Accepting the invitation to learn at Yūei had been a mistake, Natsumi knew that deep down she could never truly be a hero, but it was worth a shot. She had nothing to lose. She needed to deviate from the path that had been laid out for her, she needed to prove that she was her own person capable of making her own choices and mistakes.

The reflection staring back at her from the bathroom mirror was someone she didn't even recognize, though she supposed that was her original intent. Her eyes were naturally narrow, framed by thick black lashes. Her hair, a pastel pink that came just past her shoulders in loose waves with bangs swept neatly across her forehead, hung freely and she momentarily contemplated whether she should put it up or not for her first day.

Not that she cared much for first impressions nor for what her classmates would think of her, but she was determined to not look like the emotional wreck that she was on the inside.

Pale fingers curled around the box of hair dye on the counter, Cotton Candy Pink, now an empty vessel that she no longer had use for. She deftly tossed it into the waste basket in the corner by the toilet before turning her attention to her eyes.

Dark crimson stared back at her.

That won't do.

Glancing down at the mess scattered across her counter top, Natsumi pushed various makeup and personal hygiene products aside before her fingers brushed across the one item she was searching for; a small contact lens case.

She flipped it open, carefully pulling out the delicate lens and holding her left eye open wide so she could gently place it over her crimson iris. Once that eye was done she mimicked the action with her right, blinking rapidly to clear away the tears and staring at herself once again in the mirror, her eyes now a dark shade of brown.

Already dressed in her new school uniform she cast a glance over her shoulder, peering through the open bathroom door and squinting to see the LED numbers of her digital clock in the other room.

"Shit."

She would be cutting it close but if she left now she would, hopefully, make it just in time for homeroom. Quickly she ran out towards her living room and snatched her black boots from the mat by the door, pulling them on and tightening the already tied laces.

The pink haired teen was thankful that her apartment was relatively close to campus otherwise she wouldn't have made it in time for the first bell, signifying the start of class. She wasn't looking to make any waves, especially on her first day, and definitely didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to herself.

Quickly checking the seating chart posted on the board she noticed that there was an odd number of students in the class, making the rows of desks uneven. Her designated seat was at the back of the first row, right up against the window.

She took her seat, from the corner of her eye she noticed her neighbor staring at her with an unreadable expression. Natsumi recognized him from the exam that she had taken with the other kids who had received recommendations, she never caught his name, not that she particularly cared to know it, but she did remember that he had been rather startled by her quirk.

The written portion of the exam was over and Present Mic had just announced that the next part would be an obstacle race where they would need to use their quirks if they wanted to finish within a reasonable time.

She cast a quick glance at the five other hopefuls at her side, most of them eagerly smirking at the course set out before them. The only person, besides herself, who stood emotionless was the boy directly to her left. He was taller than her, his entire appearance was a little eccentric looking from his heterochromia eyes (one grey and the other glacial blue) to his shaggy hair that was split evenly down the middle, white on one side and crimson on the other.

Not a single one of them had spared her much of a glance, something she was grateful for. They didn't see her as much of a threat due to her small stature and she could use that to her advantage.

The race began and the other teens took off ahead of her, her lips twitched into a smirk. Most of them were opting to stay on the path carved through the territory ahead of them, but she knew that the quickest way to the finish line would be a straight line.

Her breath came out as a small cloud of cold air as she activated her quirk and propelled herself forward leaving a trail of ice in her wake. When she would arrive at an obstacle that she couldn't go around, she would deactivate her ice and use the second part of her Quirk and turn her body intangible. Once she phased through the obstacle she would make herself solid again and resume using her icy path.

Once she neared the top she noticed that, after all this time, she wasn't alone anymore. A growl burned at the back of her throat as the boy with dual-colored hair caught up to her, his eyes shifting to her and then to her icy trail and for a moment he was caught off guard. He was also using ice to propel himself, they were neck and neck, but she refused to take second place.

Another boy appeared to the right of Heterochromia, this one using some sort of wind-based Quirk to move his body forward.

Suddenly the trio came upon a large boulder protruding from the ground, the two boys quickly changed their directions to avoid smashing into it while she simply flew right through it. Because she was able to avoid going around the obstacle, which would have added more time and slowed her down, she was able to get ahead of the two boys once more.

She crossed the finish line first, the two boys tying for second place.

Windy was talking animatedly, presumably to Heterochromia, congratulating him on a great race but the other boy wasn't paying attention, his cold stare was focused on her.

As she snapped herself out of her thoughts she realized that she and the boy had been holding an impromptu staring contest. Natsumi was the first to break eye contact, focusing her attention on the front of the class as the last of the stragglers entered just in time for the tardy bell to ring.

A giant, yellow caterpillar slinked inside the door and—no, it wasn't a caterpillar, it was a grown man encased in a bright yellow sleeping bag. Her classmates voiced their thoughts on this new stranger in way of hushed whispers to their neighbors, wondering who this peculiar person could be.

"I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta." His voice was monotonous and bored sounding. He unzipped the sleeping bag and stepped out of it, discarding it behind his desk. His eyes were blood shot, dark bags clung heavily beneath them. His hair was black and stringy, almost as if it hadn't seen a brush in years. All in all their homeroom teacher looked incredibly unkempt.

"I know this is sudden but put these on and meet me outside." He held up a blue gym uniform in one hand and motioned for them to check under their desks for their own uniform before he turned on his heel and stalked out of the massive doorway.

Curious whispers erupted from her classmates and they each pulled out their uniform, all voicing the same question, 'what was in store for them on their first day?'

She rose from her seat, uniform in hand, and made her way towards the girls locker room to change with the rest of her female classmates. They were all excitedly chatting away with each other, introducing themselves and asking what they thought Aizawa-sensei had planned for them. Natsumi was the only one who remained silent and that didn't go unnoticed for long.

"Hi there, my name is Uraraka Ochako." A bubbly brunette appeared in front of her, her lips upturned into a bright smile.

"I'm Yaoyorozu Momo, you're also here on recommendation, aren't you? I remember you from the exam, you came in first place during the race." A tall, busty girl with long black hair neatly tied back in a pony tail offered a friendly smile.

The pink haired teen felt a little overwhelmed at being put on the spot but decided that it wouldn't bode well for her to ignore their friendly advances.

"Miyano Natsumi." She introduced herself quietly, there was a chorus of 'nice to meet you!'s followed by the rest of the girls giving her their names.

"Well, it's nice to see a familiar face." Yaoyorozu smiled before adding, "We should get outside."

Aizawa-sensei explained that they were going to do a physical assessment like the ones they had performed back in middle school, only this time they could use their quirks. Excited chatter arose from the group of teens at that, everyone eager to show off their skills.

Natsumi had never gone to school before, her parents had opted to home school her on the basic subjects as well as a few extra-curriculars that no normal child should have learned. While her classmates wondered how their previous scores would compare now that they were allowed to use their quirks, she stayed silent and wondered what sort of tests they would be going through.

"Bakugou, you finished first place in the practical exam. What was your score in junior high for throwing the baseball?"

All eyes landed on the boy with spiky ash-blond hair and crimson eyes.

"Sixty-seven meters."

Aizawa-sensei nodded, "Alright, well try it this time using your quirk. Step into the circle painted on the field, do whatever you want. Just don't step out of the designated area."

The boy's lips twitched into a smirk as he sauntered forward, standing in the center of the drawn circle. Aizawa tossed the ball to him which he caught with one hand, gripping it tightly before yelling 'Die!' and using a series of explosions emanating from his palms to propel the ball forward.

The ball sailed overheard, fire and smoke trailing behind it.

"Know your own maximum first, that is the most rational way to form the foundation for becoming a hero." Their exhausted homeroom teacher turned the device in his hands towards his students, the numbers standing out against the backlight; Bakugou had cleared the 700 meter mark.

The ash blond smirked triumphantly, impressed by his own score and feeding off of the surprised gasps of his classmates.

"How exciting we get to use our quirks, this is going to be fun!" One of her classmates squealed.

The mood changed suddenly, Aizawa's eyes narrowed into a glare, "It looks like fun, huh? You have three years to become a hero. Will you still have that same attitude by the end?" His lips formed a rather sinister smirk, "All right, whoever comes in last place for all eight tests will be considered to have no potential as a hero and will thusly be expelled from Yūei."

Panic rose in the voices of her classmates as they voiced their concerns over how terrible it would to be removed from the curriculum on the very first day. Some even went so far as to complain, out loud, to the teacher telling him how unfair it was for him to even suggest expulsion on the first day. Natsumi wasn't worried, she was confident in her abilities to at least place well in half of the tests that Aizawa-sensei had planned for them. No, they wouldn't be able to get rid of her that easily.

Her eyes immediately landed on a boy with unruly dark green hair who stood upfront. He began to sweat profusely, eyes wide with anxiety and fear. She almost felt sorry for him, almost, but there was no room for subpar heroes at Yūei.

The first test was a fifty-meter dash, giving everyone the chance to see what each other's quirks were for the most part. Even Natsumi was curious to see what the others were capable of.

Several of her classmates had already gone in pairs before Aizawa addressed her, "Since this year we have an odd number we'll have one group of three for this test. Miyano, Todoroki, and Mineta."

Well, there's my cue.

She glanced over at her opponents and realized that Todoroki was the same guy from the exam. They locked eyes for the briefest of moments as if challenging one another.

"Go!"

The two ice wielders took off, ice trailing behind them and a spray of snow crystals kicking up and assaulting anyone who was close enough to the starting line. Poor Mineta was left in their dust, heaving and struggling to catch up.

A collection of gasps erupted from the group of teens as they watched Todoroki and Miyano race each other, both seemingly using the same quirk to speed towards the finish line.

It was a photo finish.

4.03 seconds.

Todoroki furrowed his brows and frowned contemplatively, he wasn't used to coming in second place—while he and Miyano had tied for first he still considered that a failure. The fact that she had bested him once before still plagued his mind and drove him crazy, even more so due to the fact that her quirk seemed similar to his own.

While the dual-color haired boy was having these thoughts Mineta, the small boy with strange purple hair, collapsed across the finish line out of breath.

10.08 seconds.

The rest of the tests passed in a blur, most of them testing strength and dexterity. Natsumi would admit that she wasn't necessarily the strongest person, but she did pride herself on her agility and ability to control her quirk rather well with only few drawbacks.

Her scores up until this point had all mostly been above average with the exception of the grip assessment which measured strength and how much pressure she could assert at once. All in all, she wasn't too concerned about being expelled especially when that poor emerald eyed boy with the freckles was performing so poorly.

It was time for the fifth test, the ball throw that the ash blond, Bakugou, had previously demonstrated.

The bubbly brunette from the locker room bounced up to the designated area, touched the ball and sent it flying so high and far that it blinked out of existence. She was given the score of infinity.

Don't think anyone's going to top that. The pink haired teen mused.

The freckled boy shuffled up to the starting position, the ball held tightly in his trembling hands. He was visibly nervous, he closed his eyes momentarily as if in prayer before they snapped open with newfound resolve. He wound back his arm and threw the ball.

It landed within the chalk outline, only 46 meters away.

The boy looked perplexed, startled even, by the short distance.

Aizawa's eyes glowed red, what had been assumed to be a scarf around his neck turned out to be bandages that he was able to control.

"I erased your quirk, Midoriya."

The boy stuttered, "You e-erased my quirk?" Suddenly his eyes widened, "Those goggles! I see, you're able to erase quirks just by looking at someone. You're Eraser Head!"

Aizawa's hair was wild, floating around him alongside his bandages and he continued to condescend the young boy, "You can't control your quirk, can you? Tell me this, do you intend to incapacitate yourself each and every time you use your quirk? You can't rely on someone else to save you, that's not going to help anyone and you'll end up only being a burden to those around you."

"That's not my intention at all—" Midoriya started to object but the bandages around sensei's neck shot forward, enveloping the boy tightly and yanking him forward so that he was eye to eye with Eraser Head.

"Midoriya Izuku, with your power you cannot become a hero." His words were harsh, striking Midoriya where it hurt the most.

Suddenly, the bandages loosened and then released the boy altogether.

"I've returned your quirk, you have two turns for the ball throw. Hurry up and get it over with." Aizawa stepped away from Midoriya, a bored expression on his face as he waited to see what the teen would do next.

The class watched with bated breath to see how Midoriya would react; would he call it quits and take his loss or would he fight to prove himself?

Once more he took his position, appearing deep in thought over what Aizawa-sensei had said to him, before pulling back his arm and letting the ball fly. It soared far, surprising everyone on the field who had yet to see Midoriya's quirk in action.

"Sensei look…." He breathed, plastering on a wide grin, "I can still move!" His finger was purple and hung at a disgusting angle, signifying that it was broken.

Natsumi wasn't sure why but her classmates clapped for him, cheering loudly. She rolled her eyes, yes the score was pretty impressive but he had bombed the rest of the assessment, one good score wasn't going to save him from being kicked out of school.

They completed the rest of their tests without much incident and soon it came time for their scores to be posted and for them to see what their placement amongst the class was.

1. Yaoyorozu Momo

2. Miyano Natsumi

3. Todoroki Shouto

The list went on but she was only concerned with how well she had done, she frowned at the realization that she didn't make it to first place but there was a part of her that was relieved that she at least beat out Todoroki. Things had silently and unintentionally become a competition between the two.

"By the way, I was lying about the expulsion. It was rational deception to draw out the best of your abilities."

She should've figured it was a trick, but part of her truly believed that expelling students on the first day was something that the great Yūei was capable of to weed out those who didn't belong.

"There's a syllabus with all of the necessary information printed in it waiting for you on your desks. That's all we have planned for the day, class dismissed." Aizawa turned on his heel and stalked away.

What a bizarre way to start the school year, though she guessed that she should expect nothing less of the great Yūei. If one thing was certain it was that the next three years were bound to be interesting.

So not much going on first chapter, I know it's not very inventive since I pretty much just copied that first episode where they're in school. But I do promise that this story won't be an exact replica of the show, I have a lot planned for Natsumi and everyone in class 1-A and I can't wait to get into all of that!

I started this story with the intent of her and Todoroki eventually being a thing, but over the last week or so I've been coming up with all these cute scenarios with her a Bakugou and now I'm seriously not sure who I want her to eventually be with. I mean, regardless this will be a slow burn type fic so nothing would be happening for a while. I guess I'll just see where things go with her and the boys and figure things out later on.

Originally I considered having her just take the place of Mineta so that the class would remain at an even 20…but then I realized that, while not my favorite character in the slightest, Mineta does have the opportunity to offer some comedic relief so he's staying lmao

Anyway, thanks for reading! Please leave a review and let me know what you think!