A couple months after her mother's death, Narako was on a swing alone, slowly swinging back and forth. She couldn't get what had happened out of her head... She felt a small but gentle hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Izuku next to her, looking worried. "Are you okay?" He asked, his green eyes showing his worry. Narako had been awful quiet, and since she was staying with him and his mother for the time being, he had noticed it big time. Narako nodded, hiding her pain for the moment. Maybe one day she would tell him... Just... Not yet...

A few minutes later, a few bigger kids were picking on Izuku. Narako watched silently as they stole Izuku's favorite All Might action figure from him, keeping her head down but the anger was rising in her. She had been silent and still for two years, but her mother's death had been the final straw.... "Hey!" She shouted, finally speaking for the first time in months. All attention was directly on her, all showing faces of shock at her sudden words. Izuku was a bit startled at the change in his friend. Her words were laced with a venom as cold as ice, and if looks could kill, these three bullies for fourth graders would be dead by now. "Cut it out." Narako snarled.

"Oh, what're you gonna do about it, cry?" The leader asked, not noticing Bakugou not too far away from them. He was hiding behind a tree as he watched the new Narako. Where had this side to her been for the past two years?

"Give me Izu-chan's toy... Now." Narako held out an open hand, fed up. The boy placed in his front overall pocket.

"Come and get it, pipsqueak." The leader challenged as his friends stepped up to his side, intimidating Izuku but Narako standing her ground, tall and proud.

"You don't scare me." Narako growled. The leader violently pushed her to the ground, causing Narako to fall sharply on her back and her confident demeanor to fall for a minute.

"Look at her lip tremble, she is scared." One of the fourth graders laughed as the leader leaned over her with his hands on his knees and a cocky smirk on his face. Bakugou growled and started storming towards them. They were so gonna get it!

"Cry, little baby. Cry, cry...." The leader was cut off when Narako flat out kicked him in the face, his friends groaning. Izuku shrank and Bakugou came to a stop, his red eyes wide in shock. Did she really just do what he thought she did? The leader ran his tongue over his teeth for a second, making sure she hadn't knocked any out before glaring at her. "Oh, you just don't know when to quit, do you?" He growled, activating his claw quirk and swiping at her, managing to cause a cut on her cheek. Bakugou charged, blasting the bully off Narako.

"Pick on someone your own strength, jerk!" Bakugou yelled, sparking a few more explosions in his hand and making the boys run. Meanwhile, Izuku ran to Narako's side.

"Are you okay, Nara-chan?" He asked, his green eyes full of tears. Why couldn't he just fight back for once? Be able to defend her for a change?

"I'm fine, Izu-chan." She replied, looking down for a moment before taking his All Might action figure out from under her and holding it up to Izuku with a small smile. "Here you go." A bright smile spread across Izuku's little face, taking the toy back and hugging it as Narako got back on her feet. Katsuki turned to her.

"You ever pull a stunt like that again, loser, and I'll be kicking your sorry butt." He told her, glaring her down. She stuck her tongue out at him in response.

"We'll see about that." Narako replied sassily. The bully had been right about one thing... Narako never knew when to quit....

A week after the entrance exams, Narako still hadn't told either of her old friends what had happened, sitting at her apartment kitchen table with the envelope containing her results in her hands. She turned it over so UA's seal was facing her before she opened it. A hologram disk slid out and activated the moment it touched the table. When the picture cleared, Narako recognized Izuku's favorite hero before her. He was dressed in a yellow suit with black pinstripes and a blue tie, but his signature bunny ear-like hair was hard to miss. "All Might?" She asked, partly in disbelief.

"Hello, Young Matsuko! I am here to give you your results!" He greeted, his voice loud and cheery as ever. "Not only am I here to tell you your results, but to tell you that you're looking at the newest U.A. faculty member! Now, onto your results... With a perfect score, you passed the written exam. However, the practical exam..."

"I didn't get enough points to pass." Narako finished as she looked down, knowing full well what he had been about to say.

"But, the exam wasn't just graded on combat.... There were different factors, young Matsuko." All Might started, which snapped Narako's attention back up to him. "While you only got 25 points in destroying the villains, you chose to spend the rest of the time protecting someone else, even if it meant giving up your chance to be accepted into U.A... How could a hero school reject someone who is committed to saving others, no matter the consequences to him or herself? After all, that's what makes a hero, and that my dear, is what U.A. is all about... Training heroes to fight for the greater good. That's why we have rescue points. A panel of judges awards points for heroic acts beyond just fighting villains... Narako Matsuko, 65 rescue points was awarded to both you and Sami Amari. You both passed the exam... It is my honor and privilege to officially welcome you to the Hero Academia. Welcome to U.A. High, Narako." All Might continued. An easy smile spread across her face when she heard All Might's last words on the matter, her reply being,

"I can't wait to learn from you, All Might." All Might grinned and promised to see her in a few weeks before signing off. As soon as the hologram shut down, Narako let out a yell of joy, pumping her arms. "We did it, Mom. I got in." She said, hoping her mother heard her. Narako wasn't able to stop smiling for the rest of the night, feeling like she could take on the world. The last day of her 3rd year in junior high, their teacher called her, Izuku and Katsuki in after class.

"It's hard to believe that we have not just one, but three students attending U.A. High from Aldera Junior High, one of them being you, Midoriya... It's a miracle... But, nonetheless, we're proud of all three of you." Their teacher told them. Narako and Izuku nodded.

"Thank you." They said at the same time, Bakugou remaining quiet. How did Defenseless Izuku even get into U.A. in the first place? Did he cheat or something? His gaze shifted to Narako. He figured she would get in. If her attitude wasn't enough, she had the power to back herself up...

Three weeks after she got the results, that fateful Monday Morning in April, Narako arrived a bit early in her U.A. school uniform. Okay, so she hated the skirt, but she was wearing leggings of the same color so it should be fine... Right? As soon as she walked into her new class, Class 1-A, the first thing she saw was a head of familiar curly black hair. Sapphire blue and ebony black eyes locked onto the other, identical huge smiles on the girls' faces and they greeted each other excitedly at the same time,

"Hey, you made it!" The girls clasped hands as they laughed. "I can't believe we're in the same class!" Narako exclaimed.

"I know, right? Too cool!" Sami replied. The girls sat next to each other in their chosen desks and began talking as more students arrived. As Bakugou walked in, he automatically spotted Narako sitting next to the girl that had sat with them in the lecture hall, the two girls chatting away and laughing together. It had been so long since Bakugou had last heard her laugh, seen her smile the way she was in that moment. He took a seat and placed his feet on the desk, leaning back in his chair as he kept an eye on his female friend. Just as Sami was about to say something again, her eyes spotted something behind Narako and a small blush crossed her face, the girl instantly going shy.

"Well, good morning, ladies." Narako turned around to see a boy she didn't recognize standing behind her. The boy looked around the same height as Bakugou, with the same color of crimson red eyes and matching hair that was spiked up with two small pieces in the front looking like devil horns. Narako had to admit, he was pretty cute, and that grin... Sami gave a little squeak and hid her face as he flashed a toothy grin, Narako noticing that he looked a bit like a baby shark when he smiled that way.

"Well, good morning yourself, Red." Narako greeted back, deciding to be just a twinge of sassy.

"The name's Eijiro Kirishima."

"Narako Matsuko. It's a pleasure." Narako introduced herself. Kirishima's eyes went to the other girl, who was still hiding. He bent next to her and put his head next to hers as Narako watched, amused.

"I'm sorry if I scared ya... I got sharp teeth, yeah, but I don't bite, honest." Kirishima said softly, looking like a little puppy in that second. Sami slowly raised her head before seeing Kirishima. Her face turned as red as his hair and with a squeak, she hid her face again. "Awww, don't hide." Kirishima pleaded, trying to look her in the eye.

"That's Sami. She just a little shy." Narako introduced her friend, coming to the other female's rescue as Kirishima looked at her with red eyes that reminded her of a little kid. Despite his pretty muscular build, he seemed like such a sweetheart.

"Aww, well, I hope I get to become friends with you two... Maybe if she's around me more, it could help her be less shy." Kirishima hoped, his eyes showing that same hope.

"It might." Narako said with a shrug. Kirishima flashed a toothy grin.

"Well, in any case, talk to you ladies later." He replied. With a wave, he was gone. Narako mischievously smirked a bit as she turned to Sami.

"You can stop hiding now, your boyfriend's gone." She teased. Sami's head snapped up.

"He's not my boyfriend." Sami replied, her face darker than Kirishima's hair.

"Aww, you've got a crush." Narako teased more. Sami's face flushed darker, which made Narako start laughing.

"I do not." Sami denied.

"Yeah, whatever you say, Strawberry Face." Narako teased in response, making Sami squeak again as Narako laughed.

A few minutes later, Narako heard yelling and looked over to see the guy who had called out Izuku for mumbling in the lecture hall yelling at Bakugou for having his feet on the desk. Narako stood up without a word, heading toward the two and in one swift movement, pulled the chair out from under Bakugou. With a, "Whoa, shit!" he fell to the floor, landing on his ass with his feet in the air. She looked at the blue haired male next to her who basically towered over her at, what she guessed, was around 5 foot 10. His blue eyes were wide with shock at her actions.

"If all you're gonna do is lecture him, it never works. You want him to do something, you make him do it. Got it?" Narako asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "And by the way, I don't appreciate the way you called out my friend in the lecture hall before the practical part of the entrance exam. You could have pulled him aside privately and saved him the embarrassment in front of countless other examinees." He cleared his throat nervously as he adjusted his glasses.

"Oh, yes... My apologies for that... I'm Tenya Iida from Somei Junior Academy." He introduced himself, his mouth partly open in shock with how fiesty she was.

"Narako Matsuko." She introduced herself without even blinking. Iida stood there in shock for a second. Matsuko... Is this the hero Siren's daughter? He thought. But, just as he was about to ask her to find out, Narako then looked at Bakugou. "As for you, this isn't Aldera Junior High, it's U.A., get that through your thick skull, and keep your feet off the desk before I kick your sorry ass, you got that?" Bakugou glared at her.

"For shit's sake, woman, I'll do what I want." Bakugou snapped as he got up on his feet and looked down at her, both ignoring everyone staring at them. Sami noticed that Bakugou towered over her, but Narako herself didn't seem afraid of him.... At all.

"The hell, you will, Sparky." Bakugou looked down at her with an annoyed look. He hated when she called him that, and she knew it. "Have some respect for once in your goddamn life, UA's a school, not a stepping stone for you walk all over everybody. Those days are over. You're not the top dog of the school anymore, shithead. Get used to it." Narako snarled at him. Bakugou glared at her and earning a glare back. Neither of them backed down until a deep, montoned voice that Narako hadn't heard in 9 years spoke up, breaking them out of it.

"If you're here to make friends, you can pack up your stuff and leave." The two broke eye contact and looked toward the door. Even though he was cocooned in a yellow sleeping bag and lying on the ground, Narako instantly recognized the exhausted looking grey eyes and the long black hair of the man that had comforted her shortly after her mother's death 9 years ago... "Welcome to UA's hero course." He unzipped the sleeping bag just a little to get his hands out long enough to drink from a juice box, causing both Bakugou and Narako to mumble a,

"What the hell?" He then stood up, unzipping the sleeping bag all the way and emerging from it. Narako instantly recognized his attire, which confirmed who she thought he was in the first place.

"It took 8 seconds before you all shut up. That's not gonna work... Time is precious. Rational students would understand that." He looked around the room, something flashing in his eyes for a second when they landed on Narako, but whatever it was, it was gone as quick as it had come. "Hello, I am Shota Aizawa... Your teacher." Not giving anyone a chance to react, he reached into his sleeping bag. "Right, let's get to it." He pulled out a blue, red and white uniform. "Put these on and head outside." While everyone else was confused, Narako immediately stepped up to the plate, being the first to go dress out with Sami right behind her. In the girls locker room, the two were joined by the rest of the females in their class.

"What'd you think he's going to have us do outside?" Sami asked.

"If I had to guess, it's a quirk assessment test... He wants to see where we're at with our quirks, what we need to work on." Narako answered. "But, according to the rumors I've heard, he has a capacity to expel students he thinks won't make the cut... If this is a quirk assessment test like I suspect, that means we're gonna need to give this everything we've got... No holding back from anyone." Sami blinked a bit.

"You know... I think you're right, partly because I can't think of any other explanation." Sami replied, shaking her head a bit as the girls closed their lockers. Sure enough....

"What? A quirk assessment test?" The whole of Class 1-A choruses except for Narako, who gave a See? look to Sami, who stared at her in shock. How did Narako know?

"Wait, but orientation... We're gonna miss it..." The brunette from the entrance exams started.

"If you really wanna make the big leagues, you can't waste time on pointless ceremonies. Here at UA, we're not tethered to traditions." He turned toward the class. "That means that I get to run my class however I see fit." People murmured until he began talking again. "You've been taking standardized tests for most of your lives..." He held up a phone with everyone's names on it. "But you never got to use your quirks in physical exams before. The country's still trying to pretend that we're all created equal by not letting those with the most power excell. It's not rational. One day, the Ministry of Education will learn." He turned a bit, facing Katsuki. "Bakugou... You managed to get the most points on the entrance exam. What was your farthest distance throw with a softball when you were in junior high?" He asked.

"67 meters, I think." Bakugou answered.

"Right.... Try doing it with your quirk." Aizawa told him. "Anything goes, just stay inside the circle. Go on, you're wasting our time." Bakugou stretched.

"All right, man, you asked for it." He replied before throwing it, using an explosion to launch it high into the air. "Die!" He yelled as he threw it, causing Narako to roll her eyes and Izuku's own eyes to widen.

"All of you need to know your maximum capabilities..." The phone in his hand pinged. "It's the most rational way of figuring out your potential as a pro." He held up the screen to show the distance Bakugou had thrown... 705.2 meters.

"Holy shit..." Narako murmured, blinking a couple times. Everyone murmured in amazement.

"Whoa, 705 meters? Are you kidding?" A blond boy asked.

"I wanna go! This looks like fun!" A girl with pink skin and matching pink hair exclaimed.

"Now that's what I'm talking about, using our quirks as much as we want!" A boy with black hair exclaimed in excitement.

"So, this looks fun, huh?" Something about Aizawa's voice in that moment put Narako on edge. "You have three years here to become a hero. You think it's all gonna be games and playtime?" The class went dead quiet, the intensity being so thick you could cut it with a knife. "Idiots... Today, you'll compete in 8 physical tests to gauge in your potential. Whoever comes in last has none and will be expelled immediately." Cries of horror left most of the class, one of them coming from Izuku. So... the rumors are true... He does expel students he thinks won't make the cut... Narako thought. "Like I said, I get to decide how this class runs. Understand? If that's a problem, you can head home right now." Aizawa continued.

"You can't send one of us home." The brunette spoke up again. "I mean, we just got here. Even if it wasn't the first day, that isn't fair."

"Oh, and you think national disasters are? Or power hungry villains, hmm? Or catastrophic accidents that wipe put whole cities? No, the world is full of unfairness... It's a hero's job to try to combat that unfairness. If you wanna be a pro, you're gonna have to push yourself to the brink... For the next three years, UA will throw one terrible hardship after another at you. So go beyond... Plus Ultra style." He motioned for someone to step forward with a finger. "Show me it's no mistake that you're here." Aizawa finished. "Now then, we're just wasting time by talking... Let the games begin." One test after another, each student gave it their all. First was the 50 meter dash, Narako using her shadow tendrils to propel forward and cross the finish line in about 4 seconds. The Grip Strength followed that, Narako using just a touch of her power to give her an edge, but she was only able to get to 87 kilograms. Following that was the standing long jump, in which she used her quirk to give her an extra boost while jumping. The next test was the Repeated Side Steps, which was her weak spot considering she couldn't use her quirk, but she still had good stamina. Next was the ball throw....

"Infinity?!" Everyone chorused but the brunette, Ururaka, who had used her quirk to send the ball literally flying out of sight.

"That's insane! How's that possible?!" The blond asked.

Next up was Sami and, much to Narako's surprise, the girl looked calm about the whole thing. Sami stepped up, scooping a softball off the ground before she stood still for a couple second in the circle. Taking a deep breath in, Sami took a step forward and, as she exhaled, hurled the ball forward and up, the ball going almost as high as Ururaka's throw had been. When the phone pinged with the distance Sami had thrown, it showed 897.9. Narako grinned at her friend, the two high fiving as Aizawa turned to Narako.

"Matsuko... You're up. Show me what you've got." He challenged.

"Bring it on." She replied as she stepped into the circle and picked up a ball as she stepped into the circle. She closed her eyes for a moment to focus the shadow tendrils to wrap around her arm. She took a step forward, her eyes snapping open. With a ring of her voice, the shadow tendrils provided the strength Narako needed to launch the ball sky high. When the phone in Aizawa's hand beeped he held it up to show that the boost of power from the shadow tendrils had launched it to...

"909.7 meters." Aizawa told her. With a little shrug, she left the circle, passing by Izuku as he stepped up and ignoring the looks everyone of her classmates except Sami, Bakugou and Izuku were giving her.

"That was awesome!" Sami told Narako as softly as she could while containing all the excitement she was feeling. Narako merely smiled, an arm around her friend's shoulders as she watched Izuku.

"If Midoriya doesn't shape up soon, he's the one going home..." Iida commented, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Huh? Of course he is, he's a quirkless loser." Bakugou replied.

"He has a quirk... Did you not hear about what he did in the entrance exam?" Iida asked him.

"Wait, what exactly happened?" Narako asked, looking at Iida. She hadn't heard about how Izuku's exam had gone, only that he had gotten in just like her and Bakugou.

"Huh?" Bakugou asked at the same time. Sami leaned in, interested to hear the story as well, but Iida ignored all three, his blue eyes on Izuku. Narako noticed something out of the corner of her eye as Izuku started to throw and looked at their teacher. His gaze was on Izuku and just before the boy was about to let the ball go, Aizawa's grey eyes flashed red. When Izuku threw it, it only landed a few meters away, the robot counting off 46 meters.

"Wait, what just happened?" Sami asked.

"It's Mr. Aizawa's quirk. If you guys remember correctly, he's known as Eraserhead. He can disable the quirk of anyone in his line of sight as long as he doesn't blink. If you haven't heard of him before now, it's because he's not too fond of the media... He works on the down low because of that." Narako answered, getting looks from her classmates. She blinked as she looked around at them before giving a small shrug. "What? Having a nerd for a friend has it's perks."

"What gives? I was trying to use it just now..." Izuku trailed off, it not hitting him yet.

"I erased your quirk." Aizawa replied. His hair had levitated out of his face as well as his scarf levitating a bit.

"Wait, you did what to my quirk?" Izuku asked before spotting the yellow goggles that had been hiding in Aizawa's scarf, speaking what Narako had already explained to her classmates.

"You're not ready... You don't have control over your power. Were you planning to break your bones again, counting on someone else to save your useless body?" Aizawa asked.

"No, that's not what I was trying to do..." Izuku started, but was cut off when Aizawa used his scarf to pull the boy closer to him.

"No matter what your intentions are, you would be nothing more than a liability in battle. You have the same reckless passion as another overzealous hero I know... One who saved a thousand people by himself and became a legend. But, even with that drive, you're worthless if you can only throw one punch before breaking down. Sorry, Midoriya... With your power, there's no way you can become a hero." But, instead of looking discouraged, Izuku only looked more determined to prove him wrong. Aizawa's eyes stopped glowing red, his hair and scarf returning to their normal position.

"Now, you've done it, Mr. Aizawa..." Narako mumbled.

"Wait, what's going on with him?" Sami asked.

"When Midoriya gets that look on his face, it means he's only more determined to prove someone wrong... I've seen that look in his eyes thousands of times in the past." Narako answered.

"I returned your impractical quirk... Take your final throw, hurry and get it over with." Aizawa told him as he walked away, Izuku returning to the circle with a new ball in his hand.

"I wonder if our teacher gave him some advice..." Iida trailed off.

"Probably told him to start packing." Bakugou put in. Narako shook her head. It's up to him now... Even if what Iida said about Midoriya having a quirk is true, Midoriya's smart enough to figure out how to get a handle on it... Though, it might take some time for him to fully grasp onto it at first... Narako thought, watching her friend. As Izuku threw it, Narako noticed one of his fingers starting to glow before he launched the ball into the air.

"Holy shit!" Narako exclaimed with a smile while the others were open-mouthed and wide eyed, even Bakugou. The results... 705.3 meters.

"Mr. Aizawa..." Izuku got the teacher's attention. "You see? I'm still standing."

"This kid..." Aizawa trailed off. At the end of all 8 tests, despite the amazing score at the ball throw, Izuku placed last place. But, just when he thought he'd be sent home, Aizawa revealed that it had been (at least, what he called) a joke to keep everyone from slacking at each test. Narako had sweatdropped, not seeing it very funny, but she had to admit that the Eraser Hero had a point.... If everyone knew that no one was going home, even if they had placed last, would they have still done their best in each test? For Narako, she would have, but she wasn't so sure about the rest of her class....

A little while later, All Might ran into Aizawa. After being lectured on playing favorites by the Eraser Hero, All Might turned to Aizawa. "And what about young Narako?"

"All Might, why the hell are you trying to turn this on me? Just because I comforted her when she was a little kid..."

"Her mother had just been murdered, she was a six year old kid and someone had to let her know that it would be okay, I know, Eraserhead. But that's not the reason I said it... When are you going to tell her?" He asked. Since he had been a friend of Zakaida's, he knew who Narako was related to thanks to her father and the real reason why her father had gone missing. Aizawa looked away.

"At some point, I will... But, here and now isn't the time. She needs time to settle in, get her bearings in class while she still can." Aizawa answered.

"But, I wonder... How long do you think that will be?" All Might asked, gaining no response. Aizawa couldn't tell her... Not yet... Maybe.... Maybe one day he would, but she still had to get used to being a student at UA before he could even think about that again....

The girl had enough on her plate as it was....