Lights and Shadows

Autumn had finally arrived in Japan.

With the halcyon days of spring long gone, and a troubled summer now behind them, the first-year students of U.A. High School welcomed the changing seasons with cautious hope, tempered by anxious pragmatism.

It was the mood of the nation, really. Everyone seemed to share the same vain hope, the same wishful prayer that the worst was finally behind them. That the cooler temperatures would sweep in a comfortable, unexciting autumn, whisking away and freeing them of summer's scars, like a cool breeze whistling through fall colored leaves, aiding the trees in shedding their branches before the first bitter breath of winter.

However, the murmurs of unrest and Villainy kept an inescapable chill in their blood, sinking hearts and minds into the bitter gloom shrouding recent memory. The tension in the air was palpable. Because they all knew the truth:

Villains across the country were on the move. They sensed the stagnation of Heroes who had grown soft in an era of peace, and though things had fallen silent for the moment, it was destined to be a brief rest before a boisterous crescendo.

The worst of the Villains lurked in the shadows, plotting their next big move; they had an orchestra readying a powerful and moody piece, one they knew would change everything, for once it played there would only be the world before their ruthless performance, and the world after it.

Smaller groups were also seizing upon the vulnerabilities left by the Symbol of Peace's retirement, and so leapt into broad daylight to commit their acts of Villainy. At times to great success.

As a direct result, whispers of fear, anxiety, and doubt flourished among common citizens and Heroes alike. It seemed as though the shortening of the days and lengthening nights was directly proportional to the dimming of hope's light and spreading of despair's shadow.

No one could deny it anymore. Their world was changing. Rapidly.

In the absence of the Symbol of Peace, and the uncertainty surrounding Endeavor as the new Number One Hero of Japan, everyday people, the news, and the Heroes could feel the flames ignited by the League of Villains and Stain blazing beneath the peaceful veil of civilization.

It was such a fragile veil. So thin.

So delicate a single ember could burn it all away.

Crime remained on a steady rise. Even in the face of high-profile arrests of criminals and Villains by the police and Heroes, nothing seemed capable of dousing the flame burning beneath the veil.

It was a troubling situation. One that would only intensify, Izuku Midoriya sensed, as the age of peace they had known all their young lives shifted into what he feared would become a full-scale war between Heroes and Villains, with the future of the world at stake.

Soon, he feared, darkness resembling what occurred in the Shie Hassaikai's compound would cease to happen behind closed doors, in cramped hallways, and darkened rooms.

Soon, he feared, it would crash through the streets like tsunami waves, where no one could hide from it, or pretend it did not affect them.

What would the world look like if the worst occurred?

How would their society of Heroes react?

Would they be ready for it?

He wished he knew.

For the moment, however, Midoriya didn't let his thoughts drift too long or too far into the darkness.

Standing on the rubber flooring of an indoor ice rink, he quietly observed the crowd gathered on the ice, gliding by gracefully or awkwardly, depending on their level of experience.

Some held onto the barrier surrounding the rink as they skated for the very first time. He'd seen a few slip and fall, unfortunately.

Each time his heart jolted in fear of the worst possibilities, afraid they'd struck their heads, or that a skate may have accidentally cut someone; each time his body moved to react, muscles tensing in preparation for a Full Cowling leap from solid ground onto slick ice, where he could then rush to their side to prevent the fall, if he was lucky and quick enough, or to help them up.

He never quite had the opportunity to help, however. Someone always beat him to it. Sometimes before he realized a skater had even fallen.

I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less from my peers, Midoriya thought.

We're all training to be Heroes, after all.

He wasn't alone on the rubber flooring, of course. Some of his peers were standing on the outside of the rink, too, watching the skaters pass by. Others meandered back into the warmth of the concession area. Chaperones stationed themselves off and on the ice.

No one was taking chances. There'd been too many incidents and close calls this year.

Everyone attired themselves in a variety of winter clothes, usually suited to their sense of fashion, their resilience to the cold, or a combination of both; a few of the skaters had already shed a layer or two, tying a sweater around their waist or shoulders, sticking gloves into pockets, or rolling up pants for some much needed air flow.

Skating, like running, generated heat, the over-prepared newbies were learning quickly. They were the first to shed their layers, now skating around in trendy blouses or t-shirts, athletic tank tops, or long-sleeves.

Midoriya himself had chosen a navy zip-up sweater and black and white striped joggers. He was still bit chilly, he could admit. His nose especially.

It was okay. Sooner rather than later he would enter the rink and warm up. For now he was satisfied to stand on the sidelines.

Even if he was beginning to feel like an ice pop.

Stuffing his gloved hands into his sweater pockets, Midoriya watched the crowd glide along the ice, listening to the incoherent cacophony of chatter and laughter mingling with the sound of Japan's latest hits playing over the speakers.

For what felt like the first time in ages, he stopped running, stopped training, stopped thinking, and just…breathed it all in. And though the air he breathed in held a bitter chill to it, the moment wrapped his weary and scarred body in soothing warmth, like a supportive embrace after a crisis, or a warm and heavy blanket after stepping out of a snowstorm.

"Itsuka!" Setsuna Tokage, having glided silently into position behind her classmate, grabbed Itsuka Kendo's arms to scare her.

She was successful.

Itsuka Kendo jolted, gasped, and nearly fell over.

Setsuna did an admirable job keeping 1-B's Class Rep upright. However, as soon as she was certain Kendo had a solid base, she quickly skated off with amusement shining in her eyes and a sharp grin on her face.

"Setsuna, I swear you'll regret that!" Itsuka Kendo half-scolded, half-laughed as she chased after her wily classmate.

"Catch me if you can!" Setsuna laughed.

Izuku spotted Tsuyu Asui holding the hand of her younger sister, Satsuki, as she helped her skate for the first time. Nearby was her younger brother, Samidare, who had taken to skating alongside Fumikage Tokoyami; he was curious about Tokoyami and some of the stoic Hero's interests, such as being a dungeon master for Tsuyu and their friends.

Of all those gathered on the ice, the three siblings remained bundled beneath the heaviest layers. They were particularly sensitive to the cold.

Yui Kodai and Reiko Yanagi of Class 1-B were joined by Mina Ashido and Toru Hagakure.

It was a bit of an odd pairing, to his mind, since the two Class 1-B students were possibly the quietest people he'd ever met, besides Koji Koda, whom he couldn't recall speaking a single word during their first semester.

But, then, Ashido and Hagakure were affable people. Bubbly. Charismatic, in their own ways. Unlike him.

He would've been more surprised if the four girls weren't getting along, honestly.

There were other friendly faces, too. Rikido Sato, Mezo Shoji, Yosetsu Awase, Shihai Kuroiro, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu and Pony Tsunotori, as well as Hanta Sero, Minoru Mineta, and Ibara Shiozaki, and more.

Nearly every student comprising Class 1-A and 1-B had come. With everything that had happened…

It was wonderful. Truly.

"Hey, Midoriya!" Kirishima called, startling Midoriya from his observation.

Donning a Crimson Riot sweater tied around his waist, his red-headed classmate glided up to the ice rink's wall in his white muscle tank top and black joggers, with a smile as welcoming as it was content.

Denki Kaminari was right behind him, dressed in an ashen hooded pullover and jeans.

"C'mon, man, you're missing out on all the fun," said Kirishima, resting his hands on the barrier.

"I'll join everyone in a minute," he promised, smiling faintly. "Jiro asked me to wait for her and Igarashi, although she didn't really say why."

"Jiro asked that?" Kaminari wondered, joining them at the wall. "Wonder what's up. It seems pretty odd, don't you think?"

"A little, yeah," he admitted. "But Jiro isn't the type to ask for something without a reason."

"You've got a point."

Honestly, calling the request odd was underselling its strangeness. Although they were classmates, and although they were on friendly terms—at least, he was pretty sure they were—he wasn't particularly close to Jiro. Not in the way he was with Asui, Iida, Uraraka, or Todoroki, at least.

He could count their one-on-one encounters since school began on a single hand. Nothing ever bad. They were all good conversations. Personal, at times, but they'd never parted on harsh word or an argument.

Otherwise their interactions were usually as apart of a class, training, or in the dorms while among their friends. That she wanted him to wait for her and Igarashi, so they could meet in private…

Yeah, calling it pretty odd was underselling the whole thing.

So, what had brought it all on? Was there something they needed to talk about?

Could it be related to their classes? Just average school stuff?

Midoriya pressed his lips together.

No, that doesn't seem right at all. If they wanted to discuss homework or normal school stuff, they wouldn't come to me. Yaoyorozu would be their first choice.

Maybe something to do with training our Quirks?

More plausible. Everyone knew he studied and took meticulous notes on every Quirk he had ever encountered, including different applications and strategies for rescue and combat.

Still, if they were after a Quirk analysis, they would've asked him directly over a text or at school. Jiro and Igarashi were pragmatic people. They wouldn't waste time sidestepping an important question, especially when it came to training.

So, then, it was likely something personal. Something they preferred to discuss face to face.

The work studies?

Something even more personal?

Midoriya had brainstormed every possibility. He had mentally retraced the last several days, seeking clues in memories which blurred together since the Shie Hassaikai raid, only to turn up empty handed.

Jiro had quite literally sprang the request on him out of the blue, which only added to the strangeness.

And that left him all the more anxious to face them.

"I'm not really sure what it could be about, honestly," Midoriya said. "Whatever it is, Jiro was pretty insistent on meeting up. Strangely insistent, actually. I'm not sure I really had a choice, hehe," he added with an awkward laugh.

"Still, I did promise to wait for them. So…"

"Want company while you wait?" Kirishima asked. "Be pretty unmanly to leave a friend behind while we're all enjoying ourselves."

"Oh, no, you don't need to worry about that. Really," Midoriya assured quickly. "Not that I don't appreciate the offer! I do. And I'm looking forward to joining everyone. I haven't gone ice skating since I was little, so I am a little bit worried about how I'll do. But…"

Midoriya caught himself before he could devolve into his usual rambling. Inhaling imperceptibly, he glanced past his friends, back to the ice rink and those skating.

It wasn't everyone from 1-A and 1-B, of course. Some, like Todoroki and Bakugo, had already made plans. Others, like Iida and Aoyama, were studying or catching up on homework.

Even so, watching them glide gracefully and awkwardly along the ice, listening to his classmates and the members of 1-B smile, tease, chase, and laugh together…

"Strange as it may sound," Midoriya began softly, smiling unconsciously, "I'm…actually enjoying myself already. Everything has felt so crazy lately. That our classes could come together like this… It feels like this tight spring inside of me is finally relaxing. Just being here, seeing everyone's smiling faces… That's enough for me. At least for now."

Enough to loosen his taut being, like hanging on a pull-bar and feeling his spine decompress vertebrae by vertebrae, loosening tension he'd acclimatized to.

Enough to brighten his gaze, recently darkened by dread.

At least for the moment.

Midoriya cringed, flushed.

"Sorry if that sounds super weird. I'm just grateful, I guess. Grateful we have this chance."

"Nah, man, I get it," Kirishima said.

He half-turned to glance back at their gathered classmates, and although a sincere smile lifted the corners of Kirishima's lips, Midoriya could see the same shadows lingering in the aspiring Hero's periphery, just as they lingered in his own.

"After everything that went down with the Shie Hassaikai during our work studies and after… I'm grateful, too."

"Are you guys sure you'll be all right?" Kaminari asked.

"I think so. It won't be easy. But this helps," Kirishima said. "Despite how bad things got, after everything we went through, I'm even more determined to become the kind of Hero I set out to be: A sword to fight against injustice, and a shield to protect the defenseless. I'm gonna become the beacon Miss Yūhi thought I could be and bring people together.

"That'll be even tougher to live up to. But, luckily, I don't have to do any of it alone. Not when I've got friends and peers like you guys backing me up."

"Aw, dude, why do you have to sound so cool? I'm feeling a little embarrassed now," Kaminari said, scratching his cheek and smiling an awkward but sincere smile.

"Well, a man's got to speak from his heart, right?" Kirishima replied, rubbing the back of his head bashfully, a light flush on his cheeks.

"Right," Midoriya nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Kaminari.

"Why don't you guys head back out and skate," he said. "I'll be all right. Besides, Jiro and Igarashi aren't the type to keep anyone waiting long."

"As long as you're sure, man," Kirishima said.

"I am. Go on. I'll be on the ice in no time, you'll see."

"All right. See you on the ice, Midoriya."

"We'll be waiting, dude," Kaminari said, pushing off the wall and gliding backwards for a beat.

You know, he thought, watching the pair join their classmates again, when the school year started, the only friends I had were Uraraka and Iida. Although to say we were friends may be a stretch since we were still getting to know one another. The only two I knew well were Kacchan and Yukiko—my childhood bully and my childhood hero.

Yet, although we knew each other, at that time, none of us were on the same page. I'm not sure we were even in the same book anymore. Kacchan was so angry at me, which I suppose was nothing new. We've always had a contentious relationship.

However, it seemed more ferocious than usual once he found out I made it into U.A. and that I had a Quirk.

He convinced himself I'd spent all our childhood years hiding my power from him, laughing behind his back like I thought he was some sort of weakling. So, that made things a little tense, to put it mildly.

And Yukiko…

A tight knot formed in his chest. He pressed his lips together in discomfort.

She was so far out of my reach back then. When her father died, I watched the foundation beneath my childhood Hero crumble right before my eyes, throwing her into a free fall I could do nothing to stop. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how far I reached my hand out, there was nothing I could do to catch her.

Then, one day, she stopped showing up at school. She vanished. At least that was how it seemed to me at the time. It wasn't until much later that I learned she ran away from home to escape her abusive mother, and eventually formed a small gang of fellow runaways. Only to lose them as well to the darkness of our world.

When we met again at U.A. as classmates, I couldn't understand how she was feeling.

Worst of all, I didn't even try to. Even though she tried to stop the whole incident, even though she saved so many people during that train derailment… When I learned she'd been apart of the group responsible, an accomplice—no, not just an accomplice, but one of their founders, I did precisely what so many other students at U.A. did.

I looked at her like she didn't belong at our school.

I looked at her like she was just another Villain.

Even now, months removed from that time, he winced beneath the harsh sting of that realization.

Midoriya wished he could take it back. He wished he could rewrite his mistake and do the right thing instead. All he would've had to do was stop overthinking it. Stop allowing his internal emotional conflicts to obscure his vision, and then simply look at Yukiko. Really look at her. Because if he could've just done that, he would've seen her hand was finally within reach.

He might have saved her.

He could have saved her.

But he hadn't.

Even with All Might actively imploring him to see beyond the walls Yukiko had put up, to put into perspective everything she had experienced, Midoriya hadn't seen the turmoil she was suffering through.

He hadn't seen how difficult the path of redemption she'd chosen to walk was. He hadn't seen the burden of darkness she still carried, or the open wounds she'd tried to tape shut, to no avail.

Even though it all should've been as plain to see as the deep scar splitting her bottom lip, he hadn't seen any of it.

Yukiko had finally gotten a gasp of air after nearly drowning. She'd latched onto a damaged life preserver, searched for a rope, a hand—something or someone to help pull her beaten and exhausted body from the dark, churning rapids.

They'd met gazes for the briefest moment. And he looked away.

If he'd only tried to reach a hand out…

Midoriya wasn't certain he'd ever forgive himself for it.

So much had changed since they were children. Yet, despite that, behind the high voltage fence Yukiko had erected was the same Hero who had rescued him time and again from his usual bullies.

Beneath the scars and shadows was the same girl he once called friend.

He just hadn't seen it back then.

In a way, despite how little we knew each other, I was closer to Uraraka and Iida than I was the people I'd known the longest. Little by little, though, our friendships have grown right alongside us.

Now it's just like Kirishima said. All of Class 1-A, and even Class 1-B, are friends and peers, and we all watch each other's backs. No matter what.

I've never had so many people I could count on before. It took us all a while to get there. It definitely didn't happen in the first days or weeks of the school year. Things are different now.

Now when someone stumbles or falls, my classmates—my friends—always stop to pick them up. We don't let anyone get left behind. Whether they're a small child who needs to be saved, a friend who happens to fall over, or…

Midoriya's eyes quickly sifted through the crowd. He found Uraraka first thanks to her cute mauve sweater, and, as he anticipated, skating right beside her, chatting happily with the Zero Gravity wielder, was the newest face among their classmates, donning an amethyst pullover sweater:

Himiko Toga.

Or, he thought, someone our society has rejected, simply because they were different.

Rough didn't begin to scratch the surface of Himiko's upbringing. If anything, it only sanitized an awful and sickening reality. One where her Quirkless parents, the very people meant to nurture and protect Himiko, made her believe she was a monster.

All because of the blood-reliant Quirk she was born with.

They'd provided no counseling to her. They didn't tell her how perfectly natural her power was in their superhero society, how useful it could be as Hero, or that there were plenty of people with Quirks relying on blood.

Instead, she was taught to conceal it—commanded, rather, to repress it.

To just be normal. Whatever that meant.

So, Himiko ran away. Left home and never looked back. Likewise, her parents never looked for her. They never even filed a missing persons report.

The thought of it all left Midoriya's stomach twisting in knots. It brought Kai Chisaki to the front of his mind, and how he had made Eri think she, too, was a monster. A cursed being, who only wrought death with her power.

Was that the same mental and emotional torture Himiko had suffered?

Unconsciously, Midoriya clenched his fists inside his pockets, grit his teeth.

Himiko's parents, they were meant to be her protecters. Her supporters. They were supposed to love her. Yet they never tried to save their own daughter. They never even tried to understand her.

They just shoved her away as though she was some kind of aberration. They pushed, and pushed, and pushed, until eventually they found the cliff's edge. And then pushed her one last time, off into the awaiting abyss.

Then, without blinking, they wiped their hands clean, turned away, and never looked back.

It was all so wrong. So horrible his entire body was beginning to heat up.

Fortunately, Yukiko and her gang crossed paths with Himiko. Rather, they caught her as she fell, and didn't hesitate to accept and appreciate her as she was; they were all runaways and misfits, after all, whose parents or society had ostracized, dehumanized, or taught to fear their own power.

They'd even offered her their blood, willingly.

It was an act of kindness and compassion from kindred spirits. An act of platonic love, even. One which, Midoriya realized as he watched Himiko glide along, had likely altered her path irreversibly, just as All Might transferring his Quirk to him had altered his life.

All this time we'd thought she was a Villain. Well, all of us except Yukiko. She kept it all a secret to protect Toga.

Himiko had left the gang before it all fell apart, at Yukiko's request.

"Those of us with any sense saw the writing on the wall," Yukiko had told them afterwards. "So, I convinced who I could to leave the gang before it all went south. Himi was one of the ones who listened."

Another pivotal moment in Himiko's path, he supposed. Who could say what would've happened if she had stayed.

Instead, she left, and began to walk the path of a vigilante. She'd been inspired by Yukiko, in her own way, to fight injustices their society ignored, living the way she wanted to.

To think she managed to infiltrate the League for a while. She even infiltrated the Shie Hassaikai. Toga's talent and her Quirk really are amazing.

Himiko's status as a U.A. student and a member of Class 1-B, whose teacher also possessed a blood-reliant Quirk, had become an academic conclusion in the aftermath of their fight to stop Chisaki and save Eri.

Oddly enough, she was excited to join their school, despite Eraser Head immediately giving her and Yukiko detention, for their recklessness and for withholding the truth, respectively.

After all, although Himiko had used Stain's ideology to infiltrate the League, a new Hero had emerged in the aftermath of the Hosu Incident, whose ideals and symbol truly inspired Himiko.

The Guardian of Light: Amaririsu Yūhi, shinobi of the Leaf Village, was that Hero.

It was her light, her symbol, which Himiko now sought to embody. It was Amaririsu's rescue at the Maigeeto apartment fire, and her fight against the Nomu, which served as a crystalizing moment, just as the All Might video had been Midoriya's.

Himiko sought to change the society which had ostracized people like her, to be the light and the hand which reached out to those whose Quirks weren't considered normal.

Despite the tight spring being unwound, Midoriya's thoughts twisted his lips unconsciously into a frown.

Himiko's history was another reminder of their society's flaws. He'd foolishly thought it was all so simple. So binary.

Heroes and Villains.

Good and evil.

Light and shadow.

Yet there were shades of gragrayy everywhere, just as Amaririsu said. He just hadn't seen them.

And he should have. In his heart Midoriya knew he of all people should have seen it.

He'd known the world as a Quirkless child for so long. He'd been bullied for it so many times. He was laughed at. Insulted. Treated as less than good enough. Maybe even less than human.

Throughout it all, however, he'd clung to his dream to be a Hero. He was so swept away by how amazing they were, and so envious of those gifted with Quirks.

So much so he…failed to see the harsh realities not only Heroes faced daily, but ordinary kids with Quirks like Himiko and Hitoshi Shinso, whose lives were or could've been inextricably altered because of societies view on their Quirk.

As Himiko and Uraraka skated closer, he noticed the former retrieve her phone from her sweater pocket, seemingly to read a new message.

If Amaririsu hadn't shown up, would I understand as much as I do now?

He lowered his gaze to his scarred and deformed hand, hidden beneath a glove. He could still see the damaged limb vividly in his mind's eye.

Would I have seen the shades of gray?

Would I have tried to save Himiko, were she to have walked in shadows?

Would I have believed she and Yukiko were worthy of redemption?

As he pressed his lips together, a head of blonde hair and an amethyst sweater sprang up from behind the wall.

"Izuku!"

Wahhhhhh!

Midoriya's heart leapt into his throat, fortunately. It suffocated his wail, turned it into a meek squeak. He stepped back unconsciously, eyes wide, cold air rushing up his nose on a sharp inhale.

He needed an extra moment to see—really see—Himiko standing before him, grinning at his startled expense. Uraraka emerged beside her, covering her mouth as she giggled.

"Ah, Toga, Uraraka! I'm sorry."

Wait, why am I apologizing? She's the one who appeared out of nowhere and— holy cow, she scared the crap out of me, Izuku thought, pressing his hand against his pounding heart.

Himiko pursed her lips in a cute pout.

"Toga again, huh?"

"Uh, sorry, Himiko," he apologized, flushing.

"Don't worry, Himiko. Deku is awful at informality," Uraraka reassured.

"I still have to remind him to call me Tsu and we've known each other for a few semesters now. You sort of get used to it," Tsu added as she glided past.

Midoriya hung his head, sighed.

Talking to girls was still as tough as ever. He thought it would get easier as he worked alongside his fellow Hero trainees, and through talking to Melissa, but…

He sighed again, then smiled awkwardly. He rubbed the back of his head.

I'm as hopeless as ever, aren't I?

"So, uh, what's up, Himiko?" he asked, uncertain if she wanted to talk or had only meant to scare him.

If it was the latter, she really overachieved. His heart was still pounding.

"I have a question for you and Ochaco about the Guardian of Light."

"Oh, sure," Midoriya nodded. "I'll do my best to answer."

"What would you like to know, Himiko?" Uraraka asked, tilting her head.

"Yukiko mentioned you two are in her 'harem bowl.' What is it and how do I get in her bowl?"

Smoke erupted from Midoriya's and Uraraka's heads instantaneously, like geysers of steam and water shooting from the earth.

No one saw them die, of course. To the skaters gliding by nothing seemed amiss; their eyes may have been wide and their faces flushed red, while Himiko looked between the paralyzed pair, waiting for an answer, but that was hardly noteworthy, and certainly not nearly as tragic as the sudden death of their two classmates.

The skaters, however, could not see the billowing smoke. They could not feel the uncomfortable warmth spreading beneath their winter layers, nor hear the sudden cessation of breathing.

In fact, the aspiring Hero was pretty sure his heart had exploded. He was fairly certain inside he had accidentally channeled one-hundred percent of One For All into the vital organ, bursting it the instant it pulsed, thus obliterating the boy once known as Izuku Midoriya.

So, he was surprised when Amaririsu's voice crept out from the recesses of his memories to further his torment.

"A harem should be like ice cream. There's an art to adding new flavors to your bowl."

His heart pulsed, much to his surprise. So, he hadn't died after all.

Somehow that was so much worse.

Because then his heart pulsed again. Louder, harsher. It thumped against his chest, at his pulse points, rising in tempo into a deafening roar of panic and embarrassment.

In an instant, he was no longer a Hero or an aspiring one. Neither was Uraraka, he knew in his rapidly beating heart. Suddenly they were reduced to teenagers, caught redhanded in an explicit situation.

So, with his heart roaring and his mind racing faster than light for a coherent, succinct, and totally dignified explanation, Midoriya declared,

"It- it- it wasn't a real bowl!"

Dying would've been so much easier.

Squeaking in embarrassment, Uraraka cupped her flushed cheeks. Her bare finger tips glowed pink, to Midoriya's horror, as she accidentally activated her Zero Gravity Quirk on herself.

Uraraka slowly began to ascend.

"Oh crap! Uraraka! You're not wearing gloves!"

"I didn't think I'd need them!" she moaned in flustered despair, burying her face in one hand and reaching out with the other, to little effect.

Izuku stared wide eyed in horror.

I think Toga broke her!

"I was so sure skating would warm me up, and I had my sweater pockets to stick them in if I got cold, and now… Eep!"

"I've got you. Don't worry."

Himiko reached up, grabbed ahold of Uraraka's wrist, and anchored her to earth before she disappeared into the rafters.

Her gaze, however, was locked on Midoriya, glowing with the thrill of a hungry cat who had finally caught its meal.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, but it returned instantly.

So, he prayed for mercy he would never receive.

"With that out of the way, you say the bowl isn't real, but your faces tell me the harem is very real."

"Whaat?! No!" Uraraka shrieked.

"It isn't real!" Midoriya followed, his pitch just as high. "Not at all! But, then, we'd probably say that if it was real, assuming we were trying to keep it a secret. But it wasn't like that, I swear. You could even ask the others in 1-A—"

"Wait, all of 1-A is in her bowl? Awww," she puffed her cheeks out in a pout, "I'm totally jealous now."

"Hold on, that isn't what I meant! It's not like that, really!"

Where was a Hero when he needed one!

"Yukiko!" groaned Uraraka. "Is this seriously what you were texting Himiko about?"

"But if Yukiko sent me to you two…" Himiko considered, eyeing Izuku with sadistic delight, as his heart quivered in fear, like a frightened and vulnerable rabbit.

"Does that mean you and Ochaco are the gatekeepers?"

"Gatekeepers?!" he and Uraraka cried out in unison.

He was dying. Melting faster than an ice cube falling into an active volcano. And Himiko was savoring every moment of his sweet, sweet death, with a self-satisfied grin and twinkle in her yellow, cat-like eyes.

"It's nothing like that, honest!" He was desperate to set the record straight. "You see, it was right after the apartment fire in Maigeeto Ward."

"Oh, tell me more, Izuku," she purred.

"You see, Amaririsu came to our classroom to reassure us all she was okay, despite still being hurt," he rambled while gesturing awkwardly with his hands. "I'm pretty sure Igarashi was teasing her about saying the word 'harem' beforehand, although that's only a theory. I can't imagine how it came up. Uh, anyway, then Amaririsu started teasing me for standing her up—"

"Izuku, how could you!" Himiko gasped, horrified.

"Bu- but it was an honest misunderstanding! I saw her and Igarashi hanging out and chasing each other around, and Igarashi was happier than I'd ever seen her, so I thought I'd leave them alone. I could always ask questions about her power later, right?"

"Aw, aren't you just the sweetest!"

"Any- Anyway!"

He was almost a puddle of goo now. Even One For All couldn't save him.

So much for his Hero career. He was going to die here, wasn't he? Right in front of his friends and teachers, unable to be saved, and never knowing what on earth Jiro wanted.

What a tragic end. Felled by 1-B's newest student.

Surely Neito Monoma would be pleased to know they were, in fact, the superior class.

"So, once the other girls found out what happened they started teasing me about it, and I tried to explain myself, and then Ashido hugged Amaririsu, but because of Amaririsu's shorter stature she ended up, well…"

She'd ended up face first in Ashido's chest.

Izuku couldn't bring himself to say it. Rather, his throat sealed itself shut tightly, preventing him from retelling such a salacious detail.

It didn't matter. Himiko realized what had happened instantly. She covered her mouth, squealing and practically bouncing in place with glee and jealousy.

Honestly, Midoriya still wasn't sure if Amaririsu was the luckiest or unluckiest girl he'd ever met.

"It was totally an accident, though!" he explained quickly, hoping not to damage his classmate's reputation. "And Ashido let go as soon as she realized what had happened. Amaririsu still fainted. I can't blame her. I would've fainted, too.

"Igarashi caught her before she hit the ground, thankfully. Then Amaririsu said she saw heaven, and Igarashi told her we were willing volunteers for her harem. Amaririsu was still dazed, so she was surprised to learn she had one, and Igarashi was pretty satisfied she finally managed to get Amaririsu to say the word, which is why I think she was teasing her about it before.

"Then when she finally came around Amaririsu teased us, too, and said adding members to a harem was like picking flavors of ice cream. And that's a whole other story; there's an entire art to picking sweets, apparently, she taught us that before the Nomu attacked.

"But the point is there isn't really a harem, so we can't really be gatekeepers. Now that I think about it, Igarashi probably did this just to fluster me and Uraraka. And…"

Midoriya, paused, blinked. He looked at Himiko, who smiled and blinked innocently.

"Andddd?" she drew the word out, intentionally.

It finally hit him.

"And you were just going along with it, weren't you?"

"Yep!" Himiko couldn't have been prouder. "You two are really cute when you're blushing. All that blood in your faces makes my heart get all warm and full of fuzzy feelings."

"Heh. I should've guessed," he sighed, a faint and awkward smile on his lips.

Himiko guided Uraraka back onto the ice, who finally seemed to be coming around.

"Thanks, Izuku," Toga thanked.

"Hm? What for?"

"Now I feel like I know an entirely new side to Amaririsu." Her expression became thoughtful and sincere. "I've wanted to know everything about her since the Maigeeto apartment fire and the League of Villains attack. I was hoping to meet her, too, that way we could team up and become a cute vigilante duo, rescuing people and cutting up the bad guys."

They would've made a horrifyingly effective team, Midoriya thought.

"People only ever seemed to speculate about her abilities, and that got really old after hearing it the first time. How many different ways can you say 'I don't know what I'm talking about' to fill time. So dull.

"All of 1-A and 1-B are different, though. You actually knew her. And now I can finally learn about the real Amaririsu, too. I really appreciate that. I'm also envious, even though its totally not cute. The way you all talk about Amaririsu… I wish I could've met her."

Midoriya sympathized. There was doubtlessly a reverence they spoke with whenever Amaririsu was brought up. It was only natural, he supposed. They'd had a once-in-a-lifetime meeting with a stranger from another world. She'd taken the time to teach them, to hang out, and went so far to put her life on the line for not only them, but for complete strangers caught in middle of two Villainous attacks.

He would've been envious, too, to hear it secondhand. He would've wanted to meet her, he would've wanted to know everything there was to know about the shinobi from another world.

"Even though we only knew her for a few days," Midoriya began, "I'll always be really grateful for the opportunity to meet Amaririsu. And for everything she taught us."

"Me too. Amaririsu really opened our eyes to…well, everything," Ochaco said softly. "Before meeting her I never really considered the flaws in our society or any big questions like that. I was so focused on trying to become a Hero so I could give my family an easy life. Amaririsu… She helped me see how big the world really was."

"In a way, she woke us all up," Midoriya agreed, nodding. "She forced us to see the shades of gray in our work. The harsh realities Heroes face, the sacrifices we'll have to make, and even the human side of Villains, trapped by their circumstances, and by their pain."

"Chosen?!" he recalled her furious and hurt voice as The Last Shinobi, the Villain she'd played the role of for a Pop Quiz. "I didn't choose any of this! When my Big Brother was murdered, when my parents and Clan were slaughtered in the middle of the night, when the boy I considered a brother betrayed me, what choice did I have!

"I never had a choice! This path was forced upon me by the darkness in this world! This vendetta is my family's gift to me!"

If those had been her real feelings, could he have saved Amaririsu?

Would he have tried?

Had he even tried during the Pop Quiz?

Midoriya pursed his lips, because the truth was difficult to swallow.

He hadn't. Not as hard as he should have, at least.

"The reality is you're all training to be soldiers, just like me," she'd told them after it was all over. "Strip away the glamor and dazzling light your society paints Pro Hero life out to be and what is left? Hardships. Stress. Conflict. Death. Grief."

He'd been blinded by the glamor, by the dazzling lights of his dream to be a Hero like All Might, and his perception of what that meant.

Yet since the first time he met All Might, through his first semester, to that fateful day when they met Amaririsu, and to this very moment, the lights had dimmed, and within the Shie Hassaikai's hideout the darkness she described had confronted all of the Heroes involved.

"People can have hearts worth redeeming, but you'll only ever find them if you look."

Midoriya squinted imperceptibly, wincing at the harsh lessons she'd gifted them, and cursing his slow understanding of them.

She'd spelled it out to them, clear and precise. He'd had an example right in front of him in Yukiko. He witnessed the darkness of their world through Eri, the darkness within Heroes themselves in Todoroki and Iida, and now he had another example of their flawed society in Himiko Toga.

Would he have understood any of them as he did now without Amaririsu's intervention?

Would he have seen that Yukiko and Himiko, too, were trapped by their circumstances, by their pain, and that their hearts were worth reaching out to?

I had that opportunity, didn't I? At the start of the school year, I could've…

But I didn't…

"I wonder how it feels to be her," Himiko wondered softly.

"Amaririsu was a very warm and kind person," Midoriya said after a moment, trying to push aside the dark thoughts. "She was a soldier, true, but she was also just a girl who had a sweet tooth, who loved to watch clouds, read romance novels, and cared so deeply for her friends and their world, despite how cruel it had been to her. She was strong willed. Stronger than me, for sure."

Enduring so much loss without losing her heart…

He wasn't sure he could do it. He wasn't sure how she did it.

"She was bright, warmhearted, welcoming, and sincere," he continued, "but she could be reserved. Even so, she smiled and giggled a lot, especially when she had a chance to tease us. She enjoyed how easily flustered I get. Apparently boys in her world aren't as nervous as me, hehe," he added with a self-deprecating laugh, scratching his neck in awkwardness.

"Amaririsu was… She was light. And yet she was also darkness," he said seriously. "I know that may sound weird. Maybe I was overanalyzing things as usual. But whenever I looked at her…" He brought his hands together, wringing them. "I had this feeling she was fighting against a great and terrible darkness, like a comic book hero, struggling to overcome her tragic past and change her destiny."

She'd struck him as the living embodiment of light and shadow. Yin and yang. She was all those warm and bright feelings, but she was also darkness, pain, anguish, and wrath.

He had the sense even now that she was bound—bound by her own blood, bound by her loss and pain, and bound by a bloody and cursed heritage and legacy he knew nothing of.

The thought of it left an overwhelming sense of sadness in his heart he didn't know how to fix.

"She was in conflict," he said. "Always. Against the people who threatened her home. Against the darkness within herself. Against the harsh path she was forced to inherit. And although that scar on her eye has long been sealed, I think… I think she's still bleeding. I think she's still crying. "

And there was nothing he could do to save her. Even though he wished he could.

"You know, when you lay it all out like that, it's pretty obvious why Yukiko and Amaririsu called each other kindred spirits," Uraraka said.

"Kindred spirits, huh?" Himiko said thoughtfully.

Ochaco hummed, gaze drawn away and behind Midoriya. She leaned right to peer around him, then brightened.

Simultaneously, as she raised her hand in greeting, Himiko's eyes widened in panic.

In less than a second, Midoriya dissected their curiously different reactions. Jubilation and alarm.

Had Igarashi and Jiro finally arrived? But then why would Himiko be alarmed?

Just as quickly another conclusion formed. One that was inconceivable. His eyes went wide, he inhaled another short breath of the cold air.

It couldn't be Amaririsu, could it?

He began to turn. Suddenly, very suddenly, Himiko lunged at Uraraka.

The quick movement ensnared him like one of Amaririsu's binding shadows. It asserted control over his mind, snapped his gaze back to the pair, and what he saw knocked the air from his lungs.

Toga cupped one hand over Uraraka's mouth, silencing her voice. The other she rested against the back of the Zero Gravity wielder's head, all as she leaned closer to…. to…

Holy super crap, he screamed within his own mind, superheated blood rushing to his face.

Toga is kissing Uraraka!

Her lips were in full contact with a round, incandescent cheek. She would've thought it was cute, he bet, if her face wasn't blazing at the same heat.

In that moment, Midoriya swore he heard a screaming train whistle as steam all but shot out of Uraraka's ears. Or maybe it was his head exploding like an egg in a microwave.

Somewhere amongst the skaters, Mineta's giddy and envious screech broke over the chatter and music, followed by a cry of surprise then pain as he slipped, fell, and crashed onto the ice.

The kiss barely lasted a second. For all three of them it lasted an eternity.

When Himiko stepped back, Uraraka was swaying like a dazed fighter in a video game. Her eyes were open but the lights were off. She babbled incoherently for a moment.

Then fainted without any preamble.

"Uh-oh!" Himiko panicked, reaching and grabbing ahold of Uraraka's hand.

"Quick, catch—"

"Eeeee!"

Toga disappeared behind the barrier with a startled cry.

Midoriya lunged towards the wall, pressed his hands against its edge, and prepared to leap over.

To his surprise, Himiko was the one lying supine on the ice. She held Uraraka's flustered form securely against her torso, between her legs.

Whoa, he marveled. She saved her. Even though she was completely off-balance on the ice.

He shouldn't have been so shocked. In what short encounters he'd had with Toga, she'd proven to be quick and agile even when unbalanced; it was a trait that reminded him of Amaririsu, honestly. They both had such fluid control of their bodies.

He shoved the thought aside.

This wasn't the time for another ability analysis.

His eyes quickly scanned them for blood seeping into fabric, for tears in their clothes indicating where an ice skate may have cut them by chance, or wet crimson dyeing Himiko's blonde hair. He found nothing at first glance.

"Are you two all right?" he asked.

"I kissed Ochaco," Himiko sighed in bliss, stars in her eyes and cheeks rosy.

"Himikoooo!" Uraraka whined in embarrassment.

She harmlessly swatted the blonde's forehead with her fingertips, all while hiding her burning face in her amethyst sweater.

"What the heck was that about?!"

"You were going to spoil the surprise. I had to do something."

"So your first instinct was to kiss me?!"

"Mmhm. You're really cute, you know."

"Himiko, that's not an excuse!" she scolded, equally exasperated and defeated.

The Zero-Gravity wielder's taut body relaxed against the blonde. She rested her flushed cheek against her chest.

"You can't just kiss people without permission," she added softly.

"Too late. Although, you know, you are the one cuddling into me right now. Pretty scandalous, Ochaco. You're even giving Izuku a show, the way you're burying your face into my—"

"Eeeek!"

Midoriya was impressed by how quickly Uraraka managed to not only sit up, but cling to the barrier and make it onto her skates.

"I wasn't doing that! Not at all! Burying my face? Cuddling? Nope! Didn't happen. Nothing scandalous at all happened! We just fell over. Yeah! That's it! We fell over because I fainted—for no reason at all! Nope. Just a complete accident you had to save me from!"

Midoriya tried really hard not to be amused, to no avail.

She's hitting the denial stage pretty hard, Midoriya thought, smiling faintly. Not that I can say much. I ran face first into it after everything on I-Island as Melissa and I grew closer.

The mental gymnastics I performed—heh, he exhaled an embarrassed laugh and rested his forearms on the wall, relaxing, I'm lucky I didn't tear a muscle. I'm not sure a contortionist could bend themselves the way I did to convince myself I didn't feel something. That we were just friends, texting.

We were just a Hero trainee and an amazing inventor, who both shared the dreams of being Heroes who could save lives. Directly and indirectly. Like All Might and David Shield did in their early days, and just like my classmates, each of us united by our dreams to be Heroes.

Yep. That's all we were. Friends—peers—talking. Nothing more to it. It's not like I thought I had feelings for her. I mean, how could a guy ever fall for someone who was so smart, kind, strong, and warm?

Midoriya stifled another self-deprecating laugh. Uraraka helped Himiko off the ice and onto her skates.

Denial had hit him with a Detroit Smash, just as it was hitting his friend.

There was no way he could know if the pair shared resembling feelings or yearnings. He wasn't sure if anything could ever come of it. Pursing their Hero careers, chasing their dreams—it would always be a priority in their lives, perhaps even at the cost of those yearnings, if it proved too difficult to balance.

Still, seeing Himiko's gleeful smile as a flustered Uraraka checked her over for injuries and wiped ice off her outfit—her butterflies had butterflies—was enough. At least for him. More than enough, actually.

Because not every story could end happily ever after, and he could see how easily their flawed society could have twisted Himiko's into a tragic ending.

"Hey, wait a minute," a sudden realization came to him, "what was that you said about a surprise?"

"Huh? Surprise?" Uraraka repeated as though they were the strangest words. "Who said anything about a surprise? I sure didn't hear it. Did you, Himiko?"

"Nope. Didn't hear anything at all," Himiko agreed, shaking her head.

"That's not a very convincing lie, you know," he sighed, amused.

Before he could press for details, or turn around, two gloves covered his eyes.

"Guess who."

"Melissa!" Midoriya gasped.

Even with his eyes covered, he could see her smile vividly through the tone of her voice, and the short and warm laugh his reaction elicited.

"Hmhm! Looks like you caught me, Deku."

Excitement and shock coursed through him like the energy of One For All. His head was buzzing when she removed her hands.

Melissa was here?

How?

Well, obviously by plane or some other transport, but how had she gotten here to the ice skating rink?

How had she even known where to find him?

The questions flitted through his mind at the speed of light, colliding and melding together with euphoric excitement he could hardly process. His heart was skipping.

Melissa was here. The thought—no, the reality of that was as inconceivable as Amaririsu appearing.

He made to whirl around. Instead, he stumbled ungracefully over himself, bumping his right foot into the barrier wall once, giving his heart a startled jolt, quickly followed by another, more pleasant pulse when he finally laid eyes on her.

Melissa's smile was precisely as he imagined it: Warm, affectionate, and a little amused at his clumsiness and wide-eyed bafflement.

A salve to his slow-healing wounds, the sun breaking over the horizon, casting aside the dark shadows little by little, and providing sanctuaries of warmth to stave off the winter chill—that's what her smile was. What her being here, right in front of him, meant to Midoriya.

She dressed in a colorful ensemble; an aqua above-the-knee skirt paired with opaque black tights and sneakers, complimented by a cute coral pullover that matched her oval-framed glasses. Her wavy blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail.

Midoriya swore he'd never seen anything or anyone more beautiful in his life.

"You're here!" he said dumbly and excitedly.

"Yep!"

"Going with an All Might catchphrase? Heh, I think we fried his brain this time," Kyoka Jiro teased while approaching behind Melissa.

"Cut him some slack. I bet he's still recoiling from Himi's bold play," Igarashi joined in, walking beside her.

"I had no idea you would be here," Midoriya barely heard them, still buzzing like he'd won a raffle for one-of-a-kind All Might merchandise. "But—wow! I can't believe—well, I had no idea when we'd be able to see each other again. With both of our classes and the distance, I could have never guessed— But here you are! Hehehe," he chuckled bashfully. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling. I'm just so surprised to see you. And so grateful, too."

Melissa's smile had only grown wider, warmer, and more amused. He could hardly blame her. It was a struggle to form a coherent thought, to grasp one and clutch it for more than a moment.

Even so, despite his bumbling, profound affection glimmered in her aqua-blue eyes as his endearing joy and gratitude relieved her of poisonous doubts and anxious fears, leaving behind an ironclad certainty in the feelings which led her here.

"Me, too, Deku," she said warmly. "I wanted to tell you I was coming, but then I thought it'd be better as a surprise."

"Just like with your dad and All Might on I-Island," he said, smiling.

"Mmhm," she nodded. "I told Kyoka and Yukiko my plans. With their help I was able to plan my trip around our classes. They even helped me surprise Uncle Might."

"Oh wow, that's amazing…"

Midoriya blinked, his thoughts snagging.

Wait, Yukiko and Jiro helped her plan the trip?

His gaze fell on them, drifting first to the shorter girl of the pair as he really took in their appearances for the first time.

Opaque black leggings and an oversized violet sweater was Kyoka's outfit of choice; the sweater's hem hung at her mid-thighs like a dress, while its off-the-shoulder design revealed an onyx tank top's straps. She completed her outfit with a choker and ankle boots, both stylishly punk rock.

Yukiko, meanwhile, wore a beanie, zip-up sweater, and joggers. Every piece was black, save the distinctive red and white stripe on the right sleeve of her sweater. It also had some sort of emblem—a letter and number, maybe. He couldn't quite see it through the thick black and icy-white highlighted tresses draping over her right shoulder and chest.

Both looked fairly amused and satisfied by the events. The obvious conclusion finally dawned on Midoriya.

"Wait, so this is why you asked me to wait for you!"

"Surprise," the rocker girl said.

"Heyyy. Why did you tell Himiko but not the rest of us girls?" Uraraka asked.

"First key to keeping a secret: Limit how many people know it," Igarashi pointed out rationally. Then shrugged. "Besides, I only told her a little while ago. Melissa wanted to surprise all of you."

"Oh! Well, you definitely succeeded!" Uraraka declared happily. "It's so good to see you, Melissa."

"You, too, Ochaco. And you must be Yukiko's friend and the new student in 1-B. Himiko Toga, right?"

"That's me!" said Himiko, making peace signs in a cute greeting. "Nice to meet you!"

"Likewise, Toga. And thank you for helping me surprise Deku."

"Glad I could help."

"Hmph, I'm sure you are," Yukiko smirked roguishly. "Kissing Ochaco was certainly a way to keep Midoriya distracted. Not what I had in mind, but still effective."

Toga and Uraraka flushed. The former of the pair pressed her hands to her cheeks and wiggled in place.

"C'mon, give me a break, Yuyu. I panicked! It was the only thing I could think of to get Izuku's attention and cover her mouth without making it super obvious I was trying to buy time!"

"Mmhm," she hummed mischievously. "Well, I guess we should be grateful you used your hand to cover her mouth. Would've needed to call emergency services for at least half our classmates if you had used your lips instead."

Uraraka squeaked and covered her mouth with her hands. Himiko covered her face by crossing her arms in front of it, groaning in embarrassment, but even then Midoriya was pretty sure she was smiling.

"Let's not invoke further dark urges. There are children present," Tokoyami reminded stoically as he skated by.

Uraraka squeaked again, louder.

She'd forgotten that not only were there children present, but their classmates were, too!

"Sorry," Himiko apologized, muffled by her sleeves.

"Although," Tokoyami mused, smiling, "given the success of this surprise, I'd say Toga rolled a natural twenty on distract. Well done."

"Ribbit. You even distracted some of our classmates, too," Tsuyu said as she passed. "There were a few collisions. Some even slipped and fell."

"…Totally worth it," Himiko muttered.

"By the way, I'm glad you're here, Melissa. Ribbit."

"Tsu, Tokoyami, it's nice to see you both again."

"Agreed," said Tokoyami. "A friendly face is always a welcome sight."

"C'mon," Kyoka lightly nudged her elbow into Yukiko's side. "Let's go rent some skates and join the others. Didn't come all this way to stand on the sidelines and freeze our butts off, did we? Besides, we can finally introduce ourselves to Tsu's siblings."

"True," Yukiko agreed. "We'll see you on the ice, Melissa. Midoriya."

"See you there," Melissa smiled.

Himiko leaned closer to Uraraka, as though to share a secret.

"If you ask me, I think Kyoka's only worried about Yukiko's butt freezing off," she whispered at just the right volume so they would all hear it.

Uraraka looked scandalized. Midoriya tensed on instinct, for good reason.

Two elongated earlobes whistled around him.

With agility and grace, Himiko quickly pushed off the barrier, ducking low beneath one Earphone Jack, then altering course and gliding backwards on one foot in a graceful arc to evade the second.

Midoriya wasn't alone in his awe at her fluid movements or amazing balance; Uraraka and Melissa felt it, too, as did the passing skaters. Yukiko observed quietly, impressed but unsurprised.

Cheeks flushed, Jiro grunted in annoyance, retracting her earlobes and withdrawing from her pursuit. For now.

"You won't be able to run forever, you know," Kyoka warned.

"Hehehe!" Toga giggled while twirling up to her full height and onto both skates.

She halted suddenly and rested both arms over her belly, smiling in pure delight. And with a cunning gleam in her cat-like eyes.

"I can see why Yuyu likes you, Kyoka. You're pretty cute when you're all hot and bothered. It's getting me all hot under the collar, too," she purred dangerously.

"Yukiko, is there anything important I should know?" the rocker girl asked.

She was plotting her next attack, Midoriya sensed, meeting Himiko's gaze without wavering.

"Hmm, I suppose there is. Figured I'd tell you later, honestly. I didn't think you'd want to do this in front of so many people."

"Just spit it out."

"All right. I really appreciate you, Kyoka."

Midoriya's eyes widened. Uraraka's heart melted. Himiko giggled warmly.

"Oh my," Melissa gasped, pressing a hand over her heart.

Were they about to witness a love confession?!

Kyoka whirled on the High Voltage wielder, her face flushing as red as All Might's Silver Age costume.

"Wha- what?"

"I really appreciate you," she repeated sincerely, and as though it were obvious.

"Where is this even coming from? Why are you saying this now?" Jiro wondered, an anxious tremble afflicting her voice.

"You asked me if there was anything important you should know. I've never been one for beating around the bush," Yukiko said, shrugging. "Been on my mind for a while. I was planning to tell you while we were skating, but then you sprang the question on me out of the blue, so I decided to go for it. Do or die."

"That isn't what I… I mean, I didn't know you were thinking about that, too… It's just…"

Jiro threaded her fingers through her dark-purple tresses, behind her ears. She grit her teeth, poked her Earphone Jacks together, and searched for a steady beat to hold to.

"Dammit, Yukiko, I was asking for important advice to pay Himiko back!"

Yukiko let the corner of her lip rise.

"Oh. Huh, my mistake. Well, anyway, let's go get rent skates. Didn't come here just to freeze our butts off, right?" she said, turning and sauntering off.

"See you two on the ice," she added over her shoulder.

"He- Hey! Wait up!" Kyoka hurried after her. "You don't get to just say that kind of stuff and walk off!"

"S'pose I was hoping to give you a better view."

Yukiko's voice painted her grin vividly in his mind's eye.

Flustered, Kyoka didn't hesitate to leap onto the taller girl's back and place her in a playful chokehold.

"How's this for a better view!"

"Not precisely how I imagined you ending up on top of— Gah, hey, hehehe!" Yukiko chuckled.

"That's enough of that."

"And yet you're smiling."

"Shut up."

"Hmhm."

Yukiko hooked her arms around Kyoka's legs and continued to walk towards the rental station.

"…I appreciate you, too."

"Let's go, Ochaco," Himiko skated closer and tugged his classmate by the hand.

"Oh, right. See you two soon!" she said brightly, waving before skating off.

Midoriya watched both groups build distance, smiling in equal parts amusement and bemusement at the strange situation.

"Well, it seems they've left us alone," Melissa observed, straddling the same state of amusement and bemusement as him.

"Heh, yeah," he agreed, exhaling an oddly relieved laugh. "Jiro probably wanted to give us a private moment to catch up, but I get the feeling it didn't go exactly as she planned. To put it mildly."

"Maybe, but I have a feeling she doesn't mind."

"You think so?" he wondered curiously.

"Mmhm," she hummed, a knowing smile on her lips. "Call it a hunch."

"I suppose Toga's teasing did sort of lead to Igarashi expressing her heartfelt appreciation," he considered. "I shouldn't be surprised it was on her mind, after everything that happened…"

Wading through the darkness beneath the Shie Hassaikai compound, each of their brushes with death…

No, he shouldn't have been surprised at all. Those same thoughts of appreciation, admiration, and affection were on his mind, for all those he held dear. As they were with Kirishima, and everyone else who had been apart of their battle to save Eri.

"Anyway, how was the trip from I-Island to Japan? I hope everything went smoothly on the way over," Izuku said.

"It did," she nodded. "So far I haven't had any unusual excitement like yours and Uncle Might's trip to I-Island."

"Excitement is certainly a word for it," he chuckled.

"Chaos would probably be more appropriate, huh?" she asked, amused.

"A little, yeah. Still, even though the party didn't go as we expected, every other part of our trip to I-Island was wonderful. And I hope your trip here will be, too."

"I have a good feeling it will be."

"Another hunch?" Izuku asked with a smile.

"Mmhm," she hummed pleasantly, and knowingly.

And he was wholly and absolutely charmed.

"I do want to apologize, though," she added.

Midoriya tilted his head.

"Apologize? What for?"

"When Yukiko and Kyoka saw what I had intended to wear… Well, let's just say I was a little over-prepared for an ice rink," she said, a hint of an embarrassed smile lifting the corner of her lips. "They were kind enough to take me shopping for more weather-appropriate attire. But, as a result, I've kept you waiting longer than I hoped."

She looked past him, to the ice rink.

"I can tell by everyone's smiling faces how much fun they're having together. Meanwhile you've had to wait on the sidelines in the cold, without really knowing why. In hindsight, I should've asked Kyoka to tell you to join them while you waited, that way I still could've surprised you without being so selfish. I'm sorry about that, Deku."

"You don't need to apologize. It wasn't selfish at all. Really. This surprise… It's been perfect, honestly," he said, voice softening.

To call it perfect likely sounded hyperbolic. At least he would've felt that way, had he been in Melissa's position instead. Then again, he would've been worrying just as much about being selfish or, worse, feeling as though he'd burdened someone he cared about.

Half-turning to look back at the rink, he took in the peaceful scene of his classmates skating together. The feeling it left him, mingling together with the warmth and buzzing Melissa's surprised provided…

Perfect was the only word Midoriya could think of. He didn't know how else to say it. Not succinctly, anyway. Nevertheless, he tried.

"It may sound strange, but I've had fun watching everyone skate together," he admitted. "Seeing them unwind like this, it's helped me relax, too, loosening this tight spring I've felt inside me. Little by little. Feels like I've finally come up for air after… I don't know. With everything that's happened lately, it feels like forever since I was able to breathe.

"Besides, I may have been standing on the sidelines, but I wasn't alone. Kirishima and Kaminari checked on me right before you arrived, and so did a few of my other classmates when they first began skating."

He smiled as he looked at her again.

"So, please, don't worry about it. Waiting gave me time to think. And this surprise was completely worth the wait. That you're here now, it's more than I ever could've hoped for."

Melissa smiled, blushed, and glanced away, briefly.

"You're being too sweet."

"Uh, am I?" He rubbed the back of his neck, heat rushing to his face and throughout his body. "I hope I didn't make things awkward. You'd think I would've learned after making Kaminari and Kirishima feel weird. I know Kirishima said it was all right, and that a man is supposed to speak from his heart, but maybe I took it a bit far. I've always been pretty awkward, but I'm just really grateful—"

Melissa poked the tip of his nose.

"Deku."

"Hu- Huh?"

"I'm glad we're both here today."

In that moment, the shadowy vignette shading his periphery ceased to darken the corners of his world. They ebbed away, like the tide steadily returning to sea, until all he could see was the light of life in her eyes, and an affection that reached out and held his weary and wounded spirit.

An affection that said,

"I am here, and I'm glad you are, too."

They were such simple words, and yet…

Midoriya felt his throat tighten a little. His eyes watered. Had anyone asked, however, he would've said it was the result of the cold air, and it only lasted a brief moment, so it was nothing to worry about. Really.

Brief as it was, his lips trembled as their corners lifted.

"Me, too."

Melissa slipped her right arm behind her back, clasping her left at the elbow.

"You mentioned before that waiting gave you time to think. May I ask what about?"

"Oh, sure. I was… Well, I suppose I was processing my work study."

"The raid on the Shie Hassaikai, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded once. "All the days leading up to it, struggling with the frustration, guilt, regret, then everything that happened that day—lately it's all I can think of. In some ways its made me more determined to reach my goal. I want to be a Hero who saves people with a smile, who always saves everyone, and always wins. Just like All Might.

"In other way's, though," he frowned, "it's made me confront some unpleasant contradictions in our society. And within myself. So much of our world ignores the discrimination and suffering heteromorphs and Quirkless people endure. It just isn't a headline. At least not until something horrible happens.

"As a result, we—our society, I mean—end up pushing people towards Villainy, whether intentionally or accidentally. We push them away, with our distrustful gazes, or by calling their Quirks weird, Villainous, or monstrous their entire lives."

The same could be said of Quirkless people, he wanted to say. He knew that firsthand. After all, his entire life he'd been looked at as and called a useless person. That's usually what they meant when they called him Quirkless. When they looked at him with their sad expressions, and whispered about how unfortunate he was. And Melissa likely knew those gazes and harsh words just as intimately as he did.

No one had ever considered if they were pushing him closer to a ledge or not. They never considered if their words might break his heart, or push him towards Villainy.

But, then, he hadn't considered how his actions might affect Yukiko, either. So he wasn't in much of a position to judge, he supposed.

"I've always loved Heroes," he continued, wringing his gloved hands. "Yet I was so caught up in the lights and glamor that I didn't see any of the shadows. Even when they were right in front of me. It wasn't until we met The Guardian of Light that I feel like I finally began to see it all—the cracks in our society, the gray in the world, and the war we were being prepared to fight."

His eyes drifted from Yukiko, lacing up her skates beside Jiro, and then to Toga, skating backwards as she held both of Uraraka's hands, swaying their arms and her hips to the music.

The cracks and the gray had been right in front of him. He'd experienced it.

So, how had he failed to recognize it?

How could he ever think of calling himself a Hero, when he couldn't even save a single friend? When emotional dilemmas and personal issues stopped him from reaching a hand out to someone who needed it?

"I want to be a Hero who can save everyone. It's what I've always dreamt of. And yet… I still only thought of people as either a Hero or a Villain, each standing on clearly defined, binary lines. Good and evil. Light and shadow. As though people are so simple. As though we don't all carry our own lights and shadows within ourselves. I should've known better. I had plenty of shadows, too."

So did All Might. I just didn't know it until we met. Yet I still made such a huge mistake.

"It feels so childish now,' he added. "Trying to divide and define people into such strict categories, like I was separating sweet confections from a spicy hotpot.

"So, I've been wondering, if Amaririsu hadn't taught us those lessons, would I have seen the shades of gray in Yukiko's or Toga's lives? Would I have tried to save them from their dark paths? Would I have seen them as worthy of redemption without Amaririsu's help? Would I have seen the cracks in our society, or desired to fix them?"

Or would he have become just another cog in an old wheel, upholding the status quo without questioning anything. Simply because he was living his dream and benefiting from it.

He wanted to believe he'd still try. He wanted to believe he would have seen it, eventually.

But the boy who entered U.A. had been too naïve and too blinded by the glamor, so…

"I've been asking myself these questions ever since we rescued Eri and learned the truth about her situation. And Toga's, of course," he explained. "Some of it was on my mind before, actually, but the raid brought every piece into focus. I've had a hard time wrestling with it all, honestly," he added, rubbing the back of his neck

"It sounds that way. But, you know," Melissa stepped closer, "that you're asking yourself those questions tells me you're already becoming the very Hero you just described."

"Really? You think so?"

"I do," she said, stopping beside him. "You're being critical of yourself, striving to improve so you can embody the Hero you wish to be. That's not entirely a bad thing, Deku. Looking back at the way you were, looking at the way you are now, and looking ahead to the way you wish to be can be a way to measure your growth as a Hero and as a person.

"Right now, when you look back, you're seeing where you began. You say you were blinded by the lights and glamor. Looking at it from that perspective, you believe you weren't the perfect embodiment of the Hero you've always dreamt of becoming.

"To use a gaming term, that just means you started at level one, right?" she posed the question. "At the start of the school year, some of your classmates would've had more experience and a better understanding of their Quirks than others. Like Todoroki, since he entered on recommendations.

"Meanwhile, a student like Yukiko possessed a sharper understanding of our society—she has seen both sides of it, as the daughter of a respected Pro Hero, and from her time as a delinquent. Students like Momo and Iida had different starting points: they had a wealth of curricular knowledge attained through their advanced studies, and the opportunities their respective familial circumstances provided. Like me because of my dad.

"These experiences altered the leaderboard, so to speak," Melissa said, gesturing with her hands to indicate two spots on said leaderboard, growing and shrinking the distances as she spoke.

"It may have provided an edge here or there, or equipped them with knowledge you or someone else didn't start with. Like selecting a special perk at the start of a game. And that's okay. That's why you're attending U.A. High School, after all. Your teachers, your training, even your classmates—they're all meant to help you on your way to becoming a Hero.

"Look at how much you've already learned in your first year. To keep to our gaming metaphor, you've gained a lot of experience, and in the process attained new skills and knowledge to prepare you for the next challenge."

"Yeah, but… I made so many big mistakes when I started. I didn't see the things I should have," he said softly.

Melissa turned her head, smiled at him. "Nobody is perfect, Deku. Whether they're a Hero or Villain, or whether they have a Quirk or are Quirkless, everybody makes mistakes. Myself included. It's how we all learn.

"Besides, even if the boy who started at U.A. wouldn't have seen the gray, you do. You now see how circumstances forced Yukiko and Toga onto darker paths than you or I. You see the cracks in our society. Papa always says the first step to fixing any problem is realizing there is one. That goes for fixing society, and for self-improvement.

"So don't be too harsh on yourself, okay? Self-inflicted pain—whether it's emotional or physical—as a form of penance never fixes anything. It only leaves more wounds to heal. Trust me."

He did. And more than anything else he hoped he might someday help her find a salve for those self-inflicted wounds. Because she had found a salve for his.

Hearing Melissa lay it all out like that… It was the first time in a while the anxious questions nipping at his heels, dogging his steps, demanding to know how he could ever consider himself a Hero after the mistakes he'd made simply…disappeared.

He'd been so busy chastising himself, fixated on where he had started and who he had been that he couldn't see something so painfully obvious.

He wasn't the same feeble, naïve boy who inherited All Might's Quirk.

Those mistakes were apart of his growth as a person and Hero. They pushed him ahead, provided new perspectives through the eyes of his classmates, teachers, and even the Villains they'd since faced.

However, as usual, he gotten so lost in his own mind, wondering how things may have been different if he hadn't learned, if he hadn't grown, that he hadn't realized that he had learned.

He had grown.

He had moved forward, climbing the leaderboard without ever realizing it.

He still had more room to grow. More to learn, too. However, until now he'd only seen how far he'd come in controlling One For All, and not how he had changed since those halcyon days in the spring when his journey at U.A. began.

It should have been obvious. Then again, so should have using his legs to attack and channeling One For All throughout his whole body, but nobody was perfect.

"Melissa… Thank you," Midoriya said.

"I'm glad I could help, even if only a little."

"It was more than a little. Really."

He wished he had something better to say. Something that expressed how she'd helped calm the storm within his heart and mind, how she cleared the fog of uncertainty and helped him see where he was and where he wanted to go.

Something that expressed how deeply grateful he was for her support, and for being here. For surprising him so wonderfully. Something more than a simple thank you. But he couldn't find the right words, try as he might.

When her gloved hand brushed against his, though, and her pointer finger curled around his pinky, he felt in his fluttering heart that she knew.

Nervously, gently, he took Melissa's hand into his own, and hoped beyond hope she couldn't feel his trembling.

I'm holding a girl's hand.

I'm holding Melissa's hand!

Skating no longer seemed possible. His legs were weak, wobbly, and he was pretty sure someone had buried his feet in cement when he wasn't looking. His heart was also pounding against his chest, in his ears; in fact, he was becoming more and more certain he was suffering a heart attack.

It wouldn't have been a bad way to die, all things considered.

Against all odds he survived, somehow. So Midoriya savored every wonderful pulse of his heart, every flutter of the butterflies in his stomach her smile gave him, and the weak feeling in his once powerful legs, capable of pulverizing bone and destroying concrete before her hand held his.

He savored the sudden surge of those funny feelings he'd denied, coursing through him like one million percent of One For All. And though the air had a chill to it, in that moment he didn't feel it's bite in the slightest.

How could he when in the presence of a sun?

"Care to join me on the ice, Deku?" Melissa asked, smiling her affectionate smile.

Midoriya smiled, nodded.

"Yeah. Let's go."


Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia, nor do I make any profit from the writing of this fan fiction. My Hero Academia is written by Kōhei Horikoshi and published by Shueisha and Viz Media. All copyrights belong to their respective owners. This is merely a fan creation. Please support the official release.

A/N: Hey everybody, thanks for reading!

If this is your first time reading anything I've written and you would like to read more about some the events talked about in this story, feel free to head on over to my Naruto and My Hero short story crossover called My Shinobi Academia: The Legend of the Guardian of Light to see more of Yukiko, Kyoka, Midoriya, and the Leaf shinobi Amaririsu.

For those who have already read that, I hope you enjoyed another peak into this version of the My Hero world.

For anyone wondering about the status of Amari's story and its continuation, I'm still hard at work writing the Shippuden part, so no worries there. I'm hoping to get something out this year at some point, but I don't have a real solid date on when that may be—as I said, I'm hoping, but I don't know for certain if I'll achieve that goal yet. I am trying my best to, though. So, hopefully I'll see you all there whenever I start posting it. I'll do my best to make it worth the wait.

This story is also cross-posted on Ao3 under the same profile name.

Anyway, thank you again for reading!