(Song: Lauren Aquilina - King)

Five months later...

(Y/N's P.O.V.)

My lips are pulled into a slight smile as I lock the apartment door behind me and walk past the doors beside it. Upon reaching the stairs, I decide to take them two at a time. When I hit the sidewalk,  I decide it's time to jog. My slow gate is almost soundless as my shoes kiss the concrete. The warmth of the sun shining in the cloud-marbled sky provides the perfect amount of summery warmth. It's rays, like fingers stretching across the sky, illuminate all they touch. I hum a peaceful tune as my body sways back and forth with my bounding footsteps. Humming is a soothing sound to me, dulcet tones creating a wordless melody, something to help me drift away to a reassuring Neverland. 

Chattering, swirling groups of people mingle in crowds all along the streets. I love crowds. I love the way people walk, roughly in one direction, weaving a little, chatting as they go. I watch them, some heads down and lost in thought and wonder what their private worlds are like - each of them viewing this same place, this same day, from a unique perspective. Some of them notice the sun, others the fluffy clouds floating above. Either way, their footfalls soothe me better than a flowing river. I make my way throughout the sea of people and eventually emerge by the entrance of Aldera Junior High. My once speedy pace slows into a simple walk, a slight breeze fluttering my hair around. I glance down at my wristwatch at the time, which reads 2:30 pm.  

I sigh contentedly and slide my knapsack off of my shoulders, pulling out a textbook and a bag of crumbled cereal. I think of pulling out my cherry candies for a moment but decide against treating myself for a little while longer. Moving over to the first fish pond I see, I pull open the bag and toss a handful of crumbles into the water. Beneath the ruffled surface of the blue-green waters, three average-sized Koi fish flock to the crumbs and begin to eat them greedily, not leaving a speck of food behind. "Hungry, are ya?" I ask quietly, tossing another handful into the pond. As the fish eat, I read my textbooks, taking in information page by page. 

"...Y/N!" A familiar voice chirps. I gasp, startled, and nearly fall into the fish pond, my tail brushing the waters. The koi fish inside flee to the depths of the concrete pools, becoming just as startled as I am. I begin to scan my surroundings, instantly noticing the crowds of students that appeared in the small amount of time I had been reading. Izuku stands idle in front of me, his big green eyes filled with laughter that he dares not express out loud. "S-Sorry, did I startle you?" He asks, his soft voice strained slightly. 

"Yeah, actually," I exhale, closing my book and shoving it in my knapsack. "But it was mostly my fault. I was so wrapped up in studying, I didn't even notice she students were out." I laugh, sheepishly rubbing the nape of my neck. Izuku's phone lets out a small ping, a notification. 

Without bothering to check his phone, he says, "I've gotta go, bye, Y/N!" and jogs away in a hurried manner. My gaze follows him for a brief moment before I snap back into reality, shrugging slightly. Quickly tossing the remaining cereal crumbles into the pond, I break into a jog and follow my usual path to Bakugou. The blonde is walking slowly, his tousled blonde hair swaying in the breeze and his cold crimson eyes fixated on something beyond himself. 

"Hey, Blondie!" I wave cheerfully, slowing my pace to match his. Bakugou flinches slightly at my presence before settling into annoyance, trying to hide the fact that I startled him.

"Don't call me that," He scoffs. "It's fucking dumb. What do you want, loser?" 

"How was your day?" I ask, smiling as I stuff my hands in the pocket of my coat. 

"Shitty," He mumbles, looking away. 

"I have something to cheer you up!" I chirp, slipping my knapsack off of my shoulder. Unzipping it, I dig to find the small bag of cherry candies. "These are really good. They're cherry flavour!" I gently tear open the bag and grab Bakugou's hand, placing three in his palm. He looks surprised as if giving him anything is a bold move. He closes his fist and yanks his hand away, glaring.

"Don't fucking touch me." He growls lowly. I pop a candy into my mouth and smile. 

"Try one!" I grin. "They taste good." He opens his fist, stares down at the small red candies, and sighs. Unwrapping one of the candies, he reluctantly places it in his mouth. He seems to like it, as he doesn't spit it out. He doesn't do anything, really, just quietly eats the hard candy. We walk in silence for a while.

The regular tension that hangs in the air between Bakugou and me has softened somewhat. The angry blonde seems content right now, his hands in his pants pockets as his black shoes scuff the concrete. His red eyes shift to look into mine, and it is only then I realize I'm staring.  Blush sears through my cheeks as I jerk my gaze away from his and to the concrete, desperately hoping he doesn't think I'm strange.  He only quirks an eyebrow and raises his eyes forwards again. He definitely saw that... I groan internally and try to keep my face turned away from Bakugou. He probably thinks I'm so weird.

After a long few minutes of awkward silence, my face has cooled down and we have arrived at Bakugou's house. "Well, I guess this is your stop," I joke awkwardly, rubbing the nape of my neck. Bakugou huffs slightly as an agreement. "I'll see you later, Blondie!" I wave slightly and turn to leave.

"Hey," Bakugou growls. I turn back to look at him. He has his fist raised slightly, his cranberry eyes avoiding mine. I stare in confusion for a moment before taking the hint and grinning broadly, bumping my fist against his. "See ya." He steps inside, closes the door, and leaves me to myself.

I think he's warming up to me.

~~~

(Y/N's P.O.V.)

One week later...

The exams won't be easy, and I know that. I try to steady myself with deep breaths, which are far from any help as I comb my hair into a tamed style and looking presentable for the interview (which is the first of three humongous hurdles). I adorn the most formal outfit I own. It just so happens to be my mother's old outfit; a lavender over-blouse paired with a pleated skirt and a pair of shiny black flats (which I haven't put on yet). I feel bad for wearing the skirt, for we had to cut a hole in the back for my tail to fit through. I inhale sharply through my teeth, staring at my outfit in my wall-length mirror and making absolutely sure every piece of it is absolutely perfect.

"Sweetie, c'mon, we'll be late at this rate. You look fine," My dad sighs in an exasperated way, running a hand through his messy H/C hair.

"That's just it, Dad, I need to look perfect, not 'fine'. This is my one chance to make things right, to follow the path Mom took. I need to become a hero, not just for her, but for me!" I turn and look at him with a nervous expression. "What if I don't make it? What if I fail?"

"Then you can try again. I'm sure your friend will help you, right? He seems to care." He smiles.

"Bakugou would probably think of me as a failure and not want to talk to me anymore," I groan, my nervous jitters intensifying at the thought of losing one of my two friends. "Midoriya, too. Both of them are too brave and strong, they'd probably think of me as a weak loser if they found out I bombed the entrance exams..." I sigh, crossing my arms.

He places his strong hands on my shoulders with a reassuring smile. "Sweetie, if they're truly your friends, they'd stay with you. But trust me, you won't fail. You're just as brave, strong, and smart as your mother. She'd be proud," He pats my back twice and hurries me along. "Now come on, we'll be late."

"Okay..." I sigh reluctantly, shuffling into the living room to grab my shoes. I slip my feet into my shoes and grip the doorknob lightly, inhaling and exhaling deeply as I open the door and walk into the open. This is it, I remind myself as my father and I make our way down the stairs and to the sidewalks. A familiar parked car is waiting for us.

My father opens the door to Shinji's car and steps inside, while Shinji opens my door. Before I step into the car, though, he gently places a hand on my shoulder and whispers in my ear, "I saw you at the fight with the sludge villain a while back," I freeze up, my blood running cold and my heart skipping beats. "Our secret, okay? I won't tell your dad. Just be careful around these types of things." I nod in agreement. Patting my back twice, Shinji gently pushes me into the car and closes the door behind me. I stretch the vinyl seat-belt across my chest and legs, clipping it into place and settling in for the drive to U.A.

We ride this metal cocoon over the earth, the two adults up front calmly chatting about life. I, however, am the exact opposite. While my eyes are focused on the trees that grow in their infinite patience, leaves breathing out our oxygen, bathing in the same light as I soon will, my thought process is filled with regret, doubt, fear, and everlasting anxiety. The only thing that is even remotely relaxing is the feeling of movement beneath me; wheels over the road, strong rubber tires following the curves of the ground and greeting each slope in its own smooth way.

Lost in thought, I don't even realize how far we've come until my father opens the car door, startling me back into focus. I step out of the car and gently brush down my skirt, looking up and ahead of myself. I suck in a sharp breath at the sight before me.

U.A. high towers before me, shining high into the sky like a beacon of hope, similar to the way the public sees All Might. U.A., however, holds deep meaning for me. At one point, my mother walked the same steps I'm about to take, in these exact same clothes, in these exact same shoes. She took long strides towards her dream of becoming a pro hero.

For her, it all started here.

I follow closely behind Shinji and my father, trying to resist the urge to bite my nails out of habit. With the nervous jitters I've been feeling lately, my nails have already been bitten down to the quick. It's all I can do to not nibble on their frayed edges, similar to the mannerisms of a famished mouse. Shinji simply walks through the security gate, the one known as one of the most powerful protection systems in all of U.A., without a second glance. He must have a keycard or something... I stare a the lush green trees on either side of us as we approach the school. Three doors are placed in front of us, each marked in order from 1-3. Shinji leads us to the first one and ushers me forward a little bit. "Go on, Y/N," He whispers. "There'll be someone waiting to escort you to principle Nezu, where you'll take your interview." I swallow the lump in my throat and try to remember to breath as I step forward and push open the first door, entering the school.

A figure dressed in puffy white armor looks up at me through a blacked-out helmet, the only thing signifying eyes being the two white ovals on either side of their head. There's no mistaking Thirteen's hero outfit, which looks to be that of a futuristic astronaut (it also looks very comfortable). The hero struts over to me and asks, "Hey, are you Y/N L/N?" I nod curtly, my throat closed up with anxious jitters. "Great! Follow me." The astronaut hero swoops their hand up and over their shoulder, beckoning me to follow them.

We enter a room just a few doors down. Inside, 18+ hero, Midnight, stands against the board and examines her nails. In the center of the room, a small desk is waiting for me. "Midnight, Y/N L/N is here to take her test."

"Perfect!" Midnight purrs smoothly. I'd never heard her voice before this, so the sound is surprisingly soothing. "Y/N, I'm Midnight. If you do happen to be accepted into our fine curriculum, you'll be seeing a lot of me around," She grins, showing off pearly whites.

"If I am accepted, then I will very much look forward to doing so, Miss Midnight," I bow respectively and follow her to the desk.

The written test is placed in front of me, the thick layers of paper seeming ever so more intimidating than I expected. Nobody else is in the room, only me and the pro hero, Midnight.

"You may start your test now, Dear," She hums, brushing a strand of dark purple hair away from her piercing sky blue eyes. I nod curtly and pick up my pencil, carefully examining the first question and running it through my mind repeatedly before filling in the answer, double-checking if my response is correct.

The rest of the test goes on this way. Examine, think, answer, double-check. Before I know it, Midnight's timer is beeping loudly, telling me the time limit has been reached. I quickly fill in the last answer and set my pencil down, placing my hands in my lap and brushing my hair away from my face with a smile. Midnight's black boots tap against the floor as she struts over to the desk where I sit. The handcuffs around her wrists jingle as she picks up my test and places it in a folder.

"Y/N, Thirteen will be waiting for you with a jumpsuit. You are to change immediately and follow them to the courtyard for your practical exam," She points towards the door and sticks her hip to the side.

"Thank you very much, ma'am." I brush off my skirt and push out my chair, standing up and bowing like before.

"Good luck." Midnight ushers me out of the room and into the halls. Thirteen waits patiently with a lavender piece of clothing.

"Hello again, Miss Y/N," They greet softly, handing me the cloth. "This is your jumpsuit. I'll direct you to the locker room to change, and then we'll make our way to the courtyard for the physical exam." I nod briefly and swallow my fears, following Thirteen like a baby duckling.

~~~

Publishing date: April 16th, 2019

Editing date: January 1st, 2020