Chapter 13: [Shall I Paint this Darkness in Crimson?]

It did not take long for Izuku to regain his senses after he drank Mei's blood, but the vampire still kept hugging the mechanic girl, eyes still avoiding the other rocker girl just behind him. He was feeling as if an eternity had passed, but his mind told him that only a few minutes had gone by. There was still plenty of time left for lunch break, much more so for the hemomancer to try to explain his fuck-up to his classmate. However, the million-yen question was just that; how was he supposed to explain to someone else the innate [Thirst] that he felt!

His arms tightened a bit around his mechanic friend, the vampire taking another whiff of her scent to calm down, the thick motor oil that clung to her skin did wonders to appease him. That and her feminine scent was something he was used to, akin to a safe port in the raging waters of his mind.

"Sooo...I mean...that sure was something else..." He heard the awkward attempts at conversation from Kyouka, her two jacks withdrawing their contact from his skin, the vampire instantly missing their soft and soothing vibration. The girl took few steps away from him, just enough to jump back in case he did anything, yet close enough that he could easily sense her. "I guess you are fine now, right, Midoriya?"

He opened his mouth to answer her, his voice coming deeper than the usual. "I'm sorry about that...It was...not supposed to have happened." Even now, after having calmed down, Izuku could still feel the whispers of the [Beast Within], the low and rasping touch that egged him to attack the rocker one more time. He chained the thoughts with cold steel, the voice in his mind dying down. For now.

"Yeah, I guessed so." Kyouka let one of her arms hung limp while the other held it, the awkward mood still reigning among them.

The scent of freshly drawn blood called for the vampire's attention, his eyes turning to glance down at Mei, who was still oddly quiet in his embrace. That made some color show in his face, the barest hints of a blush betraying his feelings as his mind finally caught up to their current position. He gave the mechanic girl's neck one last lick, his saliva full of blood clothing agents to aid in stopping the bleeding of the two tiny perforations that adorned her tender flesh.

It surely made him look like some sort of pervert, but he would deal with that later. Very much later. Preferably when he could come with some believable excuse.

He slowly separated himself from Hatsume, almost whining when his body could not feel her body heat close to itself. When had he become this pathetic? The hemomancer questioned himself as he rose to his full height. He turned and tried to meet his classmate's eyes, wondering if she would listen to anything he say; she had not fled the area running away in horror, so he chalked one up to his chances, as minimalistic as they were.

"I owe you an explanation for what happened." He said in what he hopped to be a good tone; his voice still deeper than usual. The girl rose one hand to stop him, her face still settled with an awkward expression as she had no idea what to expect in such a situation.

"Nahh, you don't owe me anything. Things happen, it is okay." Kyouka tried to be casual about it, even if she sounded rather stiff. Izuku shook his head, drawing a deep breath and exhaling it in an exhausted manner.

"No, things like this don't just happen. Please, at least let me apologize." He sucked in the social department of things, but he knew some things had to be done. He bowed his head and torso together, hoping that even if she did not forgive him, she at least listened to his apology. "Please, forgive my blunder in my control over my instincts and attacking you, Kyouka-san! If there is anything that I can do to make up for this, please say so."

The punk girl tried to say something to make the vampire stop, but she guessed he would still keep at it. She began fumbling with one of her jacks, wondering what she was supposed to do in such a situation.

"Yeah yeah, I guess. Jeez, why do you have to be so stiff...Arhh are you cosplaying as Iida?" She complained, getting close to him and touching his shoulder. "Come on, stop that already! If someone saw this, they might get the wrong impression about us." There was a blush staining the rocker's face, her right hand constantly spinning her ear jack as she tried to pick her way through her words. "Let's just settle with you owning me a favor, okay?" She quickly reached a compromise, making Izuku finally stop with his bow.

The vampire rose his face and met her amethyst purple orbs, the duo staring at each other in a silent contemplation. Then, the vampire almost buckled on the ground as the girl from earlier jumped on his back.

"I-Z-U-K-U! Tell me in details how this happened! Come on, details! I need the info, I might have another baby ready for you!" The seriousness of the situation plummeted as both Izuku and Kyouka did a double take as to what they had heard. The vampire knew what Mei meant, he had been together with her for quite a while; his classmate, however, was left in the dark about the issue.

"Mei! What did I told you about phrasing!"

"B-B-Baby?!"

The grease monkey hanging on the vampire's back tilted her head to the side, her cross-sight pupils adjusting to take the sight of the other girl in, wondering if she said anything weird. Right, Izuku mentioned that talking about babies made people feel awkward because they misunderstand easily. The blooming smile in Hatsume's face grew even more – if such thing was possible – and she nodded rapidly.

"Yeah I got it! I have an idea for a support item for you! There, it's fine like that, right?!" Hatsume was so static she almost vibrated on her perch on the vampire's back. "And for her too! Do you know how her quirk works? Hey, you! How does your quirk work? What can it do?" And just like that, Mei slid off his back to invade the personal space of the rocker.

The mood shift was quite drastic, but it was a relief for the vampire as Mei began hounding over Kyouka, throwing question after question at the girl, not waiting for answers as she shot another barrage of questions over. Kyouka turned to look at him, eyes pleading for help of some sort from the vampire.

He nodded, coming closer to the two girls. His hands scooped Mei, throwing the girl over his right shoulder as one would when carrying a bag.

"Enough, Mei. Let Kyouka-san breath before you question her like that." He said, easily carrying the mechanic. She squirmed in his grasp, doing her best to reach the ground to once more hound the punk-rocker with a million questions.

Kyouka exhaled a tired sigh, thanking the hemomancer with a head nod. He responded with the same gesture, right hand firmly holding Hatsume by her waist. Now that the mood was somewhat lighter, Izuku figured he could explain what happened and introduce Mei to his classmate. Who knew, maybe they would hit off and become friends!

"Kyouka-san, this his Hatsume Mei, a friend of mine from the Support Course. She is quite enthusiastic about building and creating support items, so please bear with her if she starts to get overly excited." He introduced them, the mechanic girl looking back at Jirou with her almost maniac grin. "Mei, this is Kyouka Jirou-san, a classmate of mine from 1-A." His introduction for Kyouka was simple and short, considering he did not know much about her besides that her ears were sensitive and that she enjoyed old-school music.

"Errh, nice to meet you?" The rocker was still a bit out of it with these two, considering the events that happened so far. And it was only lunch!

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After introducing his friend to his classmate, the trio spend the rest of lunch break over on the roof, slowly talking. It still was a somewhat awkward affair, but it was much more tolerable. As the school bell sang the end of their break, the students went to their respective classes. As Izuku and Kyouka slowly returned to their classroom, the duo proceeded in silence.

They almost entered together, when the rocker realized something. The entirety of their classmates had seen Izuku exiting through the window, and most probably they noticed that she had rushed to check on his state. It was an act out of worry, her enhanced hearing allowing her to pick up on the finer details of his state. That, however, was not the case for most of their classmates, and considering this was a high school – even if one for hero trainees – she could already hear the whispering of some of her classmates should they enter together.

Ashido Mina was probably the easiest one for Kyouka to guess that she would be the type to enjoy "girl gossip", and that meant ridiculous teasing as the pink girl would bother her constantly with the "boyfriend" type of teasing.

Hence, to avoid such trouble, Kyouka stopped in front of the door, since she was the one leading their way back. She turned around to meet her classmate, wondering if he would get the message. Her eyes glanced at his orbs, trying to convey the message wordlessly. He looked at with curiosity written all over his face, wondering why she had stopped.

Of course, the vampire would not get social cues! She joked within her mind, glancing at the door and back at him. It took a few seconds, but eventually he seemed to have figured out her message. Kyouka felt a bit bad, as it looked almost as if she did not want to be associated with him, but this was for the benefit of both. Never underestimate the power of gossip among high schoolers, middle school had taught her such lesson, and maybe to him too.

Izuku nodded to her, taking a few steps back. She opened the door and entered, closing it and wandering to her seat. Yaoyozrozu already on her seat, her face full of worry for her as Kyouka approached.

"Where have you been, Jirou-san?! I was beginning to get worried for you!" Momo said, almost like a mother hen fussily worrying about her chicks. Kyouka waved her hand without worry, sitting on her chair with a passive face.

"What has gotten you like that, Yaomomo?" The rocker asked, hearing the door open and Izuku walk in. His friends greeted him, a few of the others in class sending curious glances at the vampire. No wonder, he fled by climbing out of the damn window, she justified their curiosity.

"What!? You felt that, right?" Momo squeaked, trying her best to whisper and glance discreetly at the vampire. "You saw what M-M-Midoriya-san did back on the beach to Tokoyami-san!"

Yes, she had seen it. It was surprising for sure, but the two had already explained the situation to her. Kyouka did try to explain it to Momo, but the taller girl had effectively avoided the conversation altogether. It frustrated the rocker a bit, but she could not force the rich girl to become friends with the resident vampire of the class. Jirou was about to bring the same point across again – that the two had agreed to the act of blood drinking – but Cementoss-sensei entered the classroom, the majority of the class quieting down for the lesson to begin.

What she did not notice, however, was the wide-eyed expression that Yaoyorozu sent her way, as the rich girl noticed a tiny tint of crimson red lightly staining the rocker's neck, two round holes being the source of the insignificant bleeding.

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The last week of before the school festival was somewhat hectic in the school as everyone's tension rose, those that left things for the last hours rushed their preparations as best as they could. The major focus of the festival were the physical activities, but that did not mean that the other courses were neglected. UA was the best hero school in Japan, any of their courses were great chances.

The vampire was aware of this fact now more than ever, having to be the one responsible for Mei's sleeping schedule. He had already given Tokoyami his last instructions, giving the raven-headed teen some privacy for him to work on anything that he wanted to keep hidden until the festival. Their training, while productive, also exposed them quite a bit since Izuku hadn't had the opportunity modify his property on Dagobah beach. He kept it clean and mostly free of trash, but every once in a while, you could spot the occasional washed up litter.

He couldn't exactly try his hand at amateur building, he was no constructor after all. Trying to be cheap about something that he would constantly be using would be extremely detrimental, even dangerous should he invite someone over. The vampire had been looking for a few construction companies, but the majority of the ones he found were overly expensive.

There would be plenty of time for him to work on that, so the hemomancer left the issue aside, focusing on more important matters. That meant that Izuku was home. More specifically, he was in his room, examining his right hand as if it held the key to the mysteries of the universe.

The limb was perfectly fine, if one were to ignore the shifting black marks that were slowly spreading all over it, nonsensical patterns being drawn up on the length of his arm and hand. He was lucky that Mei was currently in the kitchen, eating as per his orders. The girl was a handful, having had spent the last 12 hours running with nothing in her stomach except coffee as she worked on last minute adjustments for her approved support gear. He had had to exercise a moderate use of [Mesmerize] upon her, the specific orders assured him that she would spend at least one hour before she was allowed to leave the dinner table.

"Leave the premises of this habitation and direct thyself to the kitchen! Leave there not until thee have eaten enough to compensate for thy horrendous habit of overwork, young lady!"

A bit of a hand-strong method, but unless one as willing to do so, Mei would try her hardest to continue obsessing over work until she passed out of either exhaustion or from lack of nutrients. She was that dedicated about her work. It wasn't as if he could exactly admonish her too much, since Izuku himself was guilty of this type of behavior, so he would let her leash go slack for a bit.

Returning to the matter at hand, he chuckled to himself at the pun, Izuku continue observing the shadows that were moving over his limb. They felt weirdly material, their consistency over his skin assuring him that they were solid and not merely a trick of sight. He did a little experiment, allowing blood to exit his skin at the same spots that the shadows were mingling about, the two intertwining to become a strange mix of crimson and black, almost resembling murky ink. Exerting more of his power, the vampire made the unusual mix to shape itself as a tentacle, having no trouble in controlling his creation. The black shadows were tangible enough to be manipulated as such.

[The gift from the Shadow Beast Master! His power is also ours now!]

[The shadows are ours to command!] [Such power is only expected from us!]

[Worthy! We are worthy of this!]

The whispers in his mind became much clearer too. [Hunter Instincts] were mostly a sense, something just like his sight or his hearing. At most they would be considered a feeling, the darkest aspects of [True Ancestor]; the rare time that they were clear and direct to him were in moments that Izuku was either in great emotional stress or riding a high of hormones. To have his own quirk explain itself this clear, it was a bit weird and frightening. That the [Inner Beast] was now had this much sentience, it made the vampire worry.

Izuku recalled his blood, leaving only the shadowy tendril running about the length of his arm. He stared deeply at the tendril, emerald eyes tinted in crimson gazing into the black energy/matter that was constantly shifting, yet stayed still. And then, for a fraction of a second, the vampire felt as if something had stared back at him.

[…]

The teen with green hair dispersed the shadow over his arm, the sensation of the black matter running all over his body was weird. It quickly ran up his arm, sliding down his torso and legs until it pooled over his shadow. The black matter quickly pooled and merged with his shadow until it looked no different from usual.

"What have I developed this time?" Izuku asked himself, leaning back on his chair and staring at the ceiling for answers. None came to vampire this time, the mere hum of the power that run under his skin the only thing he could feel.

As he sat there, contemplating what he would do with his newly developed power, the teen felt the door of his room be opened, Hatsume slowly entering it in a futile attempt to sneak in and do some work behind his back. He rose one eye brow, pretending to not have noticed her hand reaching over his desk as she crawled on all fours in hopes of him not catching her up. Her hand slowly stretched over towards the desk, getting closer and closer to grab the boots she had been working on before he interrupted her.

Her fingers brushed against the metallic surface of the footwear before they stopped completely, a crimson tentacle wrapped around her wrist. Mei's head slowly turned to check the captured limb before she came with a last attempt to grab her work.

"It's all or nothing!" The mechanic girl shouted, rapidly getting up and jumping to her goal. Unlucky for her, all that she managed to do was wiggle uselessly suspended in the air as another three thick tendrils of blood snatched her up. She turned her head around to look at Izuku, a sauce stain on the corner of her mouth indicated that she at least had eaten before rushing back to try and work on something else.

"Mei." He said with no discernible emotion behind his voice, merely staring at the girl.

"Zuku." She responded, her usual grin still fixed over.

The vampire sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his left hand, right one busy holding her up with his power. "What were you trying to do?" He asked, slowly lowering her to the floor.

"Work." Mei answered with the cleanest, most straight face possible. Even now that he had his full attention on her, she looked like she wanted to dash and grab the boots.

"What did we agree upon?" He asked, coming closer to her until he reached the distance of an arm's length.

Mei looked ready to whine, throwing her arms up in exasperation before crossing them under her chest. "That I was not supposed to overwork! But I'm so close to perfecting the booster mechanism of my boots! They will allow me to jump for ten meters longer! Besides, the kinetic absorber gel needs some testing, since I was hoping to put some on your next costume upgrade, I figured what better way to test it than when during the School Festival?! Besides, all those support companies will be dying to get a taste of my babies!" Allowing Mei to flesh out her ideas would only lead you into accepting whatever ridiculous request she would manage to get out of you, something she was rather good simply by the fact that she would pester you until you promised to do so.

Hence, when Izuku noticed that the girl began slowly scotching over the desk, he also kept closing the distance. Even if she grabbed her boots, he would not allow her to run away! Even now, she was planning on tricking him to work on a finished product. Thus, the duo eventually ended up reaching the desk.

Mei had her backside glued to the wooden desk, Izuku having had completely closing the distance between them as she kept spitting out ideas and projects at a pace even a Kriss Vector .45 ACP would be jealous off. He only nodded and listened to her, his hands ready to catch her the moment she tried her stunt.

It wasn't much later until she tried to do so, failing immediately as the moment her hands once again touched the boots, the items were knocked off by his blood tendrils, the vampire's hands grasping at the girl's sides. Izuku then noticed that they were much too close, her breasts lightly brushing against his chest.

The sight was enticing, now that he wasn't worried about Mei fleeing to do some work. She was clean from any dirt, grease or motor oil that was so usual, and aside from the sauce stain at the corner of her mouth, she smelled as clean as the day they had their first time. Well, give or take a few hours of sweat as she had been tinkering with her equipment, but the scent was so naturally inviting – full of her pheromones – that it was a wonder he had not noticed sooner.

Mei then closed the last of the distance between them, leaning against his chest even with her two hands seized by his blood tendrils. The sight began flaring heat within the vampire. It seemed that he wasn't the only one feeling like this, since Mei's face was now sporting a flushed blush that tickled his every nerve, sending lightning coursing through them.

"To be honest, I wasn't thinking of work at all. Since when you drank from me on the school's rooftop, I have been feeling like this." Her breath was baited, coming out in pants as she squirmed her body against his, taunting Izuku with her womanly assets. He recalled that at that moment, his mouth had been filled with aphrodisiac-laced saliva, as his target had been Kyouka, before he cleared his mind.

Now, the pink haze of lust was calling, and its name was Hatsume Mei.

"I tried to focus on work, but then you would pop in my head and I couldn't focus anymore. Can we..." Mei did not finish her question, but then again she did not need to. Izuku had been putting the issue of their first time having sex aside for a while, considering Mei herself never had brought it up or made a fuss about it. It was an intimate act for sure, yet they had not had had firm boundaries on their relationship for a while. Hence why Izuku hadn't had tried to have intercourse with Mei again, his mind wondering what they were supposed to be.

[Must you complicate this for any longer? Our mate wishes for intimacy! Embrace her!]

The [Inner Beast] complained from the depths of his mind, flaring further his lust for Mei. The sight of her practically begging for him, hands tied and at his will brought about a rather sadistic joy to the hemomancer. He let the complicated thoughts that filled his head be filed away for now, nodding to her request as he took her lips, the kiss making the girl release a heated and satisfied moan.

His tendrils slacked their hold on Mei's wrists, allowing her to undo the buttons of her jumpsuit, letting the clothing fall on the floor. As it happened, she began running her hands under his shirt, massaging the muscles of his torso.

One of the vampire's hands went for his desk, opening one of the drawers and rummaging through it for a few moments before he found the item he was looking for. Last time he had been foolishly heated and rushed, risking them both in his lust-filled haze. This time, however, Izuku had been prepared. It was only ever so embarrassing when the clerk from the convenience store kept glancing questioningly between him and the box of condoms.

[Forget that ridiculous contraption! Let us feel her raw flesh! Get rid of that useless rubber!]

It took colossal amounts of effort for him to not listen to the idea, opening the box and pulling out one of the many packets.

(No ecchi this time, sorry for that lads!)

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[XXX]

When the next morning came, Izuku woke up feeling amazingly refreshed. He exited his bed slowly, the light of the morning lazily filling his room as if sensing the mood of the hemomancer. There was a whining sound that echoed inside his room, the husky scent putting ideas in his mind; he shook his head, hoping to clear the lewd thoughts away. He made his way to his window, opening it to air his room and hopefully dissuade himself from any other funny ideas.

The vampire glanced at the carelessly thrown aside box that littered the floor of his room, finding it empty of any of its previous contents. Leaving that for later, he returned to his bed, the sight of the naked girl almost sparking his lust again.

We have the festival to attend to. Later, calm yourself Izuku! shook his head, touching the girl sleeping on his bed.

"Mei, wake up!" He called her out, the girl complaining and turning her back to him. Izuku raised one of his brows questioningly, wondering if she was being lazy or if she was truly tired from their nightly activities. He glanced at his alarm clock, seeing that they still had plenty of time before they had to head out for school, the vampire let the girl have her rest.

He took his towel and sneakily headed to the bathroom, hoping his mother would still be asleep. She had promised to be watch his performance, even when she would still be at work.

The vampire made sure to set the shower to cold, enjoying the sensation of the cold water running over his body. It doubled as a bonus that it mostly settled the morning heat from earlier. Izuku took his time with his shower, exiting it with his towel wrapped around his waist, the teen made his way to the kitchen to start working on his breakfast. The hemomancer opted for something simple, opening his fridge to grab a few eggs to work with. He set the eggs on the counter as he searched around for the remaining items. Bread buttered and, in the toaster, eggs currently frying and coffee brewed, Izuku craned his neck to the side, releasing a popping sound and working his pan as Mei's arms wrapped around his frame, pressing herself against him.

"Damn, that smells good, 'Zuku!" The mechanic rested her chin on his right shoulder, standing at the tip of her toes to get a view of his cuisine. It wasn't fancy, but he took pride at least on being able to cook a good breakfast.

"Thanks." He said, slowly turning and bringing the frying pan with him. Mei continued to cling to his frame, lazily following his steps as he approached the kitchen table, the dishes already set out for the three. He poured each plate a portion, going next for the toaster that had just finished doing its job. The meal fully prepared, Izuku tried to head to his room. "You know I can't exactly move around with you glued to my back."

The girl ignored him, nuzzling her cheek against his back. "You can always do that tentacle-thingy that you did last night." Her comment made the hemomancer blush a bit, the memory of that particular act coming to surface.

"At least eat something before we head out. I just need a quick change." He groaned a bit, trying to appeal to the mechanic girl's stomach. It seemed to work fine as Mei slid off his back and sat down to eat. Izuku turned to see that she was properly eating, taking in her image. She was only dressed in one of his t-shirts, the clothing a few sizes bigger than her made the sight interesting for sure. His fangs itched a bit, but he controlled himself and made his way back to his room. A few minutes later, the vampire was back to the kitchen, dressed in his UA uniform.

Mei had finished her food, and now was lazing about on the couch of the living room, messing with her phone. Izuku shook his head at her, going to the mini-fridge and picking a few blood bags to drink along his food. He quickly ate his meal, also taking his phone and scrolling through a few media posts. It seemed that everyone was excited for the event, considering that his social feed was all about it. The vampire would continue doing so until it was close to his departure time, but his eyes glanced at Mei back on the couch.

She was still in the same position as before, sprawled all over it. Only a small detail hat caught his attention. His t-shirt rode up to her hips, revealing that she was wearing nothing under it. He huffed, reigning in his lust.

"Mei, how about you get ready for us to go?!" He suggested, a hint of annoyance dipped in his voice. She whined, but still followed with it, slowly dragging herself to his room. "Don't forget to take a shower too."

"Yes, daddy!"

…

…

…

"I'll pretend I did not hear that..." Izuku said, hands over his mouth, his mug forgotten over the table.

Mei had the decency to look ashamed. "I'll pretend I never said that..."

"I won't!" The voice made the two whip their heads to look at the source, Midoriya Inko. Dressed in her work attire for the accounting company she worked for, the woman had a mischievous grin fixed on her face. And a phone that just flashed, signaling that she had taken a picture of their current frozen faces.

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Making their way to UA was, at least, less embarrassing for the vampire and the mechanic. A few people greeted them on their train ride, wishing them good work and the such as they caught sight of the UA uniforms. At least that was the case for Izuku, as Mei went with her usual jumpsuit attire. He tried convincing her to use the girl's uniform, but the following teasing by his mom made the task unbearable.

Izuku was sure that when he reached home, the picture mama Midoriya took from their faces would be printed and framed to be proudly displayed to any and every visiting guest that stepped foot inside the Midoriya household.

A few preschooler kids had even come closer to him and had wished the vampire good luck on the event, before they returned to their caretaker. The lady waved too, even if a bit intimidated by his face.

As they reached the campus, the duo hugged.

"I hope that you do well out there, 'Zuku! When you become a high-tier hero, many businesses will have their eyes on you, and any support item that you might be wearing, and then they will come to me!" Mei exclaimed, taking her phone out as she side-hugged him, taking a picture. She quickly messed a bit with her phone, forwarding the picture to him. The vampire managed to catch a few whispers and comments about them, but he ignored them in favor of getting his phone.

\1 unread message from: Mei-Mei.\

He was about to open it, but Hatsume took his phone from his grasp. He allowed it, considering that he would get the bigger surprise later when he displayed his new ability.

"Not yet! You can only open it when you are alone." That said, Mei quickly looked to the sides. Noticing that no one was currently looking at them, the girl gave the vampire a quick peck on his lips. "If you win first place, I'll give you even more." She whispered on his right ear before quickly skipping her way to Support Studies.

Izuku stayed still for a few moments, processing whatever had just happened. Then, he clenched his right hand, eyes beginning to gleam with eldritch power.

"I'll win!"

His feet were fast to make way to the Heroics building, faster to reach his class. His classmates were in various states of excitement, a few greeting him. The intercom sounded and gave instructions for the students, and they followed with it.

Inside the locker room, Izuku quickly shed his blazer and shirt in favor of UA's blue gym outfit. He managed to get his pants before someone called out to him.

"Midoriya."

The pockets of conversation that were happening inside the room died down as all eyes were gathered to the vampire in question. The green-haired teen wondered whatever Todoroki Shoto would want with him, considering that the duo-haired teen had gone quite long only speaking the absolute necessary with his classmates. It was odd, so the hemomancer turned to meet his usually-silent classmate.

The scarred teen had a serious expression fixed in place, analytical eyes looking straight at the vampire.

"I think that from a technical standpoint, I am stronger than you." The declaration was not something Izuku was waiting to hear from the Todoroki. Maybe from someone like Bakugou, however, the words clearly left Shoto's mouth. "My quirk is better suited for a multitude of tasks, and I have been training harshly since my younger years. Yet, something is different about you. Since the incident at the USJ, I have been trying to figure this out, but have yet to succeed."

The mood of the boys inside the locker room because filled with tension, some of the more excited teens displaying their fervor. Bakugou's grinding teeth could clearly be heard by everyone, yet the ash-blonde stayed his hand, realizing that Shoto still had something to say.

"My quirk is no secret, but as you have seen I only use one side of it. I plan on doing just that to win this competition, since the other side of this power is cursed. I wanted to say that I'll be sure to win this and figure out what makes you special." Todoroki finished his piece by staring at his left hand, eyes then going up to meet the vampire's.

It was not a smart decision.

Izuku's eyes – usually a calm emerald green – were crimson slits that shone with malicious light. The vampire had his lips fixed into a savage sneer that promised the most overwhelming pain, the whole visage of the hemomancer not unlike something out of a horror movie. The teen fixed his shirt in place, hiding the visage of his lean abdominal muscles and slowly walked closer to the boy with duo-colored hair. Each step seemed to resonate with the ambient noise, the silence in the locker room just short of deafening. The vampire finally stopped his steps, face to face with Shoto.

"Is that so? Your power is cursed?" The words left Izuku's mouth almost as if the teen was spitting them out, disgusted by what he had just heard. To everyone's surprise, Izuku jabbed Todoroki into his chest with his right-hand pointer. "Is that how you plan to save people when the time comes? Half-assing things enough just to get by, as if some second-rate paper-pusher? Tell me, Todoroki, what happens when the day comes and your ice is useless? " The vampire's sneer allowed the boys of his class to have a full look at his pearly white fangs, some cringing away from the sight.

"I'll show you, foolish little Todoroki, a true cursed power!" The vampire declared, maintaining his crimson pupils as he left the locker room, his steps echoing in the minds of all present.

"What the hell?! That was so scary and so manly!" Kirishima excitedly exclaimed, making a show of displaying his biceps. "I can't let you guys get so ahead of me like this! I also challenge you, Todoroki!"

Bakugou, seeing that the entirety of this little fiasco had finished, scoffed loud enough to call attention to himself. "Fucking bloodsucker thinks he is some hot-shot. And you too, shitty icy-hot! What, are you too good for the mortals of the world that we aren't worth your best? I fucking hope that have some soothing cream, because you are talking too much shit from that ass you call a mouth. You must be blind, 'cause you declared war on the wrong motherfucker! Watch me, since that will be the only thing you will be doing when I finish this shit first!" The ash-blonde turned and made his way out of the room, making sure to flip the bird to the remaining people inside the room, most specifically to the shocked Todoroki.

"Heck, since when did we enter a battlefield?" Sero asked to Kaminari, fixing his gym uniform.

The blond shocker shrugged his shoulders. "I know, right!? Midoriya always has this aura of 'closet monster' about him, but today he was at his creepiest! I felt as if he was staring at my soul!" Denki explained, no true heat in his words.

Tokoyami shook his head at the shenanigans happening inside the male locker room, [Dark Shadow] popping his head from the raven-head's torso to whisper at his master's ear. As his quirk finished the task, it returned to its place, leaving Fumikage with a pensive expression.

A hand touched the teen on his shoulder, the focused eyes turning to find Mashirao Ojiro. The [Tail] quirk user had a firm expression. "Tokoyami-san, since you were the one to spend the most time with Midoriya-sa, I was hoping you could share some knowledge with us? We don't exactly know much what to expect, and you have been training with him." The martial artist's words seemed to be true, as the remaining boys all turned their attention upon the raven-headed teen.

Fumikage closed his eyes for a few seconds, wondering about this conundrum he had found himself in. He crossed his arms, the sight hopefully making him seem a bit sage-like, and hummed a low tune. "I must apologize, as I lack the knowledge you seek. Midoriya-san truly has no fixed style of combat or a strategy he sticks with. In our personal combat training, he seemed to develop plans of the fly, most of which were very successful against myself. Taking in consideration the amount of time that Midoriya-san has had to plan, I wish all of you the very best of luck, for you shall need it against the freight train known as Midoriya Izuku."

That sentence seems ominous, Ojiro thought to himself as he bowed and thanked Tokoyami for his...advice. Ojiro knew that out of everyone in his class, he was one of the blandest and most forgettable. He was hoping to use the opportunity of this event to make himself better known to the hero agencies of Japan and hopefully get scouted by one of his favorite heroes. He had been over the moon when he managed to pass for UA's A-1 class of heroics.

His happiness was short lived, as he soon discovered the type of competition he was faced with in his class. Overwhelming powerhouses such as Midoriya and Bakugou, resourceful people such as Jirou, Yaoyarozu and Sero, or strong stablished household names such as Todoroki and Iida. Standing out from such a crowd would be tough, so the teen was willing to take any advantage he could manage.

Considering now that the only helping hand he hoped to have had come short, Ojiro prayed that his skills could match up to that of his classmates. Call Midoriya a monster all you want, A-1 had plenty of "monsters" in itself.

[XXX]

[XXX]

Izuku was at the front of his class, sandwiched between his now so called "rivals". Bakugou stayed surprisingly quiet at his place, fully focused into the tunnel ahead where the booming noise of the audience echoed. Todoroki had clammed up, maintaining a passive face as he stared ahead and effectively ignored the others around him. It was quite unofficial, but the three had sort of become the spearhead that directed the class.

The class was beginning to grow impassive from the waiting, their tension becoming even greater as time trickled down. Luckily for them, Present Mic was not a patient man.

"I HOPE THAT YOU ALL ARE READY TO RUUUUMMMMMBLEEEEEE!?" The already highly loud voice of the hero was further amplified by the various speakers around the stadium, the hero trainees feeling their very bones vibrate in resonance with the rumbling voice. The following answer of the audience present in the stadium made many nervous, the raw energy of the spectators was able to be felt in the very core of the students.

"THAT IS WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR, MY LISTENERS! HOWEVER, DO NOT STRAIN YOUR VOICES YET, SINCE YOU STILL NEED TO SHOUT FOR ALL THESE EXCELENT STUDENTS!" The Voice Hero amped his audience to their maximum, the students swallowing dry as they sensed the incoming call. "SURVIVING A VILLAIN ATTACK THIS SOON IN THEIR CAREERS, AND THEN COMING OUT ON TOP OF SUCH SITUATION, THE GOLDEN CHILDREN OF UA, GIVE IT YOUR ALL FOR CLASS A-1!"

Izuku took that as a cue for him to move. The vampire took a deep breath before beginning to walk, Bakugou bumping shoulders with the teen so as to not be behind the hemomancer. Todoroki followed both, a few steps behind the duo, the class following them. As they exited the tunnel, the true scope of their situation settled in for the teens.

The vampire tuned out the external stimuli, else he would have a migraine, so great was the noise that boomed from the audience stands. Present Mic continued his presentation of the following classes, and the vampire found that many of the following classes were sending heated glares to the heroic students from A-1. It was understandable, considering the following introductions were rather lackluster from a mediatic view.

Not that the hemomancer cared for the media show. The event – to him – was a challenge of his skills. The reward Mei promised was a bonus (a very welcomed bonus), but Izuku's focus was getting better to both be a great hero as well as to have greater control over [True Ancestor]. He understood the fact that being a hero was also a job, hence there would be those that were aiming for the "big paycheck"; not everyone had a bank account like him. To each their own, he mused in his mind, not bothered by the gazes of the other students.

He had already survived from a life-or-death situation, some school kids getting pissy would not be a bother to him.

Izuku was brought out of his musings due to the loud cracking of a whip, making him close one eye in amusement as his Modern History teacher appeared on the concrete stage build on the middle of the stadium. The R-rated Hero, Midnight did the seemingly impossible and further hyped the already excited crowd present. As the heroine proceeded to explain a few details and rules of the event, Izuku searched the sea of students for the one grease monkey that was so boastful of her inventions for the Festival.

However, before Izuku could find the mechanic girl, Midnight's announcement surprised him.

"And now, to represent the freshmen students, we shall have the first-placer of the entrance exam do the Student's Pledge! Give it your applause for A-1's Midoriya Izuku!" Midnight announced, clapping sounds thundering as still-shots of his performance at the entrance exam were displayed among the extra-large screens spread all over the stadium, as well as being broad-casted by media.

Izuku was taken back by this development, a very fake and very stiff smile settling over his lips. There was no way for him to run from this, considering all eyes were upon him. He was rather stiff as he walked to the podium, Midnight handing him the mic she had as silence settled upon the stadium, many eager to hear what the first-place had to say.

The gleam of his crimson eyes diminished as Izuku closed them, taking another deep breath.

"Plus Ultra." Izuku said calmly, the phrase one would expect only after his supposed grandiose speech. He laughed internally, slowly raising his head and opening his eyes, still portraying their animalistic characteristics. "Such is the most inspirational phrase many of us have heard. It has many meanings, and yet also only has one. UA is the school that most applies this motto; a simple combination of words that can inspire hope into anyone that hears them. From one generation to the next; past, present and future, this hope had been carried and developed to such highs that even the heroes of the Golden Age could never have imagined."

Izuku took a moment to quickly glance at all the students looking at him, waiting for him to finish his speech. If only they knew that he was truly winging it.

"We are young and still immature. However, world, continue giving us our support and watch us! As we become the next generation of heroes, those that carry the meaning of these words on our backs and inspire the next generations to follow in those steps. That is UA," Izuku followed by pointing to the skies, before he left the podium and pointed his open hand to the ocean of students, presenting them to the stage of the world. "This is PLUS ULTRA!" The vampire finished his speech, giving the mic back to Midnight, who looked impressed with his improvised speech. An idea quickly sprouted at the top of his mind, and the vampire decided to indulge the whim.

Right hand over his chest, left hand behind his back, Izuku did a perfect bow to the students, the thunderous applause of the spectators reaching a new high as the hemomancer righted himself. He left the stage as Midnight continued the last explanations, walking straight into the way of the youngest Todoroki.

"Can you do that, Shoto?!" The anger almost dripped from the words of the vampire, and somehow the [Half-hot, Half-cold] quirk user knew that the green-head was not talking about hyping the crowd. "Can you inspire hope upon the world and the generations to come, when you are only giving half of your best? Plus Ultra, am I right?!"

Todoroki managed to maintain his neutral face, but anger began simmering at the bottom of his stomach. As if you know what I have been through! You have no idea what that man did! I refuse to have anything to associate myself with his legacy!

"Don't talk about what you don't know, Midoriya." As cold as his ice, Shoto shot a barb back at the blood drinker.

Izuku side-glanced at the other teen, the temptation of a quick use of [Mesmerize] almost too good to pass up. The vampire managed to resist, moving to mingle among his classmates as they were headed into where the first event of the festival was going to begin. Many students were jam-packed at the corridor that was narrowing as it went about, the exit only able to allow the passage of three people maximum. That was, if they planned to ran on the ground.

The vampire's eyes had another target completely. And that target had a raven-head.

"Tokoyami."

"Midoriya."

The two exchanged looks, the students around them wondering what was the deal with the scary looking teens.

"I take that thee has most wonderful plot already schemed for our current situation." The raven-head stated, as they waited for the signal from Present Mic. Midnight had already explained the rules of the current event, a race with a multitude of obstacles for the trainees to surpass.

"I have some ideas running up here." Izuku tapped his right temple, a tiny black tendril wrapped around his finger. Tokoyami widened his eyes as he took in the sight of the power that was much too similar to his own.

"Y-you can..." The teen shut his beak as Izuku displayed a toothy smile, fangs in full display.

"Wanna team up?" Izuku offered his right hand for a handshake, the limb covered in dark matter as Present Mic did a countdown on the background that was quickly reaching its end. Fumikage looked at the shadow covered limb for all but one second before he grasped it with his hand, a firm handshake.

"Was there even a need to ask, Abyss Watcher?!"

"AND GOOOOOOOOOO!" The mess that happened at the exit gate was impressive and surprising for many of the students, but the following frosty wind was an even greater surprise for those around the gate.

Izuku smirked, his fangs itchy.