Musutafu Apartment Complex

After a plane ride from Tokyo, the Yagi's, Bakugo and Melissa were back in the former's home town. It was so Toshinori and Inko could be a short distance away from the kids when they started high school in a few days, though Toshinori and Inko were less than thrilled about it.

Melissa, on the other hand, was excited to see her friends' neck of the woods. Sure, it was a hellhole for a time, but restoration efforts have made great strides. Surely, the three of them could spend their last few days before U.A. looking around town, having fun and making memories to tell her dad.

"I'm going back to my parents, see ya." Katsuki waved without looking back. Izumi was behind him. Melissa tried following them. "Hey, can I come? I'd like to meet your parents, Kacchan."

The spiky blonde and the greenette stopped out the door. "This is none of your business." Izumi snapped with venom. Melissa recoiled, she had never received such cold resignation from someone she calls family. Or at least, called family. Without another word, Bakugo and Yagi left the quirkless behind to stew in her loneliness. Again.

Scorched Graveyard

A train ride from the apartment, Izumi and Katsuki arrived at their destination. The former's old home, and the demolished rubble that was her deceased family members' final resting place. This area was too damaged for new homes to built without risk of collapse. Some feared that living there would allow the devil to "possess a host". When someone can do apparently anything, people fear they'll do anything.

"Hi... Dad. Grandma." Izumi said. Katsuki was there for emotional support as she tried to confront the past. Mostly. Unfortunately, the portraits of Nana, Hisashi and Izuku were all burned up in the Green Devil's fire. Poor thing didn't have anything to mourn them with. Part of her wished she followed Izuku's example. When he was alive, didn't let a day go by without praying to Hisashi and Nana.

"U.A. is right around the corner. We're looking forward to becoming great heroes. Just watch us. I wish it wasn't from above, I wish you could have a front row seat, Dad, Grandma. And Izuku... just sit back and watch, like you should have. Then you'd still be here." Suddenly, there was a gust of wind, blowing dust into them and away from the deceased.

Izuku's Bathroom

Izuku sighed as he let his toned, rugged, scarred, lean yet muscular, perfectly sculpted near naked body relax in the hot water of his bathtub (yes, he bathes with his gauntlets. Nezu hasn't given him the key to remove them yet). This was a tactical retreat from Midnight's persistent teasing about his friendship with Nejire Hado. The dominatrix said, and these are her exact words, "That Hado, her curiosity is insatiable, and she's especially drawn to you."

'Tch. Dammit Midnight, she's just trying to get a rise out of me. Hado and I are just friends, that alone is far more than I could ask for.' He exhaled his frustrations and tried closing his eyes. Though his body was still, his mind was not.

A basic necessity like a bath still felt strange to him. It was a massive upgrade from the blood baths he endured on the streets and in middle school. Dammit, here come the flashbacks.

The time Izuku was reduced to a barely conscious, smoldering heap by Bakugo, and thrown into Aldera's small koi pond by his thoughtful twin sister to "Cool off and clean up". He didn't come back up by choice, but because his tormentors weren't done with him yet. The fact that his parents believed that he made trouble for himself but never did any investigation, only sent him to his room, was maddening beyond words.

The water in Izuku's bath grew hotter, bubbling and filling the entire bathroom in a thick, scolding steam. He didn't care. He was too caught up in his pain to notice.

His quirk cooled down as a more recent memory surfaced. One that made him feel hatred of himself. This one wasn't very clear. He remembers collapsing on the ground after fighting off a gang of criminals. It was when society was collapsing as a result of his actions. He was so exhausted, he couldn't keep up his flames anymore, and his face was revealed. He felt weak, open to attack.

"Are you alright?" a voice asked. Izuku's head whipped to where it came from. He saw a family of four. A mother, a father, a daughter and her older brother. And it terrified him. Adrenaline was running high. He clutched his chest, hyperventilating and scrambling to back away from the confused and worried people.

"Hey, easy." the mother would say, but Izuku didn't register her words. He watched as the son approached him apprehensively. What he didn't know is that the boy had a healing quirk, but Izuku's panic overtook him and caused him to hallucinate. He saw an Aldera uniform on the boy, approaching him with smokey palms and a wicked grin.

"Back..." he muttered.

The boy stopped, but he was already too close. "I'm trying to help y-"

"Shut up! Back off!!" Izuku screamed as he jumped to his feet and wielded a searing hot blade from his right hand. He lunged at the family with his weapon.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!!!"

...

When he came to, he was standing alone, covered in blood, surrounded by green flames and the dismembered, charred, lifeless bodies of the family that only showed him compassion. He only vaguely remembers screaming, desperate pleading for mercy and roaring fire. He lost his mind. It wasn't the first and it won't be the last.

...

Izuku hated these memories, but he wouldn't forget them if he could. They're what fuel him, they're part of him. The past shouldn't be forgotten.

He unplugged the drain and climbed out of the bath. When he opened the door, his entire room became a steam room. He opened the sliding screen door to his balcony to air the place out. He lied down on his bed with just a towel around his waist. He was about to fall asleep, but a vibration on his phone grabbed his attention.

[Nejire: Can we spar yet?]

The storm brewing inside of Izuku gave way for a faint ray of light to peer through.

[Izuku: Ready when you are.]

[Nejire: Gym Gamma!?]

[Izuku: I'd prefer it.]

His memories shouldn't be forgotten, but they can take a backseat every once in a while.

The Next Day

"Uhhh...!" Nejire groaned as she shook her head. "You okay?" Izuku asked next to the sooty senior student. Nejire shook her head, and had a look of amazement.

"That was awesome! You were awesome! Explosions, andEndeavor's moves! You just keep me guessing!" the bluenette gushed.

"You surprised me, too. It didn't take you long to refine what I taught you into a new move."

Nejire smiled brightly. "Yup! My Nejire Pike is sharp, quick and dangerous. Thanks for helping me improve, Izuku! But I have a question: when I caught you, you just made everything blow up around me without lifting a finger. It was like you set the air on fire!"

"When you parried my attacks, they didn't disappear. My power was still lingering around as embers. I'm able to reignite them at will, and you were in the middle of a whole cluster of explosions." Izuku offered his hand to help Nejire sit up. "If I want to beat someone stronger than me, I have to get creative."

Nejire hadn't gone above 50%, even so that was still a high level of power she was working with, and Izuku outmatched it at 10%. Hado shook off the pain and stared at him in wonder. "Holy crap! What can't you do!?"

All of a sudden, a brown and white blur shot past Nejire and collided with Izuku. The latter put up his arms to block a rabbit's foot to the face. The force of the surprise attack sent him sliding a few feet on his feet. "Apparently, commit to one sparring partner!"

'!' Izuku stopped skidding and had a brief look of surprise on his face. 'Is she... upset I haven't been beating her up recently?' he wondered. Mirko's playfully aggressive smile was nowhere to be seen, same with her battle smile. It was a scowl and a glare, even most villains don't get to see such a scorn-filled look on her.

'I'm not sure I'll ever understand her. But...' Izuku kept his arms up defensively, green flames igniting in his palms. "I've still got another round in me, you know." That seemed to be just what she wanted to hear. Mirko licked her lips as her battle-hungry grin returned. "You're gonna wish you hadn't said that, brat...! Outta my way, Blue Hair, he's mine now!"

Mirko lunged past Nejire and at Izuku. The Surge user did as the Rabbit Hero said and moved herself out of the ring with help of her quirk keeping her a few inches above the ground. She moved backwards towards the wall to watch the two clash.

'Izuku's fought Mirko, too? I wonder how many times? Was she having a bad day? She looked mad when she showed up, but smiled when Izuku said he'd fight her. I wonder if this is her favorite way to blow off some steam?' Nejire's train of thought came to a halt as she bumped into something. It wasn't a wall like she was expecting, but instead a pair of long lady legs. She looked up and saw the newest faculty member and soon-to-be heroics teacher of the first years: Lady Nagant.

The multi-color-haired woman had a stern look on her face with her arms crossed, making Nejire feel like she just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Uh, h-hi Ms N-Nagant. H-How a-are you, today?" Kaina didn't immediately answer, and lifted up Hado to her feet.

"Could be better," Kaina said nonchalantly. "So, you lost your round with him, huh?"

Nejire calmed down and answered. "Yeah, though I didn't go all-out, he caught me off guard. Hey, you were in the same prison as Izuku, right? Did you two get along?" Kaina scratched the back of her head. "Well, he was the only one who didn't make me want to gag or fill with holes, so I guess."

Nejire giggled a little. "So your quirk is Sniper. You and Mr Snipe are great at long range. Ever consider teaming up?" Nagant's face morphed into a scowl as soon as Snipe was mentioned. Nejire recoiled and retracted her question.

"Your hair is used to make bullets harder than concrete, so how is it so soft-looking and flowy? You're like Izuku, I thought the smoke from his fire would make it all spiky and rough, but it's softer than my pillows. Does it hurt ripping off your hair? If you were to lift weights with your right arm, would it improve your quirk some way? Like a faster cycle rate. What if-"

'Izuku was right, she's a weird one.' Nagant thought through Nejire's seemingly endless questions.

20 minutes later

Mirko and Izuku were still trading blows and Nejire was still asking Nagant questions. The latter was wondering if these stamina freaks ever needed a break. "Okay! I'm stopping this now." the indigo and pink-haired woman declared as she walked towards Izuku and Mirko who were fighting in close quarters.

Nejire was surprised. "You're going to stop them? How? Aren't they both stronger than you? No offense."

Kaina stopped in her tracks. "Kid, are you forgetting? I'm a teacher, and here at U.A..." she paused and looked at Nejire over her shoulder with a familiar devious grin. "We run things however we see fit." The elation Kaina felt when Nezu and Aizawa informed her of that. Lady Nagant painlessly pulled strands of her hair, twisted it into a pointed bullet, and readied her sniper arm and aimed at the rabbit and the demon child.

Bang!*

Everyone froze as the sound of a bullet being fired echoed through the gym. Izuku and Mirko were motionless as a purple blur shot right past their faces and impaled the opposite wall. When the initial shock wore off, Mirko growled at the marksman. "What the hell...!?"

Nagant spoke in a calm, authoritarian manner. "You two are bloody and bruised. I don't need you killing each other. To the infirmary, all of you." She turned back to Nejire, who had her own injuries she had forgotten about. Without another word, the three of them followed her to the nurse's office.

'I'm glad she's not my teacher, but she's a good fit for Izuku. They're both scary!' Nejire thought.

...

"...U.A. is much bigger than I thought it would be." a white-haired woman said, standing outside the intimidating gate of the best hero school in the country. To add another layer to her unease, it was her dear husband, Endeavor's school. But Rei pushed down those feelings, remembering why she was here: to wish Izuku good luck for his entrance exam personally.

Rei raised her visitor's pass to the gate sensor and was immediately granted access to the school grounds. Hopefully, she could find someone to direct her to the teachers dormitory.

At the same time, a bright blue ball of positivity was flying through the air, ready to depart for her calling as a hero in training. 'Just two more days until Izuku is officially my junior! I'm sure he'll pass the test! He studied so much, I think he knows more than the teachers! I'm sure he'll- hm? Who's that?' Her eyes wandered to an unfamiliar head of white hair. Curiosity overtaking her, as usual, Nejire made a detour to talk to the new face on campus.

Rei was startled when a girl in a brightly colored hero costume suddenly landed in front of her. "Hey, are you looking for someone? I haven't seen you before." she asked.

Rei shook off the surprise and spoke. "Y-Yes, can you help me find the teachers dorm?" Nejire smiled and nodded. "Sure, follow me!"

And so she did. Rei followed the bubbly student to where she needed to be, and on the way caught her looking at her hair. "I like your hair." Nejire said plainly after being caught. Rei blushed slightly. "T-Thank you, I like yours as well, miss."

"Oh! Sorry, my name's Nejire. What's yours?" "I'm Rei," the ice woman held out her hand for a handshake, which the energetic girl eagerly accepted. "Nice to meet you, Nejire." "You too, Rei!"

They continued walking down the path to the dorms. "So about your hair, is it naturally white or did you dye it? I have a friend who dyed his hair white. Is it because of your quirk? Because you don't look old enough to have all-white hair because of age."

"It's my quirk. I've had snow-white hair since I was born, and I have an ice quirk." Rei demonstrated by creating a veil of frost from her palm. Nejire's eyes lit up.

"Wow! That's a great power! I bet it helps when your refrigerator is down. Does overusing it give you hypothermia? How much can you produce before you need a rest? I'd love to see it. Oh! By the way, are you going to be a teacher here? Is that why your going to the teachers dorms? What grade? Hm? Did I say something funny?"

Rei was giggling, confusing Nejire. Her laughter wasn't mean-hearted in the least. She paused to take a breath. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to talk down to you or anything, it's just... you're endearing. That child-like wonder of yours is refreshing, especially since my youngest son is a teenager already."

Nejire's eyes brightened as her mouth hung slightly. A lot of adults have called her "motor mouth" personality annoying. A bright smile quickly found its way on her face. "You're like my friend, you're both really nice! I wonder if he thinks I'm endearing." Rei chuckled again. "I'm sure he does, dear."

After a pleasant walk, they arrived at Rei's destination. "Thank you very much for helping me." Rei bowed respectfully. "It's no problem! It was great talking to you, Ms Rei. Well, I've got hero work to do, byyeee!" Nejire waved and flew off.

Rei stood outside the large doors of the dormitory and raised her hand to knock. "Ow." She retracted her fist when her finger knuckles didn't connect with wood, but with a forehead. The door opened a second before she could knock.

By the person who could sense her from the third floor. "Oh! Sorry Izuku, I didn't mean to hit you." Rei apologized, but Izuku brushed it off. "It's fine, but what are you doing here? I wasn't expecting a visitor."

Rei took out her visitor's pass from her bag and displayed it proudly. "Midnight sent me this in the mail, I guess it was a surprise." Izuku smiled. 'I'll thank her later.'

...

Izuku brought Rei up to the large room on the third floor. He made tea while Hawks, Midnight and Nagant were chatting with Rei.

"Tomorrow? Really?" Rei gasped in surprise. She knew Izuku's entrance exam was around the corner, but not that he was on the edge of writing it. The other adults didn't seem concerned though.

"There's no reason to worry," Midnight assured her. "He spends hours a day nose deep in textbooks."

Kaina nodded. "He's already strong as hell, so unlike others, he only has to worry about learning. And given how quick he picks things up, I wouldn't be surprised if he knows more than the teachers." she smirked.

"Well I, for one, am worried," Hawks raised his hand. "Worried about his classmates' self-esteem. They're gonna left in the dust by a middle school dropout."

"I heard that," Izuku said, coming in with a tray of teacups, sugar, honey and a kettle of jasmine tea. "You're the last person I want to hear from about leaving school due to quirk-related circumstances, Keigo."

Hawks gasped dramatically and placed a hand on his chest. He directed his shocked gaze to the smirking Lady Nagant. "You told him my name!?"

"We had a lot of chats sharing tiny in Tartarus." Izuku answered.

Rei smiled at the relationships Izuku found himself with. "It seems I didn't have to come and wish you the best, after all." Izuku passed her a cup of tea. "Maybe, but it's always nice to see you." he said earnestly. Rei smiled and accepted the cup. She found it delicious.

"I'm your classmates are going to be as pleasant as the adults you trust. In fact, two minutes after I entered, a girl with very long blue hair, wearing a blue hero outfit helped me get here. She was delightful company."

The atmosphere in the room changed. Izuku choked on his tea, Midnight's eyes sparkled with delight, Hawks stifled a laugh and Nagant rolled her eyes.

"Y-You ran into Hado?" Izuku asked. "I believe she said she wants you, Izuku, to call her by her given name: Nejire!" Midnight said with too much enthusiasm. Rei's eyes widened. First name basis. That's interesting.

"Yup, Nejire's gonna be Izuku's upperclassman. The two of them have gotten pretty close, even trading numbers." Hawks said, tempting Izuku to make some hot wings for dinner.

Rei laughed slightly with closed eyes. "I see, it must be nice having a friend. That's what she called you." Izuku nodded. "Yeah, a great friend." He relished in how deflated Hawks and Midnight looked at that statement.

...

Rei had a wonderful time, talking with Izuku and his guardians, things like the Sports Festival and the Cultural Festival the ice woman could hopefully attend. Unfortunately, Rei had to go back to the hospital as she was still under their care. But since her mental health is improving every day, that won't be the case for much longer, and she would visit again to celebrate Izuku passing his exam.

Izuku opted to walk her to the gate to make sure she didn't get lost. On the way, they ran into Nejire again, who was happy to wave Rei goodbye with Izuku. However, she stopped and realized something. "Oh! Before I forget, I have something for you." She fished through her bag for a few moments before pulling out a rectangular object in wrapping paper.

"Rei, you didn't have to get me anything." Izuku said.

"I did have to get you this, and it's something you need. Please take it." Rei held out the gift, Izuku accepted and began tearing through the wrapping paper.

"Oooh, what is it?" Nejire asked.

Izuku realized it was a picture frame, and paused when he saw curly black hair. He looked up to Rei, questioning eyes, but she just nodded for him to keep going. Izuku slowly tore away at the paper, revealing a framed photo of a man with black curly hair, freckles across his cheeks and nose, warm green eyes and an easygoing smile. He stood proudly with his arms crossed in a male nurse's uniform. The plaque at the bottom of the frame identified the man as Hisashi Midoriya.

"I'm sure he'd want to see you just before you do something that'll make everyone around you proud." Rei said, though Izuku stood motionless and staring at the portrait of his father. Nejire beside him had her wide eyes darting between Rei, Izuku and the portrait of the man that looked like an older version of Izuku.

"I hope you like-" Rei was cut off by Izuku moving at near light speed to give the mother a hug. Rei felt his tears seeping through her clothes as she held him. They stayed like that a few minutes. Rei rubbed his back. "I know you miss him. From what I hear, he was a wonderful father. I know he's very proud of who you're becoming."

Izuku sniffled and strengthened his hug, almost squeezing Rei. "...thank you, Mom... so much..."

Finally, they separated. Izuku's eyes were producing a lot of tears, more than he thought he ever would again. Rei had a few of her own to wipe away. "I'll see you tomorrow. Please take care." With that, Izuku's mother left him and his upperclassman for the evening.

Izuku received a tap on his shoulder from Nejire. For once, she was rendered speechless, and was crying as well. Through her tears, she handed him a piece of paper that was also held in the wrapping paper. Through his teary eyes, Izuku only read through the essential.

Employee Record

Surname: Midoriya

Name: Hisashi

Time Employed: 18 Years

Position: Nurse

Family: Inko Midoriya (spouse); Izuku Midoriya (child); Izumi Midoriya (child)

Comment from employer: Of all the staff I've had the pleasure of working with, whether they be doctors or nurses or secretaries, I can say without a doubt that Hisashi Midoriya is the most compassionate. Mr Midoriya has one of the biggest hearts on the planet. His co-workers and I have nothing but positive reviews about his work ethic, his punctuality, his ability to keep a cool head in difficult situations, and, at times, his sense of humor.

Every week, I receive at least a dozen thank-you letters meant for Mr Hisashi, not one patient he has had has left here without a smile. For someone with two children and a pro hero wife who isn't always around, he always finds it in him to put others' needs above his own. We will sorely miss having Hisashi Midoriya, 'The Hospital Hero' as some children have callen him. God rest this man's boundlessly kind soul.

Another wave of tears hit Izuku as he tightly held the paper and portrait of his father to his chest. Nejire held him from behind as he wept, which was very appreciated by the weeping boy. He placed a hand on her arm, and they stayed like that until Izuku was ready to go back to the dorm. When he arrived, he didn't say a word, but his puffy eyes and the picture of his father were all they needed for the time being.

...

[Nejire: Ms Rei is your MOM!?!?!?]

Izuku woke up in the middle of the night to Nejire texting him at 11:00pm. The shock of Rei's gift took a while to wear off. He wonders if she managed to get any winks in the time she was still soaking it all in.

[Izuku: Yeah, and an amazing one at that.]

[Nejire: When you said Teleki wasn't your mom anymore, I didn't think you'd go and get a new one!]

[Izuku: More like she got herself a new son. We met when I collapsed after a fight on the street, she found me the next morning and bandaged me. She even fed me when I kept coming back to see her.]

[Nejire: Aww So at first, you were like a stray puppy?]

[Izuku: ...That's one way to put it, I guess.]

[Nejire: And your dad, the hospital hero sounds like an awesome guy! He looked just like you!]

Izuku smiled fondly as he remembered his early years, when Hisashi was still around.

[Izuku: He was. I used to pray to him every day, it felt like he was watching me.]

[Nejire: He still is, and he'll watch you ace your exam tomorrow! Speaking of, you probably need your rest.]

A moment passed, and neither one of them put down their devices. Another few moments later, they were still online with each other.

[Izuku: I'm writing my exam in the afternoon, so a late night wouldn't be so bad. We could... keep talking, if you want.]

[Nejire: WHEEEEEE!!!]

'I'm not sleeping tonight...' Izuku just realized the consequences of his actions. No good deed goes unpunished, as they say.

Exam Day

"It still feels weird wearing this." Izuku said as he walked out of his room, wearing his U.A. uniform for the first time. Somehow, he'd let Midnight convince him to wear it as he wrote his entrance exam. It was either that, or he explain why he inexplicably suddenly decided to sleep in.

Midnight gave a wolf whistle when he came out. "Hot damn, your classmates aren't gonna be able to keep their hands to themselves when they see you!" Izuku rolled his eyes at Midnight's comments.

Her, Hawks, Nagant, Mirko and Mt Lady were admiring his uniform and wishing him good luck for his exam. The feeling of having all these people hoping for his success instead of saying it was hopeless. He couldn't help but smile honestly. He walked down the stairs and out the door, where Nejire was waiting in her own uniform to match with him. Last night, she asked if she could be his chauffer. It was an offer he couldn't refuse.

"Hey, hey! You're finally here! So how does it feel wearing the uniform? Exciting?" she asked, as chipper as usual.

Izuku gripped the edge of the chest of the blazer as words formed in his head. "Honestly, it feels pretty weird. For so long, I was so certain I'd never get to wear this as an actual student. And honestly, it feels like I'm filling a role meant for... someone else."

Nejire placed her hands on his shoulders and gave her a blinding smile that shined through his dark clouds. "Well, you're here now, and I know you'll get in! Not just that, you'll excel! You're super smart, crazy strong, and really nice, even if you don't see it! You've got this!"

Izuku smiled, uplifted by Nejire's pep talk. "Thanks Hado." He received a pinch on the cheek for that. "I told you, call me Nejire!" she pouted.

The pair's attention was grabbed by a soft voice. "Oh good, I'm just in time." Rei had arrived and got a full view of Izuku and Nejire in their pristine uniforms. "You look amazing, both of you. Except..."

She went to Izuku and began fixing his scrunched up tie. "I should make time to teach you how to tie a tie." she said. Izuku blushed and looked away from Nejire's overly ecstatic expression towards their mother-son dynamic. When Rei was all done, she pulled Izuku into a hug, which he instantly returned.

"I know you can do this, your father and I, and everyone else, will be waiting for you to come back with the good news." Izuku nodded. "Thanks Mom."

When Izuku let go, his hand was grabbed by his eager chauffer. "Come on, let's get going!" she said as she started levitating off the ground. "Alright, alright." Izuku propelled himself up with cold flames to avoid burning the pavement. Rei smiled and waved them off as they flew. Just before they were out of earshot, Nejire had some parting words.

"Bye, Izuku's mom!"

Both Izuku and Rei had stunned faves as those words left her mouth, but Rei's morphed into one of happiness. "She called me his mom..."

Meanwhile

"What did you just call her!?" Izuku asked.

"You're mom! That's what she is, right?" Nejire asked, and Izuku had a sweatdrop. "We're just missing some adoption papers!"

...

The two quickly made it to the main building, and Nejire was all too happy to show him around. If it weren't for Izuku's scheduled exam, she would've taken him through every square inch of the academy. She settled on showing him the changing rooms, the cafeteria and his exam venue, which happened to be Class 1-A's classroom.

Nejire opened the large door, and saw a human caterpillar snoozing on the floor behind the teacher's podium. Izuku was caught by surprise, but Nejire wasn't. "Mr Aizawa! I brought your new student!" she bellowed at a pitch and volume that made sleep impossible. The man groaned as he rolled around in his sleeping bag.

Nejire cast Izuku a wide smile with closed eyes. She embraced him in a hug, which Izuku returned. Not as quick as with Rei, but he hugged back. "I know you don't need it, but good luck." "Thanks, Ha... Nejire." "Hehehe!" After they separated, the blue-haired girl waved him goodbye and went off.

Meanwhile, Aizawa was grumbling to himself. "One more year till she graduates, Shota, one more year till she graduates..." He breathed in through his nose deeply and exhaled out his mouth. The man sat up in his sleeping bag and made eye-contact with Izuku. "Your paper is on the podium. You've got two hours. Once you're seated, no getting up until time's up. When time's up, we'll take it to Nezu to grade personally."

Izuku nodded. Aizawa yawned and lied back down, and Izuku walked over to the podium. He saw the standard test and reached for it, but noticed there was another document hiding under it. Izuku instead picked up the other document. 'Interesting...'

...

Tap tap tap tap tap*

Mirko tapped her foot on the floor impatiently. "I think I can see your foot print in the floor." Nagant commented. The Rabbit Hero scoffed. "If he doesn't pass, I'm kicking his ass!" she grumbled.

"That won't happen, I'm sure he'll wow us like his assessment test way back when." Mt Lady commented. She still remembers how nonchalant Izuku was when he left hers and Hawks' jaws on the floor. If he pulls something like that again, she doesn't know what she'll do.

Rei was the most calm person in the room, humming to herself as she knitted. It was a new hobby of hers, one that relieved her stress. She finished and held up a white knit sweater. "Woah! If I didn't see you knit it, I'd think it was store bought." Nejire said beside her.

"Is it really that good?" Rei asked, to which Hado nodded enthusiastically. "Too bad I don't have any children who can fit in it." It was fit for a six-year-old.

"Save it for the grandkids." Midnight advised.

Suddenly, the door opened, and the ladies and bird all breathed in expectantly. Aizawa was the first one in, carrying Nezu on his shoulder, but Izuku was nowhere to be found. "Ladies and gentlemen..." the dog bear cat mouse thing began in a solemn tone, closing his black eyes and lowering his head. They all suspected the worst.

...Until Nezu's head snapped up, revealing his delighted smile. "Please join me in welcoming the newest member of the U.A. student body!" That's when Izuku arrived, hands in pockets and a small smile on his face.

Everyone erupted in cheers and clapped. Nejire and Rei hugged his sides, Mirko slugged him, Hawks and Nagant ruffled his hair and Mt Lady patted his shoulder. Izuku, being the center of all this positivity, broke out into a smile. One of the biggest they've ever seen from him.

On Midnight's order, they threw a celebration party for the boy. Snacks, drinks and music. It was a small thing, but it was with people Izuku was happy around. It couldn't run very long since Rei had a curfew at the hospital, and Izuku and Nejire had school in the morning. But it was the first party in a long time that Izuku was not only welcome, but the center of attention.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Nezu said as he walked up to Izuku, and held out a small red rectangular device in his paw. "The master key to your Inhibitor Gauntlets. You can adjust how much of your they seal or remove the limiters entirely."

Izuku's eyes widened in surprise. All eyes were on him and the principal. "Principal, are you sure about this? You know what I can do."

Nezu nodded knowingly, but still kept his smile. "Yes, and you will still have to wear them during your gym and heroics classes. We trust you to be responsible with your power, just like the rest of our students."

Izuku's hard heart softened a little. He looked around him and only saw faces of encouragement. They trusted him. The boy gulped as he reached for the key to his full power. "Well, if you're all sure..." Nezu and the others showed no signs of uncertainty, only support and trust. "...I won't make you regret this. Thank you, for everything."

Izuku removed his grey blazer and rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt to reveal his gauntlets. He inserted the tiny red key into the port each gauntlet had at the bottom. They both fell to the ground. Izuku's shackles were finally off. He took a moment to soak it in, gripping his pale forearms. "How do you feel?" Nejire asked.

Fwoosh*

Emerald flames erupted from Izuku's arms. He put them out just as quick and smiled. "Better than ever." he answered Nejire.

That Night

Izuku lied in bed under the covers, a smile on his face and the portrait of his father facing him. 'Can you believe it, Dad? I'm going to U.A. The quirkless disappointment, making it into the best hero school in Japan.' Izuku's smile disappeared. 'Izumi and Katsuki probably got in, too. I can't promise that I'll be able to compose myself. You know what they did to me.'

Vvvv!*

Time for Izuku and Nejire's nightly chats.

[Nejire: YOU MADE IIIIIITTTTT!!! ]

[Izuku: Yeah, and I'm still surprised.]

[Nejire: I'm not! You went through hell to get here! Now I officially get to call you my junior!]

Izuku scoffed but still held his small smile.

[Izuku: That reminds me, how did you get to stay for my party? Weren't your classmates wondering where you were?]

[Nejire: I said I was visiting my parents to spend the night with them before my last year at U.A. Midnight backed me by giving me clearance to leave the school grounds, but I never used it.]

[Izuku: Sneaky.]

[Nejire: Nevermind that! You have your first day of school tomorrow! Are you excited!? I know I am! Making friends, meeting the teachers, even though you've already gotten to know a lot of them, cafeteria food, even though your cooking is better. It's gonna be great!]

[Izuku: Oh, I forgot to tell you. I'm not going to school tomorrow.]

[Nejire:...]

[Nejire: WHAAAAAAAT!?!?!?]

[Nejire: What do you mean you're not going to school!? What was the point of all this if you're just gonna skip!? Are you sick or something? Did you accidentally drink some alcohol!?]

[Izuku: No. See, after my exam, Aizawa, Nezu and I talked. Aizawa said instead of orientation, my class would be having a Quirk Assessment test before moving into the dorms. He's already seen my restrained level, and knows in actuality I'm leagues stronger at my best, so I have no need to show up until classes start the next day.]

[Nejire: Aww, I was looking forward to having lunch with you and introducing you to my friends...! So you're just gonna move your stuff to your new room while your classmates are having their test?]

[Izuku: No, I'll be watching them from out of sight. Aizawa and I are judging their powers and characters, even if they don't know I'm there.]

[Nejire: That sounds fun! Lucky, I wanna see what the new first years can do! After they're done, you'll introduce yourself, right?]

[Izuku: There's one more thing. Aizawa's seen what I'm capable of with my gauntlets, but he hasn't seen what I can do without them. After my classmates are done, I'll have my own testing in private. We both know I'll be top of the class, but they won't know by how much so they won't be discouraged.]

Elsewhere

Nezu was going over the list of accepted U.A. hopefuls. 'Yaoyorozu, Ashido, Jiro, Asui, Uraraka, Hagakure and Kirishima. Izuku will be happy to see these faces again.' He went further down the list. 'Bakugo and Yagi. Well, it's anyone's guess how they will take it.' He came upon a name he smiled at. 'Shoto Todoroki. I'm sure he and Izuku will get along, they're Mrs Todoroki's sons, making them brothers in a way. I have a good feeling about this year!'

Nezu received a knock on his office door, and Nemuri walked in. "Midnight, what can I do for you?" the chimera asked.

"Can I see Izuku's test results? I asked Aizawa, but he said he didn't see them either."

"Probably because he asked not to," Nezu said as he rummaged through one of his drawers and pulled out Izuku's test results. "Here you are! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

Midnight accepted the paper and looked it over. Her eyes froze at the top, and the woman became a statue. "Sir... this is a recommendation exam! Izuku was supposed to take the standardized test!" she screamed.

"I gave Aizawa both papers, and gave Izuku the choice which one he would like."

Something struck Midnight. Izuku had two hours to complete his test. The recommendation students needed three hours! "Sir... how long did this take him?" she asked shakily. "One hour and fifty minutes!" Nezu said happily. Midnight's eyes bulged out of her skull. The final nail in the coffin was his score.

100%

"Impressive, no? He's quite a quick learner, a prodigy even. He even outclassed Yaoyorozu. Don't tell her this, but she's no longer the top scorer in this test. Midnight?" Midnight was unresponsive, frozen with shock written all over her. "And that's why Aizawa didn't want to look." Apparently, Izuku's strength isn't the only reason they have to fear him.