AN: Thanks for reading and leaving reviews, everyone!

Bakugo scowled as he walked toward the figure of Izuku. "Out of the way Deku."

"Or what?" The face of Izuku twisted into a scowl. "You'll hit me with your quirk again?"

"Don't you dare!" Bakugo growled as he raised his palms and began to generate little explosions, the pops punctuating his words. "I'm now taking some pointless Support class because you're too weak!"

"I'm too weak?" Izuku unfolded his arms and stepped forward. "What's it say about you that you're blaming me for your failings?"

Bakugo took a step back involuntarily. Something was wrong with Deku and he couldn't quite figure out what. "Yes, damn it! I'm supposed to be training to be a hero! I don't have time for all this…"

"This what?" Izuku asked the leading question, acting like a matador to Bakugo's raging bull.

"This pointless busywork!" Bakugo spat.

"Clearly the teachers disagree," Izuku said as his eyes narrowed. "Or do you think you know better than them?"

"Don't give me that crap!" Bauko threw an arm out dismissively. "Aizawa's just trying to hold me back, not that it'll matter once I'm out of here."

"Hold you back?" Izuku threw his head back and laughed.

"Deku…" Katsuki growled darkly as he took a step forward. "Just because you've got some weak-ass quirk doesn't mean you've got what it takes to be a her–"

The sound of skin-on-skin contact rang out throughout the school grounds as Izuku's hand made contact with Bakugo's cheek.

Slap!

"Don't you fucking dare," A feminine voice hissed.

As Katsuki felt his cheek stinging from the slap, he watched the face of Izuku melt away in a pile of gray sludge, revealing Himiko's face, her eyes ablaze with golden fury.

"You– you were given everything!" Himiko spat. "A strong quirk, a loving family. A school that catered to your every whim. It was the perfect recipe for success! And yet…" Her eyes darkened. "Here you are. Still harboring an inferiority complex towards your old friend. The same kid who everyone thought was quirkless for eleven years. The same person you told day after day that he could never be a hero." Her lips twisted into an unsettling smile. "It's impressive, really. You've known all this time that he'll always be a better hero than you. That he's already a better hero than you'll ever be. And you don't even know why."

Bakugo's vision turned red.

"How dare you!" He pulled back his fist and launched himself forward, ready to deliver an Explosion-powered punch.

Himiko deftly sidestepped as a pair of knives seemingly materialized in her hands. "Be careful, unsupervised fighting's not allowed on school grounds." She said in a too-sweet singsong tone.

"Good thing school's out," Bakugo growled as he clenched his fist. He prepared to launch another attack when his attention was broken by the sound of a voice he was very familiar with.

"Well this is awkward," All Might said from behind Himiko. "I decided to check up on the two of you after what happened. However, it turns out that Young Midoriya is the wrong Midoriya."

"Don't get in our way, All Might," Bakugo growled. "She started it and I intend to finish it."

He didn't even see the hero move, but he certainly felt All Might's grip on his shoulder as Japan's top hero held him in place. "You don't want to do this."

"Like hell I don't!"

"Do you think you'll be the top hero if you're so easily provoked?" All Might asked pointedly.

Bakugo froze before his head and his eyes slowly shifted so that he could look at his idol behind him. "What're you talking about?"

"From where I'm standing, Young Midoriya's been in control this entire time," All Might explained before he turned his attention to Himiko. "Although did you really have to bring weapons into this?"

"I dunno," Himiko smirked as she slid the knives into her thigh-holsters with exaggerated motions. "Did he have a reason to bring his quirk into this?"

"You're just jealous because my quirk is actually useful," Bakugo replied with a prideful smirk.

"If that's how you feel better about yourself," Himiko gave him a playful smile. "But you and I both know the truth. And that's what's important."

"Grr!" Bakugo growled, only to feel All Might's grip tighten on his shoulder. As angry as he was at her, he knew this wasn't the time or place to finish this. He looked at Himiko dismissively. "Tch, you're not worth the trouble. Besides, I don't need Aizawa breathing down my neck more than he already is."

Rotating his shoulder, he freed himself from All Might's grip. Walking over to his bag in tense silence, he picked it up and shouldered it, before he turned away from the others and silently walked away.

All Might looked awkwardly at Himiko. "Were you really okay with taking a suspension for fighting him on school grounds?"

"Yes," Himiko crossed her arms and looked up at the hero. "I was."

"You… really care about Young Midoriya, don't you?"

"Isn't it obvious," Himiko snorted, but her face softened as she watched Bakugo's retreating form. "Bakugo spent years telling Izu that he couldn't amount to anything. That he needed a bright, flashy quirk to be a hero. And Izuku kept proving him wrong…"

"And then his quirk came in," All Might said.

"Yep!" Himiko chirped before side-eyeing the hero. "But Izu still feels the need to push himself. To show that he deserves it." Her gaze shifted skyward as she thought about her brother. "Not that he needs to." Her words were barely a whisper.

"The Battle Trial!" All Might's eyes went wide.

"Of course he wouldn't tell you. Every day I remind him that he doesn't need to do any of that to prove himself but…" Himiko sighed and shook her head. "Nevermind. I guess I should get back to class. Don't want to get into any more trouble."

All Might watched as Himiko began walking back to the school before calling out to her. "Young Midoriya!"

"Yes?" Himiko paused mid-strike to look at the hero out of the corner of her eyes.

"Thank you for telling me."

Himiko cracked a faint smile before she continued walking back toward the building.

When the students of 1-A saw Himiko walking back toward the school, they knew it was over. Suddenly Izuku found himself the center of attention as Denki spoke for the class.

"So… what just happened out there?"

"Ehe," Izuku looked at his classmates nervously. "Where do I begin…" He rubbed the back of his head as he thought. "So for anyone who doesn't know, that's Himi– Himiko. My sister. And her quirk… lets her Transform into other people."

"Like you?" Another student, Sero, asked.

"Like me," Izuku confirmed.

"Was she really gonna fight Bakugo?"

Izuku looked out the window. All Might stood there alone, his brows furrowed deep in thought. "Yes, she was."

"Holy shit!"

"Remind me never to get on Midoriya's bad side."

"I knew it, kero."

"Why?" Iida asked as he adjusted his glasses. "Surely she must know it is a violation of school rules…"

"She does," Izuku confirmed, cutting off his classmate. With a weary sigh, he walked back to his desk and sat down. "It's a long story," he admitted. Looking around at his classmates, his eyes eventually settled on Ochako. The gravity girl already knew his cover story, and she gave him an encouraging smile.

"They'll understand, just like I did."

"The short version is that Bakugo and I… we thought I was quirkless."

"But you have a quirk!" Kirishima pointed out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yep!" Izuku replied a bit too loudly. "It turns out I'm a late bloomer!" Taking a breath to steady himself, he continued. "I needed a lot of muscle for my quirk, otherwise I'd hurt myself when I used it. It's sort of like a built-in safety measure?"

"But you hurt yourself during the entrance exam!" Iida exclaimed.

"Ehe, don't remind me…" Izuku said with a wobbly smile. "That… I've still got a long way to go to use my quirk properly. I've been storing energy to enhance my body my entire life, but I've only been able to use it for about two months."

"Don't doctors usually discover signs of late bloomers early on?" Yaoyorozu asked. "That way those children can be put into special programs so they can train their bodies to meet their quirk's specialized needs."

"Y-yes," Izuku hid his head. "I um… never got tested."

"Why not?"

Izuku looked back out the window. "I um… my school kind of gave up on me."

"That's horrible!" Ochako protested.

"What kind of school would do that?" Ashido added.

"It's okay guys," Izuku said quickly, trying to cut off too many complaints. "It… well it worked out in the end?" He tried to emphasize his point with a laugh, but it came out far too high-pitched for his liking

"So when did you find out about your quirk?" Iida asked.

Izuku's eyes drifted to Ochako. "The day of the exam."

"Wait," Iida continued. "Does that mean you intended on taking the entrance exam quirkless?"

"I um…" Izuku swallowed a couple of times to wet his mouth. "...actually took half the exam quirkless."

"Ok, both Midoriyas are officially terrifying," Denki exclaimed.

"How is this related to Bakugo, kero?" Asui asked, her eyes intense as they bored into Izuku despite her impassive gaze.

"He… well… I never gave up on my dreams to be a hero, no matter what." Izuku looked down at his hands, calloused and worn from all of the time on the beach. "I knew it would be hard, but I had to give it a shot. And Bakugo he… has a very narrow definition of what it means to be a hero, and I wasn't it."

"And he's stupid!" Ochako exclaimed. "You're brave! And smart! And…" If Izuku was paying attention to her he would have noticed her permanent blush growing. "Even if you didn't have a quirk, I'm sure you'd have figured something out!"

"Yeah, that sounds super manly!"

"I will admit, I am hesitant about the idea of someone who is quirkless becoming a hero," Iida said, "But that doesn't change the fact that what Bakugo did was wrong!"

"Why not, kero?" Asui turned her attention to Iida.

Izuku breathed a sigh of relief as the admission seemed to spark a debate amongst his classmates, led by Asui and Iida, over the concept of a quirkless hero. It was a debate Izuku wasn't personally ready to have yet, so he was content to sit out.

He wasn't the only one, however, and was soon joined by Ochako as she sat down at the desk next to him.

"I didn't get to thank you earlier," Ochako began, "but I really appreciated the save back there."

"Ehe," Izuku looked at her awkwardly. "It's nothing, really! I was just helping my teammate…"

"It's not nothing!" Ochako shook her head. "Your quirk is amazing! Letting you take a powerful attack like that!"

"Umm… I wasn't actually sure what was gonna happen, to be honest. I knew my costume would help but I–"

Ochako gasped. "If you didn't know then why'd you jump in front of me like that?" Ochako asked, her eyes going wide.

"Because…" Izuku looked down at his desk, unable to face the concern behind her eyes. "I know what would have happened if you got hit by it."

"Dekkun…" Ochako whispered, suddenly overcome by a storm of conflicting emotions as she saw her classmate with new eyes.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to–"

"No! It's okay!" Ochako said far too loudly. "Someday I'll be strong too! Just like you! And then I can protect people too."

And maybe… I'll be able to return the favor. She silently appended.

Izuku's head jerked up as he saw Ochako, in awe of the fierce determination in her eyes. He was momentarily struck dumb by the sight, his mind and mouth moving uselessly as he tried to come up with a response. Finally recovering his wits, he gave her a faint smile.

"I can't wait."

After school, Izuku was once again joined by Ochako and Iida as they left the classroom. Once they were outside he insisted they wait for his sister to arrive. While Iida was hesitant he discovered that Ochako was more than happy to wait, and was outvoted. And so he reluctantly waited with them until Atsuko walked up to them.

"Hey Midoriya, Uraraka," Atsuko waved to the two.

"Hey Hotoko," Izuku replied. "Where's Himi?"

"Oh, she'll be along in a few minutes," Atsuko replied. "Mic-sensei is lecturing her on not trying to start fights at school." She let out a resigned sigh. "She's lucky All Might stepped in when he did, otherwise…"

"I'm glad too," Izuku let out a soft sigh.

"Well maybe if you weren't shot out of a building and had to be carried to Recovery Girl's office on a stretcher," Atsuko said playfully. "Maybe your classmates won't do that anymore."

"I won't let them either!" Ochako said, punching a palm into an open fist.

"H-hey now," Izuku said nervously. "Even Himi's gotten hurt in training…"

"You're right," Atsuko confirmed. "Bakugo's just a special case."

"Yep!" Ochako said, speaking both far too loudly and dragging out the word in a way that made Izuku nervous.

Izuku looked at Ochako nervously before Iida thankfully spoke up.

"I hope that such incidents are rare! It wouldn't behoove such a prestigious institution to allow such injuries to occur on a regular basis!"

"Behoove?" Atsuko shot Iida a questioning glance before looking at Izuku. "Where'd you find him?"

"Ehe… This is Tenya Iida! Ingenium's brother!" Izuku said, introducing his friend.

"Indeed!" Tenya held out his hand. "I come from a long line of heroes and hope to continue the family tradition! And you are?"

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Atsuko Hotoko. Nice to meet you!"

"Don't worry, she's a lot more normal," Ochako joked before she shot the older girl a nervous glance. "At least I think so?"

"We all have our moment," Atsuko smiled, "You just got to see Himi's right away."

"I still am forced to question how she managed to survive an entire year with the attitude she displayed today!" Iida said. "First at lunch and then her encounter with Bakugo!"

"Oh, I get it now," Atsuko laughed lightly. "The Hero course, by its very nature, attracts people with strong personalities. Including you." She pointed at Iida. "I'm sure you'll ask the same question about a lot of the students here, not just Himi."

Iida opened his mouth as if he wanted to respond, but simply stood there for a moment before he closed it and nodded. "You have given me something to think about. I will have to take that under consideration!"

Atsuko giggled as she shook her head. "Hopefully you'll get what I mean. Anyway–"

"Sorry I'm late!" Himiko shouted as she raced down the path towards the group. "Mic-sensei was relentless!"

"Did he use his quirk on you?" Atsuko teased.

"No," Himiko skidded to a stop and grimaced. "He can be plenty loud without it."

"You didn't have to do that," Izuku said.

"Nope!" Himiko chirped as she gave Izuku a too-wide fanged smile. "But I did it anyway!"

"Himi…" Izuku whined.

Hooking her arm over her brother's shoulder, Himiko pulled him into a side hug. "You got blasted out of a second-story window! Allow me to care about you!"

"Not like that though! What if you got in trouble?"

Himiko rolled her eyes. "It would have been worth it if Blasty got in trouble too."

"Not to me it isn't," Izuku insisted as he wormed his way out of her grip and spun to face her, crossing his arms. "He's not worth it!"

"Izu…" Himiko sighed as she saw his face. She knew he was right, no matter how good it felt in the moment. "Fine, I won't try provoking Blasty like that again. Unless…" She placed her index finger on her lips as she fell deep in thought.

"Unless?"

Himiko gave her brother a predatory grin before she broke out in laughter, and all of the first years were overcome with a sense of dread.

"Mind if I join you, kero?"

The four students at the table looked up in surprise as their classmate stood there, tray in hand.

"Not at all!" Ochako said as she slid her seat around the corner to make room for Tsuyu Asui. "Anyone else?"

The others shook their heads. Finding no objections, Asui sat her tray down before she retrieved a chair. "Thank you. I didn't really have anyone to sit with yesterday."

"I'm sorry," Ochako apologized, "if I knew…"

"It's okay, kero," Asui said.

As the girl sat down and opened her chopsticks, Izuku couldn't help but notice her meal. It resembled a noodle dish, but upon closer inspection, it was covered in a variety of insects. Similarly, her desert looked like a jello mold, but he could see different bugs floating suspended in the gelatin.

"Asui, you've got a specialized diet too?"

"First, call me Tsu," Tsuyu said as she gave him a flat stare. "And second, what do you mean by 'too'?"

"My sister…" Izuku trailed off. "She needs blood in her diet."

Tsuyu gave him a hard stare, and Izuku wished he could understand what she was thinking. While he had gotten good at reading people, his classmate's expressionless face remained a mystery to him. The best guess he could come up with was that she was searching for something? But what? And why?

"I see," Tsuyu finally croaked before returning her attention to her food. "Is that how she uses her quirk?"

"Y-yeah!" Izuku said, caught off guard by the sudden change.

"It was only broadcast on live television last year," Sekigai pointed out.

"I know, but…" Izuku looked over at the table where his sister sat and watched as she licked something off her finger before Transforming into Emily.

I'm glad Himi's more comfortable with her quirk. Izuku silently admitted.

"But what?" Ochako asked curiously.

"It's nothing," Izuku shook his head and returned his attention to the table. "Just thinking about when Himi was younger."

"Since you're curious about my diet, I've got a question for you," Tsuyu said.

"What's that?" Izuku asked curiously.

"Your quirk," Tsuyu said as she pointed a chopstick at Izuku.

"What about it?" Izuku asked nervously, feeling a lump forming in his throat.

"I've just never met a late bloomer before," Tsuyu explained. "I know it's a rare condition, so I was curious what it felt like."

"What it felt like?"

"When it came in," Tsuyu tilted her head.

"Ehe…" Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "I… wasn't really thinking about that. I was kind of focused on the test…"

"Oh," Tsuyu sounded… almost disappointed? Izuku wished she was easier to read.

"Is this about being a quirkless hero again?" Tenya asked.

"No," Tsuyu shook her head. "I know growing up being quirkless can be hard – much like being a mutant. Being a late bloomer–"

Tsuyu never got to finish her statement as the alarm rang out.