Third Person POV
Mr. Aizawa let everyone have the next two days off from school.This gave the teachers time to look over the requests given to the students by pro heroes, and also for everyone to get some rest, and carry out what they felt they needed to.
For Todoroki, this involved going to visit his mother at the hospital for the first time.
For Iida, it meant going to see his brother, Tensei, who had been severely injured.
For Bakugo, it meant sleep.
And for Y/N, it meant figuring out what steps to take next with her parents.
After the Sports Festival had ended, she found Mr. Aizawa and asked him what she should do next.
"Mr. Aizawa, I'm really sorry to bother you. But I have some things I'd like to ask."
The teacher's eyes flickered over to the hunched figure next to Y/N, who was muttering to herself.
"Y/N. Who is that. Why did you bring a stranger onto the premises?"
"Please sir...It's my mother. Let me explain..."
After the girl had told her teacher about her mom's condition, how she had been living, and the attack on her house, he said nothing for a good minute.
"You've been living with just your mother since you were little?" He spoke finally.
"Yes."
"And she's been in this condition for the past couple years?"
"Yes."
How did you manage? You're only a kid, after all."
"I learned." Y/N said simply.
"And you have nowhere to go? No relatives?"
"My grandparents were never mentioned to me, and neither of my parents have any siblings. I'm on my own."
Aizawa felt sadness for the girl. She always seemed so lively, and was well-liked by all her peers. To think she had been dealing with all this the whole time...
"Well, you're right not to go back to that house. It's too dangerous. But I do have a preposition for you."
Y/N noticed his tone was different than how it usually sounded. She sensed something coming from him that she had never felt before...Kindness?
"If you don't know this already, U.A. Teachers love on campus. We have a separate building that's not too far from the school. We've never let a student live there before, but I'm sure the principal could make an exception in your case."
Y/N was taken aback by the offer.
"Wow, really? Mr. Aizawa, thank you so much. I'm sure my mom completely happy with that—"
"About that." Aizawa cut in.
Y/N paused.
"The fact that you are still a minor, and attend a rigorous school like U.A. with a mix of school and hero work, I don't think I can allow you to be the sole person to look after your mother."
"Okay..."
"So therefore I think it would be the best option to move your mother to a facility where she could be taken care of."
It took a moment for his words to register in Y/N's head.
"Wait, wait, wait. Away from me? To a facility?"
"Yes. Like I said, it's the best option."
Y/N backed up a step, her grip tightening on her mother's arm. She shook her head back and forth slowly.
"No, no, no. Mr. Aizawa, she's the only family I have left. You can't take her away from me."
"That's not what I'm doing. I'm just trying to pick an option that will benefit the both of you. It's not good for either of you to go on living like this. Frankly, I'm surprised you guys were able to make it this long."
Y/N looked at her mother. A lifetime ago, her mother was beautiful. She laughed with a sparkle in her eyes and her hands were warm to the touch. Now, she was but a shell of her past self. Hollowed and dark.
But Y/N loved her. She glared at Aizawa, her jaw set.
Aizawa sighed.
"I thought you were more reasonable than that. Look, L/N. This isn't really a request. I can't have a student who's a minor who just lives God knows where, and someone in need of medical help with her. I'll find the best place for her to go. I promise."
Y/N closed her eyes. She knew he was right. They couldn't go on the way they were. But it was so hard just to leave her mother.
"Would I be able to visit her every day?"
"If you wanted to, yes."
She was quiet for a moment before she opened her eyes.
"Fine."
---------------
Mr. Aizawa helped to check in Y/N's mother at a well-known and trusted Psychiatric Hospital. It wasn't too far from U.A., so Y/N could walk to it after school if she wished.
They got her mother checked into room number 316 right away. All three of them walked inside, and Y/N evaluated the space. The room was small and minimalist, but had a window facing the city. It seemed like a space that would keep her mother safe.
Y/N led her to the bed, helping her to sit down. She took both of her hands in her own, and gently tilted her mom's face towards her.
"This is going to be your new home now, Mom. It's a lot cleaner and brighter than our old house. I think you'll like it here."
Her mother said nothing, and continued to stare at her daughter blankly.
"There are nice people here who will take care of you," Y/N continued, her voice starting to break every so slightly. "And um...you won't have to worry about making your own meals. They're also providing you medicine that should be able to help with your schizophrenia symptoms..."
She then drew her mother in for a hug.
"Take care of yourself please...I love you," She said quietly, rubbing her mom on the back.
One nurse came in and Mr. Aizawa stayed in the room to talk to them for a second, but Y/N went outside, because if she stayed any longer, she probably wouldn't be able to leave.
"Ready to go?"
Mr. Aizawa stepped outside after another minute as well.
She nodded.
Mr. Aizawa then escorted Y/N to her house in order to pick up whatever she wanted to bring to her new home.
"Mr. Aizawa, how come you're doing all of this for me? I mean, it's really nice and all...but I feel like I can just do this myself."
"As a teacher, my job is not only to put new information into your brain — it's also to keep you safe. And since you have no legal guardian in your life, it's my duty to step in when you need it. Also, there could be a hoard of villains who have made their home your personal playhouse. I'd be a terrible person if I let a kid walk into that."
This left Y/N grasping for words. She never knew Mr. Aizawa was so kindhearted.
"Thanks..." She mumbled.
They walked along in silence, listening to the wind blow lazily in the trees. The house Y/N lived in was quite run-down, which Mr. Aizawa was not oblivious too. He noticed every chip in the paint on the door, every crack in the windows.
"Stay behind me," he commanded as they walked into the house.
The scent of dust and herbs filled both of their noses. The floorboards squeaked with every shift in movement, which made it difficult to stay hidden from any potential enemies. Thankfully, after Mr. Aizawa had swept over every inch of the house, he announced that nobody was home.
Y/N quickly gathered all her belongings (which wasn't much), into the box she had brought. Once she and Mr. Aizawa stepped back outside, he looked at her.
"Burn it."
"What?"
"You can't leave anything behind that could help these people find you again. Burn it."
Even though Y/N hadn't necessarily had any particularly fond memories in the run-down shack, it was still her home. But Mr. Aizawa was right. It wouldn't be good to leave traces behind.
"Okay. Alright."
She slowly raised her right hand and shot a burst of fire at the front door. They both watched as it started to spread, eating up the wood and turning it to ash.
It felt strange to Y/N, to watch as the shelter she took refuge in was being destroyed because of her. Fortunately, she wasn't too sentimental.
"Let's go to U.A."
Mr. Aizawa took Y/N to the building in which the teachers stayed, and gave her an unoccupied room on one of the top floors.
"Before I leave you to unpack all your stuff, there are four ground rules. First off, you have a curfew of 10:00 pm sharp. There will be consequences if you aren't back by then. Secondly, you are not allowed to bother any of the teachers when the school day is done. Just because you live in the same area as them does not mean you are suddenly friends."
Y/N had a fleeting thought of All Might chatting with her while they were doing laundry, and the thought was so absurd, she had no problem with this rule.
"Thirdly, breakfast is always at 7:00, so if you want to eat, make sure you're in the lobby by then."
The man turned and started to walk away.
"And the fourth?" Y/N called after him.
He tossed a keychain to her.
"Don't lose your keys."
With that, he left, and Y/N was free to set up her room as she wished. She hadn't brought much, so it didn't take her long to unpack.
Once she finished, she collapsed onto her bed — exhausted from the events of the day.
Losing both her mother and her home in one day was a lot for her to process.
She was also thinking about her father.
Y/N had specifically left out that part when talking to Mr. Aizawa. She didn't exactly know why, but it just felt too personal.
I think I'm going to do it. I just need to find out what's actually going on. I'll be fine.
The sheets were cool against her face, and she soon found herself drifting off to sleep.
I'll be fine.
She woke up in the middle of the night sweating.
Flashes of her dream played through her head. There was screaming. Darkness. Bodies. The smell of blood and rotting flesh lingered in her nose.
Y/N ripped off her hoodie, allowing the draft coming in from the window to cool her flushed skin.
Why does this dream keep coming back to me?
By now, there was no way she was going to be able to go back to sleep. She slipped on a pair of shorts to go with her tank top, and stepped into her old running shoes.
Sorry Mr. Aizawa, but I couldn't give a shit about curfew.
Successfully sneaking out to the training grounds, she inhaled the pure night air.
And she trained until she forgot about why she was upset.
She ran sprints from one side of the track to the other until it felt as if her legs were about to fall off. Push ups until her arms gave out. Air kickboxing until her joints ached.
But it worked.
As she collapsed onto the ground, sweat dripping into her eyes, all thoughts of nightmares were wiped from her mind.
She checked her phone, which told her it was six in the morning.
I should probably get back before Mr. Aizawa wakes up and beats my ass.
She struggled to get to her feet, as every muscle in her body felt like it had been ripped apart and put back together. But she eventually managed to make it back to her room, where she immediately jumped into the shower.
The cold water ran down in streams over her body, and she stood there, watching the drain swirl.
A young Y/N was looking intently at the water draining from the bathtub.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Y/N open this door now," came a calm but deadly voice from outside the bathroom.
Y/N hummed louder, trying to drown out her father's voice, and the muttering coming from her mother, who was sitting on the bathroom floor, rocking back and forth.
"I'm not going to ask again," her father said.
"One..."
Drip.
A drop of water fell from the shower head.
"Two..."
Y/N covered her ears.
"...Three!"
Her father burst through the door and both Y/N and her mother screamed.
"Good morning young, L/N!"
She had come downstairs for breakfast, and All Might was the first person to run into her, holding a plate of tamagoyaki and looking as lively as ever.
"Morning!" She responded brightly.
The dining area was set up with a buffet that Y/N could only assume Lunch Rush made. All the teachers had already seated themselves and were talking, and Y/N felt slightly awkward standing there. It didn't help that they were all in their hero uniforms, and she was wearing baggy sweatpants and a hoodie.
Since nobody said anything, she figured Mr. Aizawa had already told them about the living situation.
The girl helped herself to some rice and miso before taking a table that was far away from everyone else. As she ate, she couldn't help but feel it was strange to see the teachers being so normal. These people were not only pros, but also the staff of U.A.
And yet here they were. Enjoying pancakes like anybody else.
Y/N visited her mother right after breakfast, who seemed to be adjusting to her new surroundings very well. This comforted Y/N, and assured her that she made the right choice in letting her mother go.
She strolled around the city a little bit, looking in stores she would never buy from, and picking up items she could never afford. However, this got boring quickly, and she eventually gave up and just went home.
For the rest of the day, she lounged around in her room and the U.A. campus. She practiced guitar and sang, skateboarded, and responded to her friends when they would text her.
She also sent a message to Bakugo, asking to talk. But he still hadn't responded by the time dinner rolled around.
Since Y/N hadn't been going to work for the last couple days, she really didn't have any money at the moment.
I guess I'll just go to sleep then. That way I won't be awake and starving.
But to her surprise, one of her teachers, Ectoplasm, caught her on his way out of the dorms — and offered to take her to dinner.
"Mr. Ectoplasm, are you sure? I mean you must be busy and all."
"Not at all actually. I have an offer to make you, and I was planning on talking to you about it today."
Never did Y/N think she was going to be having dinner with Ectoplasm, and watching him scarf down okonomiyaki — and yet here she was.
"So Y/N," Ectoplasm wiped his mouth with his napkin.
"As you know, those in the hero classes of U.A. get an equal amount of training. Nobody gets 'special lessons' or anything like that.
However, at the sports festival, you caught quite a few people's eye — including myself. The principal has made an exception for you, and has allowed me to give you personalized training outside of school hours, whenever I'm free. Will you take me up on my offer?"
The girl's eyebrows raised slightly over the top of the cup she was drinking from.
"You...want to train with me? One on one?"
"Your Quirk is perhaps one of the most powerful I've ever seen. Mix that with your instinct, reflexes, stamina, and strength — I'd say you're already better than some pros."
"I—thank you sir."
"With potential like that, it would be a shame not to cultivate your skill as much as possible."
"Well, it's hard to turn an offer like that down." Y/N said.
"Here, I'll give you my number so we can figure out times."
Ectoplasm's number? Geez. This reeks of favoritism.
After dinner, the pair said their goodbyes, and Y/N decided to hit the hay. As she layed in bed, scrolling through her phone, she checked Bakugo's messages just in case. But there was still nothing. He hadn't even read the message.
Typical Kacchan.
She threw her phone on her dresser, and rolled over. Eventually her breaths fell into a steady rhythm, and her mind was far away — off in its own world.
---------------
The next morning Y/N rose feeling pleasantly refreshed. She washed up, did her makeup, and pulled on her school uniform.
My pants are a little wrinkly. I'll have to iron them soon.
After tying her tie like Jiro taught her, she grabbed her bag and headed down for breakfast.
She was one of the first ones this time. However, there was one other figure she was doing her best to avoid eye contact with. Unfortunately for her—
"Young L/N!"
She had been noticed.
Her shoulders tensed up slightly as she turned and inclined her head respectfully toward All Might.
"Come sit with me!"
Oh God. I really don't have a choice though, do I?
She awkwardly sat herself across from the hero, who wasn't currently in his muscle form. She studied his sunken, hollowed cheeks and deep set, dark eyes. He looked so different from the Symbol of Peace that existed in so many people's minds.
The man reached over and patted her on the head, smiling slightly.
"It's good to see you looking well this morning! Today's the day that you will receive the list of agencies you can choose to intern at. Are you excited?"
Internship. Agencies. Hosu city. Dad.
"Ecstatic." She forced a smile while poking at her food. "How's it being a teacher at school?"
"It's certainly very cool to be able to be around students with such great potential — like yourself. Plus, it's a good way for me to use my talents, as my power is fading."
Y/N nodded.
"All Might...what are you going to do after your power is all gone? I mean, you're Japan's symbol of Peace, and it's only because of you that the crime rate is so low. Everything will fall into chaos if you leave."
"I put my faith in young Midoriya to become the next Symbol of Peace, but it's not going to be an easy road. Can I ask you to put your faith in him as well, and help him succeed? He needs to know he doesn't have to do it alone — and I know he trusts you."
"Yes sir. I'll do my best. You picked the best successor, if I do say so myself."
Once Y/N had finished eating and walked over to U.A, it was clear she had immediately become rather famous among all the students.
"L/N, you were amazing!"
"So powerful!"
"Can I have your autograph?"
One bespectacled brunet even told her she was the most beautiful thing he's ever seen and asked her to be his girlfriend.
Most of the students weren't from the hero course, which surprised Y/N even more. Typically, they resented those in the hero courses. But it seemed the excitement and rivalry of the Sports Festival had actually brought people together.
Everyone looked up in surprise when Y/N rushed in through the door, slamming it loudly behind her, and holding the handle in place.
"Y/N! You're here!" Kirishima said excitedly. "Are you...are there people trying to get in?"
Y/N struggled to keep the door closed as she nodded.
"There's a group of people who're asking me how to keep their hair in place while fighting, another group asking me to train with them, another group who wants me to fly them to Hawaii, and one boy I don't know who's trying to get me to date him." She breathed, still trying to hold the door shut.
"We'll get rid of them." Kaminari said.
"Yeah!" Sero said.
The two of them walked over to where Y/N was standing.
"Let go of the door Y/N. It's okay." Kaminari reassured her.
"I'm not sure if this is the best idea." Y/N said.
"Just trust me."
"Okay..."
The girl let go of the door, which was flung open immediately.
"Everybody! Can you all please — AH!"
In the middle of his sentence, Sero was pushed down and trampled by the crowd — Kaminari suffering the same fate.
"Y/N, what shampoo do you use?"
"Y/N, come kick my ass at training so I get better!"
"PLEASE DATE ME!"
"Hey extras! Can you guys get out of our room? You're all being too damn loud," Bakyugo spat.
They didn't listen.
"Are you guys deaf or something? LEAVE!" He yelled.
When the students saw Bakugo's death stare and sparking palms, they started to back away.
Y/N sighed in relief when they left, resuming their schedules. When she looked at Bakugo, a brief moment of understanding passed between them.
Can we talk? She mouthed subtly.
Later. He mouthed back before rolling his eyes and turning away.
Kaminari and Sero stood up, brushing off their clothes.
"Everyone has been trying to talk and make friends with us, but it looks like Y/N is the most popular out of everyone, huh?" Kaminari said.
"Well, she did win the Sports Festival with amazing displays of power. It would make sense that everyone would be impressed." Iida said matter-of-factly. "Even the people who didn't perform as well are still getting lots of attention."
"I know! Everyone was trying to talk to me on my way here." Mina said.
"Me too!" Kirishima exclaimed.
"People were staring at me on the street. It was kind of embarrassing," said Hagakure.
"You'll never believe what a bunch of elementary school brats yelled at me!" Sero said.
"Nice try?" Tsu said.
This earned a laugh from the group, and a loud groan from Sero.
"All it took was one Sports Festival, and suddenly we're like celebrities!" Kaminari said happily.
"Well, don't get too used to it, Sparky." Y/N said as she sat down. "Fame always comes and goes."
Kaminari grinned.
"Sparky? That's a new one from you."
"Good morning."
The door slid open and Mr. Aizawa entered with his usual dreariness.
"Good morning Mr. Aizawa." The class responded.
They all noticed that the bandages that were wrapping his whole body had vanished, but only Tsu mentioned it.
"Ribbit. Mr. Aizawa, your bandages are gone! That's good news."
"The old lady went a little overboard in her treatment. Anyway, we have a big class today — on hero informatics."
Everyone started freaking out internally. Was it a quiz? A lecture on laws?
Mr. Aizawa stared at all of them for a moment, before saying, "You need codenames. Time to pick your hero identities."
That sent everyone into an excited uproar — except for Y/N.
This is harder than a pop quiz. She thought.