AN: Thanks for reading and leaving reviews, everyone!
Monday morning classes passed uneventfully, and Himiko made her way to the cafeteria with the rest of her class. Splitting off from the majority, she stopped at the station that served specialized meals. Smiling, she picked up a plate of blood sausage. While Lunch Rush only had a limited selection of blood-based meals, they rotated daily and the food was so good that she didn't mind - in fact, she was grateful for how accommodating the school was.
Placing her plate on her tray, she smiled at her classmate as she stepped aside, allowing him to get his meal. She watched as he took a plate piled high with insects before she continued onward. At the main serving area she grabbed a few side dishes before she found 'their' table. Hibiki, Tomoe, and Atsuko were already seated - the duo had joined her and Atsuko for lunch on that first day, and the four of them quickly became friends.
"So when are we going to do a movie night?" Atsuko asked, eyeing Himiko knowingly.
Himiko looked at her friend in confusion for a moment before she suddenly realized what was going on. Smiling back, she turned toward their two newest friends. "You know my schedule."
"A movie night sounds fun," Habiki agreed. "I'll have to check with…"
The boy's voice trailed off as everyone felt the presence of a fifth person approaching the table. Himiko had her suspicions but tried her best to give herself a few more seconds of blissful ignorance until their classmate started speaking.
"Do you have room for one more?" Emily asked, the undercurrent of uncertainty a sharp contrast to her normally boisterous personality.
Suddenly three pairs of eyes were on Himiko. They didn't have the same issues with the American girl that Himiko did, and knew she was the only one who would protest. The look from Atsuko, in particular, hit her particularly hard.
Do you remember how you felt when I reached out to you that first day?
Damn it, Suko. Why do you have to be so noble?! Himiko thought. The worst part is she knew her best friend was right. And what Izuku would want her to do.
With a heavy sigh, she looked up at the American girl. "Sure. But I can - and will - stab you if you annoy me too much."
Emily let out a strangled cry as her face twisted in horror. Everyone at the table laughed at her response, and even Himiko felt herself grinning at the uncharacteristic response from the blonde.
"H-Hey, don't joke about that! That's not funny!"
"No, it's hilarious," Habiki admitted.
"I agree with Hideo," Atsuko said as she smiled at Himiko. "Although Himi's mostly harmless once you get to know her."
"Mostly," Himiko said, glaring at her friend. Atsuko responded by sticking her tongue out, but Himiko refused to back down. Atsuko finally conceded, giving Himiko the minor victory.
Emily recovered while the two girls had their staredown and took a seat at the table, sitting as far away from Himiko as she could - which put the two girls directly across from each other. Once she set her tray down she looked at everyone, her gaze finally settling on Himiko. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said last week. And about what Hotoko told me. I'd…" She swallowed the lump in her throat. "like to start over."
Himiko felt at a loss for words, her gaze darting between Emily and Atsuko. In the back of her mind, she could already hear Izuku's voice, encouraging her to make the right decision.
If this doesn't work, Suko and Izu are never going to hear the end of it.
"Sure, we can start over," Himiko said, grabbing a piece of blood sausage with her chopsticks. "I'm Himiko Midoriya, class 1-B. My quirk lets me transform into others by drinking their blood, and I'm here to show all of Japan that I am just as much of a hero as everyone else in the class." Himiko shoved the bite of food in her mouth, making sure to emphasize her fangs as she did so.
If Emily was startled, she didn't show it. Instead, she replied in kind. "I'm Emily Song, formerly of I-Island Academy, now attending UA as part of class 1-B. My quirk is a powerful fusion of my parents' quirks, allowing me to generate spheres of light and shoot them at high speeds," She looked down at her hand, a warm glow appearing as she demonstrated. "On the Island, everyone expected me to follow in my parents' footsteps," She clenched her hand into a fist, the light pouring out from between her fingers. "I don't want to be shackled to my parents' legacy, I want to forge my own future with my own two hands."
Himiko stared at the other blonde-haired girl as she swallowed her food, looking at her with new eyes. Sure she was loud and brash, but her hopes and dreams…
Maybe I was wrong about her.
The first half of the week was fairly uneventful. The students of 1-B were starting to get into the rhythm of their classes, learning how to improve their quirks and the fundamentals of what it meant to be a hero. A few people were even getting hyped up for the sports festival - while it mattered more for second and third years, it was the first chance for them to really show off their quirks to the world.
However, on Thursday morning, everything changed.
The students of Class 1-B were in small groups, enjoying their last moments before homeroom until Tomoe arrived, ashen-faced. Everyone stilled as their Class Representative slammed the door open with uncharacteristic forcefulness before she took a moment to compose herself. Looking over at her classmates, Tomoe walked up to the podium and stood behind it.
"I don't really have any better way to say this, but as of yesterday the entirety of Class 1-A has been expelled."
She tried to control her voice, to remain calm in the face of the news she had just delivered, but all of her classmates could hear the undercurrent of panic in her voice. It stood in sharp contrast to the normally reserved personality that she had shown her classmates and added weight to her announcement.
The classroom was still for several heartbeats, the silence total and oppressive. Then the room erupted into chaos.
"QUIET!" Emily shouted, slamming a book into the desk with a loud BANG that reverberated through the air. Everyone looked at the blond girl as she glared around the room. "She's not done yet!"
"Thank you," Tomoe said quietly as she regained her composure. "Yesterday, Class 1-A was visiting the USJ for their weekly lessons, and there was an accident. We weren't told the specifics of the incident, but in its aftermath, Aizawa-sensei expelled his entire class."
"That means-" Daisuke Oda began "-that we're the only hero students left in our year?"
"For now," Tomoe replied. "UA has always allowed other students to transfer into UA's hero program from other schools, or for someone in our own General Studies and Support tracks to transfer to the hero program. This is normally rare, because it requires a slot to be open in one of the two classes, however…" Tomoe set her face in a hard line.
"Little Sakura is correct," Kan said, taking all of the attention from Tomoe as he stood in the doorway. "Please sit down, I'll take over from here."
A brief moment of relief passed over Tomoe's face as she bobbed her head in acknowledgment before she sat down at her desk. The rest of the class followed suit, taking the opportunity to break apart from their groups and find their seats to give their teacher a chance to explain.
Looking at his class in satisfaction, Kan took his position behind the podium before he continued. "While I won't go into specifics of what happened, Aizawa deemed the incident was severe enough to warrant the punishment," He let out a weary sigh. "Do not take this as license to relax. If anything, it means you are under even more pressure to show the world why you are different. I'm sure the media would love nothing more than to destroy our school for expelling an entire year's worth of hero course students."
"What about their records," Someone asked as their hand shot up. "Won't that cause problems for them?"
Kan looked at the student. "That is a matter between Nezu, Aizawa, and the students. Many of the students have already been re-enrolled in the General Education department, and may even rejoin class 1-A in the future. But as of now, for the rest of the semester 1-B is the only active hero course at UA."
In the back of the class, Himiko felt her fist clenching.
I've come so far - I'm not going to get expelled! Izu, Mom, even Nezu and Kan - they all worked so hard to let me get here, I refuse to disappoint them!
Her eyes darted over to her best friend. Atsuko gave her a nervous smile, but Himiko knew the other girl long enough to see what she was really feeling - dread and worry.
Don't worry Suko, we're in this together! If I'm staying, that means you're staying.
She looked over at the rest of the class, seeing mixed reactions on their faces before her eyes drifted to Song. The other girl was shaking. Himiko stared at the other girl, trying to glean the reason for her actions until she suddenly turned, their eyes locking. In that moment Himiko knew exactly what the other girl was feeling.
I'm not getting expelled, and none of you are either.
Himiko felt her lips curl upward, a fang exposing itself as she smiled at the American girl.
For the first time since school started, they both agreed on something.
Politely banging some papers on his desk, Vlad declared the topic of discussion was over as he began his morning announcements. Despite the class's best efforts, a suffocating blanket had settled over the class. Morning classes felt stifling as teachers came in and taught their lessons, and everyone was thankful to escape the room when the bell rang to signal it was lunchtime.
Even in the open air of the cafeteria, the somber mood settled over Himiko and her friends as they sat down at their table. At first, the five of them appeared content to sit there quietly, but the silence was quickly broken by a glass being slammed onto a tray.
"Oh come on, is nobody else going to talk about it?" Emily finally asked, looking exasperated at her companions.
"What else is there to say?" Tomoe asked.
"I'm just sitting here trying to think about why a teacher would expel his entire class," Habiki admitted. "How- that won't happen to us, will it?"
"No, it won't," Himiko said firmly as she crossed her arms.
"How can you be sure?" Habiki asked.
"You don't know how driven Himi is," Atsuko said, looking at her friend, before giggling. "You sure wouldn't know by looking at her."
"Gee, thanks," Himiko rolled her eyes at her friend, but the smirk on her lips revealed her true feelings. Finally, she turned her eyes to the girl sitting across from her. "And you're going to help too, whether we like it or not."
"See? You get me," Emily said, a proud smirk on her face.
"What's the plan?" Habiki asked, folding his hands as he leaned forward to see what the two girls had to say.
"For starters, this atmosphere needs to go," Emily declared. "If we're just sitting here dwelling on what happened to 1-A, our grades are going to slip."
"She's right," Tomoe said, before looking across the table at Atsuko. "You said your dad's ok with us coming over this weekend right? I think I could use a movie to take my mind off of things."
"Yep," Atsuko replied before looking at Emily and Habiki. "What about you two?"
"I'll make it work," Emily said.
"Sorry, I still can't make it," Habiki said. "As much as I'd love to, you four have fun and think of me while you're having fun."
"Next time then," Atsuko said definitively before looking at the others. "So it'll be a girl's night then. Those are always fun!"
"I know just the-"
"Himi no," Atsuko said, cutting off her best friend. "This calls for rom-coms."
"You're no fun," Himiko grumbled as she crossed her arms and pouted.
"What's that about?" Tomoe asked.
"You'll find out," Himiko said, giving an innocent smile. "Eventually!"
"Now I'm scared," Habiki said.
"Oh come on, how bad can it be?" Emily asked from across the table.
Himiko and Atsuko looked at each other as they broke down in a fit of giggles, and the other three felt a wave of dread pass over them. It did the trick though. The five students felt themselves relaxing as the blanket of worry lifted. Returning to their meals, the rest of lunch felt almost normal as they spent their time talking and joking before the next period began - their own trip to the USJ.
As they walked back to their classroom Himiko looked at her friends and Emily and silently promised herself that they weren't going to suffer 1-A's fate.
"Don't have too much fun without me," Habiki waves as he says his goodbyes to the four girls.
"We'll try," Atsuko said before turning toward the others. "Well then, shall we?"
Bobbing their heads, the four girls left the school as they made their way to the train station.
"So what's the plan for tonight?" Emily asked.
"Rom Coms!" Atsuko said proudly. "Only the highest form of comedy."
"And barbeque!" Himiko added.
"Who said anything about barbeque?" Tomoe asked.
"I did, just now," Himiko grinned. "There's a great place near 'Sukos!"
"Just don't let Himi trick you," Atsuko smirked as she looked at her friend. "Half the time she practically eats the meat raw."
"Eww," Emily made a gagging sound.
Himiko glared at the American girl. "What's wrong with that? You've seen my lunches at school, haven't you?"
"Of course I have!" Emily defended herself. "But that's prepared blood! And this is-"
"Well, it also means that I like my meat really rare!" Himiko crossed her arms. "It just tastes better that way to me!"
"Maybe I would have known that if you told me about your quirk," Emily crossed her arms and glared back.
"Is this our life now?" Tomoe asked Atsuko, a hint of exasperation in her voice.
"Until one of them kills the other, yes," Atsuko said. "I'd bet five-hundred yen on Himiko, I know what she can do."
"No deal," Tomoe giggled.
"I can hear you, you know," Emily said as she turned her glare toward the others.
"We know," Atsuko smirked. "And if you are planning to spend time with Himi and me, you'd better get used to it."
"You two are really close, aren't you?" Tomoe asked.
"Yep!" Himiko threw an arm around her best friend's shoulder. "Suko here helped me out of my shell when I transferred to her school last year."
"Would you believe that Himi used to be timid and quiet?" Atsuko asked as she looked at her friend fondly.
"Wait, really?" Emily asked in disbelief.
"It's a long story," Himiko admitted, feeling her blush spreading across her cheeks.
"Maybe someday Himi can tell you her secrets," Atsuko said.
"Come on, you can't just say something like that and leave it hanging!" Emily insisted.
"I'm actually curious too," Tomoe added.
Himiko's eyes darted back and forth between the two before she let out a sigh. "As much as I wish mom was my real mom, I'm actually adopted. Last year I moved to Mustafu to live with Mom and Izu, and that's when I transferred to Dantin."
"That's-"
"I'm sorry," Tomoe said quietly. "I didn't know."
"It's okay!" Himiko said quickly, trying to shut down the conversation. "It was the best thing to happen to me."
Fortunately, they took the hint and dropped the topic. However, Himiko could feel Emily's eyes staring at her the entire rest of the way to the train station. She didn't like it.
They arrived at Atsuko's apartment to find her father had already left for the evening. Without waiting for the others, Himiko kicked off her shoes and ran into the living room to jump onto the couch, splaying herself across it.
"Dibs!"
"Himi, you're going to have to share," Atsuko chided her as she took off her shoes.
"I don't wanna."
"Midoriya certainly seems comfy here," Emily remarked.
"You two have done this a lot, haven't you?" Tomoe asked.
"Yep!" Atsuko smiled proudly. "In middle school, my place was always the most central in our friend group. So whenever we had our girls' nights we started here."
"I wonder if that's still true?"
"That depends on if either of you would be fine hosting," Atsuko responded.
"We've got plenty of room!" Emily said.
"My parents would be fine with it on occasion, but not as a regular thing," Tomoe responded.
"Hmm, maybe we can work something out?" Atsuko asked. "Or we can just keep coming here if that's fine with both of you."
"I don't mind," Tomoe said.
"Me neither!" Emily added.
"Your dad loves me," Himiko said as she sat upright on the couch.
Atsuko smiled at the group. "I guess we'll keep the tradition going."
"Do you think the rest of your friends would mind?" Tomoe asked.
Atsuko shook her head. "I doubt it. They both ended up renting apartments and moving away for high school."
"That's a little sad, isn't it?" Tomoe asked.
"Not if they're pursuing their dreams!" Emily responded sharply. "Sometimes you need to make a drastic change in your life to live your dream!"
Himiko couldn't help but look at the American, knowing the familiar feeling all too well. Even if her change wasn't exactly voluntary. Of course she caught Atsuko staring at her with a knowing smirk, and she responded by sticking her tongue out. It was a much better response than thinking about how the blue-haired girl was right.
Again.
Unphased, Atsuko turned to face Tomoe and Emily. "But in any event, you're our friends now, and that means our tradition can continue!"
"Thank you for letting us join you," Tomoe bowed politely.
"Don't be so formal!" Himiko protested. "You'll make me feel bad."
"I wasn't going to be formal," Emily countered. "But thanks."
"You're both welcome! Himi feels the same way, even if she won't say it out loud," Atsuko smirked.
"Hey!" Himiko protested, bolting upright and looking at the pair of newcomers. "I'm glad you both came. These are always more fun with others, anyways!"
Atsuko smiled at the girls before she grabbed the pile of movie cases. "Alright, we've wasted enough time. Now let's get down to business. I've got a few options here we can choose from…"
After choosing a movie, the four girls arranged themselves on the furniture, settling in for a relaxing evening and putting the expulsion of 1-A behind them. They knew they'd have to be diligent for the rest of the semester, but as long as they stuck together, they had nothing to worry about.