"…you run hot."

"Huh?" Eijiro asked, blinking in confusion as he looked over at his companion. "What do you mean?"

"Your blood," Amaya clarified as she stretched out her wings to either side. "I can feel it within people around me. When I'm one-on-one with someone or in small groups, it's easy to pick out the differences in rhythms. Your resting pulse is one of the faster ones I've experienced at U.A. so far, and your pressure is up. Might be because you just ate, but it's a little… much."

"Oh," was all Eijiro could initially think to say. For whatever reason, he felt a bit embarrassed. "Is that, uh… bad?"

"Who knows, at this point?" Amaya answered while shrugging her extra limbs before tucking them back in against her back. "Human physiology has changed so much since the advent of Quirks that what's 'normal' is constantly changing. It's probably fine for you specifically, unless you're prone to migraines and passing out. I'm guessing you're constantly hungry and ready to go at a moment's notice as long as you're well-fed?"

"Pretty much," Eijiro admitted while scratching his neck. "I mean, my parents always said I was hot-blooded. Guess they meant it literally. That's super cool that you can like… feel us, though. Anyone else have weird blood?"

Amaya rolled her eyes.

"Not so much weird as distinct, but yeah. Bakugo's is a bit like yours, though his resting pulse is slower. Doesn't take much to get his to quicken, and it shoots up fast. Tsu's a little similar, though her pulse is more influenced by nervous energy than frustration."

"Who's got the slowest pulse?" Eijiro asked.

"Aki," Amaya said without hesitation. "He's… interesting all around. I'm assuming it's got something to do with his lizard features. His flow is strong and slow, barely shifting or peaking. It's… pleasant."

"…uh-huh," Eijiro said with a grin as the two students made their way into another of U.A.'s main mirrored towers. "Say more about that."

Amaya caught on immediately and gave Eijiro an unimpressed look.

"…it's not like that, Kirishima. Aki isn't looking right now."

"Could've fooled me," Eijiro said. "That sucks."

"His loss," Amaya acknowledged as they made their way toward one of the many shops arranged around the bottom floor of the recreational tower. "Maybe things will change in time. Maybe not. For now, we're just friends. Closer than some others here, but… just friends."

"I get ya," Eijiro said. "Honestly, I'm happy Mina and I met in high school. One less thing to worry about while we're all making our way through the Hero Course, and it's nice to have someone to lean on, you know?"

"I do," Amaya replied. "You two are pretty serious, then?"

"Heh, yeah, you could say that," Eijiro admitted, his cheeks immediately flushing. "She's… Mina's amazing. She really pulled me out of a bad place back then. I've totally changed. You wouldn't recognize me from back when we were in high school…"

"…your pulse is even faster now," Amaya said with a smirk as they entered the campus bookstore. "If it was anyone else, I'd think you were having a panic attack."

"I can't help it!" Eijiro insisted, speaking loudly enough to draw some attention from the other students around them. "She's… I dunno, it's just…"

"You can say love, my guy," Amaya reassured as she began to look around the shop. "I'm not about to give you shit for it. I think it's sweet."

The interior of the campus bookstore smelled heavily of coffee and was simultaneously spacious while at the same time feeling oddly cramped. Shelf upon shelf of U.A. branded merchandise snaked through the space, resulting in aisles at odd angles that students from all years and programs were meandering through. An assortment of flags and banners from U.A., Japan itself, and other countries took up much of the long wall at the far end of the store, and boxes with rolled-up posters lined the floor below them. Between the flags and posters were racks of shirts, hoodies, lounge pants, baseball caps, and scarves prominently featuring the U.A. colors of blue and white, as well as its logo.

"Holy shit this is a lot," Eijiro said, doing his best to change the subject as he and Amaya approached the first shelf filled with U.A.-branded cups and mugs. "You could spend hours in here just looking…"

"If you want to, then do it now before we get in line for books," Amaya advised. "Dunno if you've noticed, but this is going to be a slow process…"

Eijiro's eyes widened as he realized that the students all around them weren't so much scattered randomly and just browsing- there was a line snaking around the shelves that eventually led to the checkout counter. Stacks of shrink-wrapped book bundles were piled high behind the wooden structure, each labeled by year and course. A team of five different clerks were working to distribute piles and check students out as quickly as possible, but even then, things were moving very slowly.

"…nah, I think I'm good," Eijiro said, suddenly realizing just how long they would be trapped in the bookstore. "I definitely want to come back and browse another day, once the lines aren't so crazy…"

"It's usually about… half this busy," Amaya advised as they took their place at the back of the line. People began to fill in behind them almost immediately, extending the line out the door. "Would be nice if my dad could just play ball and have my fucking books sent to his office, but here we are…"

"He really doesn't want you to benefit from his position here at all, does he?" Eijiro asked.

"Not at all," Amaya said with a sigh. "I mean, I do get it, and I'd honestly rather make it on my own than because of nepotism or money… but at the same time, come on. Not even little things like this? I should stop bitching about it, I know, it's just frustrating. Mostly because it's not just about U.A.. We've got bigger, unrelated issues and this just rubs salt into the wound."

"Uh… wanna talk about it?" Eijiro offered.

"…not really, no," Amaya said with a frown. "Probably never. Sorry, I'll just… deal. I won't bring it up again. Promise."

"Hey, if you're feeling shitty, we're all supposed to be here for each other, right?" Eijiro asked rhetorically. "You helped out Mineta, I help you out, the cycle continues. That's what Hero Course students do!"

A colossal, haggard sigh came from the student behind them in line. Amaya and Eijiro turned to look at him at the same time, only to find a boy standing taller than both of them with unkempt purple hair and bags under his eyes. The stranger looked almost malnourished and sickly, and his baggy t-shirt and jeans were ill-fitting. A cloud of stubble had formed on his cheeks and chin, and he gave off the impression that he didn't much care what anyone thought of his outward appearance.

"…you good?" Amaya tried.

"…just tired," the stranger answered. "Don't mind me. Focus on your hero problems."

"A hero's problems are the problems of the people," Eijiro said confidently. "Seriously, dude, we're here to help if you need it."

"Pump the brakes," Amaya advised as she put a hand on Eijiro's shoulder. "Not everyone wants us involved, and he's not exactly in life-threatening danger. Sometimes people just don't want to talk, and that's fine. If you change your mind and want to vent, though… we're gonna be stuck in this line for something like half an hour."

The newcomer looked the pair over and rolled his eyes before scratching at his stubble and letting out another sigh.

"…Hitoshi Shinso. I shouldn't be taking this out on you two. I'm sorry, and I'm fine, just… disappointed and not really surprised with my luck."

"Eijiro Kirishima," the boy offered before extending a hand that Hitoshi didn't take.

"Amaya Kan."

"I know who you are, based on what you two were talking about," Hitoshi let on as he looked at Amaya. "Hero Course students. You put on quite the show out there. I… didn't, and now I'm paying for it."

"You didn't make it?" Amaya asked. "Did you get placed on the General Course track?"

"I did," Hitoshi confirmed. "My Quirk doesn't work on automatons. I was screwed from the start. Managed to take down five on my own, but… it just wasn't enough. This is exactly what I was afraid would happen…"

"Dude, that sucks!" Eijiro said, once again drawing some attention to himself from those in the bookstore. "That's really not fair at all. You probably kick ass in other situations if you still made it to U.A.! Isn't there something they can do for you?"

"Doubtful," Amaya answered. "Just another systemic issue that'll never get fixed. You can't really craft a practical entrance exam that caters to all Quirks, so some people are just going to get completely screwed. I'm guessing you nailed the written exam if you still made it in?"

Hitoshi hesitated as the group took several steps forward and the line advanced.

"…perfect score."

"What!?" Eijiro cried, only for Amaya to smack him across the shoulder. "Ow!"

"Would you keep it down?" the girl seethed. "We're getting looks. They wouldn't put you into the Hero Course with a perfect score just because your Quirk didn't work out on the practical exam? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"I'm not," Hitoshi said, growing more frustrated by the minute. "That's more or less how I reacted, too. Apparently I'm 'top of the list' for transfer if one of you drops out, but… that seems unlikely, especially in Year One. Maybe Professor Aizawa will live up to his reputation and boot someone. I feel like an asshole for hoping it happens, but…"

"Hey, I get it," Amaya consoled. "Don't beat yourself up over it. Everyone's a little selfish sometimes, and in a case like this… I'd say it's pretty justified. You don't know us, so wishing someone trips down the stairs and ends up in a body cast or gets expelled is just kinda human nature. I don't think you're any lesser for not making the cut this year."

Hitoshi listened with a neutral expression, though his face fell the longer she went on.

"…I appreciate it, but that doesn't change the way I feel about myself."

"Well… come hang out with us sometime?" Eijiro suggested. "No reason to put up barriers just 'cause we're in different classes. Pretty much everyone in 1-A seems like good people to me, so I'm sure they'd like to meet you."

"Are Uraraka and Midoriya in 1-A?" Hitoshi asked. "We met briefly in line on the way to the practical exam."

"1-B, both of 'em," Amaya answered. "Sorry. We've got the two of us, Daisuke Aki, Katsuki Bakugo, Tsuyu Asui, Kyoka Jiro, Minoru Mineta, Juzo Honenuki, and Tenya Iida and Toru Hagakure as our class leads."

"Literally none of those names are familiar," Hitoshi replied as he picked up a U.A. logo coffee mug from a nearby shelf. "I might stop by, if you're sure no one would mind. Might just end up being more depressing… but it would be nice to have some friends to get away with. My roommate is… unpleasant."

"Who've you got?" Amaya asked. "Anyone we might know by name?"

"Yuga Aoyama," Hitoshi said with as little enthusiasm as he could manage. "The second in line for the hero course, despite the fact that he threw a fit when he didn't make it. He's totally self-absorbed and convinced that he deserved a spot… to the point it's all he ever talks about. The irony of the current situation isn't lost on me. I never should've brought it up…"

"It's alright," Eijiro tried. "At least we're killing time, and now you know us. We'll do whatever we can to help out."

"You really are just the textbook portrait of a hero, aren't you?" Hitoshi asked. "Good to know."

"Not all of us are," Amaya cautioned. "We've all got our little hangups and whatnot. Just try to stay positive, alright? Things have an odd way of working out over time."

"I suppose they do," Hitoshi agreed. "We'll see if that holds true…"

Author's Note:

It's been a long time. No, Shinso wasn't just a one-off mention. He might be involved more than people expect…

For the week of 9/11.

-RD