Ten months passed in a blur. It took Izuku two of those months to fall into a category that was considered healthy and have his body reverse the damage done by malnourishment. Alongside a diet plan, he spent his time figuring out the extent of his Quirk.

It had been officially registered as Achluokinesis—Shadow manipulation and with Nyx to guide him he learned he could control and manipulate all forms of shadow and darkness. He could use the shadows to travel from one place to another. Manipulate it into any shape, including weapons and he could use them to hear and see up to two miles away.

As well as his shadows, Izuka had enhanced senses, stamina, and strength. Physical changes had left him with lengthened canines, and talons, that he learned could extend to a longer length on command. His heart rate, pulse, blood pressure and temperature ran cooler than others and yet, with all of this, he felt he was missing something. But no matter how many times he prodded Nyx over it, the sentient shadow simply said in his own way…not yet.

After that, Aizawa leaped into teaching him his own fighting style. Martial arts, parkour, among others and by the time his fifteenth birthday came around, he had managed to not only reach his ideal weight but had begun building up proper muscle. His hair had started to grow back out, styled into a side swept undercut, green curls framing the right of his face. Happy, healthy, the teenager was coming into his own.

He finished out Junior High, his scores rating high and to curb everyone's curiosity, had his IQ tested. He rated an amazing one-six-two, with the examiner saying there was potential for it to grow the older Izuku got, now that his intelligence wasn't being stifled.

Within the ten months, his mother had been put on trial and convicted for child neglect, abuse, and abandonment. Altogether, she was given a ten-year prison sentence and though none of them had been present at the trial, Inko Midoriya was apparently brought off kicking and screaming. For the most part, Izuku handled it like a champ, but Hound Dog did have to be called in.

As the months came and went, he needed the sessions less and less, yet he still refused to speak about Aldera. Hound Dog had long come to the conclusion he was protecting someone specific, but no matter how much he pushed, Izuku refused to talk about it. Whatever it was, it was what drove him to that roof the night the teenager killed himself. He spoke of some things, but never named names and some snooping into Izuku's medical records, brought up one thing consistently…burns. The boy had been treated numerous times over the years for burns and further spelunking revealed twenty students in Aldera that had Quirks with a fire element. But without a name, there wasn't much more they could delve into without Izuku talking to them.

The five staff members involved in his mistreatment received different levels of probation as well as losing their jobs. Between Inko and their punishment, the whole mess ended up splashed all over the news and trended on social media for several weeks. It wasn't fun for Izuku, but he got through it and ten months after Hizashi and Aizawa took him home, he stepped into U.A for the recommendation entrance exam.

There were sixty students altogether and each of them were given a number. Izuku looked down at the number twenty-four stuck to his t-shirt, shifting nervously. He was pumped up, ready for the exam.

"Alright!" Hizashi boomed out, getting everyone's attention. Done up in his hero gear, he grinned at the students gathered. Green eyes lingering briefly on Izuku. "Welcome to UA's recommendation exam! First thing's first lil' listeners, you will start this shindig off with a written test, followed by a practical and wrap it all up with an interview. Now, remember to give it your all, since out of sixty students there are only six spaces given to recommendation students, ya-dig?!"

"Yes, Present Mic, sir!"

Heading into the exam hall, Izuku took note of the other examinees. He didn't recognise any of them. None were from Aldera. Relief flooded him at that. He had worried Katsuki would get in under recommendation, and though he had come to terms with everything, he wasn't in any mood to start off his exam, with the hot-headed ash blonde having a tantrum.

They were assigned seats, in order of number. Though the surrounding students were interesting, Izuku caught himself looking more than once at the boy to his left. The teenager was tall, clearly fit and had two-toned hair of white and red. Seeing his face briefly, he noticed the teenager had two different coloured eyes of slate grey and teal blue, but what intrigued Izuku was the brutal scar on the left of his face. He wondered, who had hurt him.

As well as Hizashi, Aizawa was also presiding over the examination, along with Midnight—who Izuku internally fan boy'd over. Like Hizashi, Aizawa and Midnight had donned their hero gear and taking a row each, they handed out envelopes containing the examination paper.

"Alright," Aizawa began, getting everyone's attention. "For the written portion of the exam, you will have two hours to complete it…begin."

Having studied for weeks with Aizawa, Izuku felt confident the exam would be easy enough and he was right. The minute his eyes scanned the paper, he found himself grinning in delight. He knew this! With Nyx slumbering in his hood, he dove in, pencil rushing over the page.

He answered every question, filling each page to capacity and was one of the first to finish, the others not far behind.

"That's time!" Aizawa called out once the two hours were up. "Pencils down!"

Most were finished. Some doing corrections when Aizawa ordered pencils down and though the odd face appeared stressed, most looked as if they managed. Izuku wasn't all that surprised. Aizawa did tell him it was the practical that tended to determine just how good they were.

"ALRIGHT!" Hizashi boomed out. "Time to head to the practical! Hop to it lil' listeners!"

The practical. As Aizawa and Hizashi explained it, was an obstacle course that differed each year, depending on the teachers involved and to avoid new examinees finding easy ways around it with their Quirks. Winning didn't necessarily guarantee you a spot of course. Which was why the whole thing was monitored to see just how they handled it. Izuku was nervous, but elated, nonetheless.

It was going to be fun!

x.X.x

Katsuki panted heavily, running a hand through his damp blonde hair, and revelled in the burn of his muscles. Ten months of training and he finally felt strong enough without his Quirk to rely on. He had intended to up his game for U.A, but after his run in with that sludge villain a couple of days after Deku had gone missing…a shudder ran through him at the memory…he had promised himself to be better then even he had intended. Strive forward and reach plus ultra! Never again did he want to feel that weak.

"Damn it brat!"

Jumping at the sudden bellow behind him, Katsuki leaped up and set furious red eyes on his equally irate mother. "The hell old hag! Why are you sneaking up on me?!"

"Don't talk to me like that!" Mitsuki snapped. "I was calling your dumb ass for nearly five minutes! It's dinner time!"

Did she always have to yell? Rolling his eyes, Katsuki followed her inside. Masaru was setting the table, some of Katsuki's favourite foods laid out and with a grunt toward his father, he slipped upstairs to shower before his mother could bitch. He didn't need to risk pneumonia by letting the sweat dry in.

Stomping into his room, the teenager yanked off his t-shirt and stopped, red eyes falling on his phone. Honestly, he was just torturing himself now. With a string of curses, he snatched up the device and scrolling through his call list, he found Deku's number. It didn't ring. Like what had happened for ten months now, the phone went straight to voicemail.

"Hi! Sorry I can't take your call! Just leave a message at the beep, Pluuuuus ULTRA!"

Snorting, Katsuki sat on his bed, waiting for the beep. "Damn it Deku, that voicemail message is still lame as ever…but it's totally you. Uh, the old Hag went to visit Auntie Inko. Didn't go well. Seems prison isn't exactly kind to her and whenever you were mentioned…yeah…. The public UA entrance exam is next week…You would have gotten your ass kicked, but I can't deny it would have taken guts…. Damn it Nerd! Where did you go?!"

Hanging up the phone, Katsuki tossed it onto his bed and knuckled the tears away. He had been so angry at first. Telling himself Deku was a coward to just run away. To not tell them anything, but damn it, how entitled was that?! After how he had treated him? He had no right to say shit! No one got it either. His friends though he was being stupid. Probably why they were no longer friends and his parents…Damn it…he'd have to admit what he had done. That he…he had been no better than a Villian!

Curling up, shower forgotten, Katsuki gave into his misery and wept.

x.X.x

The obstacle course turned out to be absolutely fantastic! Set up around the grounds of U.A. using the forest and grounds for different terrain, as well as altering areas for more difficulty and to see just how different Quirks operated. Izuku was delighted by just how versatile his Quirk was. So long as there were shadows to feed into, he could stay ahead.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed the boy with the bi-coloured hair numerous times throughout, glancing over in his direction. There was another boy, one who could manipulate wind, pretty close on their tail, bellowing occasionally. His excitement contagious.

Coming up on the last hurdle, a straight run to the finish line, Izuku let out a whoop and sprang through shadows to get ahead. An explosion of cold had him stumbling, gaze snapping toward the bi-coloured teen in surprise. He was using his ice to propel himself forward, amazing! With a joyful cry, the other boy created a cyclone of air and was after him in a burst, sliding across the finish line barely a second before the boy with ice. Izuku right behind them.

Panting, Izuku caught his breath. Watching the rest pass, his hearing caught the conversation of the other two boys and Izuku froze.

"You're Shoto Todoroki right, Endeavour's son? I'm Inasa Yoarashi! That ice…it was amazing!"

Shoto panted, listening to Inasa a moment before growling out. "Stop talking."

Inasa stiffened, eyes widening in confusion. "I…What…?"

"I don't care what you think of my Quirk…or that you beat me…I just needed to complete the exam. You…don't matter. You're just in my way."

Heart thudding, Izuku's green on black eyes widened in shock and in his hood, Nyx hissed angrily, responding to his emotions. How could Shoto dismiss Inasa like that? Like…Like Kacchan always did him? Shadows shifting, he knew the minute the teenager's attention snapped toward him.

"Don't talk to him like that!" Izuku hissed out, canines descending to lethal points, talons lengthening, his anger making Nyx pulse at his neck. "A powerful Quirk does not make you better than any of us!"

Several of the other applicants were watching the exchange. Shoto had frozen, blinking in surprise. Looking at the boy, with blazing green irises against night. Darkness writhing about his leanly muscled frame. He was mesmerising! And to his mortification, Shoto realised just how much he had sounded like his accursed father. Horrified, he immediately turned to Inasa and bowed his head.

"Forgive me! I shouldn't have snapped like that."

Inasa startled, but after a moment a grin bloomed on his face, and he laughed jovially. "That's quite alright! These exams are rather intense! And you, greenie, you've quite the Quirk!"

Izuku, calm now, flushed bright crimson, sheepishly fiddling at his hair. "T-Thanks. Eh, my name is Izuku, Izuku Midoriya!"

"A pleasure!" Inasa boomed, his earlier upset melting away.

Just like that, Izuku made two friends. Shoto seemed quite awkward about it, as if he had never had one before. But then again, neither had Izuku, so, it was all a learning curve and Inasa's bubbly nature made up for their poor people skills. After the practical, each had their interview, and a few days later, they found out all three of them had passed the exam and were offered a place at U.A. Hizashi practically bounced off the walls he was that delighted with Izuku's success. Everything was falling into place.

x.X.x

By the time they stepped into U.A on their first day, Izuku, Inasa and Shoto had become a nice little trio.

"We're finally here!" Inasa crowed, marching along to the doors of the 1-A classroom, Izuku and Shoto either side of him.

"How can one person be so loud?" Shoto questioned dryly, making Izuku laugh.

"Come on, Shoto! He's just excited!" Izuku said with a grin, stopping next to Inasa at the 1-A doors. He had seen them before, but the height of them always awed him.

As always Inasa charged forward, throwing the door wide and boomed. "Greetings, classmates!"

Katsuki jumped at the loud shout, eyes snapping toward the doors and was instantly stunned. The glasses idiot forgotten as he harped his lecture, he watched Izuku step into the 1-A classroom.

The nerd had vanished from Aldera months prior, and the school was vague about it. Saying some bullshit about him being transferred. Then they'd gotten word Inko had been arrested for child abandonment and no one knew what the hell was going on! His parents tried for weeks to find out, but could get no answers, not even from Inko herself when his mother tried and now here he was.

To Katsuki's shock, gone was the scrawny kid he knew. Izuku had bulked up, his mop of green curls fell longer in a side sweep, a neat undercut taking up the right side. He had a set of small silver hoops in each earlobe, but it was the eyes that had the teenager gaping. Acid green irises glowed against bottomless black sclera, his beaming smile sharpened by lethal looking canines.

What the crap?!

He had a Quirk mutation! Holy crap! …He had a Quirk!