosen name.

"Are you okay with that?" asked Kaminari.

"You might be called that forever, you know." Kirishima stated.

"Yeah, I didn't like this name until now. But someone changed the meaning of it, and that had a huge impact on me. It made me really happy. This is my hero name!"

The whiteboard read 'Deku', and Luna saw Uraraka blush profusely at it.

Wow, it was her, huh?

Apparently. So, what's it supposed to mean, besides … you know … useless?

Well, I can only guess, but it does sound similar to 'You Can Do It'.

Ah.

"Lord Explosion Murder!" shouted Bakugo.

"No, that's still no good." wearily corrected Midnight.

Eventually, Midnight was completely worn out by Bakugo, and accepted 'Great Explosion Murder God Dynamite', much to the amusement of Luna. Aizawa woke up not a minute later.

"Now that everyone's decided on their hero names, we'll go back to talking about the internships. They will last for a week. As for where you'll have them, those who had offers from pros will be given your own lists, so you can choose from those yourself. Those who didn't have offers will choose from among forty agencies around the country that will be accepting our interns. They all work in different places and have different specialties."

"For example, Thirteen would be focused on rescues from accidents and disasters more than fighting villains. Think carefully before you choose." Midnight explained.

As the lists were passed out, Luna heard her classmates begin to whisper excitedly. When Luna got hers, it looked more like a rolled-up scroll than a piece of paper; she had to unroll it in parts or it would cascade over the edge of her table and into her lap.

"I want to fight crime in urban areas!" Kirishima said.

"I hope I can intern at a place with floods. I wonder if there are any?" Tsu mused.

"Turn in your choices before the weekend." Aizawa said as he left the room, carrying his sleeping bag with him.

"We've only got two days?!" the class shouted, and Luna pressed her ears into her skull with her hands, whimpering quietly.

"Make your choice efficiently. Dismissed." And with that, the two teachers left the class, leaving the stunned students behind.

Luna sat and looked her list over. There were very many agencies who asked, from such heavy hitters as The Genius Office, led by the current number four hero Best Jeanist, and even from Endeavor's agency, fittingly named the Endeavor Agency. Some heroes she recognized, but most were unfamiliar to her.

One that caught her eye was the Pussycat Agency, though Luna was slightly disappointed to learn that the group was not, in fact, people with cat quirks, but merely dressed up as them.

Regardless, Luna wasn't making a decision here and now, so she decided to research the agencies that would best suit her needs, preferably one where the hero had a Transformation Quirk. She made a note to ask Aizawa on the best way to approach making a decision, as researching all the agencies would be physically impossible with the time remaining.

While the class began to converge into groups to discuss their choices, a few students such as Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, and, surprisingly, Iida remained in their seats. Luna was among them, and when she noticed the usually talkative boy sitting by himself, she slid over a column to be sitting next to him.

He seemed to be studying his list extensively, crossing out agencies based on certain criteria's Luna couldn't begin to guess, but she still saw the aura of gloom around him.

"Iida?" asked Luna, and the boy raised his head, his gaze stormy and angry. "Are you alright?"

Iida's eye twitched, but he nodded. "I am in perfect health, thank you for asking. May I ask why you are interested in me?"

"It's just … you've been so disconnected with the class today. Usually, you're walking about with your robotic movements and talking with Midoriya-kun and Uraraka-chan, but today, you're all alone."

Iida tried to give Luna a reassuring smile, but they both knew it was half-assed. "It's just a temporary issue, Luna. I will deal with it, and everything will be back to normal. Well, as normal as normal can be."

Luna wasn't sure what to make of his last statement, but she nodded. "Alright then. I apologize for bothering you, I was just concerned. If you do want to talk about it, just let me know. I'd be willing."

"Of course, thank you."

And with that, their conversation ended, with Iida going back to his list while Luna stood and sat next to Todoroki, who was gazing at one particular spot on his extensive list. He looked up when he saw Luna sit next to him, nodding wordlessly before once again staring at the same spot, which Luna deduced was his father's agency: Endeavor Agency.

"Do you have an idea where you want to go?" finally asked Todoroki.

"I'm not sure; maybe to someone with a Transformation type Quirk? Other than that, I really have no clue. What about you?"

"I'm considering going to my old man's agency."

"Are you sure? I mean, you don't really have the best relationship with him."

"He may be an asshole, but he knows what he's doing with his fire. Meanwhile, I don't. I might despise him with a passion, but he's the best possible teacher for me."

"Well then, Shoto. Good luck. I want to see what Tokoyami's doing."

Todoroki felt a strange pang in his heart when he saw Luna go and sit next to her friend, and the two began to converse lightly, with Luna laughing slightly at what he was saying. He sighed, looking back at his list. How was she so able to converse with everyone else, but get so nervous around him? Surely, he wasn't that scary?

"Shoto." Todoroki raised his head to see Luna waving him over to where she was sitting, and he walked over, noticing Tokoyami's gaze on him. "Tokoyami, I was wondering if Shoto could join us for our lunches; I was hoping we would connect together, so it wouldn't be so hard to converse with each other."

Todoroki was thankful that Luna didn't mention the real reason behind the request: Todoroki's request for making friends.

"I see no problem with it. We're in the same class, Todoroki-kun, but perhaps a formal greeting would help." Tokoyami extended his hand to Todoroki. "Hello. My name is Fumikage Tokoyami, a pleasure to truly meet you."

Todoroki grabbed his hand, and they shook hands. "A pleasure to meet you as well. My name is Shoto Todoroki. I hope we can become good friends."

"Likewise."

And so, the two boys began forging a friendship, with Luna acting as mediator/neutral party, guiding the conversation along when it stopped awkwardly. Todoroki was glad beyond words that Luna was helping him; a tiny part of him thought she wasn't going to follow through with her promise, but now recognized the fact that it was a stupid fear; he heard that the girl was honest, perhaps to a fault, and always did as promised.

The school day ended relatively quickly for most students, and most eagerly bounced back home, practically bursting with pride to tell their parents about their internship opportunities. Luna, meanwhile, saw with her homeroom teacher in one of the teacher lounges, looking through several internship cards which have already been turned in. Luna, meanwhile, sat quietly nearby, working on her math homework for the evening. It wasn't particularly hard, just kind of tedious to do; one small error would result in having to do the problem all over again, which was an endeavor that took approximately four minutes to do.

"Internships, huh?" asked Snipe. Luna dipped her head in greetings while the man gave her a quick nod. Aizawa didn't even turn to face his colleague.

"Yeah. A few already decided." Aizawa responded, flicking to a new card.

"It's an important event. Make sure they think about it properly. There are some third years that still have regrets about it."

"Yeah."

"Luna-chan, how goes your schooling? Have you made your decision about where to intern?"

Luna looked up from her work, setting it aside. "It's going very well, thank you for asking Snipe-sama. As for my internship, I have my eye on one of them, but no concrete ideas yet."

Aizawa snorted. "She's modest. She some how has a S in every class." * (See Author Note).

"Really? How interesting. What agency has your fancy, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Not at all, Snipe-sama. The agency in question if Ryukyu Agency."

There was a pause before Aizawa looked at her as well.

"Ryukyu Agency?"

"Yes, Snipe-sama. Ryukyu-sama seems to be the strongest Transformation Quirk user in Japan, and I was hoping that my internship would be able to help me with my Quirk as well. Well, besides All Might, of course."

"Your also have a Transformation type Quirk, yes? You could transform into any wildcat?"

"That is correct."

"Well, good luck. I met Ryukyu-san a couple of times, and she's … well, you'll see."

"Thank you."

And with that, Snipe left.

"Ryukyu Agency, huh?" asked Aizawa.

"Yes. Since she is able to transform into a dragon, I was hoping she'd be able to give me pointers on transformation in general."

"You do realize you might not even see her during your week? She's the ninth most popular hero in Japan."

"Well then, I'll submit a request; hopefully, she'd be able to answer."

Aizawa hummed, turning back to his internship cards.

Luna returned to her math homework, quietly working away while.

"The agency Iida wants to go to … I'm sure he had offers from better places. A hero agency in Hosu … Don't tell me …" Aizawa muttered.

Luna didn't say a word, recognizing it wasn't her place, nor her right. Though, Luna would be lying if she said she wasn't curious. Something was clearly affecting Iida, and it had to do with Hosu. Luna began to think, wondering what happened, while working on her homework. She managed to finish before Aizawa was done, so she merely closed her eyes, resting. She wouldn't manage to finish her reading from Cementoss's class, and Luna knew it was better to read the part in full, rather than in parts, so Luna put it off.

Aizawa gave her a slight nudge to announce they were leaving, and Luna was happy to find out that the rain had stopped, all that remained were some fluffy clouds in the sky.

Luna didn't have to find out much longer about what was bothering Iida. That night, a full broadcast was announced resulting in the attack of Ingenium in Hosu, one of Japan's newer but popular heroes. The attack was committed by none other than Stain, dubbed 'The Hero Killer', who had already killed over 15 heroes and led to the retirement of countless others. Luna sucked in a breath when she realized that Ingenium was Iida's older brother. A massive hit, Luna was sure.

"Oh, Iida." Luna said, worried for her classmate and friend. She was worried, even more so when she realized that Iida was going to Hosu for his internship. Luna sincerely hoped that he wasn't going there out of a desire for revenge, but for training. Stain wasn't some small fry; he was the real deal.

The day of the internship arrived quickly, and Luna found herself at the train station, a suitcase in her right hand. She had, in fact, chosen to go to Ryukyu's agency, which was located in Hosu city* (look at Author Note), though it wasn't because she wanted to keep an eye on Iida. She trusted the boy to be responsible enough to not look for trouble.

"You all have your costumes, right? Remember, you aren't allowed to wear them in public. Don't drop them or anything." Aizawa instructed.

"Yessir!" cried Mina.

"Speak clearly! It's 'yes, sir', Ashido."

She visibly deflated. "Yes, sir."

"Make sure you mind your manners with the heroes at your internships! Off with you, now. Luna, one moment."

While Luna's class began to file away and walk to their respective trains, Luna approached her homeroom teacher.

"Yes, Aizawa-sensei?"

Luna was wholeheartedly surprised when Aizawa pulled her into a quick hug, but she reciprocated the gesture, wrapping her arms around his back. He was so warm, it was incredible.

"Good luck. Be safe." Aizawa said and began to walk away. Luna watched as he hurried out of sight, not even given the chance to answer.

"Thank you." Luna whispered, then ran to catch the train that was heading to Hosu.

When she caught up with Iida, she saw that Midoriya and Uraraka were worriedly staring at the boy, who didn't even fully turn to acknowledge them.

He walked away with one of his half-assed smiles. When Luna went to go after him, Uraraka caught Luna by her sleeve. Luna paused, waiting for an explanation.

"Luna-chan, I know we aren't the closest friends, but … please try to look after Iida-kun. We're worried about him." Uraraka pleaded while Midoriya nodded his head emphatically.

Luna removed Uraraka's hand with a smile. "Of course. What kind of friend would I be otherwise? Good luck with your internships."

Luna nodded and ran to catch up with Iida, who noticed her approach and slowed down a tiny bit for her to catch up. They boarded the train without any problems, sitting next to each other, but not speaking. It was clear that Iida wanted quiet, so Luna gave him his quiet.

"What agency are you going to, Luna?" asked Iida, his eyes closed and head leaning back in his seat.

"I'm going to Ryukyu Agency. What about you, Iida?"

"Manual Agency. It's relatively small, but I think it's the best place for me right now."

"I see."

The rest of the voyage was spent in silence, Iida having fallen asleep, and Luna looking out the window as the environments outside passed in a blur. What Luna didn't mention to Iida was that she knew he was lying, and she didn't have to even check, either. She had a feeling as to why Iida actually chose Hosu, but she dearly hoped her friend wasn't there for the reason Luna had in mind.

Unfortunately, Luna and Iida had to split up almost immediately, as their respective agencies were in the complete opposite directions. Luna hailed a taxi, as she didn't know the city to well, so she didn't want to risk being late on the first day.

"Where you going, little lady?" the taxi driver asked. Luna twitched before calming herself down. There was no way the Phantom Cloak could know where she was, right?

"Ryukyu Agency, please."

"Of course. Not a problem."

The cab zoomed off, with Luna watched the streets she passed by. She wanted to get a grasp on the layout of the city before long, so she wouldn't be too lost. The driver thankfully didn't try for conversation, instead just listening to some Japanese band Luna didn't recognize.

It didn't take long, maybe about five minutes or so, before the taxi driver pulled up to a massive brown building with black tinted windows. If Luan wasn't sure if this was the place, the fact that a massive billboard advertising Ryukyu's clothing line, Dragoir, was a clear sign that she was in the right place.

Luna paid her fee and entered the building, noticing how spacious it looked on the inside. She approached the line for the admission desk and waited patiently for her turn. Within a few minutes, Luna made it up without a problem.

"Hello, welcome to Ryukyu Agency, how may I help you?" asked a young man. He seemed average in every way, so Luna didn't really pay attention to his physicality much.

"Hello. My name is Luna Aizawa, and I'm here for my internship for Ryukyu Agency."

Luna pulled out the document she was supposed to give to the front desk, and he searched up something on his database before nodding his head in contentment.

"Alright, please head up to the top floor, where you need to talk to Ryukyu-sama's secretary. She'll get you squared away."

Luna nodded her thanks and made her way to an elevator which was thankfully not too crowded. She arrived at the top floor within a minute or two, and when Luna exited, a scent she caught made her instincts go haywire.

Flee! Run! Don't look back!

Luna grumbled, unsure of what was causing her mind to panic before heading up to the desk, where Luna figured out what exactly caused her unease.

There, sitting with a bored expression was a strict looking woman, dressed very formally with a bored expression on her face, filling out some sort of paperwork. What caught Luna's attention, however, were her physical traits. It almost looked like she had a dog's snout, with pointy, black ears, indicating some sort of dog Quirk.

Doberman. Be careful, they're not exactly the friendliest breed.

Luna gulped. "Excuse me?"

"Yes?" the woman said, before locking her eyes with Luna. Instantly, her face morphed from an expression of boredom to a sneer. "I think you're lost, dearie. The elevator's behind you." The way the woman said dearie was the same way one might speak of throat rot: disgust.

Luna, however, wasn't willing to back down. "No, ma'am, I'm not. I'm here for my internship at Ryukyu Agency, which is supposed to last for a week."

Luna showed the document and the woman snatched it out of her hands, critically scanning it to check for any possible error to get the girl kicked out. It was to her surprise and partial disgust that everything was in order.

"Who the hell wanted you?" the woman grumbled. "Take a seat. I'll let Ryukyu-sama know you're here."

Luna sat down in the area indicated, and she sat, waiting. She sat for about half an hour before she heard from the secretary.

"You, feline!" the woman barked, and Luna bristled slightly at the tone, but calmed down and made her way up to the desk. "Ryukyu-sama wants to see you. Follow the left hallway, the final door with her name will be on it. Even you can't miss it."

Luna nodded her thanks and made her way to the door, pausing before knocking on the door three times.

"Come in." said a softspoken voice, and, with a deep breath, Luna entered Ryukyu's office.

Hello, and welcome back! This chapter basically wrote itself, but I have a few things to clarify. First, regarding the Zouyu. When researching the beast, there wasn't that much varied info between the different websites I visited, so I did borrow some of it from the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them fanwiki. Second, the location to Ryukyu Agency. From what I gathered, its location was never specifically mentioned, so I just placed it in Hosu for plot reasons, and no, it's not for the Stain confrontation. Third, regarding Luna's first attempt at her hero name. I genuinely liked the idea of Bakeneko being Luna's hero name originally, but when I researched them more thoroughly … I recognized that it really doesn't work here. Their reputation is just not good enough, and they range from neutral to evil, without a singular mention of a Bakeneko being good. I do realize they're cats, and some of their origins are kind of screwed up, but still. Not one? Fourthly, there was another name I was considering: Mafdet. She was kind of Bast's sister-in-work/shared duties, except it was her who supposedly protected Osiris when he was chopped into bits by Set in the river, but then I remembered Bast's reaction to her descendant who named herself after the deity, so that was a no go. Oh, and another thing: the U.A. grading scale. There exists three main grading scales, but one of them is specifically for university, so that one got tossed out the window, but I decided to use the S-F grading scale. It starts out with S, which is basically an A, then A (USA equivalent of B), B to C, C to D, D to F, and F to … F, I guess. Look it up if you want. Anyways, that's all for me! Stay safe out there! – Bananaman out!

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