AN: Thanks for reading and leaving a review, everyone!

SirTypesaLot - I'm glad you're enjoying the story! That said, a lot of those events will be different then canon :3

"Itadakimasu!"

Once Himiko reunited with her friends outside of school, the group went out for dinner to celebrate surviving their first year. And since Himiko won the debate on where to go, they were currently sitting in her favorite all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant.

"Save some for us!" Habiki exclaimed as Himiko began loading her plate with the half-cooked beef and pork from the grill.

"We've already ordered the next round of plates," Himiko said with a grin. "Although by then I may be done with all of this."

"You're a monster," Emily complained.

"No," Atsuko added. "That's only when Himi gets to pick movies."

"Don't remind me," Emily banged her head against the table, causing Himiko to throw her head back and laugh.

"This is why you should let Atsuko pick more often," Habiki said, sending a smile to his girlfriend.

"You don't get a say in girl's nights," Himiko shot back. "Even if you're dating Suko now."

"Himiko's right," Tomoe agreed as she looked at the couple. "As much as she has… questionable tastes in humor, she has to put up with our choices so it's only fair."

"Sometimes it sounds like you four try to torture each other on your movie nights," Habiki observed, earning him a laugh from the four.

"It's not that bad," Atsuko insisted as she eyed her friends playfully.

"Exactly!" Emily agreed. "Besides, it's never about the movies anyway!"

"She's right," Tomoe added. "Half the time it ends up devolving into background noise while we talk."

"Like when we got together after Valentine's Day," Himiko said pointedly as she looked at the couple. "I still can't believe you waited until White Day to respond to him."

"Oh Himi, I thought you knew me better," Atsuko replied in mock-offense.

"Right," Himiko rolled her eyes. "If anyone would go all in on something like that it would be you."

"I'm surprised she held out that long," Emily added. "I wouldn't have bothered waiting."

"I think I'd wait as well," Tomoe admitted. "It was actually kind of cute."

"Not you too!" Emily gasped.

"Emily," Atsuko mock-gasped. "Are you jealous?"

"No, of course not!" Emily insisted a little too loudly, her cheeks turning pink.

"She's probably gonna just tell someone they're dating now," Himiko smirked. "I'm actually surprised she hasn't tried that on Izu yet."

"I'm not. Izuku would die," Atsuko countered.

"Eww! Gross!" Emily made a gagging motion as if to emphasize her point. "He's like, little brother material at best!"

"I agree," Himiko grinned. "But I'm not sharing! He's my little brother."

"Besides, I'm pretty sure she doesn't like me like that," Emily muttered as she picked up her plate and chopsticks, ready to battle for the remaining meat as it finished cooking.

The words were missed by everyone but Tomoe, who gave her friend a hard stare. As much as she wanted to encourage her friend, she didn't really know how to help. Instead, she decided to shift the topic away from her.

"I don't think I'm gonna find anyone at UA," Tomoe admitted.

"Why not?" Emily asked, her head shooting up. "You're smart, super observant, considerate, and pretty!"

"You've met our classmates," Tomoe replied with a faint smirk. "I've grown so much over the year thanks to everyone, but all of our classmates are just too much for me. I think I'm looking for someone more quiet and reserved."

"I remember that," Atsuko said proudly. "You're all about those quiet romantic evenings."

"That sounds lovely, yes. Two people, warm tea, and a good book." Tomoe smiled fondly at the thought.

"What about your friend in the support department?" Habiki asked.

"What about him?" Tomoe asked as she was caught off guard by the question. Sure they've been friends since elementary school, but she's never really thought of him that way before!

"I can see it," Atsuko said. "You two already spend so much time together. But It's okay if you don't like him like that!" She insisted, shooting a look at her boyfriend.

"Thanks," Tomoe said quietly.

"I'm sorry," Habiki bowed his head in apology. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"It's okay!" Tomoe insisted. "You just caught me off guard." As she picked up her plate she turned toward Himiko. "And what about you? You haven't said anything yet."

Himiko shrugged as she shoved a piece of half-cooked pork into her mouth. Chewing it quickly, she swallowed the bite before she finally spoke. "As much as I'd love to find someone, I haven't had a chance yet." She gave a helpless shrug as she found her plate very interesting. "In another life, I may have actually fallen for Izu. He accepted me for who I was, even at my lowest. I know I'm not exactly the easiest person to get along with, but I think I want to date someone like him - someone who likes me for who I am."

"Don't give me another reason to go after your parents," Emily responded darkly.

"Emily is right," Habiki assured her. "There's plenty of people who are like that! And any one of them would be lucky to date you!"

"See Himi? I'm not the only one saying it," Atsuko added.

"You're right," Himiko looked up, giving her friends a bright smile. "I just need to make time to find them!"

"There's our Himi." Atsuko smiled.

Silence fell over the table as everyone began eating, and turned to lighter topics between servings as the five enjoyed their celebratory dinner.

After their time was up, the five friends said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. With a content smile, Himiko walked through the thinning crowds of Mustafu, making her way back to the train station. She was casually walking through the markets when she heard someone call out to her.

"Carmilla!"

Himiko froze at the sound of her hero name. Training kicked in as she began scanning the area. She wondered what was going on when she saw a woman jogging up to her. It was only when the woman got close that Himiko realized who it was.

This time she was wearing a sweater with its hood pulled up, and she was wearing a different pair of sunglasses, but it was her - the woman with two-toned hair that she saw on her internships!

Except this time she was approaching her.

Himiko was already on guard as she planned possible escape routes. As much as she wanted her burning curiosity sated, she still didn't know about the woman's intentions and wanted to plan for the worst. She had a few knives hidden on her, so she wasn't defenseless, but there were still people on the streets. It would be a problem if she was attacked and had to defend herself.

"Yep! That's me!" Himiko chirped as she forced a smile to her face. "Although most people don't call me by my hero name yet."

"What can I say?" The woman stopped in front of her and gave her the ghost of a smile. "You impressed me at the sports festival. Then I read about your internship in the news."

Or you were there. Himiko thought.

"I guess I have more fans than I thought," Himiko said in an unsteady voice. While she didn't sense any hostility from the woman, she still didn't fully trust her. She was up to something.

"More than you realize," The woman said cryptically before she pulled her glasses down and peered at her with purple eyes. "Do you have a few minutes?"

"Depends on who's asking," Himiko replied.

"Me," The woman smirked. "I guess you could say I'm a curious fan."

Looking around, Himiko mentally weighed her options before she shrugged. "Sure, I've got a few minutes."

"Thanks," The woman's face morphed into a smile that Himiko swore was almost genuine.

Turning, Himiko began walking down the street, deviating from her route by turning down a road toward a different part of the commercial district. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"I was curious. Why do you want to be a hero?"

"Huh?" The question was enough to get Himiko to stop in her tracks and look at the woman again.

"You're a student at the top school in the country," The woman explained. "It means you've gotta be pretty motivated, right?"

"Yep!" Himiko chirped. "Although I didn't really know what I wanted to do for the longest time."

"What changed?" The woman asked, and Himiko could hear the genuine curiosity in her words.

"My brother." Himiko said earnestly.

"Oh?" The woman raised an eyebrow.

"He always wanted to be a hero," Himiko said with a fond look on her face. "But nobody believed he could do it. Then he helped an unwell little girl. Not by punching villains or moving mountains. But by being there when she needed someone to reach out to her." She looked down at her hands. "And that's what made me realize… it didn't matter what my quirk was. I could be somebody's hero, too."

"I see," The woman replied thoughtfully. "Guess I didn't have anything to worry about."

"You were worried?" Himiko asked.

"There's plenty of people in the world who forgot what's important about being a hero," The woman explained. A frown crossed her lips. "Including me."

Himiko shot a glare at the woman as the comment struck a nerve. How dare this woman judge her like that! She didn't know anything about her!

Reaching into her bag she grabbed her phone and pulled it out, showing the woman the image of her kneeling next to Kyoto. "I'm never going to be a top ten hero, I'm not even sure I'll ever make the top one hundred. But if I can help one little girl feel like she's not alone…" Her eyes narrowed. "If you think I don't know what it means to be a hero, then I don't want you as my fan. I already have people who believe in me."

The woman let out a small gasp. Slowly raising her hands to her face, she removed her sunglasses and looked at the photo. She tried to hide her face in the shadows of her hood, but Himiko studied it intently, trying to memorize the details.

"I'm sorry for doubting you," The woman whispered. She gave Himiko the briefest glance before putting her glasses back on, but it was enough to make the girl gasp. "I think you have what it takes to be a great hero."

Himiko blinked, recovering from what she had just seen. "Thank you. I'll try not to let you down."

"I don't think you can," The woman said. "Thanks again for humoring me. I hope I'll see you around."

Not waiting for a reply, she gave the smallest wave and turned away. Himiko watched her turn around and start walking away before she held out a hand. "Wait! What's your name?"

The woman stopped and gave her a sideways glance, her purple eyes visible from behind her glasses. "I'll tell you the next time I see you."

With that, the woman turned away and left, leaving Himiko alone with her thoughts.

And the memories of the woman's eyes. It was only for a moment, but Himiko knew that look in her eyes. It was one she was intimately familiar with.

The look of rekindled hope after it had long been forgotten.

Despite his last year at Aldera being relatively tame, he couldn't help but be relieved when he exited the school for the final time. He was finally done!

More importantly, that meant that in three short weeks, he'd be starting his first year at UA!

That wasn't the only thing he had to look forward to, however.

For the last three weeks, he'd been talking to Ochako far more than he thought he would be. It started off slowly, but after a week they were trading messages regularly. It quickly felt like the conversations he had with Froppy when the two of them got going. Except with one significant difference. Unlike Froppy she wasn't just a name on the screen. She was going to be his classmate!

Their messages only increased in frequency over the break now that they no longer had school taking up their time. Before Izuku knew it, a whole week had passed and Ochako was moving to Mustafu.

"Why are you so nervous?" Inko asked her son as they waited on the platform for their train to arrive.

"Is it because she's a girl?" Himiko asked with a teasing lilt in her voice.

Izuku let out a strangled noise before he glared at his sister, who broke down in laughter. Sighing, he shook his head. "It's not that. I'm just… worried about a repeat of Aldera."

Himiko sobered up immediately as she looked at her brother. "Izu, what has Uraraka done to possibly give you that idea?"

"Nothing it's just–" Izuku shifted nervously. "-old habits die hard."

"Oh Izu," Inko said guiltily as she placed a hand on her son's shoulder, "she sounds like a wonderful girl from everything you've told us. I don't think her friendship is fake."

"F-friendship huh?" Izuku said softly.

"Mom's right," Himiko agreed. "You two talk more than 'Suko and I do!"

"But you two also see each other regularly," Izuku pointed out as he looked at his sister.

"True!" Himiko smiled as she threw an arm around her brother. "And now that Uraraka's moving to Mustafu, you can hang out with her too!"

"What are you implying?" Izuku squeaked out.

Himiko gave her brother a suggestive look and laughed when she saw his face turning bright red. Letting him go she shook her head. "I'm gonna have fun with this."

"H-Himi!" Izuku whined.

"Be nice to Izu," Inko gently chided her daughter.

"Fine," Himiko huffed before looking at her brother, sincerity filling her features. "I'm glad you found someone. Suko's done so much for me… I hope you find someone like that too. If not Uraraka, someone else at UA."

"Thanks, Himi."

"And if she turns out to be like Bakugo," Himiko had a sinister look in her eyes as she had drawn one of her hidden knives.

"Himi!" Inko warned her daughter.

"What? I can't protect my little brother?" Himiko asked innocently before she put the knife away.

"Is this what the next two years are gonna be like?" Izuku asked in disbelief.

"Yep!" Himiko grinned. "It's working, isn't it? You're not nervous anymore, are you?"

Izuku opened his mouth and stopped, before closing it and shaking his head. "I guess I'm not."

"Good! Because our train's here!"

Izuku smiled at his sister as the three boarded the train. As exasperating as attending school with her was going to be, he appreciated how much she cared. Even if it was in her own unique way.

When they arrived at the student apartments, Izuku saw a beat-up construction van parked outside one of the buildings, with the logo for 'Uraraka Construction' emblazoned on the side.

"Her family owns a construction company?" Inko asked as they approached.

"Yeah," Izuku said as he pulled out his phone and sent a text to Ochako.

A few minutes later he saw the main entrance open and a familiar-looking brunette girl stepped out. Spotting Izuku, she smiled and waved. "Hey Midoriya!"

"Hey Uraraka!" Izuku called with a smile before he turned toward his family. "Let's go."

As they approached, Ochako cautiously examined Himiko before turning toward Izuku. "We're not gonna have a repeat of the Entrance Exam, are we?"

"No!" Izuku held up his hands defensively. "It's all okay now! Himi was just! My quirk! Showing up like that!" Izuku turned helplessly toward his sister.

Himiko looked annoyed at her brother before she turned toward Ochako. "Izu's right, we worked it out. I… It's complicated." She glared at her brother. "And then finding out he broke so many bones in the process."

"Well I'm grateful for it," Ochako insisted. "He saved me from that giant robot!"

"So I heard," Himiko's face transformed into a sly grin. "He's always trying to save people." She turned back toward the brunette girl. "I'm Himiko Midoriya by the way."

"And I'm Inko, I'm sure Izu's told you all about us."

"I'm Ochako Uraraka," the girl bowed politely, "Midoriya hasn't actually told me much, really!"

"Really…" Himiko narrowed her eyes as she looked at her brother.

"I'm sure she'll know more than enough before we're done with the first week of school," Izuku pointed out.

"True!" Himiko laughed.

"Is there anything we can help with?" Inko asked as she looked at the moving van.

"I actually don't have too much," Ochako admitted. "We've already moved everything inside. Why don't we go in?"

Ochako led them into the building and down the hallway to a door with a planet sticker on it. Knocking once, she opened the door. "Mom, Dad, the Midoriyas are here!"

Turning back to the three she looked apologetic as she continued. "Sorry if it's a little crowded. The student apartments aren't really big."

"How small are they?" Inko asked.

She had her answer a moment later when she stepped inside. The ground floor of the apartment was smaller than their bedrooms! The apartment itself was a mere twenty-four square meters. The fact that the apartment was a split-level with a loft area to sleep in was a small blessing, but she was still surprised by how small the space was.

The next thing she noticed was just how empty it was. There was a small table with two folding chairs pressed up against one wall with a small laptop resting on top. Behind it sat a half-sized bookshelf with a few astronomy books and a single manga volume sitting on its shelves. By the kitchen, two adults were standing shoulder-to-shoulder next to a half-unpacked box containing mismatched dishes and cutlery.

"Oh you must be the boy that our little 'Chako's been talking to," The man said as he looked at Izuku.

"And the one that helped her at the Entrance Exam!" The woman reminded her husband before giving Izuku a polite bow. "Thank you for saving her."

"Moooom," Ochako groaned.

"What? I'm not allowed to care about my daughter's safety?" The woman asked as she straightened. "My name is Miu, and this old lug here is Katashi."

"We were surprised when Chako came home and said she met someone at the exam," Katashi admitted as he examined the newcomers. "But I'm glad she isn't going in totally blind."

"I understand," Inko said sympathetically. "I'm lucky that both of my children can still live at home."

"Chako's had her heart set on becoming a hero for years," Miu said. "It'll be hard having her away from home, but we're proud of her for making it into UA!"

"No wonder she gets along so well with Izu," Inko smiled fondly at her son. "He's the same way."

"M-mom!" Izuku whined.

"A-anyway!" Ochako quickly interrupted as she turned toward her guests. "Since things are under control here, I was wondering if you could show me around a little bit? I saw a convenience store a few blocks away, but I still don't know my way around." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she continued, and Izuku wasn't sure if he heard her correctly. "I guess I should have warned Midoriya that I wasn't bringing much."

Izuku didn't have any time to ask her about it before his mom replied.

"Of course!" Inko said as she was already turning back around. "There's actually a market nearby we can show you which caters to students…"

Several hours of walking later, the two families finally made it back to the apartment, with several bags of groceries in hand.

"Thank you for showing us around today," Miu said to Inko as they passed through the gate.

"Oh it was nothing, I'm glad to help," Inko replied as she turned toward Ochako. "I know you want to spend tonight with your family, but maybe once you're settled in you can come visit for dinner."

"R-really?" Ochako blinked in surprise. "I don't want to impose…"

"It's nothing," Inko replied as she eyed the bags filled primarily with rice and ramen. "I'm already cooking for three, so we always have plenty of extra food."

"That's mighty gracious of you," Katashi said.

Ochako's eyes danced between Izuku and Inko. "Well I was planning on asking Midoriya to show me around more… but only if you're sure it's alright!"

"It is," Inko said firmly. "I wouldn't be offering otherwise."

"Okay…" Ochako awkwardly agreed before she turned toward Izuku "I'm starting to understand where you get it from," she giggled, "you take after your Mom, don't you?"

"I guess I do," Izuku said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"And All Might!" Himiko added with an impish grin.

"Himi," Izuku complained.

"What? She's gonna find out sooner or later if she hasn't already?" Himiko asked.

"I already know," Ochako admitted before she gave Izuku an apologetic look. "Sorry Midoriya, you do spend a lot of time talking about All Might."

Izuku flailed as he felt his face heating up, trying to think of a good excuse when he was saved by the laughter from Ochako's dad.

"Well, as fun as it's been, we should get back to work," Katashi said. "Miu and I need to get back to Nabari, and we don't want to start driving too late."

"I understand," Inko said. "Don't hesitate to call me if there's anything I can do to help."

"We wouldn't want to impose," Miu replied. "Just knowing Chako's got a friend already puts us at ease."

"It's the least I can do," Inko said. "I know that if my children had to move for school I'd sleep easier knowing someone was keeping an eye out for them."

Ochako gave Izuku an apologetic smile. "Thanks for coming by today Midoriya," she then turned toward Inko, "and thank you for showing us around."

"You're welcome Uraraka," Izuku smiled back at her. "I'll talk to you later once you're settled in?"

"Yep!" Ochako replied. "I'll call once my parents leave."

After getting home and facing a whole new round of questioning from Himiko, Izuku finally retreated to his room where he collapsed on his bed.

"A friend, huh…" Izuku said as if the word was foreign to him.

The last person he considered a friend was Bakugo, but that friendship was broken years ago. Ever since then, he has mostly kept to himself and never really had a close friend. Sure there were Froppy and Emily, but his mind made excuses for them. Despite their regular conversations, Froppy was still kept at arm's length by necessity and someone he'd never know in person. And Emily was Himiko's friend first and foremost - he was just her analysis partner.

Izuku was pulled from his thoughts when his phone informed him he had a message. Grabbing it, he felt himself smiling as he saw the message from Ochako thanking him for visiting. He typed out a reply admitting he had fun and asked when she wanted to spend more time hanging out. As his finger hovered over the send button, he reread his message.

"I guess she really is my friend," Izuku said as if to confirm his family's observations.

Pressing the send button, he laid the phone back down and closed his eyes.

"I'm glad. Maybe… maybe UA won't be bad if there are more people like her in my class."

And less people like Bakugo.