AN: So a couple words before we begin - if you've read my first story 'A Different Course,' this is a retelling / remastering of that. A lot of small things have changed, but the A plots have remained the same. So if you've read that story, you'll feel a sense of familiarity as you read.

If you haven't read that story and are new here, welcome!

Either way, I hope you enjoy the story!

Himiko stumbled through the alleyway, her mind wrapped in a foggy haze.

Monster! Demon!

She'd lost track of how long she'd been wandering through back alleys and streets, she just knew she had to keep going, to get away from the voices.

Why can't you just be normal?

It had been hours since she stopped to take a break, to scavenge for something to eat or drink. She hoped with every step that she took that she would finally be far enough away for the voices to stop. That she would finally be free.

And yet, the voices of her parents continued to torment her.

If you just controlled your urges, we wouldn't have to do this to you.

Eventually, her attention was drawn to a commotion in the distance, the smell of blood in the air catching her attention. Its wonderful scent reminded her of the hunger she felt, and was enough to distract her from her dark thoughts.

She stumbled her way towards it, filled with a deep need to find the source of the blood. As she got closer, she heard the sounds of fighting and the words 'hero' and 'villain.'

But it was not meant to be.

She was so caught up by the smell in the air that she missed the debris littering the alleyway until her foot snagged on a loose pipe. She tried to catch herself, but she was too weak. She hit the ground with a loud thud. As she lay there, Himiko felt her strength leaving her and things fading to black.

The last thing she saw was a small kid with a mop of green hair walking toward her. She could barely pick out his question "are you alright?"

As she stared at him, she locked eyes with him, her eyes begging him.

Please don't take me back to my parents.

Inko looked around frantically for Izuku. While walking to the shopping district with her son, they ran into a robbery that went wrong. Now, a villain whose quirk allowed him to create razor blades from his body was holding a young boy hostage demanding safe passage. Heroes responded quickly, but she knew Izuku. He had definitely rushed off to watch the heroes in action, and now she couldn't find him in the crowd that was forming.

"Mom!" After a few tense moments, Inko breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Izuku coming out of an alleyway. "There's a girl back here, she needs help!"

Filled with concern, Inko followed him to the alleyway and gasped at what she saw. A girl with disheveled ash-blonde hair was laying there, passed out on the ground. She was pale and thin, wearing a set of dirty, torn clothes. On top of that, there was a worrying amount of dried blood on her clothes.

"We have to help her!"

"I-" Inko looked at her son with worry. "EMS should be coming soon. We need to tell them about her. In the meantime, we need to try and find her parents." Although Inko suspected she wasn't going to find them.

Izuku knelt next to the girl before he turned his head. "I'm going to stay here and wait with her!"

Inko sighed and gave her son a soft smile. Always the hero. "Ok, but if there's any trouble you come running, alright?"

Izuku nodded vigorously. "You bet!"

Inko left the alleyway and asked around, trying to find the parents of the girl. With every shake of the head, the weight in her stomach grew as she was forced to acknowledge the fact that her parents weren't there.

It only took a few minutes for EMS to arrive, and with practiced ease they began their job in the wake of the attack. Fortunately, most of the wounds were simple cuts and bruises, nothing too serious. Inko waited impatiently until someone was free, before she waved toward one of the paramedics, getting his attention. "There is a girl in the alleyway with my son. She's in horrible condition and needs help."

"Lead the way!" The paramedic followed Inko to the alley where Izuku was, then took one look at the scene and ran off to get more help.

Izuku sat down and adjusted the girl so that her head was resting in his lap. After the paramedic left, Inko gave her son a concerned look, and he at least had the good sense to look embarrassed by his actions. "She just looked so uncomfortable, the way she was laying there."

Soon after, the paramedic returned with his partner and a stretcher and they began to carefully load the girl onto it. As the paramedic began to secure her down and prepared her for movement, his partner turned toward Inko.

"What happened here?"

Izuku spoke up. "I was trying to get a better view of things and making my way around the crowd, and I happened to hear my friend in the alley. I don't know what happened to her, but I couldn't just leave her!"

The paramedic looked at Izuku, and then back at Inko with skepticism in his eyes while she looked down at her son. "Yes, that's what happened. She's a friend of his, but we haven't been able to get ahold of her parents. If we can come with you, we can try again at the hospital?"

The paramedic just sighed. "Ok, come with us. Whatever happened to her is completely unrelated to this incident, and she's going to need medical attention." Without another word they turned back to their partner and helped them finish strapping the girl down.

Izuku gave his mom a guilty look before they followed the medics to the ambulance and climbed into the passenger side.

As Himiko woke up, the first thing she noticed was that her head felt less foggy than it had been in months. The second thing she noticed was that she was lying in a hospital bed, her clothes replaced with a gown and a couple of IVs pumping fluid into her arms.

Oh no, they found me!

"Mom, she's waking up!"

Himiko was startled by the voice coming from seemingly next to her as she reflexively pushed herself up. She was surprised to see that it wasn't her parents, nor the police in the room with her. Rather, it was a green-haired boy and a homely-looking woman with matching green hair.

"Wait… what's going on?" Himiko asked, confused.

"I saw you collapse in an alleyway!" the boy said. "We thought you were a victim of a villain attack, but when the doctors looked at you they said you actually had other problems?"

The woman stood up and walked over, placing a hand on her excitable son's shoulder. "They said you were delirious from malnutrition. Between that and numerous injuries, they admitted you to the hospital. We asked around where we found you, but nobody knew who you were." She turned from Himiko to look at her son. "My son didn't want to let you out of his sight, so we came with you to the hospital."

Himiko let out a long breath, her eyes filled with panic. "Please- don't- my parents-"

Inko's expression immediately morphed into one of concern. She began to speak but was interrupted as the door opened, the doctor and nurse entering the room.

The doctor turned toward Inko. "Mrs. Midoryia? Can you and your son step into the hallway for a moment while the nurse examines our patient?"

A look of terror flashed across Himiko's face as Inko followed the doctor out. On impulse - or maybe because the boy reminded her of Saito - she reached out to the boy. "Don't leave me!"

She saw the concern on the faces of both the boy and the nurse. The green-haired boy looked at her with concern, before looking at the nurse. Having come to a decision, the boy looked at Himiko with a smile on his face. "I promise, I'll be right back!"

She couldn't help but worry that he was lying to her.

In the hallway, the Doctor ushered the two down the hallway toward the nurse's station. "Mrs. Midorya, it took some effort but we were able to identify our mysterious patient. Her name is Himiko Toga." His lips pressed into a thin line before he continued. "Unfortunately, her situation is complicated. First off - when we tried to contact her family they claimed she wasn't their daughter and hung up on us. And second, there's an active warrant for her arrest."

Inko gasped, her hand gripping tightly onto Izuku's shoulder. She couldn't reconcile the image of that scared girl with that of a wanted criminal. "What could possibly have happened to cause that?"

"According to the report, she attacked another student and… drank his blood. It caused quite the scene." The doctor said, a look of concern on his face. "She's apparently been on the run ever since, with police looking for her."

"Something's wrong," Izuku spoke up, startling both adults. "Mom! You saw her!"

"What's your son talking about?"

Izuku looked up at the doctor with a determined face. "She was trying to tell us something about her parents. I think they scare her?" Izuku sounded confused, like that was a foreign concept. "And it got worse when you asked us to follow you! She- she made me promise that I wouldn't leave her alone. I think something is wrong with her."

The doctor looked at Inko, who simply nodded to confirm. "My son is many things, but he's not a liar. I think she may be abused at home."

The doctor had a sympathetic look on his face as he looked at the mother and daughter. "That may be the case, but rules are rules. I can't just let this go - we'll be contacting the authorities and alerting them that she's here."

The doctor waited for the boy to protest, but instead he stood there, his face scrunched up as he wracked his brain for a solution. Inspiration seemed to hit as he pulled out his phone and began looking up something. "You said you need to contact the authorities, right? Instead of the police, could you contact a specific hero about her?"

Inko couldn't help but smile as she saw the surprise on the doctor's face, feeling a surge of pride in her son.

"If you think that would help, I could call in a hero before contacting the police, yes," The doctor said cautiously.

The boy nodded enthusiastically before he held up his phone. "Can you guys contact Vlad King about her?"

"The blood hero? Why him?" The doctor asked, his curiosity piqued.

"While I was with her in the alleyway, she was mumbling in her sleep. She was saying the word 'blood' a lot. On top of that, I saw the nurse giving her additional blood through her IV. Finally, you said she's wanted for assault because she drank someone's blood. All of those signs indicate she has a blood-based quirk, which is rare. Vlad King he- maybe he can relate to her?" He bowed his head as his surge of confidence seemed to leave him. "I'm sorry I couldn't think of anyone else, but could you please call him instead of the police?"

The doctor slowly knelt down to reach eye level with Izuku. "You're quite the observant one, aren't you? Just for that, I'll try getting ahold of Vlad King, but I can't make any promises."

"Yes!" the kid pumped his fist into the air. "Thank you, mister! I'm sure he can sort this out! He's a hero after all!"

Izuku then sheepishly turns towards his mom. "Umm, I also promised her that I'd go back and stay with her. Can I go back into the room now?"

Inko looked at the doctor questioningly. "I don't mind. She doesn't seem like someone who'd attack us, but what you said…"

"You can stay with her for now, at least until the police or Vlad King arrives," The doctor said. "Be careful, though. If she starts acting out, hit the button to call a nurse immediately."

"You heard that Izu?" Inko waited for Izuku to nod enthusiastically. "You go keep her company, I'll be back in a few minutes."

He dashed back off to the room.

After the nurse finished her checkup and left. Himiko was left alone with her thoughts, staring at the door and trying to fight the pit forming in her stomach.

They're not coming back.

They're going to leave you and then you're going to be taken away.

You are going to jail and there is nothing you can do about it.

She was broken out of her spiral by the sound of the door opening, the green-haired boy peeking timidly around it. "Umm, hi again. Do you mind if I come in?"

Himiko felt a smile forming on her lips. "Of course!"

She watched as he carefully pushed the door open and entered the room. "Do you mind if I sit next to you?" He waited until she shook her head, then carefully crossed the room before sitting down in the chair next to her bed. "I'm Izuku Midoriya. What's your name?"

Himiko blinked in surprise before responding. "My name is Himiko Toga."

"Nice to meet you Toga!" Izuku said, a bright smile on her face.

Himiko couldn't help but wince as she heard her family name. "Please, call me Himiko. I-" She let out a pained sigh. "-don't really like who I am right now."

"Oh… Is that why we found you all by yourself?"

Himiko looked into his earnest eyes, full of caring and no judgment. She felt her nerves calming simply by looking into them. It was such a different look from what she had grown accustomed to over the years. "It's.. a long story."

"Hey," Izuku reached out, before realizing what he was doing and pulling his hand back. Himiko couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment as he did so. "Don't push yourself if you don't want to. I promised you I'm not going anywhere!"

Himiko sat there silently, examining the boy in front of her. How can someone be so- so- friendly to a complete stranger?

Especially her.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Himiko finally blurted out

"Because it's what heroes are supposed to do!" Izuku pumped his hand into the air, as if to emphasize his point.

Himiko's mouth formed a small o as she sat there dumbfounded.

Was he being serious?

"I- sorry," Izuku ducked his head and began to rub the back of it. "I'm kind of obsessed with heroes."

"That's not silly!" Himiko insisted. "I just-" It was her turn to look away.

As Himiko tried to gather her thoughts, they heard another knock on the door only to see Izuku's mother enter the room. She shot a piercing look at Himiko as she sat next to Izuku, but after a moment's inspection she seemed satisfied as she visibly relaxed.

"I hope my son hasn't been bothering you too much?"

"N-no! Not at all!" Himiko insisted. "So you're his mother?"

She gave a single nod. "Yes, I'm Inko Midoriya, Izuku's mother."

"I'm Himiko To-" She paused for a moment. "Just Himiko."

Inko looked like she was upset by Himiko's answer, but didn't say anything. Instead, she crossed the room and returned to the chair she sat in previously, looking at the two children. "I hope you don't mind my intrusion, you two sounded like you were having a lovely conversation."

"Ehehehe," Izuku rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"So you really like heroes?" Himiko asked curiously.

"Yeah!" Izuku nodded vigorously. "They're so cool!"

"I wouldn't know," Himiko admitted. "My parents - they didn't really like heroes." Izuku's eyes went wide, as if she had just told him Santa wasn't real. She found a smile tugging at her lips again, seeing his reaction.

"Why don't they like heroes? They help keep us safe and they save people!" Izuku began as he launched into a speech about them.

Himiko was content to let him talk, listening as he tried to extoll the wonders of heroes and heroism onto her. It was a lesson her parents had drilled into her - if she let others do the talking, then it was easier to blend in, to let them think she was normal.

She knew she was being selfish, but she wanted these two to think she was normal for as long as she could.

Himiko lost track of the time until the three of them heard a knock on the door. It opened, revealing a tall man wearing a red jumpsuit with white gauntlets. Despite Izuku's long-winded explanation trying to sell her on heroes, she felt fear grip her heart.

"Nonono! Don't take me back! I don't want to go back to them!"

Inko watched in horror as a look of betrayal filled Himiko's face. The girl was panicking, pulling at the needles in her arm trying to pull them out, while her head darted around, looking for some way to escape.

Izuku jumped into action and grabbed Himiko's shoulder. "It's ok! This is Vlad King. I-" He swallowed the lump in his throat. "-asked the doctors to call him before they called the police. I think he can help you!"

Vlad King knew better than to approach the girl. It would only exacerbate the problem. He subtly folded his arms and observed, holding his wrists in such a way that he could use a blood construct if he needed to.

Himiko whipped around to face Izuku. "You don't know them! They'll pay them off, make excuses, do whatever it takes to get me back! And then- and then-"

"Himiko," Izuku said softly. "I won't let them do that."

Himiko's eyes seemed to regain focus as she looked desperately at Izuku, looking for some sort of anchor. "Promise?"

Izuku gave her a reassuring smile. "Mhm. Yeah! Whatever your parents do, if you just explain it- he'll help you!"

Time seemed to stretch on as Himiko looked at Izuku, desperately trying to convince herself that this time things would be different. Finally, she dared to look at the hero, who simply stood by the door, unmoving.

Despite that, she could see the look of concern on his face.

Taking a deep breath, she gave one final look at Izuku before giving him a single nod. "Ok, please - I'll do anything to not go back."

Feeling the tension leaving the room, Kan finally stepped forward to introduce himself. "Based on your reaction, I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you from going back to your parents as well! I am Sekijiro Kan, better known as the blood hero Vlad King. But you can just call me Kan."

Himiko perked up at the mention of blood. "You're a blood hero? But blood quirks are cursed and villainous."

"Who told you that?"

"My… parents." Himiko bit her lip, her face filled with shame. As if she committed some act of betrayal against them.

"I see," Kan quietly mused to himself. "It appears these two were right after all." Kan directed his attention to Himiko. "How would you feel if I told you that you will never have to go back to your parents?"

"You really mean it?" Himiko perked up at that offer.

Vlad King found himself taken off guard by her enthusiasm. On the other side of the room, he heard Mrs. Midoriya's gasp, and he swore he also heard her heart breaking at the girl's response. He pressed his lips into a thin line. More evidence to support the boy's theory.

"I do, but I can't promise it will be easy for you."

Himiko bit her lip and glanced toward Izuku hesitantly. Despite knowing what had happened, he wasn't afraid of her, nor was he scared of her parents.

I wish I could be as strong as him.

She turned back toward the hero. "Ok! I'll do anything, as long as I don't have to go back."

The hero turned toward Inko. "You may want to take your son and leave. You two don't have to stay for this part."

Inko looked at the girl on the bed. "It's up to you. If you don't want us here we'll leave. But I don't think either Izu or I will judge you for anything that happened."

Himiko looked at the woman and felt torn. On one hand, she didn't want either of them out of her sight, afraid she'd never see them again if they left. On the other hand, she felt a deep sense of shame and didn't want to reveal her true nature to them.

If they are going to leave because you're a monster, better to do it quickly and get it over with. They're too nice to associate with the likes of me.

"You can stay." She swallowed and looked back at Kan. "I- they should know."

With a satisfied nod, Kan unfolded his arms and continued. "On my way over I reviewed the police report to get an idea of what happened two weeks ago. However, that's only one side of the story. Can you tell me what happened from your perspective?"

Himiko's eyes darkened as she looked down at the blanket covering her.

This is it, I'm going away forever.

"There was a boy - Saito - at my school. He was always so strong and confident. I- I always admired him from afar. Then one day… one day he got in a fight and was covered in blood," She felt her cheeks burning as she grabbed the blanket and pulled it up, trying to hide her face. "Seeing him like that I... I fell in love with him. I wanted to be close to him. I wanted to be him, to be popular, with a cool quirk and not my curse." She swallowed, gathering her courage before she looked at the hero. "A few weeks later - after classes I found a box cutter and I... stabbed him."

She heard Inko gasp, but she didn't dare risk looking at either her or Izuku. Instead, she remained focused on the impassive face of Vlad King. "He bled such a beautiful color of blood, and I drank as much as I could. It felt amazing! I wanted to keep going but the teachers caught me and I ran," She broke eye contact and looked down at her lap again. "I can't remember much after that. I just knew I needed to run, and keep moving. I tried to find what food I could but…" She dared a glance at Izuku and was shocked to find him staring wide-eyed, but there was no judgment in his eyes, only concern. "The last thing I remember is smelling blood in the air, hearing people fighting. I tried to find it but I was too weak. I tripped and fell. The last thing I saw was Midoriya rushing toward me."

Kan had a serious look on his face. "You're right, that sounds troublesome. But it may not be in the way you fear. Your quirk, what is it? I assume it is blood-based?"

"Yes," Himiko felt her face heating up as she looked down at her lap again. "If- If I drink somebody's blood, I can become them."

"Why did your parents tell you this is a curse?"

"Because… I wasn't normal, I was cursed, they were supposed to have a normal girl with a nice normal quirk and instead, they got me." Himiko tried to curl in on herself, her voice small. "They- they had me registered as having a minor cat mutation and made me pretend that was all my quirk was. But blood- I can't stop thinking about it. No matter how hard I try!" She felt tears of frustration stinging her eyes.

"Didn't you have a quirk counselor to help you?"

Himiko shook her head. "No, I- my parents found a counselor for me. Someone who tried to teach me how I could suppress my quirk so that they could have a normal daughter."

"There were other incidents when you drank blood, weren't there?"

"Yes. When I was younger I would drink the blood from birds and small animals," She felt her face heat up in embarrassment. She always felt so free in those moments, like she was truly herself for a moment. Until her parents found out. "Every time I was caught my parents would ground me and lock me in my room as punishment."

Kan saw the horrified looks on both Inko and Izuku's faces, but Himiko continued to look down, afraid to face them. Rubbing his chin with his hand, he began assembling a disturbing image in his mind. "After you drank this blood, how did you feel?"

"I- my head felt clearer, and I felt stronger! It was a great feeling! But the headaches and fog would eventually come back. It always came back."

"How do you feel right now?"

"My head still is a little foggy," Himiko admitted, "But I feel like I did after I drank blood. It-" Once again she felt her face heating up. "Feels like all of those times when I drank blood."

Kan rubbed his chin as he thought. "That explains a lot." Very carefully, he pushed the call button near the door and spoke to the nurse on the other line.

A few moments later, a nurse arrived, carrying a blood bag. Kan took the bag and slowly walked to the sink, wrapping the bag in a towel. Keeping his movements slow and obvious, he turned toward the bed and approached Himiko, before kneeling beside her. "I am going to give this to you, but first I need you to promise me something ok? First, drink this slowly. And second, don't use your quirk while drinking it."

Himiko's eyes went from Kan to the bag, her eyes going wide. She could already feel an urge deep inside of her, begging her to grab the bag and devour it. With a mighty effort she tore her eyes away from the bag and looked at Kan. "It's ok if I… drink this?" The words sounded almost foreign to her. "I promise I won't change!"

Kan offered her the bag and she carefully took it, cradling it as if it was a precious object. Lifting it to her mouth, she bit the bag, her fangs easily piercing the thin plastic and allowing the blood to flow into her mouth. She quickly sucked the bag dry and was so happy that she even began to lick the towel, trying to gather any of the precious liquid that spilled out.

When she was done she looked up and remembered that there were four people still in the room. Her face fell as she registered that the doctor, the hero, and the two Midoriyas were staring at her. Dropping the towel, she couldn't help but begin to curl in on herself.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

She felt a weighty hand come to rest on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, little Toga. You shouldn't have to feel this way just because you're hungry. How are you feeling now?"

Himiko blinked at the words, her mind taking a moment to register what he said. She peeked up and saw the hero staring down at her, no judgment on his face. "I feel… better. The fog lifted, like after I drank Saito's blood. And I don't feel as tired anymore?"

Kan gave a satisfied grunt before he turned toward the doctor. "I see. Her parents must have been starving her."

Himiko snapped her head up. "Starving me?"

The doctor began to speak. "Specialized quirks frequently have additional dietary requirements, usually due to the secondary mutations associated with the quirk. In your case: your quirk, which is based on ingesting blood, requires you to ingest blood regularly as well. Your elongated canines should have clued your counselor in."

Kan continued. "Given your parents' horrific treatment of you, I'm honestly surprised you managed to hold off as long as you did. You are very strong."

Himiko looked down, feeling tears beginning to fall. "No, my parents were right, it's a curse! Nobody Normal needs to drink blood!"

The doctor gave her a sympathetic look, but she missed it. "Normal has been subjective for almost two hundred years now, ever since quirks appeared. To be perfectly honest, what your parents did is downright abusive. If you were regularly getting a small amount of blood in your diet, you wouldn't have been living a life of borderline starvation for over a decade. Now that we understand your condition we can begin to correct it. With a proper diet and counseling, you could easily be the one in charge of your quirk, rather than being enslaved by the needs of your quirk. Although, due to the extreme conditions you have been forced to endure, you may still have to deal with old habits for a while."

Himiko looked at the doctor, disbelief written across her face. "What about everything I've done? Aren't you going to throw me in jail? Or send me back to my parents?"

Kan tried to give the girl a reassuring look. "I can't promise you the next few weeks will be easy, nor can I promise you will be able to escape the consequences of your actions. But if you are willing to be strong and trust me, I will do everything in my power to ensure you stay out of jail." He saw her crestfallen look and continued. "I can promise you, however, that no matter what, you will be free of your parents by the time I am done."

Himiko brightened at the news and pushed herself up, smiling at the hero. "Yes! I don't care how hard it will be, I'll do it!"

"I'm sorry you had to endure so much, but if you can hold on for a little longer we will make sure you're taken care of." He then turned to the doctor, and as if a switch was flipped, suddenly he was in 'hero mode.' "I'm using my authority as a hero to put her under my care. She isn't allowed to leave the hospital until I finish my investigation and work with the police to solve this case." He turned back to Himiko. "If your parents show up, inform a doctor immediately and either they or the police will escort them out."

"Can I still have guests?" Himiko asked, her eyes making it obvious who she was asking about.

Kan chuckled. "Yes! Under normal circumstances, I would only approve visitation by fellow heroes and individuals working on the case with me. However," Kan turned toward Inko. "If Mrs. Midoriya wishes to bring her son and visit you, I can make an exception." His face returned to a serious expression. "If there's anything else I can do to make this easier let me know. I know the process can be scary since you'll have to speak to a lawyer and the police. You'll have to tell them the same things you told me, and they will have even more questions for you. But as long as you tell us the truth, we can help you."

Himiko felt a warmth blossoming in her chest. Dealing with questions and scary people was easy. But for the promise of freedom from her parents?

There's almost no length she wouldn't go.

"I can do that!" Himiko said enthusiastically.

Satisfied, Kan turned toward the doctor. "Can you come with me? I need to make some phone calls, and I believe you have paperwork I need to fill out?"

Sensing an opportunity, Inko stood up from her chair and broke her silence. "Mr. Kan? Can I speak to you as well?"

"Of course, Mrs. Midoriya. Would you like your son to accompany us?"

"No," Inko looked at Izuku. "I think it's better for both of them if he stayed here."

Kan looked at the two teenagers and nodded. "So be it. Let's go, I have a lot of work to do."

—-

After everyone left, Himiko found herself alone with Izuku. Feeling self-conscious, she kept looking down at the blanket in her lap, her hands fiddling with it until she saw his hand reach out and gently grab her arm.

"Are you ok?"

Himiko looked at him with a confused look on her face. "Shouldn't I be asking you that question? You- you know what I am. What I did-"

"I do," Izuku cut her off. "But it's not your fault! I-I'm sure other people will see that, too!"

"How can you know that? I'm sure you have an amazing quirk," Himiko looked away. He didn't deserve to see the frustration on her face. "and never had to deal with people judging you because of it."

"Actually… I'm quirkless," Himiko whipped her head around to stare at Izuku, unsure if she heard him right. Izuku winced from the sudden movement but quickly regained eye contact. "I know what it's like to be looked down upon. I'm- just a useless Deku."

Himiko's surprise morphed into a frown. "You're not useless! You saved me! That counts for something!"

Izuku brightened at her compliment. "Maybe…" He looked at the door, quickly attempting to change the topic. "I'm glad the doctor was able to reach Vlad King, I knew he could help!"

"He seems really nice. Can you tell me more about him?"

Izuku's face lit up as he entered familiar territory and he began to tell Himiko everything he knew about the blood Hero. Occasionally he had to pause to look something up on his phone and show her, but this time Himiko made a conscious effort to talk back and participate in the conversation.

They lost track of the time, but eventually Inko returned and quietly sat down, letting the two continue their conversation as she pulled out her phone, content to simply supervise her son. This was the happiest she had seen him in a long time - normally whenever he tried to help people they either ignored him or told him they didn't want his help.

But this young girl was different - she was the first person to genuinely appreciate Izuku's help. She wasn't about to take that away from him.

As time passed, Inko couldn't help but wonder about the girl's parents. Given her own struggles with Izuku's quirklessness, she couldn't help but wonder what possessed them to treat her so horribly.

After all, she didn't have to deal with society telling her that she couldn't amount to anything.

Hours later, a nurse appeared with a plate of food, reminding them of how much time had passed. As if on cue, Izuku's stomach responded to the smell of food by rumbling, causing the teen to become embarrassed. "S-sorry. I didn't know how long I was going."

"I don't mind," Himiko admitted. If she was being honest, she never wanted them to leave.

"I'm sorry Himiko, but we really must be going. It's getting late - and the hospital will force us to leave soon anyways," Inko said as she stood up.

Himiko's face fell. "Can- will you come back tomorrow?"

Inko looked at her son, his eyes already pleading to come back. He had taken a liking to the girl - to someone who knew what it was like to be looked down on due to an accident of genetics - and wanted to support her as much as he could.

"I think we can, yes. It's the least we can do."

"Thank you!" Himiko said as she felt herself tearing up.

It was a strange feeling, thinking that someone genuinely cared about her.

AN: A couple important notes. While the first part of this story will feel more Himiko-centric, things will balance out once Izuku reaches UA, at which point both of them (and their classmates) will have their time in the spotlight.

As for the pace of the rewrite, some parts of the story will go faster than others - I'm hoping to drop one chapter a week, but some weeks I'll have more for you guys as I hit parts of the story where a simple polish will do the trick.