"The names of those who passed are listed in syllabary order. Please check the list."

The results were finally going to come out. After an hour of anticipation, all the remaining one hundred lucky students were gathered around a big scoreboard, scouting for their names. I squinted, almost unable to see such fine print, as there were many, many names upon the lit-up screen.

"(L/N), (L/N)-" I muttered quickly, sporadically chasing after my last initial. "Come on, come on-" Gasping, my eyes finally fell on the last name in the letter I was after.

"It's me! (L/N) (Y/N)-" My eyes started to water as a million thoughts started to race through my head. The hardships I'd endured weren't for nothing. I could finally breathe. A step towards becoming a hero, a step towards...

I stopped and held my clasped hands over my chest, my head bowed down as my face displayed a bittersweet yet joyous smile.

My parents will be so happy.

But in the midst of all the feelings, as well as people celebrating, I'd noticed that Inasa's name wasn't on the list. One thing led to the next and I realized Todoroki's wasn't either.

I spared a glance at both of them and managed to detect hints of regret in their expressions, as both of them were fully aware of what had led to this outcome. I watched as Yoarashi called out his opponent's name, glaring down at him as he thundered over.

They both stared at each other with unwavering expressions, the moment tense and taught, as if even breathing would break the tension.

Suddenly, in the same old fashion, Inasa clapped both arms to his side and spread his legs, slamming his thick skull against the ground. It didn't surprise me that he did this, but who he did it too, however, did.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed, his face screwed up in guilt. "It's my fault that you didn't pass! It's because I was too narrow-minded! I'm sorry!" I saw Shoto think about it for a few moments, pondering whatever he managed to come up with in his head.

"I started it first, so don't worry about it." Inasa's head was kept planted on his ground, his posture remaining the same, but his guilt turned worse as he retorted weakly.

"But-" he protested meekly.

"There were things I realized thanks to you confronting me directly, too. So get up. There's no need for you to bow to me." Yoarashi immediately followed his order, picking up his cap from the ground. The two looked at each other without a bias for the first time, starting a new bond -- not as enemies, but as friends.

I looked at the two boys, smiling. 

"You guys are going to get along fine."

__

The scores were being passed out, 50 points being the cut off mark. Looking around, I saw the eyes of excitement and the gasps of elation as people got their papers. Some were semi-disappointed, but most were completely happy or just content with their scores. Of course, Momo got one of the highest scores, but she's Momo. No one can compare.

One of the attendants gave me my scroll and as I unraveled it, my breath caught in my throat, the anticipation almost too much for me to handle. The possibilities were endless. Would I be dismayed? Happy? The feeling was almost addicting. I opened my eyes to peer at the printed score, cracking open my eyelids just the tiniest bit.

My heart dropped to my feet, my mind stopping for a moment before processing. It lifted back up after the tiny shock of fear surged through my body, as I finally saw the score in its entirety.

87.

Overall good performance, handles victims well, needs a bit of improvement. Relies one oneself too much, unable to focus on one thing at a time. Needs to have a better display of teamwork. Impressive performance, considering ability range. Creative.

I smiled, practically beaming at the sheet. Inasa came from the side, peering at the parchment.

"Oh, that's pretty good, (Y/N)! For your first year too," he murmured, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, inquisitively putting a hand to his mouth. I chuckled, using my free hand to pinch his cheek. Yoarashi blew a raspberry, wiggling his face out of my hold.

"That hurt," he whined, obviously exaggerating it. "Your pinches used to not be as hard, it's unfair." I rolled my eyes playfully and poked his arm, feeling the muscle that had the texture of a rock.

"And your arms used to be a lot less hard, it's unfair," I mimicked, my voice high in a mocking manner. Inasa just laughed, his grip around my shoulders tightening. In that moment, I felt something click between us. Maybe a spark of the friendship we once had back when we were in middle school, back when we were just little kids. 

I didn't like Inasa at first, because he seemed a little too intimidating. His eyes were always glaring and pointed up, but I soon realized that was something he couldn't control. We became friends and I really just felt like I could trust him. Maybe it was because we had that thing in common. Though he had a powerful quirk, he couldn't control something as well. Maybe it became some sort of coping mechanism for myself -- though he wasn't at all bothered by it.

I eventually pushed him off of me with a great big grin lacing my features, sparkling eyes staring at his. 

"I'm really glad I got to meet you again, Inasa. Hopefully we can hang out some more." He glanced at me with affirmation twinkling in his irises and gave me a thumbs-up before returning to his class.

"I'll be sure to text you. Your number's still the same, right?" I nodded.

"Great." With a final wave goodbye, Yoarashi merged into the crowd of Shiketsu kids, his head floating above the others. I stifled a chuckle and watched him leave, talking happily to his classmates.

He really is the same. 

__

Everybody was absolutely exhausted when we'd gotten back to the dorms. Most of the students showered, brushed, then went straight to sleep, but with the exception of Deku, Bakugo, me, and a handful of others. It was dark outside, and I'd decided to peruse around on my own, a calm walk underneath the light of some lampposts positioned outside. 

Moths flocked near the LED lights as I paced, the only noise being crickets and the swishing of my sweatpants as I walked. I squinted my eyes, peering at the buzzing insects. Peacefully admiring the scenery laid out before me, I took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, lips curling into a slight smile.

I slid my hands into my pockets and strode down the cement path, completely alone. The UA dorm building was still in view, but the lamps had disappeared, the path unlit. Not minding it at all, as the moonlight was still enough for me to actually see, I continued. In hindsight, this was a very, very bad choice. No light, alone, far enough away so no one could see me. 

But I wasn't alone. 

As I took another step, someone blocked off the rest of the path to go back to the dorms. The lights turned off. For a few moments, we stood still. Blood rushed to my face as I felt my heartbeat quicken and adrenaline start to kick in. His hands flicked off stray pieces of dust and dirt from his black jacket, the ripped white shirt underneath clearly visible to me.

He took a step towards me. I backed off a step. His boots made clacking sounds as he advanced. I didn't move anymore until his face was mere centimeters away from mine. I swallowed a gulp of saliva, keeping the bile down my throat, resisting the urge to throw up and make a scene. After a tense minute, the figure finally lifted his head, blue eyes ablaze with curiosity and amusement. 

His lips curved into a smile as the moon reflected off of his ear piercings, damaged and ripped pieces of skin bonded together by what seemed like staples. The man grinned and the pieces of dead skin stretched, to my horror, creating small gaps, exposing the raw and tender flesh within. My molars bit the inside of my cheek as I refused to close my eyes and break the stare-down.

He finally spoke -- in a chilling tone that I'd never heard before.

"Well, we're in quite the predicament, are we?"