AN: Thanks for reading, and thanks for all the reviews everyone!

It didn't take long for Himiko to find a comfortable routine with her new family. During the day, she would help with chores around the house while Inko would work. When she was done, she would lounge about and play with her phone, customizing it to be exactly how she wanted it to be - a pleasure she never experienced before. On the days she had an appointment, Inko paused her work and escorted Himiko to the therapist or counselor, and then sat patiently while Himiko had her session before they returned home.

One thing she wasn't enjoying was the hours Izuku was in school. The house was too quiet during the day, with the only noise coming from the classical music Inko played, or the sounds of her fingers dancing across the keyboard. Frequently Himiko would hide in her room and blast yap!Tube videos from her phone, but even those only offered a temporary reprieve.

It only took a week, but she was already looking forward to going back to school.

As the bell rang to indicate class was dismissed, Himiko hung her head and groaned.

Despite promising herself that she wouldn't, she found it so easy to slip back into her old habits.

You knew this was going to be hard.

There's always tomorrow.

While the final period of the day was an independent study for most of her class, for Himiko it was Remedial Studies. Due to her living conditions and general abuse, her grades never were the best, and there were large gaps in her education. On top of that, she was even further behind due to missing the first few weeks of school.

If she wanted to get into a good high school next year, she'd have to work hard to catch up.

Shoving several books into her bag, she kept her head down as she bolted out of the room, practically racing through the hallway to find her classroom, and only slowing down once she arrived. As she slid open the door, a sigh of relief escaped her lips as she failed to recognize most of the students.

At least most of my classmates don't know I'm here.

"Um, excuse me?"

Himiko whirled around, only to come face to face with a girl from her class. She was a tall, thin girl with soft features and bright blue eyes. But the most notable feature was her long blue hair that ran freely down to the middle of her back. Himiko's eyes narrowed.

Oh great, now she knows I'm in this class.

"Are you lost?" The girl asked helpfully.

"N-no," Himiko said. "Just trying to remember your name," She lied.

"I see," The girl nodded thoughtfully. "I know it's overwhelming, trying to learn thirty names at once. I'm Atsuko Hotoko."

"Thanks," Himiko replied lamely. Not knowing what else to say, she simply spun around and entered the room, finding her seat at the back of the class and sitting down.

Way to give a good impression, Himiko.

She watched the other girl find her seat and sit down. After pulling out her books, she gave Himiko a questioning glance, and Himiko responded by looking down at her own books, a sigh escaping her lips.

Why am I such a coward?

Once class started she tried to pay attention, letting the lesson distract her, but she felt herself biting the inside of her lip anyway. Every so often she would get the feeling that someone was watching her, and sure enough, when she looked she saw Atsuko glancing at her, only to turn away once she was discovered.

When the bell rang, Himiko began shoving her notebooks in her bag, hoping to escape the confrontation she knew was coming, but Atsuko was faster. As Himiko tried to stand, she saw Atsuko approaching.

"Hey Toga, you came by train right? Would you mind if I walked with you to the station?"

"Sure?" Himiko's reply came out as more of a question, laced with disbelief.

"Great! I'll meet you outside the gate once you're ready!"

"O-ok then," As Himiko watched, Atsuko gave her a warm smile, before quickly exiting the classroom. Himiko, meanwhile, just stood there in confusion as she watched the rest of her classmates filing out.

Taking a moment to compose herself, she finally left the classroom and made her way to her shoe locker, slowly changing her shoes in an attempt to delay the inevitable for a few more minutes.

Once she gathered her courage, she stepped out of the entrance to the school and saw Atsuko standing by the gate waiting for her. When she saw Himiko, she gave her a polite wave "Hey Toga!"

Himiko grimaced as she walked toward the other girl. "Please, call me Himiko. I… don't really like being called by my family name."

"Only if you call me Atsuko then," The girl responded with a sly smile.

"O-ok," Himiko felt strange.

Why is she being so nice to me?

"We should get going," Atsuko said, gesturing toward the gate.

Himiko merely nodded and followed along, letting an awkward silence fall between them. They walked that way for several blocks before Atsuko spoke up again. "Sorry if I ambushed you after class To- Himiko. You just looked so sad and well… I wanted you to know that I know how that feels."

"W-what?" Himiko stopped and stared at the girl.

"Your face," Atsuko turned and pointed at Himiko. "You're pretty good at hiding how you feel. But in class when you thought I wasn't looking your expression changed." Atsuko turned away from her. "Did you know I transferred schools partway through the semester last year?"

Himiko stared at the other girl's back. "What happened to you?"

"I guess it's only fair that I tell you since I brought it up," Atsuko glanced at Himiko over her shoulder, letting her hair hide most of her face. "My parents went through a messy divorce last year. Lots of yelling, lots of arguments, lots of blame… lots of lawyers." She turned away, hiding her face completely as she stared at the ground. "And of course, I blamed myself for all of it."

Himiko carefully walked around the girl and saw how sad she looked as she recalled the memories. When she saw Himiko, she lifted her head and forced herself to smile. "When the dust settled, my dad packed the two of us up and we moved halfway across the country. A fresh start, he said. The truth was, he felt terrible about what happened and enrolled me at Dantin. Did you know our school is renowned across Japan for its high school acceptance rate among students who had to go through their remedial studies program?"

"I- no, I didn't."

"My coursework last year was terrible. By the time my parents had separated, I was near the bottom of my class. My dad felt so bad - first I lost my mom, and now my future was at risk. He wanted to help in any way he could, so my future wouldn't be ruined by what happened. Which meant Dantin was my best chance."

"Did it work?"

"Ask next year?" Atsuko gave a meek smile. "While their remedial course is brutal, I don't feel like I'm behind anymore."

"Would you believe a school principal helped me get into this school?" Himiko felt a smile tugging at her lips. "I guess I know why now."

Atsuko dropped her smile, her face morphing into a serious expression. "Look, I know you probably don't want to talk about it. Whatever happened to you, I mean. I just wanted to let you know you're not alone. There's plenty of people at school who'd understand."

Without waiting for a reply Atsuko began walking, and Himiko ran to catch up, falling in pace alongside her. Himiko didn't mind the silence, it gave her time to think. She kept glancing at her blue-haired companion, her face the picture of serenity.

If she never told Himiko her story, she would have never guessed anything was wrong.

When they rounded the corner and saw the station, Himiko finally worked up the courage to speak again.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your quirk?"

"My quirk?" Atsuko seemed confused by the question. "I can solidify air, creating solid walls and barriers. Why?"

Himiko hesitated, finding it hard to form the words. Atsuko seemed nice, and she wouldn't mind learning more about her. But she didn't want to hide who she was - if she had a problem with her quirk, better to find out sooner rather than later.

But it was still scary.

Seeing the girl waiting patiently, Himiko quickly blurted out what she wanted to say. "My quirk lets me transform into someone by- by drinking their blood."

Atsuko's eyes went wide. "Oh."

Himiko's face fell.

Of course-

"Wait, sorry!" Atsuko held up her hands defensively. "I just- well, I thought you might have some sort of cat mutation? You have a very feline appearance after all - between your vertical irises and your fangs." She let her hands drop to her side as an awkward silence filled the air. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Himiko finally responded. "It's-" She sighed in frustration. "I'm this way because of my parents."

Atsuko's head quickly snapped up to look at Himiko, and she found a familiar look in those blue eyes. She was reminded of the first time Izuku looked at her.

Maybe it's ok to trust her?

Taking a deep breath, Himiko continued. "My parents hated my quirk, and I was forced to suppress it for years. They tried to make me someone I wasn't instead of letting me be, well, me."

She felt a warmth on her arm. When she looked down she saw Atsuko's hand curling around it, silently offering her encouragement.

"I'm -" Himiko shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it yet. But that's why I was a mess at school today. I'm really happy with where I am now, I promise! But…" Himiko bit her lip and worried at it until she tasted blood. "It's hard to break 10 years of being told how to act."

"I see," Atsuko said thoughtfully. "That's why you don't like being called Toga."

"Yeah."

"Well Himiko," Atsuko pulled away and clapped her hands together. "If you want to see how us teenage girls really act, you could at least try joining us for lunch instead of sitting by yourself?" She offered an encouraging smile. "Usually a few of us get together on weekends as well. I know you might not feel comfortable joining us right away, but the offer's open."

"Maybe. As long as everyone's patient with me," Himiko frowned. "It's all confusing and- and- hard!"

"Sure," Atsuko heard Himiko gasp at the ease of her response. "Listen - while we may not understand exactly what you went through, some of the kids at school may surprise you. Just, give us a chance? Not everyone's like your asshole parents."

"Thanks," Himiko offered the other girl a faint smile. "I'm learning that."

The two let a much more comfortable silence settle between them as they crossed the street and descended into the train station. As they reached the bottom Atsuko saw the departure schedule and paled.

"Oh crap, my train's about to leave, see you tomorrow Himiko!" The girl called out as she ran off. Himiko smiled as she waved at the girl's back before she began walking toward her platform.

Ok, maybe I didn't screw up as badly as I thought today.

When the bell rang for lunch the next day, Himiko pulled out her lunch and a thermos containing a mixture of blood and orange juice. As she sat them on the desk, she swore she heard someone call out her name.

Looking up, she began looking around the room, but didn't see anyone trying to get her attention. Sighing, she was about to go back to her food when she heard the sounds of desks being pushed together, and Atsuko sat down with three other girls for lunch.

Himiko looked down at her lunch and thought about what the blue-haired girl told her yesterday.

Just give us a chance?

Gathering up her courage, as well as her lunch, Himiko stood up and walked over to the makeshift table. The redheaded girl - Sakura, Himiko recalled her name - spotted her first, and soon the others were all looking at her curiously.

Himiko swallowed the lump in her throat. "Do you have room for one more?"

"Of course!" Atsuko said immediately, gesturing towards a nearby desk. "Pull up a chair."

"Thanks."

Himiko set her food down and pulled up a chair, only to see the four staring at her.

"So Toga, what's your favorite Rom-Com?" The redhead asked.

"Rom com?" Himiko asked.

"Don't tell me you've never seen a Romantic Comedy?!"

Himiko looked down at her food as she felt her permanent blush spreading. "I- didn't get to watch a lot of romance movies growing up. They were 'deemed a waste of time.'"

"What kind of monsters were your parents?" The girl with raven-black hair said.

Himiko knew that the girl wasn't serious, but she couldn't help but laugh. "I lived a very sheltered life."

Maybe someday I'll tell you about it.

"Well, that answers the movie we're going to see on Sunday," Atsuko said, turning toward her friends. "We're going to see 50 First Kisses."

"Agreed!" Said the redhead.

"What's that about?" Himiko asked cautiously.

"A poor girl has been inflicted with an amnesia quirk that causes her to forget her day when she falls asleep. One day she meets a marine biologist who has commitment issues, only for him to fall head over heels for her, and things escalate."

Himiko snorted. "That sounds ridiculous."

"Of course it's ridiculous, that's the point!" The raven-haired girl retorted.

"Oh."

Out of the corner of her eye, Himiko saw Atsuko wince. She quickly covered it up and turned toward Himiko. "I hope you'll come with us, I think you might enjoy it."

Himiko felt a strange sensation in her chest. Sure, she had her friend group before, but after everything that happened, she didn't imagine herself being invited out so quickly. Feeling the smile tugging at her lips, she nodded at the group.

"Sounds like fun!"

Himiko Toga skipped down the hallways of Dantin, box cutter in hand. She can't believe a teacher was so thoughtful as to leave it out for her!

As she rounded the corner, her smile grew wide as she saw a familiar green head of hair.

"Izuku-kun!" she called out.

"Himiko?" Izuku turned around and she saw him. So bright and thoughtful and kind and gentle and everything she wasn't.

She wanted to be like him.

She wanted to be him.

She skipped down the hallway as Izuku eyed her curiously. "What is it, Himi-chan?"

"I'm hungry," Himiko complained as she slashed at Izuku, a line of crimson growing on his arm. "Won't you give me a little bit of your blood to make me feel better?"

Izuku screamed, the sound beautiful to Himiko's ears. She didn't know where the straw came from, but the next thing she knew, she was shoving it into the wound.

"Himi- please- stop-"

"Don't worry Izuku-kun, I won't take too much," Himiko said slyly before she pulled the straw up to her lips.

Izuku's eyes snapped open as he heard Himiko's screams through the wall. Bolting out of his bed, he saw his mom already in the hallway as she was looking at the closed door to Himiko's room. Relief filled her face when she saw her son.

"Do you know what happened?" Izuku asked softly.

"No," Inko shook her head.

Izuku carefully walked up to the door and pressed his ear against it, seeing if he could hear anything inside.

"Izuku-kun… I'm so sorry. Please forgive me Izuku-kun…" Himiko was stammering out apologies between sobs.

Taking a deep breath, Izuku opened the door and pushed it open. "Himiko?"

"Izuku! Stay away!"

Izuku's eyes had adjusted enough to see Himiko scrambling off her bed as she worked her way into a corner, as far away from him as she could.

"Himiko, what's wrong?" Inko asked from behind Izuku, concern laced in her voice.

"I- Izuku-kun," Himiko started sobbing again. "I- I want to- I want to hurt Izuku-kun!"

Izuku and Inko looked at each other in concern, before Inko gently pushed Izuku back into the hallway. She stepped into the room and flicked on the light, watching the girl flinch as the light came on, trying to curl into herself and make herself disappear.

"Himiko, it's ok," Inko assured her. "You didn't hurt Izu. He's safe. He's in the hallway worried about you."

Himiko slowly raised her head, cracking one eye open. "I didn't stab Izuku?" Inko recoiled in surprise and saw Himiko screw her eyes shut. "I'm sorry!"

"Himiko, I'm the one who should be sorry," Inko slowly walked forward and knelt in front of the girl. "I didn't mean to upset you, I just didn't expect you to ask that."

Inko slowly reached out and touched Himiko's hands, and felt them stiffen before going limp. "I- you're not upset?"

"No," Inko shook her head. "But I'm worried about you, Himiko."

Himiko looked up, and Inko could see the tears in her eyes. "I- I dreamed I was in school with Izuku and I- it was Saito all over again."

"Well, I think your reaction shows how you really feel."

"What do you mean?" Himiko asked, her voice laced with confusion.

"Well, look at you. You dreamed about the old you, and how did you react? You're scared about hurting Izu, and you were afraid for him. If you were a bad person, would you be doing that?"

Himiko bit her lip, feeling the blood welling up where her fang pierced the skin as she thought about it before she shook her head. "N-no."

"That's right," Inko agreed. "Because you're a good person." She reached out and began smoothing Himiko's messy hair, feeling the girl shudder under her touch.

Himiko closed her eyes and leaned into the woman's touch. "I- I want to be a good person."

Inko paused and smiled. "I know it's hard and scary. But we're here for you."

"I know," Himiko said, opening her eyes. "Can Izuku come in now?"

"Of course dear."

Inko stood up and Himiko already missed the warmth of her hand as she crossed the room, opening the door to reveal Izuku awkwardly standing there. As Himiko looked at him she felt her stomach twisting in knots.

He's ok.

"Himiko?" Izuku asked cautiously as he entered the room. "I um- I heard what you were dreaming about."

"Are you scared of me?"

Izuku shook his head. "Of course not! I know you wouldn't hurt me. Because you're a good person."

"I-" Himiko swallowed the lump in her throat. "Izuku, could I sleep in bed with you?"

Izuku's eyes went wide as his face began to glow bright red. "You- what?"

"Not like that!" Himiko yelled, her face turning bright red. "I just - I don't want to be alone right now. I want- I need to know you're ok."

I need to know I haven't hurt you.

"Oh," Izuku laughed nervously. "Right! Like a sleepover!"

"Exactly!" Himiko said.

"I don't mind," Inko said from the entryway. "As long as you two are comfortable with it."

"S-sure," Izuku said. "I just- never had a sleepover before."

"Me neither," Himiko admitted.

With Inko's help, Himiko gathered her blanket and her two stuffed animals before following Izuku to his room. Once the boy crawled back into bed Himiko wrapped herself in her blanket and crawled in, shifting around until her back was pressed against Izuku's.

"If either of you gets uncomfortable, let me know, ok?"

"Sure thing!"

"I will!"

Satisfied, Inko turned off the light and closed the door behind her, leaving Himiko alone with Izuku.

"Goodnight Himiko."

"Goodnight Izuku,"

As she lay there, she let the warmth of Izuku seep into her, reminding her that he was safe. That he trusted her, even though he knew what she did. She tightened her grip on her stuffed animals.

I don't want to be a monster anymore.

I want to be the good person they think I am.

Himiko stepped off the train at Tatooin and carefully exited the station. Once outside she tugged at the hem of her shirt nervously as she looked for her blue-haired friend and classmates.

Friend.

The word made her feel warm. Sure, Atsuko didn't know the whole story yet, but she had seen glimpses of the real Himiko, not the mask that she was forced to wear. Despite that, she wanted Himiko to consider her a friend and vowed to help her figure things out.

It made Himiko feel warm inside. Not the same warmth that she felt from Izuku and Inko, but a different kind. She found it kind of exciting, and couldn't wait to see what other types of warmth she would experience.

It didn't take her long to see Atsuko and Sakura standing near a statue, their blue and red standing out against the background of the crowds. Smiling, she jogged over to them, waving.

Atsuko spotted her first and smiled, waving back. "Hey, Himiko. So you didn't back out after all?"

"Nope!" Himiko said. "I thought about it, but you're right, the only way to figure out what I like is to try new stuff out."

"And once you catch up, you can join us in our debates!" Sakura said.

Himiko laughed. "I'm not sure I'll ever be able to keep up with the three of you."

"Well, you've gotta start somewhere, right?" Atsuko asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Himiko said with a smile. "I do."

"That movie was amazing!" Himiko exclaimed as they left the movie theater.

"I thought it was ok," Sakura said.

"It was pretty good, a little on the cheesy side," Atsuko added.

"But–" Himiko protested. "-I felt so bad for her! And for him to go that far for her! Every day- over and over!" She let out a fond sigh. "It was so cute!"

"If you thought that was cute, we're gonna have to start showing you the good stuff!" Tsuru said.

"I can't wait!" Himiko said, clapping her hands together.

As the group walked toward the restaurant for dinner, Himiko realized that if this was what being a normal teenage girl was like, she was going to enjoy being normal.