Notes: ok... when i mentioned about to not mention the twist in the current manga? yes, that accounts to the new manga chapter. we will see how i take this story, but right now the focus is on what comes. Hope you are all prepared...

"What… what do you mean you were quirkless?"

Momo sat in utter confusion as Izuku explained his childhood life to her, the torment he used to receive because of his lack of powers… until the day he met All Might. Her mouth hung open in disbelief as he told her what occurred that fateful day; the sludge villain, Bakugo nearly captured as well, and the single act of heroism Izuku did to save him, running in risking his life despite having no powers.

"When he saw me do that, All Might realized he found someone who was worthy of… of carrying on the great power to help others." Izuku looked down at his hand, squeezing his tight and taking a breath. "And that is how he transferred his power to me… One for All."

The air in Momo's chest seemed to freeze instantly when she heard that last statement, her eyes bursting open in utter shock. "You… you were g-given your power by All Might?!"

Izuku's heart jumped at her yell, quickly bringing his finger to her mouth. "SHHH! You can't be yelling that out!" he mentally slapped himself as he pretty much yelled as well, taking a quick breath and sitting back. "Y-yeah. He gave me my quirk just before school started… th-that's why it's been hard trying to control it."

Momo ran a hand through her hair as she took this in, breathing hard as her mind spun. While it was shocking… she almost immediately pieced everything together; his unnaturally strong power, the fact he could barely control any of it until recently with training. Or how he was always leaving to talk to All Might personally. She always assumed being such a big fan of his, All Might offered his time to help work with him, but now it made total sense. She actually couldn't believe she never tried putting it together before.

"That's why… why your powers always looked so similar. It's not just like his quirk… but it IS his quirk." She muttered out, "And that is why you were so distraught when you heard him after what happened."

Izuku nodded slowly, rubbing the scars on his hands. "I am supposed to be a hero soon, to help people just like he did. But…" he gritted his teeth in frustration, "… now he doesn't have his powers anymore, using what he had left to stop All for One. I'm supposed to be ready to stop evil, but I am still so weak, unable to keep my friends safe."

He looked back up to the girl sitting next to him, his heart speeding up as she stared in concern at him. "With this power, I will be in danger from now on. The league of villains, they will come again, and they will be after someone like me… and anyone around me."

To his surprise however, Momo's face suddenly changed from concern to angry, her hand reaching over and grabbing his intensely. "Don't say another word. I know what you're trying to do."

"What?" Izuku asked surprised. "What do you-

"You're telling me that because you think I should consider my own safety and tell me it's my choice if I want to be around you."

Izuku sat wide eyed in surprise, thinking she somehow had a mind reading quirk now. "Uhh…. I-

"Well don't even think about it. We both came her to be heroes, right?" She squeezed his hand as she sighed. "I know there is always the risk of villains, so don't try and push me away for something like that."

"I-it's not that! Momo, you saw that villain who faced All Might, and people like that are the ones who will come for me. That means it will be dangerous if-

Izuku couldn't finish his statement as Momo pulled him close and pressed her lips to his, silencing his words as his heart burst from his chest. As she pulled away, her blushing face carried a big smile as she took a breath. "We are at hero school. It's pretty dangerous already."

Izuku couldn't even try and come up with something else to say, his mind racing from so many things. From telling her his secret to her kissing him again, he almost couldn't process it at once. What did process was the fact he didn't freeze this time from her kiss, and he found himself staring at her once more. They both sat silent for several seconds before they inched forward, connecting their lips once more as they closed their eyes.

They didn't say anything for the next minute, the feeling of finally being together after months of teasing overwhelming both of them. His concern of her reaction to his secret went right out the window as they kissed, wanting nothing more than this now.

"I want all of you on bathroom duty for the next week."

The seven teens sat in utter confusion as they stood before Aizawa the next morning before class, that being the first thing said to them when they walked in. "Uhh… what?" Katara asked him.

"You didn't mishear me. You seven kids are to clean the bathrooms on the first year levels at the school and at your dorms for this week." Aizawa walked over and sat in his chair behind his desk. "It's only fair that after the shit you pulled… you clean the shit out of the toilets for a few days."

Kirishima groaned as he imagined what he just heard, scratching his head in disgust. "Jeez, talk about painting an image."

Tenya let out a small sigh of relief, worried the punishment would be much worse. "If this is the punishment we are to receive for breaking the rules, than we shall take them without argument!"

Katara and Momo both looked at each other, frowning at Tenya's seeming enthusiasm for the work while Izuku sighed out. "Y-yes sir, we will do that then."

"Don't think this will mend everything at once, either," Aizawa sternly stated, leaning forward and grabbing a stack of files off his desk. "Here is all of your records at the school in my hand. If I really wanted to, I could burn these right here and you would lose all status as a student here."

Kendo swallowed the lump in her throat as Aizawa stared them down, his tone much quieter than Vlad's usual yelling personality. The way his cold voice was right now however made her shiver, almost wishing he was screaming instead.

"Every student in my class broke my trust that day, but you all especially were the ones who made that choice. You all knew the rules you were breaking and still went through with it, nearly ending up far worse than it could have if All Might wasn't there. You all need to show me you are worthy of my trust by proving it, so a simple apology will not be enough."

Taking a deep breath, Shoto gave a small nod. "So… this task you are putting on us… is way of building ourselves to be better."

"No… you will prove yourselves in the class and to your fellow classmates what it means being responsible." Aizawa let a small smirk form on his face. "We just need the bathrooms cleaned more."

Katara furrowed her brow at his response, but held her tongue and nodded. "Alright, sir. We will do our best."

"Good. Now you'll be tasked for three hours each evening after your final period. Now, the cleaning supplies are in the third door to the right in the hallway. Make sure you are back five minutes before class today."

…

"Wait… now?!" Katara gasped out.

"You still have fifty five minutes until the bell. You can start with the staff bathrooms first." Aizawa pointed to the stunned students and glared. "Make sure you clean off before we start this morning. I don't want that smell in here."

As he turned and set the files back inside his desk, the eight teens sat in silence before they let out a unified sigh. Walking out of the class, they were grossed out by the punishment they received, but all honestly knew this was not as bad as they thought they were going to get. "Well, it could be a lot worse, honestly." Kirishima grunted and rubbed his head.

"Yeah, we didn't get kitchen duty. This is much better…" Kendo sarcastically mumbled, not expecting her first day at her new class was cleaning bathrooms.

"Do not let this get all of you down!" Tenya declared with a series of chops. "We are being given the chance to make up for our mistakes!"

"You're right," Katara sighed as they reached the closet, opening it up and finding all the sponges and chemicals sitting there for them. "Let's just get through this week and let's get back to normal."

Groaning out, the others reached in and grabbed their materials, the brushes and rags calling their names. As they grabbed their things, Momo and Izuku happened to brush their hands across each other, the pair hiding their blushes and smiling before turning with the others. The girls looked at each other before taking a deep breath, staring at the womans bathroom in front of them. "Well… let's get this over with." Katara grumbled and pushed through the door.

As the girls went through their door, the boys all sighed as the mens bathroom loomed before them. Before they could enter, however, they heard a flush from inside just as the door opened up.

"OI! THAT WASABI WAS A MOTHER LAST NIGHT, YO!" Present Mic shouted to himself before letting out a whistle. "I feel bad for anyone who goes in next!"

Mic walked down the hall laughing to himself without noticing the audience standing there, the four teens staring in horror to what was behind the door for them. Shoto grimaced and squeezed the toilet brush in his hand. "We are entering somewhere dangerous… we must be prepared."

And so… the boys pushed their way in, facing the horrors of Present Mic's dinner choice the night before.

After the seven survived their first hour and got cleaned up, they made it back to class just in time before the bell rang. For Kendo, it was certainly a strange feeling walking into this new class, none of the faces she had grown used to were here now. The one positive for her was her seat was the one directly in front of Katara and behind Kirishima, meaning she was at close to several people she knew. They weren't in class for long however before Aizawa stood up in front of them to gain all of their attentions.

"Alright. Now that all of you are back here at school, we have to get by the fact there are some interesting things that happened recently. But we are all here now and that is what is important. But I won't get into reminiscing since we don't have anytime to waste. With everything that happened, the original plan we had for you kids has been changed now. Right now, you all have one goal in mind, and that is to receive your provisional licenses."

The class all began gasping in excitement to the statement, Katara's heart jumping especially. She had heard for so long what this was; the ability to actually help people. After all these months of dealing with these rules and restrictions, she could finally act on her own if it were needed to help someone in need or stop someone from hurting others. Her fists squeezed in excitement, realizing her patience with those annoying rules were finally paying off.

Raising his hand, Aizawa made them all stop talking. "The training in camp was to prepare you all for the test, but because that was cut short, the next ten days will solely be put into focusing your abilities into something special. You will not only be doing the test with your fellow classmates, but you will be competing against other schools at the same time. That is why you're all going to be creating "special moves" to make your own."

"Huh? Special moves?"Kaminari asked confused, but his eyes along with everyone else's widened when the door opened to the classroom, revealing Cementoss, Midnight and Ectoplasm standing there.

"These teachers are here to help you all reach that next step," Aizawa declared as he clicked his remote, opening the compartments for the class costumes. "Now gear up and meet us outside in fifteen minutes."

Inside the girls changing room, Katara slipped her shirt off as she reached for her outfit, but before she could put it on, Mina's eyes widened when she saw her shoulder. "Oh, does... it still hurt?"She asked in concern.

"Huh?" Katara noticed the look Mina had as she stared, looking down at her injury and sighing. "It's not bad. it's pretty much gone now."

"Damn, pretty big scar right there..." Jiro commented as she noticed it too, making Katara frown.

"I'm alright. It's just a scar. it could have been alot worse."

"Yeah, that is true," Tsu chimed in as she pulled her suit aside, showing the small scar left on her shoulder as well. "Seems like we match. Ribbit."

Katara laughed at her comparison as Uraraka sighed. "I guess i'm lucky. My cuts didn't scar up."

Kendo gave a small nod as she rubbed her knuckles, the wound she recieved pretty much gone now. "Yeah, i didn't get it too bad either. I guess we all got away pretty lucky."

"Yeah, mine's healed up really good too!" Toru added as she held her arm up... for the others to stare at the blank space past her floating glove.

"Yep... looks amazing!" Mina sarcastically answered making some of the others laugh as Toru growled out. As they were talking though, Jiro noticed Momo was to the side by herself, a large frown on her face.

"You okay?" Jiro asked.

Momo's head hung low as she stared down to her costume, the pulling at the opening of her outfit to make it closer together. as she let go of it, she exhaled slightly as the sides went back, revealing part of the thin scar running on the left side of her stomach. The other girls noticed the action, looking at each other before Katara walked over and rubbed Momo's shoulder. "Don't let that bother you. It's not like it looks bad."

"Oh really?" Momo glared down as she rubbed her fingers over the scar, gritting her teeth as she felt the raised line on her body. "At least your's you can hide under your shirt, but with quirk I need more exposure for easier creations. And... that means showing this."

"And? what's wrong with that?" Katara responded, "It shows you aren't afraid of getting hurt for others. Besides," Katara tilted her arm showing the part of the burn still exposed under her gauntlet. "It's not like I'm flawless either."

"Honestly? it looks kind of bad ass like that," Jiro said as she analyzed the scar. "Makes you look like you've been in a scrap or two."

"I mean she was in one, so I guess you're right." Kendo chuckled out, making Mina frown out slightly.

"Damn, all your scars do look pretty cool. Now only me and Jiro didn't get any." Mina pouted as Jiro raised her eyebrow.

"I think they are pretty easy to get if you ask for one. I'm sure Bakugo wouldn't mind helping you out."

The words of all the girls brought a smile to Momo's face, chuckling as Mina grumbled to herself. "You're right. I shouldn't care about something like that."

"Yeah, besides," Uraraka clapped her hands together and smiled. "People will think it's awesome you show guts with a battle scar!"

"Who know's, maybe Midoriya will think it's sexy." Toru giggled out, making Momo blush.

Tsu brought her finger up to her chin as she saw Momo's reaction. "Hmm, I heard from my room that you were talking with someone last night. was that Mid-

"Okay, this isn't twenty questions!" Momo quickly shouted and turned to hide her red face, walking towards the exit as she cheesily smiled. "Can't keep the class waiting!"

The other girls simply laughed as the creatinist avoided the obvious topic, getting the rest of their costumes finished. Once everyone changed, they followed the four teachers to a new training facility they hadn't seen before, this one a simple and flat concrete warehouse floor. The teachers went on explaining how this was going to be their training grounds for the next ten days until the license exam coming up.

"Here, we will be helping you finalize new techniques for yourself that you will be needing for the test coming up. In this place, each of you will be personally taught to find out what else you can improve on."

"Aizawa sensei!" Tenya loudly asked with his hand raised. "What exactly our these special moves you are referring to?"

Cementoss walked forward to answer instead. "A special move is something you have in your arsenal to use as your signature technique. You want to make it so it's something that also makes you unique and stand apart from the others around you."

"A finishing attack, for example," Midnight exclaimed happily. "Some of you more aggressive style fighters can create moves made to destroy your opponents, or to break through an opponents defense."

"Oh, so like All Might's "Texas Smash"?!" Mineta screamed in excitement, earning a nod from the R rated hero.

"yes, but your moves do not need to be an attack," Ectoplasm interjected. "A move which can be used for defense is just as important. Iida for example has an impressive move with his Recipro Burst, able to get yourself out of dangerous situations instantly if need be."

Tenya gasped and clutched his chest, tears pouring down through his mask. "I've been doing a special move this whole time? I was ahead of the curve?!"

Katara rolled her eyes and patted his shoulder. "Don't let it get to your head."

Aizawa grunted and took the lead once more. "That is why you are all here. It is always essential a pro never relies on a single trick to deal with opponents. Experiment with your quirks, and see what you can use to either make up for your weakness, or to maximize your strengths. You will need as much of it as you can, since you won't be just facing first years at this test. Students who either didn't make the cut their first try, or waited entirely for more training, will have that much more time than you in perfecting their quirks and abilities. Use this time and push yourselves, plus ultra style."

The students barely had time to process what he said before the entire area began rumbling, gasping as the area behind the teachers began bursting up creating multiple raised plateaus of concrete throughout. Cementoss stood back up and straightened his shirt after completing the training area for them all, a goofy smile plastered on his face. "This will be your area of practice for the next week and a half. Use your time well and effectively."

Ectoplasm's throat expanded as he opened his mouth, the rising clouds of smoke dispersing and reforming into his clones all across the facility. Once he was finished, he turned back to the class and nodded. "There is a clone set up for each of you. Find one for yourself and begin."

With that order, the class quickly dispersed themselves throughout the facility, reaching their training rings and almost immediately going at it. Before she could walk with the others, however, Katara was stopped by the real Ectoplasm. "Hold on, Katara. For you, you will be training with me."

"Huh?" Katara asked in confusion, looking back to the others walking away. "But, why are-

"I think your quirk needs a little more focus, so I will help with that aspect." He stated before turning and walking away, leaving the confused waterbender standing there.

"Uh… Okay?" She muttered in confusion, looking over to Shoto and the others and shrugging her shoulders before following the teacher.

"Huh, that's weird she doesn't get a clone." Kirishima mumbled before shrugging and walking off.

"Why would he ask her personally?" Momo asked curiously looking over to Mina and Kendo, the pair just as confused as she was.

Shoto however looked over to Izuku and Tenya, the trio knowing something was different as they went towards their own spots. What they didn't notice was Bakugo staring at the waterbender from the corner of his eye, glaring as she walked up the embankment after Ectoplasm. Something had been bothering him since the night in Kamino, something that just didn't seem right. Seeing what he just saw and heard now only increased his suspicion, gritting his teeth and stomping up to his own clone.

'First Deku, and now Hair loops…' He cursed internally as he clenched his fist. 'I'll figure out what the hell is going with those… "quirks" they got.'

As she reached her perch with the teacher, Katara stared curiously up to the cloaked man, feeling a strange uneasiness to his statement earlier. "So, why is it you wanted me personally?" she asked him, earning a small chuckle from the man.

"Well, because your "quirk" is certainly unique, is it not?"

Katara's eyes widened at the way he emphasized that single word, only to sigh out and rub her head. "So… it's not really a secret to you, is it?" She mumbled out.

"All of the teachers know now. After what happened, we were informed by Nezu. I figured it would be best to train separately to make it easier to explain it to me, and my clones sometimes don't retain all the information they take in if destroyed, so I'd prefer to remember everything here personally."

Mumbling to herself, Katara frowned internally before taking a breath. While it felt odd him casually mentioning how he knew she didn't have a quirk, she smiled to herself seeing the teachers still trusted her in that sense. She looked back up to him and gave a quick nod in thanks before standing at attention. Seeing she was ready, Ectoplasm nodded back and took a step forward. "Alright, now from what I can tell, your… power allows you to manipulate water at your will, whether it be liquid or ice. And you already possess balanced offense and defense. So show me a few of your own moves you've already developed."

Taking a breath, Katara turned and faced the concrete wall beside her, opening up her canteen and flipping open both gauntlets. Waving her arms, she bended all the water out of the three canisters simultaneously, forming them into two thick streams of water encircling her body. Thrusting her hand forward, the two whips spiraled outward and pierced the concrete, immediately making Ectoplasm's eyebrow raise.

'She always did have fine control over her power, but watching it up close…' his thoughts paused as she spun her arms, combining the two streams into a single thicker stream before she punched it several times and shot out multiple ice spikes embedding themselves into the cement. 'She obviously was holding back the power of her strikes on her friends if she could do this damage, so control is not something we need to focus on.'

"Impressive, and now demonstrate what is your limit to how much you can do." He stated, making Katara stare at him in confusion.

"But I need more water than this…" She frowned, earning a grunt from the teacher.

"Exactly. While your power is great, and it's obvious you can do so much more from your performance at the festival, it shows the one downside to your power; You cannot create your own source of water."

Katara raised an eyebrow at his obvious words. "Well… yeah. I can pull water from plants or air, but the air takes too long and I need plants around for the other."

"Hmm. Of course you are able to use sources around yourself, but you must always be prepared in areas with nothing to aid yourself. Obviously one thing you will need to to is an upgrade to your carrying capacity."

Katara gave the pro a deadpanned look. Of course she had thought of something so obvious, but carrying around a massive tank of water was certainly not an option. The size alone would be ridiculous, and impossible to take places, something the pro hero new as well seeing her annoyed face. "I would suggest going to the development studio after training. They can create something to help you with that. But for now…" Ectoplasm eyed the stream flowing around her body, watching the way it moved around her as…

"Katara, your hero name was… Ryujin, am I correct?" he asked her, making her look at him in surprise.

She had honestly almost forgotten that name she chose, since they hadn't been going by that for so long. "Uh, y-yeah, it is." She answered, "Why do you-

"Hmm…" Ectoplasm's toothy grin grew slightly when he saw her eyes widen in realization, the teen lowering her arms and letting the water slow. "I see you understand. Why call yourself a water dragon deity unless you remind the villains who they are dealing with? A special move is not only offense or defense, but something that shows to represent you. And an intimidating technique like that will certainly throw your opponents off guard."

Katara sat silent for a moment as she pondered what she said, her mind going back to what Burnin told her.

'You call yourself that and haven't even made one yet? HAHA! Quite gutsy if you ask me!'

Frowning internally, Katara had learned the name Ryujin was based upon the Japanese legend of the water god, a great protector in the form of a long, serpent like dragon. If she were to take something of importance as her own, she should at least show respect to the title. Her eyes then drifted to the water still moving around herself, the long and… serpent like stream flowing gracefully in the air. Seeing she had ten days until this test, she took a breath and readied her stance.

She had plenty of time to create something new.

That evening

Coming out of his office, Tensei, made his way into his kitchen letting out a small yawn. For the last few days, he had been dealing with the legal troubles of being a retired hero now; what to do with his agency. Since he had been forced to stop working, that meant his agency he ran was now short on receiving the funds it needed to operate, since his sidekicks unfortunately couldn't earn enough themselves to cover it all. Unless he closed it or sold it, he knew at some point there was going to be a problem keeping it afloat.

"Too bad I didn't have a tech quirk," Tensei joked to himself as he opened the fridge and pulled out a beer. "I could do that from home then." Sighing, he popped it open the bottle and looked at what leftovers he had. "Hey Katara, if you're hungry we can order something or-

Tensei stopped himself when he realized what he was saying, so used to having someone here he almost forgot she was gone now. Laughing out, he leaned back in his wheelchair and stared at the ceiling. "It's going to be odd now not having her around." He admitted, taking swig of his drink before turning his chair around. As he did, he suddenly felt the twinge in his back return, grunting as he shifted in his seat.

"The hell… this has been coming up more recently." he frowned as he reached around and rubbed above the injury. When Katara was able to do her treatments, it seemed to go away, but now that she gone, he grumbled knowing that was not an option now. "Maybe I need more padding when I sit. This thing was never the softest anywa-

His words were cut off as he suddenly felt a searing pain shooting up his spine, his body locking up as his drink shattered on the ground beside himself. Gasping out, he couldn't control his movements as he fell forward and out of his chair, collapsing onto the ground in agony, only able to scream out as he couldn't move from his position.

"GAAHH!" he cried out in pain, his hands twitching uncontrollably as his body felt like it was on fire. He couldn't even reach around to grasp at his back, the muscles in his body locking up with the slightest motion. "What the hell...?!"

Even his words couldn't be finished as he With all the willpower he had, he forced his hand into his pocket and grabbed his phone, his trembling fingers struggling until he got it unlocked to call for help.

Grunting to herself, Katara sat down in her room after she and the others finished up their bathroom duty. After her training today, she was so annoyed by the cleaning they were scheduled to do that she didn't even bother trying to go to the development studio today. She decided that tomorrow during their mid day break she would go and see what they could do for her. If they were as clever as the school described them, then they could somehow develop a way to logically carry enough water. But the other reason she was annoyed was her new technique was certainly easier said than done.

While she certainly could have done a generic shape and called it good, Katara wanted something special to really show what she could do. It wasn't like she was short of other techniques she could do. The octopus defense was always a good choice, and once she carried enough water that would certainly be a useful ability to pull out whenever. If this dragon trick ended up being too odd to use and failed, she had plenty of back up ideas to use instead.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"Katara! Katara!"

Katara yelped in shock from the sudden pounding on her door, opening it up to see Tenya panting in terror. "Tenya? What's wrong?"

Catching his breath, Tenya reached up and gripped her shoulders. "I got a call from my mother just now. S-something horrible happened! Tensei's in the hospital again!"

Katara's heart felt like it stopped beating in that moment, her blood running cold in horror. "What?! What do you mean? What happened?!"

"I don't know. She said she got a call from Tensei and he was screaming in pain. She ran to check on him and he was on the ground!" he exclaimed. "We have to tell Aizawa Sensei we must go!"

"No need for shouting."

The two shocked teens turned to the sudden voice to their side, seeing Aizawa already standing there. Katara pushed her way past Tenya and sprinted towards the teacher in panic. "Sensei, something bad has happened, we need to-

"I was already briefed. The school was contacted by your parents just now as well, but you cannot just leave campus on your own without permission."Aizawa stated staring at the wide eyed girl. "You were all briefed on the safety procedures now."

"What?" Katara growled out in anger. "How can you not let us go and see him?! We have to-

"That's why we are taking you ourselves." Aizawa pointed to Cementoss waiting further down the hall. "Let's go."

Both Tenya and Katara sat in surprise as Aizawa turned and ran down the hall before they quickly ran after him. They followed the two teachers outside of their new dorms and to the staff parking lot, quickly getting into the car before speeding down the road. "What hospital are they at?" Cementoss asked as Aizawa turned onto the main road.

"Tokoyama General. We will be there in eight minutes." Aizawa said as he pushed on the gas, driving faster than he normally would. He didn't know what was going on, but from what he could hear in the Iida mothers voice, it wasn't good.

For the two in the back seat, the drive felt like it was taking an hour, their panic rising every second they were in the car. Tenya was calling his mother once more, but growled in frustration when it went to voicemail. "Damn it, she isn't picking up!"

"Try her again! What did she say was wrong with him?!" Katara asked in worry.

Tenya swallowed and gripped the side of his head. "I… she didn't say. She didn't tell me more than he was already screaming in pain when she got to him."

Gritting her teeth, Katara looked ahead as the car sped down the road. She almost blamed herself for some reason, not being there at their home when this happened. She could have been there to help him, but instead she was at the school while he had collapsed in pain. Her mind was going crazy what was happening. Why had he collapsed? What was hurting him? All of those questions only made her panic worse as they saw the hospital in sight. "Please be okay…" She whispered as the car came up to the hospital entrance. Before the car could even park, she gasped as Tenya threw his door open and ran out. "Tenya, wait!"

"Hey, don't be…!" Aizawa yelled as he hit the brakes, glaring as the blue haired teen sprinted towards the door. "Damn it… Cementoss, go with both of them."

Katara quickly unbuckled herself and jumped out her door as well, running inside the hospital in front of Cementoss. She only had to look for a moment before she locked her eyes onto the three people standing there, her breathing quickening as she sped towards them. "What happened?! Where is Tensei?!"

Madoka and Toki turned from their panicked son to see Katara running their way, the parents eyes wide with concern. "W-we don't know. The doctors haven't come back yet." Madoka stuttered out in panic.

"What happened though, what did Tensei tell you?!" Tenya asked in fear.

"He could barely talk. He was yelling out the whole time, and…" Madoka gripped her mouth as she trembled. "I… I don't know!"

"Honey…" Toki gripped his wife's shoulders to comfort her, looking to the two panicked teens. "We aren't sure what's happening. Just… just be patient at we will see."

Patient during something like this was not something easy for Katara or Tenya, the pair either pacing back and forth or sitting in a chair bouncing their leg in nervousness. The two teachers sat back on their own as well, giving them space as even they were growing in concern. Luckily for the Iida's and Katara, they only had to wait for thirty minutes before the doctor came back through the door. The four of them quickly approached the man in white. "Doctor, what's happening?! Where's Tensei?!" Tenya yelled out in worry.

The doctor put his hand up to calm them down. "He's back there still, but he's alright. We had to sedate him to calm him down before hurting himself more."

"Sedate him?" Toki asked in confusion. "What's happening though, why did he suddenly fall over in pain?"

The doctor looked back and forth to the family members as they stared at him, still processing what had been discovered moments before. "Has… has anything been strange recently with his condition? His injury?"

Madoka tilted her head at his question. "What? What do you mean about his injury?"

"Any signs of something different with his recovery or… sensations?"

"What are you saying?" Tenya glared in frustration. "He is crippled and can't walk! What else is there to say?!"

Katara was about to add her confusion to the mix as well, but before her mouth opened, something popped into her mind, something that she remembered almost a month prior after the mall incident. "He… he did say he felt an annoying twinge in his back not long ago, but it was above the injury and from him sitting so much."

The others looked at her in shock to her statement before Toki's eyes widened as well. "About a week ago, he said the same thing to me. He said that he felt like his muscles in his upper back were cramping."

Flipping his file closed, the doctor took a deep breath as he looked back up. "We put him through an MRI to understand what was going on, and… I don't understand it myself."

"Did… is there a complication to his injury? Has it become infected?!" Tenya screamed in horror, his mind thinking of anything that could be going wrong. The tension in the room was beyond control as the four people stared at the doctor for answers, but the words that came out of his mouth made everything else go silent. Both parents gasped as Madoka almost collapsed, and Tenya felt the breath leave his lungs as he gasped in shock. Even both teachers felt their eyes go wide to the news, never expecting something like this.

Katara was somehow the only one able to speak, her mouth shaking in disbelief to what she heard. "What… what did you say?"

A small nod was all the doctor had to give before he spoke. "I don't know how it happened, but… his spinal cord somehow has reconnected itself."

Katara didn't even know how long she sat in her new room after they got back to school, her eyes staring hazily at the fountain on her dresser. Her mind was in such a haze she barely acknowledged her friends as she and Tenya walked by, all of them startled by the look of shock on both of them. Even when Shoto came up to her and asked what was wrong, she told him she just needed to think, hardly even noticing him at all as she locked herself in the room. And that's all she had done when she got back.

Somehow… Tensei's spine had healed to the point the body was able to sense the nerves below, hence why he was reacting to the pain from the injury once more. Apparently, he would now need to stay at the hospital for sometime, needing another surgery to strengthen the spinal column from hurting himself anymore. The doctors said it was too early to tell what it meant, wanting to keep an eye on what came next. There was one thing that was for certain however, something that the doctors, the Iida's, or Katara ever expected to say about Tensei's situation.

There was hope.

Somehow, the impossible had occurred, something the doctors were all claiming could not be cured; his spine had somehow connected itself. Katara rubbed her hands on her face as she took a breath, trying her hardest from screaming in excitement and confusion. "This is incredible… how…" she whispered to herself, her hands moving up and rubbing her eyes. "How did this happen?"

She thought back to all of those times she used her powers to mend his wound, spending so much time over the months treating him. None of those times she ever sensed anything different, the nerves being severed at the epicenter of the injury. Even with her training, there was no way for her to heal something to that extent, especially since she was already struggling with bones still. "There's no way I was able to do that. It's too far above my-

She stopped talking before the last word could come out, her mind flashing back to another moment abover her level. "The… the night in the forest."

She suddenly remembered when they were battling the nomu in the woods, the creature going for her friends as she laid there. Somehow, instead of pulling water from a single tree, she pulled it from over a dozen. And that was just before she saw those visions once more. Her breathing quickened as she reached up and grabbed her head, realizing the odd connection to everything that was going on. She had to figure out what was happening, getting up from her bed and pacing across the room. Her mind was spinning trying to think of everything happening, to the strange, glowing figure she kept seeing in her dreams… and the one who stood before her when All for One grabbed her.

Everything she was feeling right now was making her go crazy, scratching her head at the strange sensation coming over her. She began thinking back to things those images she would see, the glowing eyes that… reminded her of a friend she hadn't seen in so long, the one who was there the night her whole life changed.

"Aang…"

Her heart felt like it was racing as her memories pictured him again, thinking back to the look on his face the night they were last together, emotions coming back she had tried to move on from. She thought back to the times on the adventure she had with him and her brother. The friends they made along their journey until that fateful day where they encountered that spirit… the energy she was feeling inside of herself suddenly felt connected to all of it. And if it really was what she thought, there was only one thing she knew to do next.

Sitting down on the ground, Katara crossed her legs and pressed her fists together, remembering the pose she saw him do so many times when he meditated. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, closing her eyes as she pushed everything out of her head. She breathed in and out slowly, letting her body relax as she let her mind go free as much as she could. Her subconscious however kept betraying her, making her imagine faces of people she thought she was never seeing again come back up. She gritted her teeth as she tried to focus on the task, but the emotional toll it was taking kept pulling her out of focus.

Minutes ticked by as she struggled to clear her mind, a tear of frustration dripping down her cheek with the thoughts refusing to go away. It wasn't that she wanted to forget, but she had to understand what was happening inside of herself. Then, the flowing water of the fountain seemed to overtake her senses, almost putting her into a slight trance. She took another breath as everything around her seemed to flow away, only the soft sound of a gentle river being felt now, her mind finally clearing itself of everything. Suddenly, she felt herself become almost weightless, her body seemingly not even touching the ground anymore as she opened her eyes, gasping to what was before her.

Katara was once again in the endless plain of blue she saw when she was unconcious, the bright light dancing around her body and shooting through the distance. She looked down to her body, not sensing anything different but to the fact her feet were seemingly standing on nothing, yet she could step and move herself forward. "What is all this?" She said to herself in confusion.

"So, you've finally figured it out."

Katara gasped to the sudden voice behind herself, spinning around and seeing the mysterious figure once more. Although to say it was a mystery was no longer true, for the being was as clear as day now. The person stood almost a meter taller than Katara, their body cloaked in long green robes flowing down. On top of their head was a steel head piece split down the center, the two sides fanning out down and two the side. The most distinguishable feature on the person was the white make up covering their face, and the dark red paint outlining their deep green eyes.

The breath in Katara's lungs seemed to vanish as she stared at the tall figure before her, their presence casting a powerful aura over the waterbender. She had seen this person herself, but their very appearance was one impossible to not recognize in her old world. Katara couldn't help but feel herself struggling to keep herself from fainting in shock as she stood before this great warrior.

"You're… Avatar Kyoshi…."

The woman in green gave a small smile to the waterbender. "Indeed. I've been waiting a long time to finally speak to you, katara."

Katara's eyes widened in shock as she heard her name, swallowing the lump in her throat and moving forward. "You… how are… what is going on? Are we in the spirit world?! Are you-

"Please try and stay calm," Kyoshi cut her off, chuckling to the girls confusion. "I know it's a lot to take in. I've been waiting to talk to someone this whole time now, but you've come to me at last."

"How is this…" Katara stared in disbelief at the tall avatar, unable to truly believe this was real. "Are we… are we in the spirit world?"

Kyoshi gave a small shake of her head. "No, this is something else entirely. This what you see before you… is residing within your mind."

"What?!" Katara gasped out in utter confusion. "What do you mean?! How is this inside of me?!"

"Perhaps you can call it a twist in fate. You remember that night in the forest, correct? The last night you had on your world?"

Katara grimaced as she thought back to that fateful night, giving a small nod towards the avatar. "When the great guardian spirit attacked, his own natural energy was unbalanced, enraged and allowing dark energy to fill his soul. When avatar Aang and the great spirit clashed, the mixture of energy became unstable, and created something unseen in our world; a bridge to another place even outside the spirit world, but another dimension entirely."

Kyoshi floated forward and stopped herself in front of the stunned girl, smiling down towards her. "While the energy of the spirit normally would have killed you, it seems you were chosen to be saved. Part of the avatars spirit that was there somehow reacted, encircling your being with the energy to survive the attack. And now, that energy resides inside you. And as it turns out, that small portion of energy… was of me."

"Wh-what?" Katara stuttered in disbelief to what she was hearing, her hands gripping the side of her head in confusion. "I have… spirit energy inside of me?"

"Yes. Haven't you been curious to why you could still bend in this place despite the lack of the moon spirit? And you are still able to register the moons wavelengths due to the spiritual pressure enshrouding your own soul. The energy within you has given you that gift, to which you have also tapped into during moments of emotional and dangerous struggles."

Katara's mind immediately flashed back to the very first time she tried healing Tensei in the hospital, her heart aching as she tried healing him with everything she had. It she then thought of the forest with Momo and Kendo, how she somehow pushed past a limit she didn't know was possible. "And you… protected me when…"

Kyoshi gave a small chuckle at her reaction. "You've subconsciously tapped into the pool of energy swirling inside of you when you were pushed into emotional turmoil and danger. When it was fully accessed in the forest, the backlash unfortunately was too much in your weakened state, and your lack of experience was too much before being used to it. But as you've seen when you have opened your mind, you can use these boosts of strength and other gifts when you are in mortal danger."

"Other…" Katara stared at the avatar before her, her eyes widening and sparkling in excitement, "Wait, if you are here, then… then that means you can create a way for me to get home?!"

The smile on Kyoshi faded away to the waterbenders statement, furrowing her brow in disappointment as the teen smiled in happiness. "I'm afraid that isn't something I cannot do for you."

Katara's smile dropped off immediately to the response she heard. "What? But… but you said the avatar's energy protected me here! And you are the avatar! Why can't you-

"I am here, yes… but that is not the same as being… the avatar." Kyoshi responded, making Katara glare in frustration.

"What does that mean? If you are here, then that means you can use those powers to find a way back!"

"My spiritual body is here, yes. But it was only a fraction of the power that resides in the avatar's total form. As a way to put it, my mind and body are here, but the powers of the avatar itself are not." Kyoshi let out a small sigh as she saw the troubled look on the girl below her. "And I have tried contacting my reincarnated self throughout our entire time here. Not only have I not reached him, but nothing of the spirit world or beyond I have been able to sense."

"Wh… what?" Katara's eyes widened in turmoil to the answer she heard, her mouth falling open in horror. "You.. you haven't heard from Aang or…?"

"It seems whatever portal that opened to bring you here has been shut, and it is gone."

It had been so long since Katara had felt some form of hope of going home, believing there was nothing left to find to lead her back home. But suddenly she discovered there was something incredible inside of her, giving that glimmer of excitement that she had almost forgotten. But now… the hard truth seemed to be inevitable for the waterbender. She didn't gasp out or tremble, but that didn't stop the few tears from falling down her cheeks as, for the first time in the nine months she was here, she finally accepted the fact that hung over her head.

She wasn't going back home.

Kyoshi stared down at the girl, reaching up and placing her hand on Katara's shoulder. "I am sorry. I have been watching your struggles, and know the turmoil that has been inside of you. You miss your family and friends dearly."

Katara gave a small nod, sniffling as the tears flowed more. "I just… I just wish I could at least tell them I am alright. And that… that I would always be thinking about them. My brother. Dad. Gran Gran. All of my friends."

"I know, these were all the same feelings Aang experienced when he discovered what happened to his people. But he was able to find people in his new life to fill the void that was inside his heart with you and the others." Kyoshi smiled down to Katara once more. "Much like you did as well here."

Images flashed of the faces Katara had seen since she arrived here, the many friends she had made in this world; Mina, Momo, Izuku, Tsu, Tokoyami, Kirishima and all the others. She thought of the other great people that accepted her into their own home, how Tensei took her in and his family treated her as one of their own. She then thought of Tenya, the teen that filled her with so much happiness in the time she had lived with him, knowing they would be there for each other no mater what. And then, her thoughts went to Shoto, someone who had grown so close to her and brought out emotions inside her she had never expected.

She didn't even realize it, but a small smile formed as she imagined everyone around herself, something Kyoshi noticed as well. "Do not forget the bonds you had in your past, but the new ones you have formed are there for you. Cherish those people around you, Katara, and you will never be alone." Suddenly Kyoshi's form began to drift away, the warrior smiling as her body slowly turned into energy. "My time has come for now."

"What?" Katara panicked as she saw Kyoshi beginning to vanish, "Wait, where are you going?! I still can't-

"You will see me again, Katara, but for now, it is not time yet. Once you are ready, I will be there for you." Kyoshi gave once last squeeze to the teens shoulder before her arm vanished, smiling to the girl that had carried her this entire time. "You are a brave and powerful girl, and you will find that happiness can be found anywhere. Stay strong and you will find out you do not need to discover your place in this world, but that you have already found it. Goodbye."

Katara's eyes drifted open, finding herself back on the floor of her room. Her hands fell onto her legs as her breath came in quick gasps, her mind spinning to everything she took in. She stared at the wall for what felt like an hour, unable to register anything else at the moment besides confusion. Not to what happened, but to her own state. Several tears fell down her face as she finally accepted what was going on, but they weren't in despair, or anguish. They were more of… relief.

For nine months she had been trying to move on in her life thinking there was somehow a way to get back home, so many questions that filled her head about what was going on and ways to get back eventually. After time, the dream she had of going back had began to slowly fade, but even as she found happiness in new forms, there was always the small glimmer of hope hanging on. But now, she had finally learned the truth, and while it was beyond painful to learn… she almost felt like a weight had been lifted off of herself now.

Knock knock.

The sudden tapping on her door made Katara snap out of her trance, her eyes turning to the door as she stood up. "Katara… it's me. I was hoping we could talk..." She heard Tenya's voice on the other side, her chest tightening as she quickly moved over and opened it up to see him standing there. His eyes shot open in shock when he saw her tears, reaching up and grabbing her shoulders. "Katara, I know it's crazy right now, but there is no need for worry! Tensei is-

His words fell silent as Katara threw herself forward and embraced him tight, burying her face against his chest. Tenya's mouth fell open in surprise as he felt her shake slightly, worried she was still in shock from what they learned, but as he looked down, he saw she wasn't frowning, but smiling. "K-Katara?"

"I'm alright…" Katara mumbled out, taking in a deep breath to calm herself. She squeezed him tighter as she soaked in the warm feeling, unable to keep herself from smiling. "I'm just… I'm so happy that Tensei is alright. I'm so happy that you, him, and your parents have been there for me this entire time. I just… I wanted to say thank you for everything."

Tenya's heart felt like it was about to give in happiness to her words, reaching his arms around and hugging her back. "Of course. You are more than a friend, Katara. You… are part of my family now. We will always be there for you."

Sniffling at his words, Katara squeezed him tighter as she let her tears flow free. She knew for some time he had felt that way about her, but to finally hear him say it only made it that much more impactful.

"Katara?"

Her eyes opened in surprise to the familiar voice to the side, looking over to see Shoto standing there, his face filled with concern to her crying. "What's wrong? You were so upset when you got back and..."

Katara released her grip on Tenya and rushed over, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a crushing hug. Shoto sat in shock as she laid against him, her breath coming in quick gasps before she finally spoke.

"I'm okay…" She pressed her cheek against his shoulder as she cried, smiling as she felt his arms instinctively embrace her in comfort. "I just… finally understand now."

While both Tenya and Shoto were confused by her words, Katara simply continued to smile to herself as she sat in Shoto's arms. She felt the pain inside her chest still, knowing that her old life was a memory. For now, she finally understood that things were different and were never going back to the ways they were. She was in a new place that still was so confusing and hard to understand, but she knew she would not be facing this world on her own. There were so many people that have helped her in this place, and now she saw they would be by her side through thick and thin. She had found an amazing family who took her in, and had become close to those who would risk everything to protect her. And she would do anything to not lose those important to her anymore.

She was here to stay, and this was her new home.

.

.

Notes: Holy... now it has finally been revealed; her bending, her visions, everything. the fact part of the avatar's conscious residing inside of her to give her bending still. Kyoshi?! yes! the warrior herself! You haven't seen the last of her, and to now understand the power boost katara gained. (don't worry, she won't do other elements)

And Tensei?! Wow, now you see why i've been holding off on the reveals for so long. Really surprised nobody mentioned that moment he said about his back in ch. 43. the subtle details!

And in my choice in her predicament... yes... people have been asking me for so long, but this is the choice I made so far back, just never got to answering it until now. This... is Katara's home now. If you're mad, I understand, but I chose this and will be sticking by my choice. Katara's life is here from now on, and she will continue to fight protecting those close to her now. For her challenges aren't finished yet.

Cannot wait to see all of your thoughts, and see where her journey will go now. Till next time!