I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters.

Chapter 1:Prologue

The early life of Izuku Midoriya, or as he would become known as "Seraphim", has been widely debated and scrutinized. Though this has become a common occurrence with many of the major Heroes and Villains of our day and age, one would be hard pressed to find a childhood that would shape the actions of the adult more than Izuku Midoriya.

Growing up in the Golden Age of "The Symbol of Peace" All Might, Izuku was a blatant and self-professed fanboy of the number one hero from an early age. Yet what once was a blind desire to imitate the hero would eventually develop into a mutual and profound respect between the two later Izuku's teenage years. Yet for all his admiration for the man, he was not his ultimate inspiration.

When asked later what the most profound influence to him was, Midoriya never hesitated in his answer. Not a person, nor a group or story. Instead Young Midoriya found meaning in a simple phrase, one each and every one of us have used and heard dozens of times throughout our lives yet never saw in the same way…

"That's not the way the world works."

"The Golden Age of Heroes; Izuku 'Seraphim' Midoriya" By: Alex Tenrose.

"Why are you being so mean", a young boy with messy green and black hair asked, tears running down his face. He stood protectively in front of another young boy, his cheek dirty and beginning to swell from the punch he had taken prior to the other boys arrival. He peered up fearfully at the two other children across from them, laughing and rubbing their hands together.

"You're making him cry", the boy continued nervously, shifting into his best imitation of a fighting stance. "If you don't t-then I'll stop you myself."

"You don't stand a chance without a quirk you useless Deku", the overweight boy with devil horns, complete with wings and a tail responded. Showing off his quirk the boy flapped his wings and hung several inches in the air. His partner in bullying, a skinnier boy wearing a backwards baseball cap followed suit, elongating his fingers while grinning evilly.

"Yea", the companion said. "If you want us to stop, then you'll have to make us."

During this brief exchange the young man cowering on the ground took off, abandoning his rescuer and never looking back. Leaving him not only outgunned but outmanned as well. Needless to say, the ensuing altercation was much less fight than it was beatdown. Having finished their work, the two left the young man lying on the ground, bruised and battered, waiting for the strength to stand.

As he lay there, the boy pondered an old saying he had heard from a time long since passed. It was once said that all men are created equal. Perhaps that was true once upon a time, but no longer. Some are born with power that well exceeds that of their peers. A harsh lesson for a boy at the young age of 4 years old to learn, but one that everyone needed.

It all began in Qingqing City. An extraordinary child was born with the ability to radiate light. Since that time, more and more children began to be born with some kind of unusual ability, or Quirk as it would come to be known. As each new generation was born, the percentage of children born with a Quirk would continue to increase. Not only that, but the strength of these Quirks would also grow with each generation born. It had now gotten to the point where over 90 percent of the of the global population was born with a Quirk.

The development of a Quirk usually took place before the child's fourth birthday. After that, the chances of the child developing or manifesting a Quirk dropped significantly. While not unheard of, it was certainly a rare occurrence, leaving those unfortunate children that had not manifested their Quirk by their fourth birthday to either give up hope or wait and pray desperately that they would beat the odds.

It was the situation that Izuku Midoriya currently found himself in. His fourth birthday had come and gone two months prior with no sign of a quirk. Normally by this point he would have been taken to see a quirk specialist and checked however this was another area in which fate had not blessed young Izuku. His family was not wealthy. In truth it was just he and his mother, Inko Midoriya. He had never known his father and his mother had always refused to speak of the man. As a result, the two of them were surviving on a single income. While he never wanted for heat or went hungry, any additional comforts were in limited supply.

While these thoughts whirled through his head, he continued to lay underneath the tree where he had lost his first fight. He didn't know how long he laid there, only that the sun was much lower in the sky when finally rose to his feet. Dusting himself off, he began making his way back home, where he knew a worried mother was waiting for him. And perhaps an angry blond hared boy with spiky hair, red eyes, and the most aggressive personality he had ever seen as well.

(Midoriya Residence, early evening)

He knew he was in trouble the moment he was met at the door by his panicked mother. Inko Midoriya was one of those women you could tell was highly attractive once upon a time, however the pressures of life and birthing a child had stretched out her frame. She was by no means fat, however she did not have the slender body that she'd had in her youth.

"Izuku", she cried once he had cleared the threshold and closed the door behind him. Rushing to her child, she swooped him up in a hug before pulling back and noticing the bruises that now covered his body. Bruises she knew he had not had when she sent him off to school that morning.

"Sorry I'm late", he mumbled. He kept his head down, unable to stand the look of concern on his mother's face. He hated making her worry about him. Something that was becoming harder and harder to avoid.

"Forget about being late, what happened to you", she demanded. "Did you get into a fight after school?"

"No", he muttered. Still seemingly taking a keen interest in the color of his shoes. "Well… kinda. Some kids from school were picking on someone so I told them to stop."

No more words needed to be spoken. He knew his mother would be able to put the pieces together as to what happened next. When it came to hiding things from his mother, he knew the effort was worse than useless. The woman could read him like a book. No matter what he was trying to keep to himself, it only took his mother a couple of minutes to dig it out.

"Oh, my brave boy", she whispered. Hands coming up to cup the boy's cheeks. "What am I going to do with you. Go get yourself cleaned up. Your dinner has gone cold, so I'll have to heat it up for you."

"Thanks mom", he replied. Lifting his gaze to meet hers for the first time since getting home. If there was one thing he knew more than the fact that his mom could see right through him, it was that his mother loved him more than anything else in the world. She had taken care of him his entire life, most of that being by herself. As he turned to make his way to his bedroom he was stopped by his mother's voice behind him.

"By the way, Katsuki cam over for dinner." One simple sentence that at any other time would have filled him with joy and sent him running to find him. However, considering the state he was currently in, it instead garnered a very different emotion from the young man. Fear.

"I thought he was sick today", Izuku asked. "That's why he missed school."

"And he was", his mother responded. "However, he was feeling better and decided to come to see you and catch up on what he missed today. He's waiting in your room." Sure it was only preschool, but he seemed determined to find out what had gone on without him there.

Giving his mother his 'adorable' pout, her words not his, he once more resumed his walk. His bedroom, the place that usually acted as a sanctuary, was now the place he dreaded reaching. Much like the boy currently residing within.

Opening his bedroom door, he was greeted to the sight of a young boy his own age with spiky yellow hair reclined on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Though he couldn't see the boy's eyes from the position on the bed, he didn't need to. He had known Katsuki Bakugo for all four years and two months of his life. The two boys' mothers had met during a prenatal class and formed a fast friendship. So much so that Inko had been there for Bakugo's birth. And in return his mother, Mitsuki, had then been present for Izuku's birth. Which was more than he could say about his own father.

'Is it normal for four year old's to dislike their father so much', he wondered to himself. Not for the first time either.

It was only natural that the two boys would become friends. After all, at a young age it is most often the mothers that schedule playdates and thus choose your first friends. Since that day the two infants had been put together for the first time, one only a day old when Mitsuki had brought in a one month old Bakugo to visit his 'Auntie Inko' in the hospital, the two had been inseparable. Just like the two mothers themselves. Mitsuki's husband worked long hours so she could be allowed to stay home with their son and not worry about money. This also allowed Mitsuki to watch over Izuku when Inko's maternity leave ended and she needed to return to work.

It was at this moment, upon finally hearing the door open, that Katsuki Bakugo sat up. The greeting, which would probably be some strange mix of sarcastic, rude, and concerned, died on his lips upon seeing the state of his friend. Izuku could see the concern and greeting in his eyes die, replaced instead by the raging inferno of anger that the rest of the world was used to seeing.

(Midoriya Residence, Kitchen; Evening; POV Change)

Having sent her son to his room, Inko set about reheating the dinner she had prepared for him. Seeing her son come home covered in bruises had been distressing but, sadly, not a surprise for the mother. On the rare occasions she got off work early enough to pick up her son from school she had seen the way the other kids looked at him. Many of them had already received their Quirks and so, naturally, looked down on those that hadn't yet. Those looks typically stopped once said child developed a Quirk of their own.

However, those looks had yet to stop for her son. The simple reason being that as far as the world new, herself included, her son was quirkless. A label given to those increasingly few people in the world that had yet to develop, or lacked the ability to develop, a Quirk of their own. The greatest fear Inko Midoriya was living with right now, next to losing her precious son, was that that son would fall into the 10 percent of the population that never developed a Quirk. Not because it would make her love him any less. But because the world they lived in looked at Quirks as a symbol of worth. Those with, no matter how small or useless said Quirk was, were looked at as greater than those without. Until those people showed some ability that made them of value without a Quirk.

She was just glad he had a steadfast friend in Katsuki Bakugo. And a second family with 'Aunti Mitsuki" and her husband. While Izuku may have been an only child she could not have asked for a better big brother for her little boy than Katsuki. The child had been absolutely fixed upon Izuku since the day the two of them had met. She could even remember them meeting as infants, Katsuki going quiet and staring at the little boy in her arms with wide eyes. Those eyes had never really left him. Mitsuki still claimed to this day that his first word had been 'Zuku', rather than the typical 'momma' or 'dadda'.

She was jolted out of her fond memories by the outraged shout echoing through her house. The source was, of course, her son's room. It also wasn't difficult to identify the culprit. There were only ever two people who came to this house that raised their voice and only one of them was currently here.

"What happened to you Zuku", Katsuki yelled.

(Midoriya Residence, Bedroom; Evening; POV Change)

Katsuki Bakugo was beyond angry. He had missed one day of school because of some stupid stomach virus and those losers in his class had taken the opportunity to attack his little brother in his absence. He had been watching them for months. Seeing how they would sneer at Izuku, looking to attack when they thought he wasn't looking. For months his presence, or that of his Quirk, had served as enough of a deterrent to keep the cowards away from Zuku. At least until he found his own quirk.

The boy had quickly explained what happened to him after school that day before running into the bathroom to clean himself up. This left Bakugo with nothing to do but sit on his friend's bed and stew in his anger. He didn't care how much trouble he was going to get into, those two losers were getting their butts kicked tomorrow. His mother would understand that he was sticking up for Izuku. Especially because the younger boy was far too timid to do it himself.

"I know what your thinking Kacchan", Izuku called to him, coming back into the room for fresh clothes. "Don't even think about it. You get into enough trouble already without going after those two for me."

Kacchan, a nickname that Zuku had been calling him as long as he could remember. At first it had annoyed the blonde, it sounded far too cute for him. However, no matter how many times he had tried to correct the other boy, he refused to give up the name. So, for one of the few times in his short life, he had been forced to let it go. However, he could not count the number of times he had gotten in trouble for hitting another kid that had tried to use the name. As far as he was concerned, only Izuku had the right to call him that. No one else.

"Someone has to make them pay", he responded angrily. "They'll just keep doing it unless I teach them a lesson."

"But then you'll get in trouble again", Izuku protested. "Teacher said the next time you got into a fight with another kid you would have to stay home for the rest of the week."

"So, what", the blonde retorted. "It'll be worth it to get those cowards back for picking on you the one day I'm not there to step in."

"I don't need you to fight my battles for me Kacchan", he stated. "I can take care of myself you know."

Bakugo let out a huff of annoyance. This was something the other boy just didn't seem to understand.

"No, you can't", he yelled. "Until you get your Quirk there's nothing you can do to those guys. They can, and did, kick your butt. I'm not letting that happen to you again. So, until you figure out what your Quirk is I'm going to be the one fighting those guys. Because that's what a hero does."

(POV Change)

Izuku wanted to protest that he didn't need Kacchan to protect him. After all they both dreamed of being a hero so they would eventually end up protecting others. However, no matter how much he wanted to deny it. Right now he did need Kacchan to protect him. At least until he developed his own Quirk. Then he would be able to stop those bullies from picking on the other kids that were weaker than they were. And he could become a hero like his idol, All Might.

The Symbol of Peace. All Might had become the favorite hero for both Izuku and Katsuki the first time they had seen the iconic video of his debut. The scene of him emerging from the flames carrying a load of people on his back was still one of the top 5 watched videos on the internet. The two of them still watch it together at least once every day. The day Kacchan had first ignited the sweat on his palms, creating a small explosion had been the happiest day of both kids' lives. It was, to them, the day they officially started on their path to become the greatest heroes in the world. Step two, would be when he found his Quirk.

For now, however, he needed to talk down the walking time bomb that was his best friend.

"You can't do anything stupid", he said. "If you attack them, all you're going to do is get suspended. Then who is going to protect me until you get back,"

Izuku knew his friend better than anyone else. Maybe even better than Auntie Mitsuki. For as emotional and hotheaded as he could be, Izuku could always manage to calm him down. Make him see reason when no one else could. And one way he could do that was by appealing to his more rational side. He may be an overly aggressive kid. But one thing he was more than aggressive was protective. Especially when it came to Izuku himself.

Bakugo's mouth opened, then closed. Then opened again before a sighing again. This time in defeat. He knew Kacchan knew he had a point. He was trying to find a way to poke holes in his logic. Bakugo may have been the more physically gifted of the two, but Izuku had him beat when it came to intelligence. Then again, he had most children his age beat in that regard.

"Fine", the blonde finally conceded. "I'll leave em."

(The Next Week; Preschool School; Lunch Time)

It had been a fairly quiet week for the two boys. Izuku had been able to keep his blonde haired companion calm and under control. Restraining him to simple glares and angry threats had been enough to ward off the bullies in their class. But, as they say, nothing lasts forever. Hence the reason Bakugo was currently getting talked to by a teacher for threatening his fellow classmates, leaving Izuku alone on the playground to deal with the bullies that had suddenly found their courage.

"Well, well, well", the overweight devil kid chuckled. He had two of his quirked friends flanking him in what he was sure was meant to be an act of intimidation. "Look who we have here. The Quirkless Deku. All alone without his guard dog to protect him."

"What do you want Takeo", he asked nervously.

"What do you think we want", he replied. "To put a Quirkless nobody in his place."

Having said this he reach to the ground and, picking up a stray rock, flung it at the green haired boy's head. Izuku, not expecting the incoming projectile, could do nothing more that bring his hands up in a defensive position. All he could think of was how much this was going to hurt and how he wanted the rock to not hit him. It was at this moment that he felt something inside him well up, then push outwards. Waiting a few seconds and still not feeling the impact he had expected, he brought his hands back down and allowed his eyelids to open.

All the spectators that had been watching were staring at him with wide eyes. All except one. Takeo, the boy who had thrown the rock. He was down on the ground holding a hand to his face, nose steadily dripping blood as the boy's eyes welled up. The next second the damn burst, a chocking sob exiting his mouth followed by hysterical crying that brought both of the teachers who had been in charge of recess today running over.

While the adults attempted to console the crying child, Izuku and every other kid on the playground were busy trying to figure out what happened. All he knew was that one second the rock was coming towards him, and the next the boy who had thrown it as bleeding. Once the teachers got the kid under control and one took him to the nurse's office, the other set to finding the answer to that very question.

"Midoriya, what happened", the teacher, Mr. Torehama, asked the confused boy. Receiving only a confused look and a shake of the head for an answer he instead turned to the other students who had been watching the altercation.

"Did anyone see what happened here", he again asked. While most of the kids simply looked at him, he eventually saw a hand go up from a small girl standing off to the side.

"I saw what happened, teacher", she said proudly. "Takeo threw a rock at Midorya but then it stopped in midair and went back and hit Takeo instead."

Izuku stared at the girl, confused. That didn't make any sense. Rocks didn't just randomly change direction on their own. The first thought he had was that one of the other kids had accidentally used their Quirk, but that didn't make sense either. He had seen every child here use their Quirk before, and none of them had any that would allow them to change the direction of the stone.

It took him almost half a minute of thinking up possible explanations before one finally came to mind that had his eyes widening. If none of the known Quirks could do that, then it must have been someone with an unknown Quirk. And the only child at this preschool that did not already have a Quirk of their own was Izuku himself.

Coming to this conclusion his eyes zeroed back in on the rock that was laying on the ground in front of where Takeo had been laying moments ago. Narrowing his eyes, he used all his willpower to focus in on that rock. He pictured it moving into the air. He could distantly hear the teacher talking to the rest of the children, probably trying to ask them what had happened, but he had no time for something like that. Instead he remained focused on the rock, no longer simply imagining it rising. Instead he willed it to rise. His mind focusing on nothing more than that little inanimate object whose movements would mean the start of a whole new life for him. A life that could finally put him back on the same stage as Kacchan. A life where they could both live their dreams.

Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably only one or two minutes, he saw the rock beginning to shake. Encouraged by this he tried harder, hands coming up as if reaching out to the rock. He could vaguely feel the rest of the children looking at him strangely but paid no mind to them. And, finally, he saw the rock give one final shake before rising into the air until it was about level with his line of vision. He heard gasps of surprise and awe but refused to lose his concentration. Now that he had it in the air he tried visualizing another movement. This time, instead of just hovering, he willed it to move towards him. Picturing it moving through the air until it came to rest inside one of his outstretched hands. And the stone obeyed. Moving towards him until it finally laid within the palm of his hand.

Giving out a laugh that was equal parts relieved and joyful, he finally looked around at the stunned faces of his classmates and teacher. They were looking at him differently than they usually did. He had a Quirk, no one could call him a useless Deku anymore. Just when he thought the moment couldn't get any better, a single voice managed to prove him wrong,

"Zuku", he heard. Turning around quickly, rock still clutched within his hand, he was just in time to see a familiar head of spiky blonde hair before he was wrapped up in a fierce embrace. Laughing happily to each other, he could do nothing more than smile and cling to his friend. Finally, after a minute where the two friends clung to each other, the had to break apart when the teacher finally made his way over.

Expecting the worst, Izuku looked up into the man's face. However, rather than the angry look he was expecting, he instead found a warm smile. Kneeling down to his level, he put a comforting hand on the young boy's shoulder.

"Well then Izuku", the teacher said, "it seems we have a party to start planning and your mother to call. I do believe that you have just found you Quirk."

(Principal's Office; Early Afternoon; POV Change)

Inko Midoriya sat happily in the office of the principle of her son's preschool. Joining her in the room were the two boys and Mitsuki Bakugo. Inko had left work early, a rare occurrence, and called her friend the minute she had gotten the news. Her son had found his Quirk. And while she was not happy that he had ended up giving another child a broken nose while doing so, she figured she could let him off the hook this one time.

The school was taking much the same approach as Inko. While Takeo had been suspended for the week for picking a fight and throwing a rock with the intent to injure one of his classmates, Izuku's role had been written off as an accidental occurrence. He had no idea what his Quirk was or what it could do, thus making him not responsible for what happened next.

While Inko and Mitsuko continued talking to the Principle to ensure that the child was fine and that her son would not be facing any consequences, she could see her son and his friend entertaining themselves with his new Quirk. At the moment Izuku was levitating a pencil that had once been on the desk in front of them. So caught up was she in the act her son was performing, at first she did not see the phenomena that was happening to his body. More specifically, his eyes. They seemed to be glowing a beautiful, florescent green. The light within seemed to twist and flow like a liquid, making her sons eyes utterly captivating. Leaning over to point out the feature to her friend, Mitsuki agreed with her. It did not appear as if her son or his friend had noticed the feature.

"Now, Mrs. Midoriya", the head teacher said, finally drawing her attention away from her green haired boy's eyes. "I understand how exciting it is for both you and your son, however it is my job to talk about next steps. Of course, now that your son has developed his Quirk, an appointment must be made with a specialist to test both its workings and stability. As you know, this is non optional but does come with government support to help with he payment based on the family income."

Inko nodded her head to indicate that she understood. Quirk testing had become a mandatory occurrence before she had even been born. As way to document every individual in the country as well as what Quirk they possessed and how it worked. It was often one of the first things the police looked at when trying to solve a crime that involved unauthorized use of a Quirk. In addition, it acted as a safety precaution. Some children are born with abilities that could put either themselves or others in danger from either their direct effect or the consequences of a child losing control of their Quirk. To ensure that every family took part in this action, not only was it passed as law, but the government had created stipends that could be doled out to families based on income so everyone could afford it.

"Good", the teacher continued upon her compliance. "I have here a list of Quirk Specialists that either I or former families have vouched for and their contact information. In addition, I have added notes of my own regarding their specialties. As your son seems to have some sort of mental based Quirk rather than a more physical one, I have taken the liberty of circling those that specialize in that area."

"I appreciate everything you have done", Inko replied gratefully. "And I appreciate the school throwing him his party. He really seems to have enjoyed it. Now, if that is everything I think we should go. I have a celebratory dinner to make and a doctor's appointment to schedule."

"Of course. Have a pleasant day Mrs. Midoriya. And I will see you two", he said pointing at the two boys, "tomorrow."

"Thank you teacher", Izuku replied, returning the pencil to the man's desk. Still smiling he grabbed his mother's hand and all four left the school for the day.

(The next Monday; Doctor's Office; Morning)

It had been five day since he first discovered his ability to control objects. Since that day, he and Kacchan had enjoyed figuring out exactly what he could do with his new ability. So far they had categorized what he could do into three categories. Levitate, getting an object hang in mid-air. Push, as the name suggested, forcing an object away from him. And Pull, attracting an object towards him.

The only person that was possible more excited about seeing what he could do than he was, was his best friend. Izuku just could wait until the day came when they could start working on them together. Plus, when they were a little older they could enroll in martial arts classes, start working out and getting stronger. They had been dreaming of being heroes for as long as the two boys had known each other and had done extensive research into training programs.

But at the moment those plans would have to wait. Izuku was currently sitting in the doctors office with his mother and second family, Katsuki and his mother, awaiting the test results. His mother and aunt were busy talking about something he didn't understand while the blonde haired boy was pacing around the room. They had been sitting in this room for the last half hour while the Specialist and his team went over their findings.

Finally, the door opened and the Specialist, a middle aged man with dark brown hair and glasses reentered the room, clipboard in hand. Settling down into his seat he read through his notes one last time before addressing his captive audience.

"Apologies for the wait everyone", he began. "Now before I get to young Midoriya here, I would first like to confirm something. Mrs. Midoriya, I understand your Quirk allows you to attract small objects to yourself."

"Yes", his mother responded. "Provided the object is not made out of a particularly heavy material, I am able to bring any object towards myself provided it is not more than twenty meters away and not too big. Not the most powerful ability, I known, however it has its uses."

"I'm sure it does", the doctor responded. "Which explains why Izuku is able to do what he can. After reviewing both your son's account of his abilities, as well as the data we were able to gather from the tests we conducted here, I have determined that your son is in possession of an evolution of your own Quirk. What we call Telekinesis is a manipulation of some of the basic forces that make up our Universe. Push and Pull forces."

Izuku and Katsuki looked at each other in confusion. That was what they had been calling two of the abilities he had been using. It had just made sense to call them that.

"You, Mrs. Midoriya", the doctor continued, "were born with the ability to create Pull Forces, attracting an object to you. Your son was born with the ability to create, not only both but potentially manipulate others. The act of levitation that he can do is the act of canceling out the Pull Force known as Gravity. The greatest Pull Force we know of. Now, it requires intense concentration, but I believe we can mark that down to him not having much practice with it. As he trains and gets older, I believe it will be possible for him to effect multiple objects. It will also increase the amount of time he can use his Quirk, as well as the weight of the objects he can lift. Finally, as of this moment, the range of your son's Quirk is limited to about ten meters. However, this distance should be monitored. It may be the maximum distance that he will have for his entire life or, like the other properties I have just mentioned, it too could grow as he does. The simple fact is this is quite the impressive Quirk your son possesses."

By now Izuku was positively beaming with joy. The doctor said his Quirk was impressive. And all those other things he would be able to do. He just knew he would be able to be a hero like All Might. But even so, he needed to hear him say it.

"So, Mr. Doctor", he said shyly. "Do you think… with this Quirk…. Can I become a hero like All Might?"

The man looked surprised for a moment, before that melted away and the kind smile he had been using before returned to his face. At this point Izuku wasn't sure if that was genuine or just the default expression that he used with kids.

"With a Quirk like that, if you work hard and dedicate yourself to becoming stronger, then yes. I believe you can be a hero one day."

Author's Note:

New story. Got this idea in my head and couldn't seem to get rid of it. As to my previous stories, the ones that I have decided to delete. If people are genuinely upset I may consider going back them but honestly I don't feel it was my best work. So, I'm moving forwards.

Let me know what you think of the first chapter and I hope to post again in the near future.