It was Monday, May 20 and it had been two days since Ruka was caught. Starting today, she was going to be attending U.A. High for rehabilitation from villainy. Ruka put on the U.A. uniform she was given and black sheer tights and black combat boots. She was also given a red book bag with the textbooks she would need plus some basic school supplies in it. The sleeves of the uniform blazer fit over her quirk canceling cuffs so that they were barely visible. She then tied her long wavy azure blue hair up in a high ponytail, leaving two strands of hair hanging loose from her hairline framing her face. Once she was ready, she waited at the front of the police station for her ride to pick her up. A sleek black car pulled up and the driver's side window rolled down revealing a worn-out looking man with stubbly facial hair and black messy shoulder-length hair that partially hung down in front of his face.
"You're Ryuutou Ruka, correct?" The man asked Ruka in a voice as worn out as his appearance. She didn't speak, just nodding.
"Get in the car please." The man said as Ruka did as she was told. Once she closed the door behind her, she put on her seat belt and they took off to U.A. High.
"I'm Mr. Aizawa, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-A. From now on, you'll be primarily under my supervision. If you misbehave, I will not hesitate to contact the Hero Public Safety Commission to have them take you to Tartarus. Am I clear?" Mr. Aizawa said as he drove to the prestigious hero high school.
"Yes sir." Ruka said as she crossed her arms over her chest and slumped in the backseat of the car.
"This is the seating arrangement. Your desk is the lone front one. These people will be your classmates from now on. Please do your best to get along with them." Mr. Aizawa said, handing Ruka a sheet of paper, showing the layout of the classroom and a picture of each student with their names and where they sat. On the way to the school, Ruka took the time to commit the faces and names to memory.
~Time Skip~
They arrived at U.A. High and Mr. Aizawa drove the car past the school gates. As soon as he did, the school's security system activated, erecting several very tall and thick metal walls so no one could get in or out. He parked the car in the parking lot and got out of the driver's seat. He then opened the back door so Ruka could get out. She exited the car and shut the door. Mr. Aizawa lead her to the classroom labeled 1-A and opened the door. All the students were already there in their seats, still talking about their internships.
"Sorry I'm late. I had to pick up the new student that will be joining us today. Her name is Ryuutou Ruka. She is going to be your classmate from now on. So please try to get along with her." Mr. Aizawa said as Ruka stepped into the doorway. All eyes were on her as she entered the classroom. There were murmurs among the students. Despite her new classmates trying not to let Ruka hear what they were saying, she heard every single word. She had exceptional senses, especially sight, hearing, and smell.
"I saw her on the news recently. She's the infamous Blue Dragon Assassin." Kirishima whispered to Kaminari.
"The Blue Dragon Assassin?! Are you serious?!" Kaminari said out of shock.
"So the rumors were true. They really did let a villain attend U.A. High." Mineta said quietly, starting to tremble in his seat.
"Is it really okay for someone like her to be at this school?" Jirou asked in a hushed voice. Those words stung a bit. Ruka already felt out of place in an environment like this, but that comment just singled her out even more. She scanned the room with her crimson eyes as she slowly walked to her seat, making eye contact with every single one of her classmates one by one. Almost all of them gave her wary looks, except for one boy with messy green hair. His gaze was analytical and curious, not judgmental like the rest. When their eyes met, it almost seemed like a faint blush lightly dusted his cheeks.
'That green haired boy's a peculiar one. Unlike the rest, his eyes don't seem to be judging me. Wait, was he... blushing?' Ruka thought to herself as she sat down in her seat.
~Izuku's P.O.V.~
All Might told me I was going to get a new classmate today named Ryuutou Ruka. He told me some details about her, that she was the villain that he captured a couple days ago and she was here for rehabilitation purposes. Apparently, she's a notorious villain from the Japanese Underworld. That made me curious, why would U.A. High accept such a high risk student? There must've been a good reason. Principal Nezu must have seen something in her beyond her criminal record. When Ryuutou entered the classroom, I noticed how all my classmates just judged her right away. They started whispering among each other. She took the time to look each of us in the eye with an icy stare, while walking slowly to her seat as if analyzing something. I couldn't help but stare at her as she moved. When our eyes locked, I felt my face heat up slightly. I hope that wasn't too visible.
~End of Izuku's P.O.V.~
Shortly after Ruka sat down, Mr. Aizawa spoke. He announced that they would be doing hero basic training right away. Shelves containing everyone's hero costumes in brief cases emerged from the classroom walls. Each student stood up excitedly and grabbed their hero costumes, heading towards the locker rooms. Midnight accompanied Ruka to the girl's locker room. She kept tabs on her while in the locker room. The other girls kept their distance from her. Only getting close if they needed to put something in the locker adjacent to hers. Ruka opened the case that contained her costume. It was a skin-tight sleek backless deep blue scale-patterned bodysuit, that perfectly matched the color of her dragon scales when transformed. There were no weapons like she was used to when suiting up... right, this was hero training, not assassin training. Ruka took off her school uniform revealing the numerous scars on her body from the harsh punishments she received in the past. The girls didn't dare ask where she got them. Once she was done changing, they left the locker room to meet up with the boys at Field Gamma training ground. Midnight took off the quirk canceling cuffs, handed them to All Might and went on her way now that another staff member was present. Some of Ruka's classmates stared at the scars visible on her back where her bodysuit didn't cover her skin.
"So umm... Where did you get those scars? Bet they're from intense badass battles, right?" Kirishima said, trying to start some small talk with Ruka.
"I didn't get these scars from battles with my targets. Usually my victims barely even saw me coming." Ruka said in a low calm tone. Before anyone else had a chance to ask, she answered.
"They're from punishments. If I didn't reach my training goals or failed to complete an assassination assignment, I was harshly disciplined. Every time, the torture was brutal, almost enough to break me." Ruka said as the whole class went silent until All Might spoke.
"I am here! Hope you're ready to return to our lessons. Today is hero basic training. Feels like I haven't seen you in a while. Welcome back! And welcome Ryuutou Ruka. Now then, listen carefully for what's in store. We're going to be conducting a little race. Take everything you've learned from your internships and apply it to this rescue training." All Might said as Iida raised his hand.
"If it's rescue training, then shouldn't we be at the U.S.J. instead?" Iida asked.
"Ah, that facility specializes in disasters. As I said earlier, this is a race. So, prepare! You're about to step into Field Gamma. Inside is an area full of factories that form an intricate labyrinth, so good luck finding your way around. You'll be competing in groups of five except for one group which will have six students because Young Ryuutou will be participating as well. Each person starts from a different location on the outskirts of the model city. I'll send a distress signal and you do what you must to rescue me. Whoever finds me first wins! But try to keep property damage to a bare minimum, please." All Might said pointing towards Bakugo.
"Why're you pointing at me?" Bakugo said in an irritated tone as he averted is gaze to the side.
"Alright! First group, get to your places!" All Might said as Sero, Ashido, Ojiro, Iida, Izuku, and Ruka took their places in Field Gamma. All Might then sent the distress signal and the race began.
"Dragon Soul: Partial transformation!" Ruka said as she activated her quirk and sprouted dragon wings from her shoulder blades, the backless part of her bodysuit . She jumped off the factory building and flapped her wings, soaring above all the obstacles of the life-size model factories below. Sero used his tape, swinging through the jungle gym of pipes and buildings. Ojiro used his tail to fling himself off of surfaces. Iida used his speed to dash around through the maze of structures on the ground. Ashido used her acid to melt into the structures to secure her to surfaces she landed on. And Izuku, he bounced off of the buildings as teal lightning sparked around his body. All of his classmates seemed surprised at his movements. He was in the lead until he landed on a pipe and his foot slipped which cost him first place. Ruka ended up taking first place a split second before Sero reached All Might.
"And it's over! Thanks hero! And congratulations!" All Might said to Ruka, handing her a sash for earning first place. Ruka sighed and rolled her eyes at the word hero as she put the victory sash on over her shoulder. She looked over at Izuku who was laying flat on his face. Iida was checking up on him as Ashido and Sero threw fits out of frustration. Ojiro rubbed his forehead out of disappointment.
"That's so not fair! Ryuutou can fly and skip the whole obstacle course!" Ashido said, crossing her arms across her chest. Ruka just rolled her eyes at her comment.
"Young Ryuutou may have come in first, but compared to the start of the year you all showed me some incredible improvements. Keep working in preparing for your upcoming final exams." All Might said as everyone stood up straight except for Izuku.
"Sir!" Ashido, Iida, Oijro, Sero, and Izuku said.
"Group one, leave the wheel. You're up group two." All Might said as everyone except Izuku started leaving the field. All Might approached him instead of following the group of students out of the training ground. Ruka stopped in her tracks and looked back at them. Wasn't she supposed to be accompanied by a staff member at all times? And there weren't any other teachers in sight. She didn't want to get in trouble for not following protocols, so she stayed behind and waited for All Might.
"You surprised me. That's incredible. Find me after class, we need to talk." All Might said to Izuku in a low voice with a thumbs up.
"Umm, yes sir." Izuku said as All Might turned around, looking back at him.
"The time has come to tell you the whole truth... about me and One For All." All Might said with a serious tone.
'I wonder what that was about.' Ruka thought to herself after she overheard All Might talking to Izuku. But then something clicked in her mind. When she was set up by the heroes, her target was All Might. She saw the transformation herself. His body build was gaunt and lanky at first, but right when she was about to assassinate him, he transformed into the unmistakable form of the number one pro hero. Was One For All the name of All Might's quirk? After all, he never mentioned what the name of his quirk was in interviews. And why was he talking to this guy about it. Maybe the Symbol of Peace was losing his power and he needed to entrust the role to someone else and Izuku was his choice to be his successor.
"Sorry about that. I had to talk to Young Midoriya about something." All Might said as he pulled the quirk canceling cuffs out of his pocket and clicked them shut around Ruka's wrists. She felt the connection with the dragon spirit disappear instantly as soon as the center band on the cuffs glowed red.
~Time Skip~
After class, all the students headed home except for Izuku who went to go meet All Might. Mr. Aizawa led Ruka to Principal Nezu's office.
"Please have a seat Ryuutou. So how was your first day at U.A. High?" Principal Nezu asked Ruka who sat down in a chair across from him as Mr. Aizawa stood nearby, leaning against the wall.
"Eh, it was okay. I got first place in the rescue race." Ruka said as Principal Nezu clapped his paws together once.
"Excellent, congratulations! I knew you had great potential. Keep up the good work." Principal Nezu said, praising Ruka on her accomplishment.
"But pretty much all my classmates judged me before they even got to know me. I don't really feel welcome, like I don't belong here." Ruka complained, sighing as she slumped back in the chair.
"It's not like it was my fault that I was trained as an assassin. According to both the police and the Shadow Organization, I was taken against my will and forced to be an assassin. The big difference between the two stories is that my parents were actually killed instead of willingly handing me over." Ruka said, folding her arms across her chest.
"Of course it wasn't your fault. You were a victim of unfortunate circumstances, forced into the life you've come to know." Principal Nezu said picking up a tea kettle and poured himself a cup of tea and sipped it.
"So now that the school day is over, where am I gonna go? I can't exactly go back to where I came from. Since I failed my assignment, I'll be brutally beaten. Even if it was a setup by you heroes." Ruka voiced her concern.
"You don't need to worry about that, Ryuutou. The school is building dormitories that the students will move into soon. The dorm building for Class 1-A has already been completed. You will stay there when classes aren't in session. But you must be accompanied to and from the dorm building by a staff member." Principal Nezu said as Ruka rolled her eyes and blew air out of her mouth, her lips flapping lazily as she did so.
"Final exams are coming up in a little more than a month. I understand that you haven't been here to learn all the material that will be covered. I am willing to allow for you to be exempted from the exam." Principal Nezu said. But something didn't really sit right with Ruka.
"Hold on, if I'm here for rehabilitation to become a hero, then why am I getting excluded from taking the exam? I get that I haven't attended U.A. High from the beginning of the school year, but I'm going to have to learn it all eventually, right? And I don't wanna be held back while all of my classmates graduate without me! My pride won't allow it. Let me take the exams." Ruka said firmly, standing up from her seat as Principal Nezu took another sip of his tea.
"Hmm I suppose you do have a point. Very well then. You may take the exam like everyone else. I wish you good luck in your studies. If you would like, I can have a student in your class help you study for the written portion of the exam. Just tell me who you'd like to be your study partner and I will make it so." Principal Nezu said as Ruka sat back down and thought for a moment. She wasn't close to any of her classmates since this was her first day meeting everyone. Aside from that, almost all of them seemed to be extremely wary of her since she came from a villainous background. But there was one student that didn't really seem to judge her based on her criminal record. And that was Izuku. But Ruka was going to have to cram a total of about three months worth of material in little more than one months time. So having a study partner would be crucial to her success. And maybe... she might even make a new friend, her first real friend. Ruka's life before being captured by the heroes was pretty solitary. The only people she really interacted with beforehand were her trainers and occasionally Mimic, Echo, and Doctor Ray back at the Shadow Organization and that wasn't really social interaction.
"Fine. I suppose I'll need all the help I can get in order to pass the exams. I'll pick Midoriya Izuku for my study partner. At least he doesn't seem to judge me like the rest of them do." Ruka said as Principal Nezu smiled, climbing off his chair and started walking towards the door.
"Very well. I'll let Midoriya know. That's all for today. Thank you, Ryuutou. You may head out now. Mr. Aizawa, please escort her to the Class 1-A dorms." Principal Nezu said as he opened the door to his office and politely gestured towards the exit. Ruka stood up and started following Mr. Aizawa to the dormitory building she was going to be staying at. When they got to her room, Mr. Aizawa gave her a key to the door.
"Now I want you to stay in the dorm building. If you try to escape, the school's security system will go off and you will be sent straight to Tartarus. Do you understand?" Mr. Aizawa said with a firm voice. Ruka sighed and nodded her head.
"Yes sir." Ruka said as she unlocked her dorm room with the key Mr. Aizawa gave her. She then went inside and he walked away, leaving her alone in the empty dorm building. Ruka looked around her dorm room. There was a simple bed, an empty desk and a dresser. She put her book bag down and walked over to the dresser. She opened the dresser drawers one by one to find several school uniforms and U.A. gym uniforms, pajamas, underwear, and some casual clothes for when she wasn't in class. They were all in her size. Since she couldn't exactly go back to the Shadow Organization's headquarters to fetch her belongings, the school provided her with new clothes to wear.
"That was nice of them. I suppose I could get used to this life." Ruka said as she closed the dresser drawer and walked over to her bed and flopped down onto the mattress. She put her hands behind her head as she laid on the bed.
"Not bad. The bed is pretty comfortable. But I don't have time to rest. I have to study hard to pass my exams." Ruka said as she sat up and went to her dresser and changed into some comfy pajamas. Then she grabbed her book bag and pulled out her textbooks and started studying late into the night until she collapsed from exhaustion.