Chapter 1 - Dreamt of Fire

The world filled with smoke and fire.

***

FOUR MONTHS LATER

You followed his long dark hair up the walkway toward the tall building. The landscape was pristine and past the rows of identical looking brick dorms you could see what appeared to be patches of training ground cityscapes, a giant colosseum, and the iconic glass UA main building. It was after sundown and quiet on the large campus.

"I'm sorry I'm coming so late in the day. My flight from Seattle to Narita got delayed and then the train..." you mumbled to his back. He had introduced himself as Aizawa Shouta, your new homeroom teacher when you met at the gate, but he didn't reply now, just kept walking. He was dressed in all black, making his silhouette blend into the darkness of the grounds, paired only with a long grey scarf that wrapped around his neck at least a half dozen times. In your own dark jeans and black leather jacket, you wondered if anyone would even be able to see you both in the night.

You lowered your head as you tried to match his stride up the porch steps, nearly stumbling on the landing. He opened the door and you could hear laughter and happy chatter. Rather than calm your nerves, it just made your heart race faster. You clenched your hands into fists and took a deep breath.

"Class." The animated noise halted immediately and heads swiveled toward the door. "This is [l/n] [f/n]. She's a transfer and will be in your class. Iida, show her around the school tomorrow. Yaoyorozu, her room will be next to yours. Please show her the dorm." He left, looking as if that brief speech warranted a nap.

Guess I'm on my own now.

Before you could even raise a hand to wave or put down your backpack, you were bombarded with a barrage of questions.

"Where did you transfer from?" A cheerful brunette girl.

"What's your quirk?" A smiley green-haired boy.

"Is this going to affect our rankings?" A tall, serious looking boy with dark blue hair and glasses.

"Did you have a boyfriend at your last school?" A girl with pink skin and horns.

"Do you want one?" A blond with a power cord (?) hanging from his lips. Did he just wink at me?

"Do you already have your provisional license?" A red-haired boy with shark-like teeth.

"WOAH! Um, Blackstone. I have no idea. No? What? Yes..." You pointed at each of the students who asked, addressing their questions in a rush, finishing with the redhead. You took a deep breath.

"Let's start again. Hi. I'm [l/n] [f/n]. Just call me [f/n]. I'm transferring from Blackstone in America." At the sound of your previous high school, a low hum filled the space.

Blackstone was one of the top hero academies in the United States, on par with UA for how many professional heroes it produced. While UA took in students of many quirk types, some American schools focused on specific quirk classes. Morphos attracted transformation type quirks. Therian only accepted Heteromorphic students. Blackstone looked for Emitters.

"Why did you leave?" a small girl with green hair and a long tongue asked nonchalantly.

I knew the question was coming. Why didn't I prepare a good answer?

"My mom was transferred to Japan for her job," you rushed through your response choosing not to elaborate any further and instead countered, "But I'm excited to be at UA!" You bit your lip, not wanting to sound like a weird fan girl.

"I know you've all been together for a whole year and have gone through some seriously crazy stuff..." you trailed off, which didn't seem to matter since a moment later a floating pair of pajamas pulled you from the doorway and onto a couch.

"You didn't answer the most important question!" I guess it's an invisible girl. "What's your quirk?"

"Oh..." you chuckled lightly, "smoke." A few eyebrows raised and heads tilted.

"Can you elaborate on that?" the green-haired boy asked, quickly pulling out a notebook. From where?

"It might be easier if I just show you," you said. "Does anyone have a fire quirk?" A boy with half white and half red hair raised his hand but didn't say anything. He was tall and lean, with a slight frown on his lips. While handsome, what really caught your attention was a large scar around his left eye, which was cyan compared to his other grey. You tried not to stare. "Mind giving me a little flame...?"

"Todoroki."

TODOROKI SHOUTO - QUIRK: HALF-COLD HALF-HOT. ALLOWS TODOROKI THE ABILITY TO GENERATE ICE FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF HIS BODY AND FLAMES FROM THE LEFT.

"Mind giving me a little flame Todoroki?" The boy walked closer to you on the couch and lifted his left hand. He rolled up his sleeve and a small layer of flame danced over his skin. "Can you give me a little more?" He looked at you questioningly but urged the flames to grow another few inches. You placed your hands above the fire and your fingers began to turn black. Todoroki started to pull his arm away, but you just smiled sweetly up at him to ensure he wasn't hurting you.

Once the darkness reached your second knuckle, you let out smoky tendrils from your fingertips, letting them swim around the heads of your new classmates. As dark wavy lines weren't very exciting, you wove the tendrils into bows and hearts and butterflies as if painted with wispy ink. You heard a few oohs and aahs from the surrounding crowd before releasing the shapes and allowing them to dissipate into mist. All the nerves you had built up dissolved with the smoke. You were proud of your quirk.

"Thanks Todoroki. I could have done it myself, but it would have taken longer to build up." You held up your hands and tiny flames, like the tips of candles dotted your fingertips. "I can't do much with them. Just helps me make the smoke." You gave him a quirked half smile.

[L/N] [F/N] - QUIRK: SMOKE. [F/N] CAN STORE AND MANIPULATE SMOKE AT WILL. SMALL FLAMES IGNITE AT HER FINGERTIPS ALLOWING PRODUCTION OF SMOKE ANYWHERE SHE GOES.

"That was so cool!" the pink-skinned girl blurted out, snapping your gaze from the boy and into a look of surprise over your shoulder. You instantly dowsed your tiny flames. "I'm Ashido by the way, but you can call me Mina." At the stating of her name, all the other students started calling out their names as well, along with their quirks. You noticed the green-haired boy, Midoriya, scribbling away in his notebook and muttering after introducing himself.

Taking in all the new names, you finally had time to appreciate your surroundings. The living area was warm and inviting. While the space was painfully monochromatic with its green carpet, couches, and walls, it still felt fresh and homey. Even open and spacious, the close grouping of couches and chairs made the television space appear intimate. Several large tables were arranged in a 2x2 formation to your right, likely for dining and studying. Farther down you saw a good-sized kitchen, followed by a hallway with a sign pointing toward the laundry and baths.

Pulling your gaze from the décor, you did a quick tally of all the new faces. 18.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't there 19 people in the class before I joined? Principal Nezu said I was taking the slot of someone who left," you questioned while scratching the back of your neck sheepishly.

"Mineta was sent to an all-boys hero academy. Something about all the sexual harassment claims against him," a dark-haired, punky-looking girl shared, appearing happier than you would have expected.

"And Bakugou's already asleep," the red-haired boy, Kirishima? said.

"It's 8:30..." you puzzled.

"You're honestly better not meeting him on your first day, kiro. He's...difficult," the green-haired girl - Asui? I'll learn everyone's name eventually - stated.

You almost asked her to elaborate before the tall, blue-haired boy powerfully declared, "Everyone! Please give [f/n]-san some space. I'm sure she would like to settle in before classes begin tomorrow!" He added some enthusiastic hand gestures to prove his point. You suddenly realized how tired you were. The adrenaline rush of meeting everyone was wearing off and true exhaustion was setting in.

"Thank you Iida. I am actually super jet lagged, so if I could just go to my room and wind down, I would love to talk to you all more tomorrow." You stood from the couch and followed a tall dark-haired girl, Yaoyorozu, up the stairs and to your room.

***

"Dibs." Kaminari pulled the power cord from his mouth and gestured upward as you and Yaoyorozu ascended the stairs. Jirou frowned in the corner.

"You can't call dibs on someone who you've only met for five minutes," Sero scolded, flicking Kaminari in the forehead with his index finger.

"I can if they're that cute," the blond replied, flinching at the contact.

"What's dibs?" Todoroki asked to no one in particular.

"It's like he's already trying to claim the new girl," Mina said, also walking up to Kaminari and flicking him in the forehead. "Which is not cool!"

"Hey, that hurts!"

"I thought claiming was called shotgun..." Todoroki replied, perplexed.

"Shotgun is only if you want to claim the front seat of a car," Midoriya answered.

"Why does it need to have the name of a weapon?"

***

"I know it's a lot to take in right now, but you'll see class 1-A... well, I guess we're 2-A now, is just one big family." Yaoyorozu was tall and gorgeous, with thick black hair, big dark eyes and an impressive chest. Of course I noticed. She touched her arm and pulled out a crystal glass and handed it to you. "In case you want a drink of water later. Let me know if you need anything tonight. My room's right next door," Yaoyorozu said with a small smile before leaving you in the hall.

YAOYOROZU MOMO, HERO NAME: CREATI—QUIRK: CREATION. CREATION ALLOWS YAOYOROZU TO MATERIALIZE NONLIVING OBJECTS FROM ANY EXPOSED PART OF HER BODY. SHE CONVERTS THE LIPIDS IN HER BODY INTO DIFFERENT MATERIALS, SO HER ABILITY RELIES ON HOW MUCH SHE EATS AND HOW WELL SHE UNDERSTANDS THE MAKE-UP OF HER CREATIONS.

The room was large and spartan, not that you had much to put into it now. You had only managed to bring a small suitcase and backpack on the plane with the rest of your belongings being shipped over soon. It took only a minute to empty the contents of your suitcase into the dresser provided. You plugged your computer and phone charger into the wall next to the nightstand and then grabbed a small envelope from your backpack. It was full of photographs from America, from before. Taking them delicately into your hands, you tucked the corners behind the mirror above the dresser, making it so you would see smiling faces look back at you, even if you weren't smiling in the reflective glass.

The bed was industrial, with one thin blanket and one pillow. Well, this is just depressing. You'd have to find time to shop for a bedding set. You sat on the edge as you checked your phone, sending a quick message to your mother, letting her know you were safe and in the dorms.

Taking a deep breath, you took in your surroundings. So much had changed in just a few short months. You peered out your fifth-floor window at a clean grass lawn that backed up to a row of neatly tended trees. This was your world now. The emptiness of the room and the quiet hum of chatter from the common room below made you feel suddenly, painfully alone.

Wrapping your arms around yourself, you gazed at the stars that hung in the moonless sky. "I'm going to make the best of this," you whispered, making dozens of silent, secret wishes to the stars.

Releasing your hug, you set an alarm for 5:30 a.m. to go for a run, despite knowing your internal clock would wake you before that. There was no point in destroying your normal routine just because you were in a new place. Finding your running shoes in a bag labeled 'workout', you tossed them toward the door.

You stripped down and put on an over-sized T-shirt before flipping the lights off and laying onto the bed. Adjusting your single blanket and pillow, you tried to get comfortable. Your eyes became heavy the instant you turned on your side and you quickly fell asleep. Not for the first time, you dreamt of fire.