Chapter 1: A Cold World

Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia nor do I take claim for it.

Izuku felt worthless. His talents, skills, intelligence… they didn't matter. Why? Izuku had no quirk. This world decided your value to society based on your quirk. Izuku had none.

Izuku continued his sobbing in the small hovel where his mother and himself were residing in. His tears ran down his cheeks, amplifying the broken look he sported. This was the sight that Inko was greeted to as she approached him.

"Izuku! W-What happened…?" Inko inquired, concern for her son growing

Izuku didn't respond, choosing to instead hang his head further. He didn't want his mother to see him like this…

Inko observed her son. His messy green locks were all matted. He had dirt latched onto his face and clothing. He had bruises running along his arms, ones that didn't seem natural.

Inko knew what had occurred after taking in her son's appearance. Her son wasn't exactly the most popular around the village. The villagers- the younger ones… they've only seen him as a burden. After all, the news of wars, quests, and other things of the like have always been popular. All of those things had revolved around power. Izuku… he didn't…

Inko wanted to cry. She wanted to cry for the misfortune that Izuku had. She wanted to cry for all the pain he had to endure. It just wasn't fair…

"Izuku… I'm so sorry…! I'm so sorry Izuku…!" Inko sobbed holding her son as close to her as possible

The pair stayed like that for a while, enjoying the presence of the other. Inko, however, had errands to attend to, leaving Izuku to his own devices.

Izuku stared at the wall in front of him. His thoughts were erratic, spazzing through many different, but equally dark thoughts. He… he needed a release. He wouldn't last long without something.

With shaky hands, he pulled out his journal and his ink pen. Izuku's journal was filled with his emotions, feelings, and hopes. He wrote in it different ways, sometimes opting to write in poems or songs rather than standard journal entries. Izuku dipped his pen in ink and set it on a fresh page in the book. It stood there, creating a blob circumferencing the pen.

Izuku shook his head, lifting the offending object off the paper. He mentally constructed the words in his head before reapplying the pen. His words were written in mild, timid strokes. Izuku crossed out a part of his entry. He began rewriting it at a faster pace. Izuku crossed out his entry once again. He began to rewrite it even faster.

Cross. Scribble. Cross. Scribble. Cross.

Izuku repeatedly wrote and slashed out his entry, his words being nothing but illegible scrawls at this point. Izuku ran out of ink.

He stared at his ink-soaked hands. What did he just…?

Izuku receded into the depths of his mind, feeling so useless. He couldn't do anything right, could he?

'Maybe… Maybe it's time to end it. The others sure think so…' Izuku thought to himself

He was always too weak and pathetic to actually kill himself before. He wasn't afraid of death, but, something kept him from doing so- perhaps the instinct of wanting to live. Today was different. He was far past his breaking point. He didn't… He just couldn't…

With heavy thoughts in tow, Izuku rose to his feet. His mind was clearer than it has ever been before. He grabbed a bag that he stashed just for the occasion before leaving his home.

The sky was a baby blue, shining brightly with the sun's warm rays. The village's beauty was accentuated by the paved road connecting the line of buildings. The trees surrounding the village were prideful, standing upright and tall as if to show its superiority.

Izuku chuckled bitterly to himself. Everything was too bright- too hopeful- too… good for him. He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve to bathe in the warm sun. He didn't deserve to bask in the beauty of the village. He didn't deserve to breathe the same air as the talented people around him.

He. Didn't. Deserve. It.

Reeling himself out of his thoughts, he began walking into the forest. Izuku had this all planned out. He walked until he found the tree he had been visiting recently. The tree was large, spanning over a great space. The bark was thick and colored a shade of rich brown.

Izuku was mesmerized by the intricate design woven on the bark. He stared idly for a few minutes. He sighed. He should be at least grateful for being able to see all these wonderful things in his life. Steeling his resolve, Izuku unsheathed the contents of his bag to reveal a noose that he had created using leftover rope.

Izuku hoped that his neck would snap immediately. A quick and painless death would be his ideal suicide. But knowing his luck, it wouldn't snap immediately. He'd probably be suffocating for a few minutes before finally succumbing. It didn't really matter to him. He probably didn't deserve a painless death.

Izuku's trail of thoughts was interrupted by the sounds of explosions and sounds of commotion. He wasn't too far from the village, so he could still hear screaming. Izuku rushed towards the chaos. When he arrived, he saw a part of the village in flames.

"What… is this? Brigands? But why would they attack our village? Would pillaging us really be that beneficial? Or has the war finally come to us?" Izuku muttered to himself, confused at the situation

He wasn't given much more time to ponder the attack as he spotted Bakugo. Bakugo Katsuki. His childhood friend and current bully, Katsuki, was in the midst of the chaos fighting off the intruders.

Izuku rushed forward, desperate to help. To do something. As he rushed forward, he noticed that Katsuki was focused on the enemies in front of him, leaving him completely oblivious to the enemy that slipped behind him, ready to kill him.

The soldier brandished his sword, and brought it upwards. As the sword was coming down, Izuku sprang forward, taking the blow from the enemy.

With surprised eyes, Bakugo turned around to see Izuku taking a slash for him. Izuku smiled as the world around him slowly faded into darkness. He barely saw an explosion -probably Bakugo's- as everything continued to fade.

Izuku's thoughts drifted. 'This... isn't a bad way to die. It's certainly more glorious than what I had planned. Still, at least I was able to save someone... Even if it was Katsuki.'

Well, this story is going to be a rollercoaster. I hope you guys enjoyed! If you have any suggestions, please feel free to review.