After the weekend was over, Izuku walked into the classroom a little early like he normally did. But something was different. It was normal for some of his classmates to not be there yet, but the ones that were there were all in a group, ones that didn't normally hang out together in the same group. Jirou, Kirishima, Aoyama, Yaoyorozu, Shoji, Uraraka, Iida, and Sato were all gathering together, whispering among each other. Bakugo was sitting at his desk away from everyone else. When Izuku slid open the door to the classroom, they all turned to see who it was. When they realized it was him, they frowned. Uraraka and Iida seemed especially upset. Was it because he had been sitting with Ruka instead of with them at lunch time for the past week?
"Hey guys. W-what's going on?" Izuku asked nervously. Iida spoke first.
"Midoriya, we've noticed you've been hanging out with that villain girl Ryuutou a lot recently." Iida said, confirming Izuku's suspicion that it was because of Ruka.
"You also haven't even been walking with me and Iida to the train station after school either." Uraraka pointed out.
"Didn't I tell you I was helping Ruka study after school?" Izuku asked Uraraka who shook her head no.
"No, you just apologized and told us you had something important to do and left to go back to the school building." Uraraka said as Izuku realized his mistake.
"Oh, sorry. That's my bad then. Anyways, yes, that's what I've been doing. I was helping Ruka study after school per Principal Nezu's orders." Izuku explained the full situation.
"The Principal's orders?" Iida questioned as Izuku nodded his head.
"Then what about lunch time? Ever since last week Tuesday, you been ditching us both at lunch and sitting next to Ryuutou. Was that one of Principal Nezu's orders too?" Uraraka asked Izuku.
"Well no, but... I noticed how Ruka's always sitting alone. And since we were going to be study partners I figured I'd keep her company and get to know her more. Granted she didn't speak much to me in the beginning. She was kinda distant at first, but I think she's starting to warm up to me a little. We've even shared a bit of information about ourselves to each other. To be honest, Ruka really doesn't seem like a bad person deep down. She was studying really hard to catch up so she can pass the mid terms and final exams. I don't believe that a girl who is going to such lengths just to turn her life around could be a bad person at heart." Izuku started going on one of his mumbling rants. Uraraka's expression darkened when she heard him refer to Ruka by her first name instead of her last name Ryuutou like he used to. It made jealousy fester inside of her. Izuku hadn't even started calling her by her first name Ochako yet and they've been classmates for roughly a month and a half. And now, after only about a week since Ruka joined their class, he's close enough to her to call her by her first name?!
"God, you're so naïve Deku!" Bakugo said loudly.
"She doesn't truly want to become a hero. She's just trying to avoid a worse outcome." Iida said as Yaoyorozu joined in on the conversation.
"I agree with Bakugo and Iida." Yaoyorozu said.
"Come on you useless nerd, use your brain! It was either this or Tartarus." Bakugo said Izuku froze. Ruka did say that last sentence word for word to him the first time they talked. But now, looking back on it, he realized she may have just been saying that to sound more tough. Since then, Ruka had exposed a softer side of her to him and only him. She felt safe enough around Izuku to appear a little more vulnerable to him. He knew about her past. She had told him how she remembered waking up at the Shadow Organization's infirmary when she was four. She also told him what the police detective told her actually happened based on their records on the case of a murder of a couple and their missing child that shared the same name and looked exactly like her. Ruka went into great detail of all her memories. But she really didn't even need to in order for him to see that she was a victim of unfortunate circumstances, brainwashed of all memories of her life before being forced into a life of crime as an assassin. His classmates didn't know a thing about her and yet they were judging her based on her criminal history alone, not even considering what led up to it. He was starting to get angry.
"You don't know her!" Izuku blurted out, getting caught up in his emotions at the moment. His classmates looked at him.
"And how well do you know her, Deku?" Uraraka asked as Izuku realized his mistake. He just put himself in the spotlight.
'Damn it! Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut?!' Izuku thought to himself.
"All I'm saying is that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover." Izuku said. He desperately wanted to tell his classmates everything, to make them understand the tragic truth: that Ruka was made an orphan by the same organization that made her into a killer. But he assumed she wouldn't want him telling all his classmates about her past. After all, she trusted him and spilling everything she's told him so far would betray that trust. He figured if she wanted them to know, she'd tell them herself. Izuku bit his lip, trying his damnedest not to say anything more. The classroom door slid open and the rest of his classmates came in except for Ruka.
~Small Time Skip~
It was almost time for class and Ruka was usually here by now. True, she was usually the last student to arrive at the classroom, but this was late even for her. Even Mr. Aizawa was there already. It was starting to worry Izuku a bit. Just then, the bell rang to start the school day and Mr. Aizawa sighed.
"I guess we'll be starting without Ryuutou." He said. Suddenly, the door to the classroom slid open with a bang, making all the students jump.
"Oops, my bad. Didn't mean to open it so hard. Anyways, sorry I'm late! All Might said he got distracted by civilians in need so he was late in escorting me to class." Ruka said bowing apologetically as Mr. Aizawa facepalmed himself and sighed. All of Class 1-A rolled their eyes, except for Izuku.
"Seriously? That man, I swear..." Mr. Aizawa muttered under his breath.
"Just have a seat. We didn't start anything yet." Mr. Aizawa said as he gestured to her desk and Ruka walked to her seat and sat down. And with that, homeroom started.
~Time Skip~
It was now lunch break and the students started leaving the classroom to go to the cafeteria to eat. Just as Ruka was about to leave, Izuku gently grabbed her sleeve.
"Hey, would you like to join me and my friends for lunch this time?" Izuku asked Ruka with a friendly smile.
"Are you sure they'll be okay with that?" Ruka asked Izuku whose smile didn't falter, but his right eye twitched ever so slightly which she noticed. He didn't answer her question directly, but that little twitch of his eye told her his friends probably weren't going to be a fan of the idea of her joining their little circle.
"I'm inviting you, so it should be fine. Besides, you'll never get to know your classmates if you don't mingle with them." Izuku said, trying to convince her. He did have a point there. Ruka sighed and reluctantly agreed.
"Fine. But the moment they start something is the moment I leave the table." Ruka warned as Izuku's smile widened.
"Great! Let's go get lunch together." Izuku said as he and Ruka left the classroom to go to the cafeteria. They both waited in line to get a serving of Lunch Rush's delicious food. The other students still kept their distance from Ruka, leaving a larger space in front of and behind her and Izuku in line. Once they got their food, Izuku led Ruka to the table where Uraraka and Iida were sitting. Iida and Uraraka smiled at Izuku, but as soon as they noticed Ruka behind him, their expressions darkened slightly. It was subtle, they still kept their smiles, but to Ruka it was super obvious they didn't appreciate her presence there. Izuku sat down across from Iida and Ruka sat next to Izuku across from Uraraka.
"Finally decided to sit with us again, huh Deku." Uraraka said in a cheery tone, but Ruka could sense some soreness and aggression in her tone.
"Haha I know. It's been a while, sorry." Izuku said as he grinned, scratching the back of his head.
"No worries. I understand you were just trying to make Ryuutou feel more comfortable here." Iida said, seemingly with understanding. Ruka could see right through his act however. She could see that his body was tense. Though she couldn't exactly blame him. She was, after all, a former top assassin with a very high kill count.
'Damn. He's good at hiding his disdain for me. A normal person wouldn't be able to detect it. But my training taught me how to read a person's true feelings based on the smallest details of their body language.' Ruka thought to herself as she ate.
"So Ryuutou, how did you end up becoming an assassin? I'm kinda curious." Uraraka asked as Ruka paused and studied her face briefly. She could tell that Uraraka was trying to scrutinize her, but was also genuinely curious as well. A few of her classmates nearby overheard Uraraka's question and flocked over.
"Yeah I'm curious to know too." Sero said.
"Me too!" Kirishima chimed in. Soon all of Class 1-A had gathered at the table Ruka was sitting at, eager to hear her story. Even Bakugo and Aoyama were a little curious themselves. She studied all of their facial expressions. They were all just like Uraraka, ready to judge her at any given moment, but also incredibly curious at the same time.
"Umm Uraraka, I'm not sure that's the best topic to bring up." Izuku said nervously, raising a hand as sweat began to build on his face in little beads here and there. Ruka knew he was just trying to protect her privacy, but she knew that one of her classmates was going to ask this question eventually. And to be honest, they deserved to know the whole truth of her origin story. Ruka gently laid her hand on his, lowering it, which calmed him down a little. Uraraka's eyes narrowed at the physical contact between Ruka's and Izuku's hands and how her touch seemed to ease his nervousness.
"No, it's fine Izuku, really. I'll tell them. My classmates deserve to know that much." Ruka said as she sighed and began to tell her story. She told them that her earliest memories began when she was four years old when she woke up in the Shadow Organization's infirmary in tears for an unknown reason. She told her classmates about the lie Mimic and Echo told her about her parents needing to sedate her because she wouldn't cooperate in going to this "special training program" that she was supposedly specially selected for. She briefed them on her training routines and the punishments that followed if she didn't meet her goals. She told them about her first assassination assignment she took on at eleven years old and how she quickly climbed the ranks to be one of the top assassins in the Shadow Organization. She then explained that sometimes she failed to complete assignments and was harshly disciplined for her failures.
"After that brutal beating, I decided I would never fail at completing an assignment again. And I didn't, until recently." Ruka said. Then she shared the story of how the heroes set her up to be caught by using All Might as her target. Her classmates gasped when they heard she fought All Might and held her ground against him for a while before ultimately being knocked out by him. Izuku was especially intrigued by her battle with All Might. He was fascinated that she was able to hold her own against the number one pro hero at all. He had already heard the story once already, but it was the kind of story he could listen to over and over again. Then Ruka went on to elaborate on the real truth the police detective told her about what really happened to her the night before she woke up at the Shadow Organization infirmary. Her parents didn't actually drug her and give her up, they were murdered and she was kidnapped. Then she described her first encounter with Principal Nezu at the police station.
"You're not the only ones who thought letting someone like me attend U.A. High was a crazy idea. Even I had my doubts. We're really not so different after all." Ruka finished, crossing her arms over her chest while leaning back in her chair. Class 1-A just stared at Ruka, blinking momentarily.
"Wow, you've really been through a lot Ryuutou." Uraraka said, thinking about all Ruka had shared about her life.
"I see. So you really were just a victim all along, made and orphan and torn away from your home, then forced into life as an assassin." Iida said with a hand cupping his chin.
"I'm sorry I judged you without hearing your story first. Can you forgive me?" Iida then apologized. Then some other classmates started apologizing too.
"Yeah, me too. My image of you was based off the news reports I saw on TV. I didn't realize you had to kill in order to avoid getting nearly beaten to death." Kaminari said apologetically. One by one, the rest of Class 1-A started to apologize to Ruka as well until there was one left to give an apology: Bakugo. The whole class then turned to him and glared at him.
"What the hell are you guys looking at me for?!" Bakugo yelled at his classmates.
"Come on Bakugo, we all know you were secretly judging her the hardest." Kirishima said, nudging the spiky haired blonde with his elbow, pissing him off.
"Ugh. If I apologize to her, will you guys shut the hell up and get off my ass?" Bakugo asked his classmates. They all nodded as he let out a frustrated hiss.
"Sorry for judging your ass or whatever." Bakugo reluctantly apologized to Ruka.
"I suppose I can forgive you all." Ruka said.
"There! You happy now?!" Bakugo yelled at his classmates. Some of them snickered at the way he worded his apology, especially Kaminari and Mineta. Their minds were clearly in the gutter.
"What the fuck are you laughing at?!" Bakugo shouted.
"Wow Bakugo, I didn't know you were such a perv." Kaminari teased.
"Yeah, I didn't think you looked at girls like that." Mineta said as Bakugo's face got red in either anger or embarrassment or possibly both.
"Shut up Electro Brain, Pervy Grape or I'll kill you!" Bakugo yelled at his two classmates who straightened up, but then couldn't help but let out a snicker.
"That's it, you're both dead!" Bakugo said as he stood up. Kaminari and Mineta both got up and ran with Bakugo chasing after them, his palms sparking with mini explosions. After the three of them had disappeared out of sight, Ruka's classmates turned their attention back to her.
"I can't believe you fought All Might and actually held your own against him for a while. That's quite a feat, even though you did ended up getting defeated in the end." Ojiro said, sounding impressed.
"Well he is the number one hero. I wasn't even the number one assassin in the Shadow Organization. I was only third." Ruka revealed.
"Third?!" The remaining of Class 1-A raised their voices simultaneously.
"Was third. I'm putting that life behind me. Assassin life is harsh. It's not for the faint of heart. If you can't do the training, you'll be beaten to near breaking point. If you fail to complete an assignment as desired, you'll also be beaten to near breaking point. They'll fix you up, keep you well fed, physically fit, and up to date on combat techniques, but it's only for you to kill again later. That was the majority of my life. I didn't realize how much I yearned to live a normal teenage life until I arrived here a week ago." Ruka confessed as Izuku smiled. He was happy, happy that Ruka was finally able to open up to her classmates, and happy that his classmates appeared to be a bit more understanding of Ruka and her situation. Suddenly, the bell rang which signaled the end of lunch period. Everyone got up from their seats and started to clear their dishes. It was now time for Basic Hero Training.
~Time Skip~
Ruka had just been escorted to her room by Mr. Aizawa. Today had been a long day, but it seemed her classmates were finally starting to accept her. She flopped onto her bed back first and let out a long sigh. Suddenly, she heard a knock at her door which startled her. She got up, thinking it was probably Mr. Aizawa forgetting to tell her something important. But when she opened the door, she was surprised to find Izuku standing there.
"Izuku? What are you doing here? Does Principal Nezu or Mr. Aizawa know you're here?" Ruka asked. Izuku shook his head no.
"Can I come in?" Izuku asked permission to enter Ruka's dorm room.
"Fine." Ruka said as she let him in her dorm room and shut the door.
"You know I'm all caught up with my studies now, right?" Ruka said as Izuku nodded his head.
"Oh I know. I just wanted to see you, that's all." Izuku said as he made himself at home and sat on her bed, folding his hands in his lap. Ruka's brows furrowed as she studied his facial expression. It was a habit of hers to analyze people's faces and body language.
"You came here to ask me something, didn't you?" Ruka guessed with pinpoint accuracy.
"Well uh, yeah actually. It's about the story you told everyone about your life." Izuku said as Ruka raised an eyebrow.
"What about it?" Ruka asked Izuku who went on to explain.
"The version you told me had a lot more details. Particularly when it came to your assignment where you had to hunt down All Might. You told me how the person described him to you so you could find him. And then you mentioned the instant transformation from his skinny form to his muscular form right as you were about to shoot him. You didn't mention his initial description and appearance or his transformation into his iconic form to the class at all. Why did you share those details with me and not the class?" Izuku explained and asked Ruka who sighed. She sat next to him on her bed.
"Remember when you told me about how you had been training intensely for ten months with All Might to get ready for the U.A. High Entrance Exam? And that you were a late bloomer in manifesting your quirk?" Ruka said, leaning in dangerously close to Izuku as his heart and stomach dropped, realizing what she was implying. Crap! She had figured it out.
"H-how did you find out?" Izuku gulped.
"Clue #1: it's all a little too convenient, don't you think? That your quirk appeared right before the U.A. Entrance Exam started, right after you finished your training with All Might. Clue #2: your shoes are slightly bigger where your pinky toes are. Shoes like that are made to accommodate people with extra joints in their pinky toes, in other words quirkless people. Clue #3: You mentioned when your quirk first appeared, you had trouble controlling it. Usually when quirks first manifest, they're just weak versions of what they can become later on, they don't start out so strong they break your body when used. Clue #4: when I received that assignment to take down All Might, I wasn't told it was him. And when I saw the man the way he first appeared, I never would have guessed it was him. But then that skinny man transformed into the unmistakable, iconic form of All Might the moment I pulled the trigger. And clue #5: after the Rescue Training Race, I overheard All Might talking to you about needing to have a word with you concerning him and One For All. That's when it all clicked in my mind, the pieces falling right into place. If I'm correct, All Might's prime days are long gone and his true form these days is that skinny man. He chose you to be his successor because his time as a hero is nearing its end and he can't maintain that muscular form for long periods of time anymore. That's why he wanted to speak with you regarding One For All which must be the name of his quirk that he passed on to you, a quirkless kid. And those ten months of training was to get your body ready for the intense power of that quirk so you wouldn't die when it was given to you." Ruka explained as Izuku's jaw dropped in shock and amazement. He couldn't believe she figured all this out just from a few observations and bits and pieces of information from his life story.
"I'm assuming based on your reaction, I'm dead on." Ruka smirked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Amazing... You would make a great detective based on your observation skills and intellect alone, Ruka." Izuku said, beaming brightly with sparkles in his eyes. But then his tone turned serious.
"Please don't tell anyone else about this." Izuku said as Ruka laughed.
"Relax. I didn't tell the class about All Might's two forms while telling my life story, did I? Trust me, I know sensitive information when I come across it. As a former assassin, secrecy is one of my specialties. I know what kinds of things should stay secret and I will keep those secrets with me to my grave. You don't have to worry." Ruka said as Izuku sighed with relief.
"Is that why you told me about All Might's two forms and not the class? Because you knew that was sensitive information?" Izuku asked Ruka.
"Well that, and based on what I had already observed, I figured you already knew about it anyways. But the rest of the class definitely didn't know and doesn't need to know." Ruka said answered Izuku.
"You're not mad at me at all, are you Ruka? You know, for lying to you about my quirk?" Izuku asked.
"Mmm no. I see no reason to be. I understand why you would want to keep something like that a secret." Ruka said as Izuku sighed with relief.
"Phew! I think I can rest easy now." Izuku laughed as he stood up from the bed and started to head towards the door. But before he could leave, Ruka tugged on his sleeve.
"Hey, when it comes to secrets, assassins and former assassins, like myself, are the ones that will never break your trust. So if you ever find yourself needing to get something off your chest, but don't want anyone else to hear it, just come find me. I'll keep your secrets safe." Ruka said, winking at Izuku who started to blush slightly.
"Thanks Ruka. I'll keep that in mind." Izuku said with a smile as he left her room and snuck quietly out of the dorm building and since he wasn't supposed to be there.