If you somehow managed to overlook the last ten chapters' notes: RottedKarma is The One Who Beta-ed This Story And Is To Be Praised For It.

10 April, 22XX – First official day of school

03:44 p.m. at the school backyard

Izuku sighed with relief, as finally the turmoil around them had come to an end.

After the fights and respective evaluations, he, Katsuki, Todoroki and Tokoyami had promptly found themselves surrounded by their classmates, who – depending on who you asked – declared they were either "kick-ass", "like, super awesome" or "paramount examples of heroic values". Todoroki had just ignored everyone and went home immediately after being released. Katsuki had run out of patience at some point and just roared at everyone who approached him. Tokoyami had either made cryptic statements or given short and polite answers.

And Izuku? As the after-fight meeting went along, he'd feared at least three times that he'd have a seizure or something similar, courtesy of an awkwardness-induced plethora.

But here they were, at last.

"They" being him and Katsuki. He'd briefly considered taking Kirishima or Hagakure along, but discarded that idea pretty quickly. He didn't want Tokoyami to feel like he wasn't trusted, nor did he want too many of their classmates to overhear what he was about to say, as he was almost certain it was sensitive.

But to be completely honest, Izuku did feel the slightest hint of unease when he thought about the whole incident. While it appeared that it had been too dark in the room to watch what happened inside for the people in the monitor room, Izuku himself had seen… it. As had Todoroki.

And Katsuki had actually told him that he thought that "Birdboy isn't one to fuck with" which pretty much translated into him feeling something like nervousness – something he'd only ever admitted to having felt twice, the first time with Lime, the second time with the Sludge Villain.

And the reason for that currently stood in front of them, his face speaking of a calm and collected mind (as far as a bird face could convey that, anyway).

However, the boy's eyes bespoke his agitation, and his frame was tense.

Tokoyami looked troubled, and painfully on edge, but at the same time radiated seriousness. More seriousness, in fact, than Izuku was accustomed to when talking to most adults.

"My greetings to you twain. Allow me to express my gratitude for agreeing to this rendezvous."

"Yeah, bring it." Katsuki snapped irritably. He'd already endured the extras called classmates for eight hours – Kacchan! – and tried to kill his Inner Deku for the fourteenth time by now, so he didn't have any itch to try and decipher Tokoyami's annoyingly roundabout wording. "Just say what you want to say, and for fuck's sake, use normal Japanese!"

"I believe your definition of 'normal Japanese' to vary from what one may consider truth by a margin nearly incomprehensible for the ordinary citizen's darkest oneiric images, but for the sake of your poor eudemonia and my prominent desire to preserve my physical integrity, I shall lower my sights."

That nearly had Katsuki ready to jump on Tokoyami's throat, and only through admirable efforts and willpower he managed to resort to merely shouting some distinguished expletives that left Izuku impressed. He was equally impressed by Tokoyami's nonchalant antagonizing of Katsuki, which usually carried with it grave danger.

"Well, so mote it be. Dark Shadow!"

Instantly, the shadowy beast shot out of his stomach, but it was hardly bigger than Tokoyami himself and certainly not as big and fear-inducing as it had been during the battle trial. "Yo!"

Katsuki was honestly surprised; he had to hand that to him.

So Birdboy's Quirk is the sentient type?

"As Midoriya-san is already aware, my Quirk, Dark Shadow, is a nearly autonomous creature of darkness connected to me. It grows stronger when surrounded to darkness and is weakened through light exposure."

"So that's why you blackened the room?" Katsuki asked. Both nodded.

Then, Tokoyami took a deep breath, before looking the two of them straight in the eye. "I requested this meeting because there are three things I want to say. Firstly…"

Tokoyami bowed, deeply and perfect in form.

"I am sorry. I am sorry for having put you into danger. I am sorry for not having warned you against the dangers of my Quirk. I am sorry for letting Todoro… I am sorry for what happened."

Izuku looked at him in astonishment. Tokoyami's voice had been clear and quiet, but genuine. Suddenly, although the two of them really weren't comparable, Izuku was reminded of All Might's smile after the U.A. letters.

"P-please, stand up. T-this is…"

Tokoyami straightened himself. "I am sorry."

"Sorry from me, too! I didn't mean what happened, and… well, sorry 'bout Fumi's formality. He's a pretty stuck-up etiquette conformist sometimes!"

"Dark Shadow…"

Katsuki watched the two of them in amazement. They seemed like… brothers of some kind? Annoying, bickering and ludicrously opposed brothers.

"The second thing," Tokoyami continued, "relates to some… idiosyncrasies of my Quirk."

"Idiosyncrasies? Your Quirk?" Izuku asked, eyes sparkling. He instantly produced his notebook and a pen, before looking at him eagerly. "Please tell me!"

Tokoyami seemed somewhat bewildered with his sudden change in behavior, but then slowly answered, "I would like it better if you did not write about this in a notebook. It is… personal. And I do not wish this to be known to the wrong kind."

Izuku looked at him in surprise. Never before had he ever been asked to not write something about a Quirk in his notebooks. It was like a second nature to him, something so deeply ingrained in his personality that he did it nearly subconsciously. It was what he'd done during the majority of the four follow-up fights: observing and analyzing the other students' Quirks.

So being asked to not take his notes… it felt almost wrong, in a way.

"Don't make such a fucking fuss!" Katsuki looked at Birdbrain with annoyance. "What, you think Deku's the type of idiot who leaves his notes lying about in the open? Seriously, stop acting like a bit-part player in a cheap spy movie!"

"I shall be surprised that you didn't use the term 'extra' on this one occasion where it would actually have fit. Also, I am 'making such a fuss' because I am about to entrust an important matter to you, and I certainly would not be pleased to have it disclosed by someone else in our class – of which, you will surely agree with me, many members are quite talkative and do not seem like they could keep a secret very well. Believe me when I say though that I do not seek after imputing careless behavior to you."

Dark Shadow nodded fiercely, while simultaneously coiling around Tokoyami to… comfort him? Izuku couldn't really know, but if it really was that grave a situation, he'd meet his wish.

Maybe he could do the notes on what Tokoyami wanted to talk about in the code he'd developed to record the secret of One for All in his notes on All Might. He made a mental note to ask him at a later date; for now, listening would be enough.

"Thank you for your understanding. Now… what I am about is rather quickly explained." Now Tokoyami looked so serious that it was nothing short of intimidating.

"You see…" The bird-headed student sighed before continuing haltingly. "Dark Shadow has a penchant to become… unstable in dark places. It is further churned if I am charged with negative emotions, such as fear, rage or regret. If these both conditions are met, Dark Shadow starts to insurge and will no longer obey me fully. And if it becomes extreme… it may break free."

It was a sunny and warm afternoon, but somehow, it felt like it had become ten degrees colder during this last sentence.

"B-break free?" Izuku whispered, cowed by Tokoyami's voice.

"It will take over my body, congest me with wild, raw, dark emotions and go on a rampage, indiscriminately attacking everyone it believes to be a danger to me."

Katsuki's eyes widened in horror. "What?" he asked tonelessly.

Tokoyami looked pained. "It's supreme aim is still to protect me, but…"

"No, what? What the fuck? Your Quirk can possess you?"

Suddenly, he was at the street again, ten months ago, with thick, heavy sludge covering his nose and mouth, attempting to suffocate him, to get inside of him. Most of what he remembered was pain, panic, when the liquid covered his eyes and left him struggling in darkness, but there were also the brief flashes of thoughts and movements that hadn't been his own, as if the villain's consciousness had started seeping into his mind. He'd never admit it, but the Sludge Villain still appeared in his nightmares sometimes.

If being possessed by his own Quirk felt the tiniest bit similar for Birdboy as it had for himself, then he had suddenly risen significantly in his esteem.

"Wait…" Izuku said falteringly. "So… you mean that… when Todoroki-san…"

Tokoyami nodded. "He was privy to certain information I was not aware he had, and when he disclosed this, it troubled me greatly. Hence, my grip on Dark Shadow weakened. Had he proceeded much longer, I fear that my control might have given in at least partially."

"I'm sorry, Fumi! I didn't mean it! I really didn't!"

Tokoyami looked at his Quirk with something akin to fondness. "Never would I insinuate anything else."

"But…" Izuku said, "your control… you might have…"

"That," Tokoyami said, every sign of good mood gone again, "is the main cause for my request. For yes, Dark Shadow might have seriously injured Todoroki-san. I hope this will never happen again, but fate almost certainly has other plans. So I can only be prepared."

Tokoyami's gaze became almost unbearable. "I humbly request that, if the need arises and my control gives way, you put an end to it… by all available means."

Izuku looked at him in shock. "But…"

"Don't get all dramatic, bird face!"

"Kacchan!"

Katsuki huffed in annoyance. "To-ko-ya-mi. Pleased? Whatever, if light weakens your Quirk, we won't have any problems with you."

Tokoyami cocked his head. "A short-sighted statement. And you are aware of that. Why do you try to put me at ease?"

For fuck's sake, Katsuki couldn't stand those… perceptive types.

"Tokoyami-san?" Katsuki turned to Deku in surprise. Usually, he didn't sound like…

Then Katsuki caught a glimpse of it.

The fire that sometimes lit in Deku's eyes. The resolve, the spirit, the drive, the whatever exactly it was that had All Might give him his Quirk.

"I want to become a hero who saves everyone with a smile. One who makes everyone think that 'it's all right now, because he's here'. Do you think I'd let a fellow hero student down?"

He looked at the bird-headed teen with as much reassurance as he could muster, his determination getting the better of him. Tokoyami seemed slightly less on edge compared to before, which he chalked up a win.

"And I also won't start to be afraid of you just because you told me that. Actually, it's admirable that with a drawback like this, you still want to become a hero! I mean, not that your Quirk doesn't suit it! It's amazing; there are few Quirks that are as versatile as the sentient types!" Midoriya contemplated that. "It'd probably be of use for someone with a Quirk like yours to get into martial arts training though. That'd make some sort of two warriors in one body, which would be really effective! Now that I think about it, a darkness-inducing support gear would also be ideal for that. Not just a cape, but how about a device similar to a smoke bomb that emits a light-absorbing cloud of particles? And maybe flash grenades to rein Dark Shadow back again? Or, for that matter, a control device that'd automatically activate a flash if Dark Shadow starts to act up? Plus night vision goggles, that'd be super useful considering the environment he performs best in. If he is skilled enough in hand-to-hand combat, he could also consider using a weapon of some kind, since otherwise, he'd leave himself a bit unprotected. Advisable would be…"

"Is this… something he does on a regular basis?" Tokoyami asked as Izuku got absorbed into his mumblestorm.

Katsuki sighed. "You'll get used to it."

"Though I do comprehend why you claimed him as a sidekick. This analysis is most impressive."

"… actually, now that I think about it, I recently heard of a Quirk that could solidify shadows. Assuming that Tokoyami-san carried some bits of that around, could Dark Shadow draw power out of it by, well, eating it or something? In that case…"

"Wait, eat? EAT? You mean there's a way to make me eat something? That'd be totally amazing! I wanted to eat something all my life!"

That shook Izuku out of his muttering. He instantly realized what he'd been doing, and started to adapt leather on his temple in embarrassment. But then… "Wait, you… want to eat something?"

Dark Shadow nodded enthusiastically, while Tokoyami seemed the tiniest bit embarassed by his Quirk's behavior. "I can't really eat anything; at some point it just phases through me, or it dissolves and goes into Fumi – hey, that rhymed – so it was always something I wanted to try out!"

Tokoyami sighed. "Please excuse my fatuous partner. It does not possess a brain of any sort, which is the main reason I blame for its foolishness." He then frowned slightly. "Be that as it may… do the prospects of my Quirk's dangers… do they not frighten you at all?"

Izuku met his gaze calmly. "They do. Fear is a natural response to danger. But, Tokoyami-san? You don't frighten me. Nor does Dark Shadow."

Katsuki grunted. "Yeah, same here. Can't really say you didn't give me the creeps when you came back from the battle though." Izuku looked at him, now truly flummoxed. For Katsuki to acknowledge another person this early was incredibly rare. He knew that he was more inclined to open himself to powerful people, but… maybe it was because Tokoyami was the first person who hadn't been intimidated by him at all. Well, Kirishima came quite close, as did Hagakure and Ashido, but still…

"Actually, congrats for having the balls to annoy me like that. Even Deku hardly does 'cept I give it to someone else straight."

"I'm… not really sure if that's the best way to put it, Kacchan…"

Of course it was because of that. Izuku couldn't believe that he'd actually thought Katsuki would accept a classmate at all if he wasn't either a) "not a total pain in the ass" b) "had the guts to be a total pain in the ass" or c) "was Deku". Or wait, wouldn't that mean he thought he was a total pain in the ass? Since otherwise, he would be in a), right?

Whatever. This was Katsuki, after all. And Izuku would certainly not reprimand him when he, surprisingly, didn't act like… well, Katsuki.

Tokoyami, on his part, smiled. Izuku was intrigued that he was able to do it with a beak, but actually, he was surprisingly good in it.

"Then I shall be grateful, my class mates. Hopefully, we…"

"Friends."

"I beg your pardon?" Tokoyami said, visibly confused.

"Friends," Izuku repeated assertively. "We're friends."

Tokoyami looked at him in utter surprise. "Friends?" he repeated quietly.

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "If he's as dull as that, I'm not sure about it, Deku."

"Kacchan! We want our classmates to like us!"

Tokoyami then said, "I agree. I shall call you twain friends." And for some reason, he seemed really happy about that.

Meanwhile, in the teachers' lounge…

"Please have some tea," Principal Nezu offered. "I recently switched brands, and my body agrees with me."

His companion chuckled. "Well then." As the principal poured him a cup, he looked around in the spacious lounge approvingly. Quite comfortable; modern, but still with an inviting flair.

"Truth be told, I was very surprised by your request," Nezu stated. "While it is not unheard of, to have someone with no reputation at all switch into a spot like this…"

"No official reputation," the other one remarked with a hint of amusement in their voice. "Apart from this I hardly believe that you found it surprising in the slightest."

Nezu smiled. "You are truly a refreshing conversationalist. But while I am well aware of your accomplishments, the public is not, I'm afraid."

His opposite slowly and deliberately took a sip of tea, kept it in their mouth for a moment to fully experience the eclectic taste, before finally swallowing and sighing contently. "You certainly were right. The flavors in this one are much more nuanced than they were in your previous tastes." They then set aside their cup and smiled. "And the public opinion is why I suggested this approach, as you are no doubt aware."

Nezu nodded. "Granted. Though there is one thing I do not understand. Genuinely not." That had his collocutor intrigued. "You see, what I fail to comprehend is why you only make your move now. It has been five years, and for someone like you with an admittedly colorful and strong personality to hold back for so long… it seems unusual."

Now the other one chuckled. "I have no doubt. But see, this is something of a… personal matter, one might be inclined to say. I am… waiting for somebody."

Nezu's eyes twinkled. He did appreciate his collocutor's aptitude when it came to dramatic pauses. "Well, in this case… I do not see any reasons against it. I am looking forward to our future cooperation."

"So do I, my friend. So do I."

On the screen of a mobile phone, elsewhere…

From: Sensei

To: Beto

Tomorrow.

A/N: Alright, that's it for today!

Something that's not about this chapter specifically, but I feel like I have to address it: The pairings.

Look, people. I totally agree that a pairing can make a story better. It raises the stakes, it adds some great character interactions, not to mention that it provides a countermeasure for some of the heavy shit. However, at this point in the story, the characters barely know each other. They've only been classmates for a couple of days, and I daresay you need a bit more than that for any sort of deeper relationship to form, let alone actual love.

So yeah, we might get a pairing at some point in the story, or maybe we won't. It depends on how it progresses. Either way, if you're here for a quick romance, or a romance-heavy story in general… well, you're barking up the wrong tree. Sorry.

Next time: Class Rep time! The media again! And who might Beto be?

As always, Constructive criticism is welcome, flames aren't!

Remember to go beyond…

PLUS ULTRA!

Ramses, over and out.