Hey everyone! I am sorry for the huge wait between updates! School has been absolutely crazy. I've been swamped with work and projects and papers for months, and prepping for graduation and grad school has been no less intense. However, I managed to find some time recently and got some words out! I promise I'm trying, but school kinda has priority (you know, future career and such). Anyways, here's the next chapter! I enjoyed writing it, but I'm not sure with how everything turned out. I hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Well, here's the chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 10

Izuku frowned as he walked down the familiar streets. It had only been just under two months… but the streets were so unfamiliar now. So cold. He shivered as he approached the area he had once used to train. Where he had once almost lost everything.

Where I met All Might.

The thought broke through, surprising Izuku. Though, he mused, it wasn't wrong. This old abandoned district had been the start of his journey in more ways than one he supposed. And now something else would start there. Or perhaps end there… Izuku didn't know. Honestly he wasn't even sure why he was going. Why was he so willing to go and do what Bakugo told him to? They were friends once, but they hadn't been for years… not really.

Maybe he just longed for things to return back to normal. He knew Bakugo was… rough. He shook his head. No, he was far worse than rough. But, Izuku also knew that while he wasn't a nice person, his goal was still to be a hero. There had to be some kindness left, even if it was buried in anger.

Wait up Kacchan!

Hurry up Izuku! My mom is going to kill us.

The voices echoed around his mind. It was so long ago, before Kacchan had gotten his quirk. Before he had become obsessed with becoming the strongest, the best. Maybe that was why he had decided to come. Bakugo was both everything he wanted to be and yet everything he wanted to avoid. He was brave, strong and powerful, but above all he was driven. He had always been better than Izuku, at everything expect maybe some school subjects. He was someone that Izuku would have to face one day if he ever truly wanted to succeed.

Izuku's footsteps slowed as he entered the main yard of the warehouse district. Standing in front of him, in front of a familiar building with a familiar ledge, was Bakugo. Kacchan. Silence reigned now as he approached, the blond continuing his glaring. Izuku tried, he really did, but he couldn't meet his gaze. Whether it was his blazing eyes, or the draw from that old ledge, he found himself looking upwards. Bakugo scoffed.

"You can't even look me in the eye useless?"

Izuku gulped. This wasn't starting well. However, his gaze remained unchanged. It had been some time since he had looked at that edge in this way, but now? With Kacchan standing under it? He shuddered.

"What the hell are you staring at?!" Bakugo ground out, turning to look up at the top of the building. Finding nothing he turned back to see Izuku shudder. "You are so useless Deku. Scared already? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Later, Izuku would note that this was the quietest Bakugo had ever been towards him. Not necessarily the calmest, but definitely the quietest. His gaze dropped, finally meeting his… Kacchan's eyes. Whatever was in his gaze must have startled the blond boy, as his glare lessened for a moment. Izuku didn't see what he did next though as his gaze continued to fall towards the grounds.

"This is where my journey began… where I d-discovered my quirk and decided for sure that I want to be a hero beyond a doubt." Ignoring the voices of his past, he continued, "This is where I found out that I could be a hero, that I wasn't quirkless. In a way I discovered I actually mattered."

Izuku didn't really know why he was saying all of this to the blonde. Did he want the other boy to understand? Did he want to reassure him that he hadn't done it to spite him? Did he want him to feel bad? Izuku knew he was smarter than average in some regards, but for all the observations he had made he just didn't understand this.

"And you kept it a secret." Izuku nodded as Bakugo spoke. "Let's get one thing straight nerd. I don't care if this is where you 'became a hero', alright? All I care about is showing you that you are still Deku. You will always be Deku! I WILL ALWAYS BE AHEAD OF YOU, GOT IT? I WILL BEAT YOU! I WILL BE THE NUMBER ONE HERO, I WILL BE THE BEST!"

By the end of his rant Bakugo was yelling, glaring at Izuku with unconstrained hatred, pain and anger blazing in his eyes. Izuku took a breath, but before he could speak Bakugo spoke again. His voice was quieter, but his body was shaking in anger as he said them.

"I told you when we were kids you would never be a hero Deku. But you still followed me around, still tried. I never believed you nerd. I NEVER thought you would be in UA, never. I still think you're weak Deku, and you're going to get in my way. But now you can try again."

"W-What?" Izuku stuttered out, confused. Bakugo began walking forward, explosions popping in his hands.

"Prove it Deku. You think you're a hero? THAT YOU CAN SURVIVE UA? THAT YOU BELONG?! THEN SHOW ME!" As he finished a much larger explosion echoed across the empty lot.

Then Bakugo took a step.

Izuku's mind raced. Bakugo wanted him to prove himself? How… How could he prove himself? Fight back? Fight Bakugo? The idea was so incredibly outlandish, but Izuku found his mouth dry as he realized he may not get a choice. Bakugo was taking another step now, and another. Before Izuku could think for much longer Bakugo was sprinting towards him.

"W-Wait Kacchan! We aren't supposed to–" His eyes widened as the boy leapt, and his body reacted accordingly. A crack later and Izuku stood where Bakugo had once stood. "Kacchan! We aren't supposed to –" Izuku yelped as a piece of trash came flying at him, lunging to the side to avoid the scrap that had been blasted at him across the courtyard. He hadn't even seen him pick the scrap up…

He couldn't think on it very long though as Bakugo once again came flying across the empty courtyard, another ball of scrap screaming ahead of him. Izuku flickered to the side, waving his hands as he reappeared and internally cursing Mr. Aizawa for giving Bakugo the idea to throw things with his quirk.

"Kacchan! We are going to get in tr–"

"I DON'T CARE!" Izuku blinked as the blond turned to face his new location snarling. "THIS ISN'T ABOUT GETTING IN TROUBLE NERD! IF YOU WONT FIGHT BACK, THEN AT LEAST TAKE A HIT LIKE A MAN!"

With that Bakugo launched himself forwards, his explosions propelling him almost faster than Izuku could keep track of. Instinctively flickering, Izuku appeared a few feet away before rolling to the side, another ball of trash slamming into where he had just been. Heat came from behind him as he came to a stop and he turned to see Bakugo's hand coming flying at him.

BOOOOOM!

The explosion echoed loudly for miles. Bakugo snarled as a flickering of emerald light shone from behind him, and spun to face Izuku. Said boy was coughing, his school jacket slightly singed from the beginnings of the explosion he had just barely dodged.

"So you can be hit." Bakugo said, smiling viscously as Izuku straightened. "That's what I thought. I just had to get used to your movements! You can't win by just dodging Deku! Ready to take this seriously?"

Izuku just stared at Bakugo, eyes wide, before looking down at his hands. All was still for a moment, until a splash of red dropped into Izuku's vision. A drop of blood had dripped from his face into the palm of his hand as something inside him protested. The drop was soon joined by another, and Izuku could feel his nose dripping the red liquid as he stood there. Internally though, his mind was racing.

That attack was huge. Kacchan is so fast too, I can barely keep track of him, and my powers are still a bit limited from using them so much this morning. I think that if I… No. Wait. Fighting with our quirks could get us in a lot of trouble, not only with UA, but with the police too! I don't even know how much time we have until someone shows up, that last blast was really loud.

"HEY NERD! THERE'S NO TIME TO MUTTER TO YOURSELF! WHAT'S IT GOING TO BE DEKU?" Bakugo yelled, "FIGHT ME!"

What should he do? Why was he here? Why did he even come? It wasn't like Izuku hadn't seen this coming. Well, maybe not this exactly, but he had known this would be a confrontation, a battle of some sorts. And for what? Kacchan wasn't his friend, he knew that. He had felt friendship, and what he and Bakugo was nothing like that. Not anymore.

But he was there now, with Bakugo. This was just another part of his journey, another step to become a hero. He just… had to win.

But maybe he could pass this test another way.

"No." The word was quiet.

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

Izuku shook his head and turned to face Bakugo. Bakugo glared, but for once Izuku didn't care. He had to do this.

"If we fight now then our journeys to becoming heroes could end before they even start Kacchan. I can't let my dream disappear like that. And I know that we…" He paused, before continuing quietly. He knew it was true, but it was the first time he had ever, ever admitted it out loud. "We aren't friends. But I know you want to be a hero too. If we fight now everything we've worked for is gone."

Izuku shook his head again as the images of people flashed through his mind. His mother, Aizawa, All Might. Eri… He couldn't let them all down. Not here. Not now. Mind made up he watched Bakugo glare, the blond obviously torn.

A minute passed, both boys tense as they stared at each other.

Sighing angrily, Bakugo straightened. He growled as Izuku smiled, relieved, and let out the breath he had been holding.

"Fine, whatever nerd. I got what I wanted anyways." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"W-What?" Izuku asked, confused.

"Tomorrow we're doing hero combat training." Bakugo continued talking, ignoring Izuku entirely. "I am going to crush you, understand?"

His eyes narrowed as he glared at his classmate. His next words came out quiet and menacing.

"You better bring your all. You better come at me, no matter what, or I will kill you faster than you can blink, got that Deku? You better be ready to fight, no more damn running around like today? I am going to prove that I am better than you, whether you are prepared or not."

Izuku nodded quickly. Bakugo growled before turning to walk away.

"Kacchan!" Bakugo paused.

Izuku took a breath, building up his courage and stopping his shaking hand. Now that they had stopped moving his gaze was drawn back to his ledge.

"I d-do belong in UA. I am going to become a hero, no matter h-how hard it is. And I will prove it to you that I belong here too, b-beyond a doubt!"

Bakugo snorted, before continuing his walk. He didn't care, not really. Izuku's reasons didn't matter, what mattered was that he didn't belong. He couldn't cut it, he was just Deku. And tomorrow Bakugo would prove it. As he turned around a corner, leaving the sight of Deku, he pulled out a piece of paper. It was a lesson plan, one he had seen laying on the desk of their new teacher. It outlined tomorrow's class, and the pairings that would be "randomly" assigned. It was a good test, looking at their ability to adapt and work together, but Bakugo didn't really care about that. What he cared about was the names on the first match.

Team A: Midoriya and Ochako vs. Team D: Bakugo and Yaoyorozu.

"There he is."

"Well well well, you weren't mistaken. That's good for you I suppose." The two men stood on a nearby building, one lowering a pair of binoculars from his face as he watched the green haired boy slump as the blond walked away from the warehouse yard. The boy seemed tired, both physically and mentally. If only he was close enough to hear him…

Weakness. Fear. Trepidation. Anger. All these and more were layered in a voice, and his quirk allowed him to hear it all. He had been mocked for years, for decades, at the noise cancelling headphones he wore. But they had been silenced years ago. As it turns out, the sound of a knife splitting skin was not just different, it was oh so satisfying. He sighed and adjusted his mask. It was a shame that he was only a communication expert for Chisaki, the sounds of a person's last breath was a holy note that he hadn't heard in some time.

"Jirako," he said as the eight eyed man turned to face him. He adjusted his beak-like mask. Scum really, Jirako was the bottom of the underworld. One could not refute his skills were useful though. His face was such an eyesore though, and though the potential for espionage was great the sound of his eyes constantly spinning his skull was aggravating. Alas, the ability to see through remotely placed "eyes" was too good to dispose of.

"Yes sir?" The man in the mask sneered, not that Jirako could see it. The street rat was always more respectful in person.

"We appear to be finished here. Go back to whatever hole you climbed out of, and contact me when the boy leaves the campus again. I will prepare. Next time we will be ready to act."

"But, what about those powers of his? You said he was a teleporter. We just watched him teleport!" Jirako winced as he finished the sentence. The masked man turned and looked away, his hand reaching down to where Jirako knew there was a knife hidden in his jacket. It wouldn't be the first time he had been threatened with that knife.

"I mean of course boss, I'll contact you as soon as he leaves the school grounds!" With that Jirako turned and walked away as quickly as he could. These people were paying him more than any other job he had taken, but he knew better than to push their limits. Apparently the guy that used to do this job hadn't known better and last he heard his body had been found floating in the bay.

The masked man frowned as the grungy street criminal began moving quickly. A shame, he had hoped to at least hear some flesh splitting tonight. He closed his eyes, thinking what he craved. That heavenly sound of life fading, and the rasp of a breath that knew there was nothing it could do. That beautiful–

Shlick.

The man gasped as the sound he craved filled the air. It was just as he had always heard it, but something was off. Opening his eyes he looked down, expecting to see the blood dripping off his blade.

He wasn't however, expecting to see said blade sticking out of his own chest.

Gasping, he stumbled backwards. He only managed a few steps before hitting a wall. Turning his head, he cringed as his own breaths shallowed. The sound… it was perfect, and yet the pleasure of hearing it was dulled by the pain spreading from his chest. His eyes looked down at his chest as he fell to the ground, slumping as he pulled at his shirt. Soon the open wound was exposed, the bright red liquid flowing out of it quickly.

How? I didn't hear anything! Wait… where's the knife?

"Looking for this?" The man raised his head, only managing a few inches before the strain was too much. He was able to make out two shapes before his head fell forwards, one much larger than the other. The voice, deep and baritone, chuckled.

"Come now Suna," the voice said to his companion, "Give the man his knife back."

The smaller shape approached, and the masked man found himself staring at the feet of this 'Suna'. His eyes widened as the figure knelt to the ground, gently moving him into a position in which he could see the two people far more clearly.

Suna appeared to be a young woman, no more than mid-twenties was probably a fair guess at her age. Dressed in black, her appearance appeared to be based off of that of a ninja, though she carried no weapons. While she wasn't wearing a full mask, her dark purple hair tied in a ponytail, her mouth was covered. He did not need to guess at her emotions, her intense orange eyes made it clear that she was not pleased. She raised an empty hand, and the man watched as the small flecks of black seemed to waft off the glove.

Sand?

The specks gathered in the air for a second before launching forwards. Just before they hit his chest they seemed to solidify, and the masked man was left staring at his own knife stabbing him once more, this time in his stomach.

"People like you are so easy to kill." The second figure moved forward. He seemed to be dressed far simpler than his companion, business casual even. Unlike his companion though his face was covered, a helmet of some sort of blue metal blocked his view of the man's face. The larger man knelt down.

"You had so much faith in your quirk, you thought you could hear anything. Well I am sorry to inform you little watchman, but your faith is misplaced. You little birds appear to be all over this area, aren't you? All ruffled feathers because of a simple boy. I must say though, after seeing him in action I must agree that he is interesting. A little unexperienced yet, but that power… all that potential, and you are unable to see past your little plan. My, Behemoth truly has let his hold over this area falter, hasn't he? Why, when we were younger he wouldn't have hesitated to strike you and your little group down like the crows you are." He stood, and straightened the light blazer he had on.

"Who… are you." Rasped the bleeding man. That was the sound he had been craving, the sound of words whispered because there was no strength to talk. If only it wasn't his voice. The large man sighed before reaching forward. The masked man's eyes widened as the large hand covered his face. His mouth opened, voice struggling to scream, but his throat was suddenly dry.

"Come now, I know you have heard of me. Surely the crows' nest isn't so arrogant to ignore the rumors of my return? Or perhaps Japan does not remember me? Do you not remember me?" The masked man spasmed as he felt his skin begin to dry under the touch of the man. "Hush now, no need to fear. The human body is so fragile, so easily broken. All I need to do is take away the water from certain areas you see, and…"

Thump.

The man let go of the now shrivelled corpse, dried and cracked. Water swirled at his fingertips before flowing into his skin as he let loose a chuckle. Humans really were so weak. So few of them ever reached the strength he held himself at. However, he had to be careful, Behemoth still commanded this land, albeit now from the shadows. That was one person that even he hesitated to attack, if only because he didn't know what combination of quirks he had amassed at this time.

"Suna, would you please dispose of the body?" The girl nodded. "Good. Make sure it is delivered post haste my dear, with my usual message. Let the bird's nest scramble, for now." His gaze shifted as he stared at the yard where only a short time ago two boys stood. It wouldn't do for too much to happen right now, least of all a war with the heroes. He had an army to build first. He smiled as he turned and began walking away, confident that Suna would be able to find him. She knew what to do.

Izuku gasped as he bolted awake. Reaching up he wiped some sweat off his brow, frowning at the emerald sparks that flew off his skin as he did. He appeared to be drenched in sweat, and really he wasn't surprised. He hadn't had a nightmare that intense in years, not since before he had discovered his quirk. The ledge, the falling. The sneers and attacks of his peers, both physical and verbal, echoed even now. His hands shook as a few more sparks left his skin, and he took a few deep breaths.

Shaking his head, he tried to ignore the echoes from his nightmare. It hadn't been anything new, but it had all seemed so… real. He could still hear his own whimpers filling the air.

Izuku's eyes widened as the whimpering got louder. That was NOT in his head. Looking across the room the last vestiges of sleep left him as a dim light was shining from Eri's bed. Leaping up, Izuku ran across the room to her bedside. Eri was still asleep, but her blankets were thrown off as she tossed and turned with a grimace on her face, her horn glowing slightly. Her lips moved near silently, only the whimpering escaping her throat. Izuku winced. It appeared he wasn't the only one that was having nightmares.

"No," her cracked voice finally let out. Izuku hesitated. He knew that waking someone up from a nightmare was usually the right thing to do, but he had also heard of things similar to nightmares where waking someone up could make everything worse.

"Please no… I don't want… please no… I don't want to make them disappear! PLEASE NO, DON'T!"

As her screams filled the air Izuku lunged forward. He couldn't just sit there! Pulling the now crying girl into his lap, he ignored her screams as he began to rub her back softly, whispering.

"It's okay Eri, it's alright. Shhh, its okay." He whispered, hugging her tightly. As he did he looked down at his hand, and felt the tears begin to leave his own eyes. He may have scarred his hand with his power, but Eri's scars ran much deeper than the flesh.

"Izu?" A broken voice questioned. Pulling back softly, Izuku looked down into the confused, scared, and very awake eyes of his charge.

"Hey Eri."

"Izu!" Upon hearing his reply she learned forward, her sobs filling the quietness of their little room as she buried herself in his chest. Izuku only hugged her tighter as she cried. "I didn't mean to! I'm sorry, I didn't want them to disappear, I promise! I didn't know!" She wailed. Izuku nodded.

"I know, I know Eri." His words did little calm her down though as she continued to plead for forgiveness. Izuku's own nightmare echoed again, his own sorrows. His own plea.

I'm sorry!

"Eri," he said again, pulling the small girl to arm length. His grip stayed strong, reassuring as he did, "Eri it's okay. I promise it's okay. Everyone makes mistakes, and we all have things that happen that we want to forget. Everyone." Eri's tears slowed, but didn't stop as she stared up at him.

"Even you?" Her voice was small and ragged. Izuku nodded.

"Even me."

"Like what? Izu, you're a hero, a superhero! You… you're perfect." She finished quietly. Izuku shook his head, and pulled her in for another hug. This time she wrapped her small arms around him as well, and Izuku smiled despite himself. This was progress.

"I'm not perfect Eri. I have nightmares too. I had one tonight."

"About what?" Her sobs had abated now, only sniffles left.

He hesitated. His nightmare…

"It was about a mistake I almost made once." Izuku replied, wincing. This wasn't something he could just talk about. He hadn't told anyone about what had happened, and he certainly wasn't going to start with Eri. She had already been through so much. He regretted brining this up in the first place, but it was a little too late now. He just had to pray that she didn't pry for more information.

"A mistake?" she parroted. Izuku gulped. She was so young… but she was also so scared. Terrified, and looking for help. From him. Izuku really didn't want to talk about this, but he knew he needed to say something. Something to help her, to show her that everyone needed help. Even the heroes in their lives. He also knew he couldn't bring himself to lie to her (he wasn't very good at lying anyways). He needed to connect to the emotions of his story without letting her know exactly what happened. Maybe he could make the experience less… intense.

"When I was younger, years ago, I was bullied. A lot. One day, someone I had trusted… someone I saw as a friend… said something really mean to me, something that I believed. And because of that I almost… ran away." Izuku said softly, his heart aching as the memories of that night and his nightmare ran through his mind in a flash. "I almost made a big mistake Eri, and if I did I wouldn't have been here, not to save you, not to become a hero."

Eri sniffled again.

"But you know what?" Izuku continued. Her head moved back and forth across his shirt, shaking no. "Even though I almost made that mistake, I was able to turn it around. I was able to make things better. I didn't run away. But even after that I had to work hard. Luckily, I didn't do it alone." At this Eri looked up, her head no longer buried against his chest.

"You didn't?"

"No, I had my mom, and later I had All Might to help me too. And guess what Eri?"

"What?" She echoed. Izuku hugged her tightly, a warmth filling his chest similar to when he had first decided to protect her.

"I have you to help me. And you have me. You have All Might, Mr. Aizawa, and everyone else too. And we will always be here to help you." Izuku smiled down at her, his heart light as she softly smiled back.

"Always?"

"Always Eri."

For the next 15 minutes they barely moved, the only exception being Izuku's mouth as he began telling her the happiest stories he could think of. Oddly, many of his tales were centered around his "adventures" with Kacchan when they were younger, before his quirk manifested. He supposed that those really were the happiest moments of his childhood, though the bittersweet taste of his words wouldn't fade.

It took some time, but slowly and surely Eri calmed and the glow coming off her horn abated. With tears cried and nightmares overcome, the two made their way down to the kitchen and living area. After a few minutes they sat down on the couch, a cup of hot chocolate in each of their hands. Izuku smiled as the small girl finished her cup, before leaning into him and slowly drifting back to sleep. He sighed and grabbed his most recent quirk analysis book, flipping to his newest pages and began recording his observations from earlier that day. Or technically it was yesterday he supposed. After a nightmare like that he knew he wasn't getting back to sleep for a while. Still, talking about it had helped, even if it had been a way to calm Eri down. He frowned. Was that the right choice? Eri was so young… and he hadn't even talked about "running away" with… well, with anyone. No one knew.

Izuku shrugged. He knew he wasn't the best at all of this. Maybe it had been a mistake, and maybe it was alright. All he knew was that it had worked, it had helped. He just couldn't stand to see Eri begging for help without doing everything he could to save her. Honestly, some of this was way over his head. He was a teenager for crying out loud. But he had promised to take care of her, and that meant protecting her from more than just the physical threats. Maybe he wasn't the most qualified, he certainly had been though his fair share of traumatic experiences, but he knew he would try his hardest.

With that in mind he turned the page, and started on his next entry. He still had a few more preliminary assessment of his classmates to add to his latest volume.

"Hey Iida!" Ochako called out. Said boy stopped and turned, waving his arm mechanically as he waited for her to approach.

"Uraraka! It is good to see you again! I trust you are well prepared for our first real day?" She smiled, giving the blue-haired boy a thumbs up.

"Of course! Hopefully it isn't as scary as yesterday though."

"Indeed, yesterday was quite stressful. But I trust that our teacher's know what they are doing. This is UA after all."

Ochako nodded as she put her stuff in her locker, laughing. Stressful didn't even cover what she had felt during the "quirk test" (as she had taken to calling it). That hardly matter though, as they had all passed! She was just excited to get started. First day of school here she comes!

"So Iida, are you ready?" Iida nodded as they began making their way to the classroom. As he talked he watched in amusement as Ochako looked around, obviously searching for something.

"Well of course, Uraraka. I have been preparing non-stop since returning home last night. One cannot be too ready for the trials ahead!"

"Ya, I guess you're right." She sighed as they continued walking down the hallway to 1-A.

The night before she had watched as Izuku had flickered away, and she honestly was still worried for him. He had seemed so sad, a stark contrast to the happy (though stuttering) boy he had been during their walk. And it all had to do with his meeting with Bakugo.

"OUT OF THE WAY YOU EXTRAS!" Ochako fought the urge to roll her eyes. She could hear him walking through the halls even now. He was so loud, so angry, and for some reason it was only worse when Izuku was involved. She cringed as she thought of Izuku's first demonstration of his quirk during their examination, and Bakugo's literal explosive response. They obviously knew each other from before, but Ochako wasn't exactly sure why he hated Izu so much.

"Are you feeling alright Uraraka?" Iida's voice cut through her thoughts. She shook her head to clear her thoughts before turning to her new friend.

"Oh ya! I'm fine. Just looking for Deku."

"Ah yes, Midoriya should be here soon. He should be here early. Living on campus is such a wonderful opportunity, I would be surprised if he was ever late!"

"I know, I'm just a bit worried, that's all. He was going to meet with Bakugo after the train station last night…" Iida frowned.

"Yes, that may be a case for worrying. Yesterday certainly showcased our classmates tendency towards aggression. I'm certain everything worked out just fine, while he may be brash, Midoriya has certainly proved himself capable of handling himself."

Ochako nodded and Iida changed the subject to the class schedule, praising the idea of holding normal classes every morning. Apparently many Hero School attempted to hold normal classes only during the first half of the week, and have Hero classes the rest, but this was inadequate because… well, Ochako didn't really follow, but Iida definitely knew why. As Iida continued talking, they arrived at the classroom. The door was open and they noticed with some relief that no screaming was coming out from the room. Bakugo must not have arrived yet.

"Hey Uraraka!" A chipper voice called out.

"Mina! How's your morning going?" Mina smiled, her pink face brightening.

"Awesome! My train gets here super early though," she whined, "I was here all alone for almost an hour!"

"Hey!" another voice called out, gaining their attention. Kirishima walked up with Kaminari beside him, scowling jokingly. "We got here just as early as you! And it was only half an hour."

"It felt like an hour though! Just me in a boring old classroom." She sighed dramatically.

"I got here before you! It hasn't been that long." Kaminari chimed in. Mina laughed, lightly elbowing Uraraka before stage whispering.

"Like I said basically all alone."

"Hey!"

Kirishima chuckled loudly, and the group all smiled. Even Iida, who had been in the middle of protesting their un-student-like behavior couldn't help but stop for a moment. But only one.

"Class is starting soon, so we should all take our seats!" He proclaimed. Kirishima smirked.

"Lighten up Iida! We've still got 5 minutes! Most of us aren't even here yet!" True to his word, only a few people were in the room, Ochako noted. Besides the 5 of them standing near the entrance, there were only four other people present. Yaoyorozu was sitting in the back, with Todoroki sitting in his seat beside her. They appeared to be reading, both of them silent as they prepared for the upcoming class. The only other ones in the room were…

"Oh." Ochako said, seeing the other two occupants. Slouched over his desk, seemingly sleeping, was Izuku. Eri was seated beside him, cutely poking his cheek every few moments. Smiling, Kirishima followed her gaze.

"Ya, they showed up like 10 minutes ago. Midoriya said hi, but he fell asleep pretty quickly after he sat down."

"While I did say that he should get to class early, I certainly didn't mean he should sleep at his desk!" Iida said, before marching over to the pair. Ochako laughed at his proclamation before following with Kirishima and Mina. Kaminari stayed behind as another student entered the class, grabbing his attention.

By the time the three arrived Iida had already begun.

"Midoriya! One cannot hope to excel if they are asleep in class!" He proclaimed loudly. Eri stared at him, slipping closer to Izuku and hugging him as Iida spoke. The green haired boy blinked blearily as he woke.

"Iida?" he yawned, his eyes squinted.

"Come now Midoriya, you must set an example as the number one scorer in the entrance exam!"

"Sorry Iida… tired.. Eri… nightmare, so… sleep." Came the sleepy reply. Iida sighed as the others arrived.

"Sleepiness is no excuse! We must always be attentive."

"Give him a break man!" Kirishima chimed in, cringing as Iida turned to him and began lecturing. His pleading glance at Mina was met with a laugh though as the pink girl slowly backed away.

Ochako smiled and turned to the sleeping boy, giving a small wave to Eri as she did. Eri seemed a little tired as well, but not nearly as much as Izuku.

"Morning Eri. How are you?" She asked softly. Eri turned to her and gave her a hesitant smile back. It wasn't a huge step or anything, but Ochako couldn't help but smile a little wider at the girl as she did.

She's so cute!

"I'm okay Chako." She said quietly.

"Did you get a good night's sleep?" Eri shook her head softly. "Are you alright?" At this Eri nodded, before looking at Izuku.

"Izu helped me fall back asleep," she said, and Ochako smiled again.

"Well I think that's awesome Eri! But class is going to start soon, so how about we wake Izuku up so he can pay attention?" Eri nodded and sent another hesitant smile towards Ochako. The two did not notice the lack of noise from behind them as Iida and Kirishima's attention slowly drifted back towards the sleeping boy and the girls beside him. They couldn't hear what the older girl and child were saying in their hushed tones as more and more students filtered into the classroom, but they could see the relative ease that Eri was in.

"Wow," Mina whispered to the other two, "She's pretty good with kids huh?" Kirishima nodded, and Iida raised a brow.

"A useful skill I would say, especially if she ever has to participate in a rescue mission involving children." The other nodded, but any reply was interrupted as Ochako grabbed their attention by leaning over and lightly shaking Izuku.

"Hey Deku? Deku?" She asked. Eri poked his cheek again and parroted Ochako. A groan came out of the boy as he awoke, his bleary eyes blinking as he looked up and yawned.

"Ochako?" He asked, his eyes half awake. A squeal came from behind them as the said girl blushed, but she simply smiled at the waking hero to be.

"Hey sleepy head! Welcome back!"

Izuku yawned once more before stretching with a grunt. Smiling at Eri he patted her on the head as she gave him a hug before turning to his gravity friend with a tired smile.

"Welcome back?"

"To class silly! We've only got a few minutes until it starts."

"Oh!" Izuku exclaimed, looking over at the clock, "T-thanks Uraraka! I hadn't meant t-to sleep for that long!"

"No problem!" Ochako replied. Her smile faded a bit though as she asked her next question. "Are you alright Deku?"

"Ya?" Izuku replied, his confusion evident. "Why w-wouldn't I be?"

"Well…"

Her stray thoughts of worry for her friend never came to fruition, for when she opened her mouth to speak the door (which had already been mostly open) slammed open with a vicious sound. Storming into the room with barely a minute to spare, Bakugo walked directly to his seat in front of Izuku and dropped his bag with a crash. Silence reigned for a moment before muttering filled the class once more, the students slowly returning to their previous conversations. Frowning at her train of thought being interrupted, Ochako looked back towards her friend, intent on continuing to speak with him until Mr. Aizawa showed up. She wasn't surprised when she saw Izuku's face, which was anxiously looking at the obviously angry Bakugo.

What did surprise her was the face of the adorable little girl beside him.

Eri's eyes were filled with unshed tears, but unlike the usual fear and trepidation that constantly seemed to follow the child, these eyes were filled with a fire that Ochako had never seen before. Her mouth was set in a frown, and while Ochako thought it was still adorable, it was slightly off-putting when combined with the ominous glow now slightly emanating from her horn. In a word, she looked… angry.

"Eri?" Izuku asked, having seen it too. "What's wrong?" The little girl did not respond though and as her eyes focused on the boy who had just propped his feet up on his desk, to Iida's vocal complaint, they narrowed.

At the sound of his voice, the blond spared a glance backwards, glaring at the nerd who dared speak. His glare didn't quite make it that far, as Eri's expression caught his attention.

"What the hell are you pissed about pipsqueak?"

"LANGUAGE BAKUGO!" Iida yelled. He was succinctly ignored by the blond as Eri met his glare. For a moment they simply continued staring before Bakugo scoffed and turned back to the front of the class, watching as Aizawa walked through the door with his sleeping bag and a book in his arms.

"You're not a real hero."

Ochako barely heard Eri, though she was pretty sure that she was the only one besides the two boys seated by her that did. The words were quiet, barely audible to those around. Bakugo was not.

Spinning around fast enough to knock his seat to the ground, Bakugo stared with fire in his eyes at the small girl. The motion caught the attention of the entire class, and even Aizawa raised a brow. Izuku stared, shocked at her words. Eri, for the first time Izuku could remember, was still glaring at the blond, though she had now positioned her body to be mostly hidden behind the seated Izuku. Bakugo's mouth opened, his body tense as a spring as the rage boiled under his skin, but before a word could leave his mouth the toneless voice of their teacher filled the room.

"To your seats… Now Bakugo."

The blond narrowed his eyes at the small girl before picking up his chair and slamming it down in its spot. Slowly the class made their way to their seats. Ochako lingered slightly, but the glare from her teacher quickly dissuaded her from staying away from her seat for too long. With a worried glance at Izuku and Eri, she made her way to the opposite side of the classroom. At this point Eri was once more hugging the green-haired boy, and as he whispered questioningly to her the glow in her horn lessened till it was nearly impossible to see.

"Well, I'm glad that you got all that socializing out of the way. This is homeroom, as I expect you have all figured out." Aizawa spoke, his expression holding only slightly more emotion than 'tired', "If you look inside your desks you will see your schedule, as well as a syllabus for each class. Mornings will be divided into normal high school subjects, each of which will be taught by a different teacher. Then you have an hour for lunch, followed by your hero courses this afternoon. Any questions?"

A hand raised. Aizawa sighed.

"Yes Miss Ashido?"

"Is All Might really going to be teaching us?!" The class erupted into mutterings at her question.

"Really?"

"Taught by All Might? That's awesome!"

A cough from the front of the room pulled their attention once more.

"Is that what it says on the schedule Miss Ashido?" Mina nodded.

"Ya."

"Then why are you wasting time asking? Don't ask illogical questions. Read through your schedule. We will meet here for 20 minutes every morning, and again at the end of the day. Any logical questions? No? Good. Read through your schedule, and prep for your next class. No talking, I'm going to take a nap. If you have a question, a logical question Miss Ashido, then you can wait. Unless someone is dying, you should be content reading through your schedule and syllabi. Understood?" He asked, looking directly at Bakugo. A tense moment followed, before the teen nodded slightly.

"Good."

Izuku gulped as a busy silence filled the room, as everyone except Bakugo began leafing through their schedules. It was going to be an interesting morning.

A few hours later, Izuku sighed as he took a bite of his food. The first day of classes so far had been rather… normal, surprisingly. Besides the shock of Eri's quiet words, the classes themselves had been the same as any other class he had taken. Of course, most classes he had taken were not taught by Pro Heroes, but even they acted just like (semi) normal teachers in class. All too soon the last bell for the morning had rung, and Izuku had handed Eri off to Aizawa for her own quirk training. Of course, that could just as well mean she would spend the afternoon watching movies, as though Mr. Aizawa denied it Izuku knew for a fact (Eri never could keep a secret from him for long) that at least a few of her 'training sessions' consisted of far too much Lilo and Stitch than he would have thought necessary.

Izuku sighed yet again as he took another bite. A light breeze passed by, and he paused for a moment, taking in the freshness of the air. It was a bit chilly, but the warm food in his lap kept him from feeling too cold. It was just habit, he supposed, that made him take his lunch up to the rood once more. Looking over at the door, he laughed to himself as he remembered the last lunch he had taken up here. Hatsume had provided unique, if just a little crazy, company that day. It had been a while since he had company for lunch. At least, company that actually didn't mind him being there.

Izuku shook his head. This wasn't his old school. The people weren't as cruel, he already had some friends even! Why was he eating alone? Habit again? It didn't really make much sense when he thought about it. Plus, it was sort of chilly out still.

Nodding to himself, Izuku resolved himself to going down to the cafeteria. Lunch had only begun less than twenty minutes ago, so he still had plenty of time to find a seat. He had only just stood up when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"There you are dude!" The loud voice caught him off guard, as Kirishima walked through the doors of the roof access. "Hey guys, he's up here!" He called into the building. A few moments later Iida, Ochako, Mina, and Kirishima had all sat down beside him.

"Hey Deku!" Ochako said as she took the spot next to him, gesturing for him to sit down.

"Hey Midoriya," Mina greeted, "We didn't see you in the cafeteria, so we decided to come find you!" For a second Izuku could only stare at the group as they all put down their bags and pulled out their own lunches, with only Iida having brought something from home.

"H-hey Ashido!" Izuku finally replied, "I d-didn't realize you guys wanted to eat t-t-together!"

"Well of course we did!" Kirishima chimed in, his mouth full of food as he spoke. "Friends eat together!"

"Chewing before talking is considered polite Kirishima. However, he isn't wrong Midoriya. It is customary for friends to eat together during lunch hour to foster camaraderie. Although, it is usually in the lunch hall."

"Ya, what's up with that?" Mina asked, pinching a roll off Kirishima's plate, "Oh quit whining, you have four other rolls! What are you doing all the way up here?"

"O-oh… I just always ate on the roof in middle school. I guess it's just a habit now." Izuku replied, somewhat quietly. Kirishima winced at his tone. He hadn't really experienced it much, but he knew that bullying was a pressing concern in many schools, especially from the lower end public schools. He had seen Izuku's uniform during the entrance exam, and that area was particularly nasty. Judging from the look on Uraraka's face, he guessed that she had picked up on the hidden message as well.

I always ate on the roof in middle school. I always ate alone.

"Well, I for one think that is admirable Midoriya! Walking up all those stairs is excellent exercise before and after meals. And the outdoors are amazing." Izuku smiled a half smile, and nodded at Iida.

"Y-you're right Iida. I mean, just look at the v-view!" Izuku said. Iida nodded in reply as he looked around. It truly was magnificent, a grand look at the huge area that was UA's grounds. In the distance the mock cities could be seen, standing out among the massive fields.

"So… how about we get to know each other?" Ochako chimed in. Mina readily agreed, and so the questions began. Lunch passed fairly quickly after that, and by the end of the period Izuku was barely even stuttering. Instead a smile had made its way onto his face as they shared stories of their families. They learned some things about each other schools, like how Kirishima and Mina had gone to the same middle school, and about their homes.

"So wait, you're like totally rich then!" Mina exclaimed. Iida nodded.

"Yes, my family is rather well off. I wouldn't say we are extravagantly wealthy, but due to our family's commitment to the lifestyle of heroes we do live comfortably."

"Wow…" Ochako said. She had told them earlier in the conversation her motivation for becoming a hero, to bring money in for her family. She guessed it wasn't all just a pipe dream.

"And what of you Midoriya? What about your home?" Iida asked. Izuku smiled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, there's not really much to say Iida. Me and my mom lived in a nice neighborhood, nothing too fancy though."

"Just your mom and you?"

"Eijiro!" Mina scolded at his tactless comment, but Izuku laughed.

"No no, its fine! It's always been just me and my mom as long as I can remember. Apparently my dad took a job in America some time ago. I'm not sure what he does, but it gives us enough money to live, though my mom still works so we have a little extra. It helped afford the house, though I guess she doesn't need as big of an apartment anymore." He finished thoughtfully.

"So wait, do you not live with her anymore then? You keep talking in the past tense." Mina asked, finishing off her sandwich. Izuku nodded.

"O-oh ya, you guys probably haven't heard, but I actually live in the new campus dorms with Eri!" At the mention of the girl the group paused.

"So… speaking of Eri…" Kirishima began hesitantly.

"What's the deal with you two? And why do you live on campus?" Mina chimed in.

"And you say I have no filter." Kirishima muttered playfully, provoking a "Shut up," from the pink skinned girl.

"I must admit I have been rather curious as well." Iida admitted. Izuku cringed.

"Are you sure you want to know?" He asked quietly, a little bit of his normal cheer gone, "it isn't a very nice story."

Ochako looked over at him worriedly. She had never heard him speak so hollowly before, even when speaking about Bakugo. Of course, Izuku had already told her how he had saved Eri from some villains, but it was still heartbreaking to hear the normally upbeat hero in training speak so heavily.

Kirishima smiled. "C'mon man, how bad could it be?" His sentiment was echoed by the rest of the group. Izuku laughed, but unlike his normal laugh this one was hollow and empty, leaving an uneasy feeling with the three that had yet to hear the tale.

So Izuku told them, looking down at his now clenched fists as the memory played in his head. He spoke quickly, but efficiently about his first encounter with Eri and the man known as Overhaul. The fear, the pain. He mentioned his thoughts during their escape, and how he knew Eri had been through so much… too much. He didn't focus on his own injuries much in the story, figuring that they didn't really need to know just how close it had been. He finished the tale by telling them how he had taken up guardianship over the small girl. After he finished the rooftop was as silent as it had been before the group had arrived, each student taking in the story. Izuku too sat in silence, before a hand was placed over his own clenched, sparking fists.

Looking up, he saw Ochako seated beside him, a question in her eyes. Izuku nodded, before smiling, silently thanking her. She smiled back, squeezing his hand before letting go. Izuku cleared his throat, pulling everyone out

"I'm sorry guys, if that was a l-little too much." The other three shook their heads, and Mina wiped a quick tear from her eye.

"No, we asked. Is she okay now?" Izuku smiled a little bit brighter at this, and nodded at the acid-quirk holder.

"Ya, and she gets better every day! She still has some nightmares every once in a while, but even that is happening less and less. But anyways, because of all that a major villain apparently wants me and Eri really bad, so the staff thought it would be safer for us to stay on campus."

The group nodded at this, and Iida took a moment to praise UA's forethought and preparation.

"Wait!" Ochako suddenly spoke, jumping up from her seat beside Izuku. "But weren't you all alone after you walked me home last night?!" Izuku's eyes widened as she spoke, before he nodded sheepishly.

"Y-ya, I guess so. I hadn't thought about it… I don't normally have a need to go off c-campus much. Even then I usually d-don't worry about it, since I can flicker it's usually safer for me."

"Flicker?" Kirishima asked.

"I believe that is the term used to describe Midoriya's teleporting ability." Iida replied.

"Yes, but that's not the point!" Ochako said, hands on her hips as she turned back to Izuku, who was now rubbing the back of his head. "Just because you can teleport doesn't mean they can't catch you off-guard! How far are you normally allowed to go?"

"Umm… just a little farther than the train station?" Izuku muttered guiltily, looking down.

"Hmmpf." The annoyed sound left her lips almost involuntarily. The other watched as she sat down beside him again, his gaze automatically turning to her as her movement slightly moved the bench he was on.

"Well then you'll have to make sure you stay in that limit from now on, okay?" Izuku nodded. "Seriously Izu, if there's villains out there looking for you, you should be careful." She frowned as she finished. That had been so risky of him!

"You're r-right… I should have thought of that. I'm s-sorry. I r-really hadn't even c-considered that they might be looking for me." Izuku said, embarrassed. She was right, that had been rather stupid of him. He gulped, suddenly even more glad that he had refused to fight Bakugo that night. If the police had found them they would have been in trouble, but if one of those villains had found them? He shuddered. "I'll be sure to be more prepared next time, maybe ask a pro to come along?" Ochako nodded, a determined look on her face. Then she smiled.

"Ya, that would work. Or I could actually make it to the train on time." With that she let out a little laugh. A second later Izuku laughed as well, and soon both were trapped giggling.

"Well I for one agree with Uraraka! That was rather risky Midoriya, better to always be prepared!" Iida chimed in, which for some reason only served to make the two laugh even harder. Kirishima bit back a laugh as he watched the two stop giggling.

"So?" Ochako asked. Izuku nodded as he replied.

"I'll be more careful, promise."

"Good." Ochako nodded. Mina glanced over to Kirishima as the other two smiled and stood up, grabbing their bags (as Iida reminded them all that it was nearly time for class to start). Kirishima grabbed his own bag and winked back at her before falling into step beside Izuku as Mina pulled Ochako ahead of them as they left the rooftop.

"So… you walked her home last night?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Izuku's exasperated groan filled the stairwell a few moments later.

Well, there we go. I wasn't really sure where I wanted to end it, but I really wanted to get all of the combat training into one chapter, so I ended it a little early. Hope you guys enjoyed, and hope you are looking forward to the next chapter!

Until next time, this is Glitch, signing out!