Chapter 2

Home

Izuku quietly opened the door to his apartment, leading Ochako into his home. Izuku's brain was still struggling to process everything that had happened. Today was a huge day. He met his idol, saved someone, got saved by someone, learned he could have a quirk, and brought a girl home. Granted he had just met said girl, but it was still something that had never happened before. Izuku had never brought anyone home before, being that he never had any friends.

His mother, Inko, was freaking out when he called her. She was initially terrified for her child, after seeing the sludge villain attack on the news. That turned to relief when he assured her he was okay and was coming right home. Her relief turned to excitement when he had told her that he was bringing a friend home with him. Before he got another word in, she went of on a mutter spree.

'Oh my gosh Izuku you have a friend? I have to clean the apartment! I need to make some food too. Maybe I should head to the store really fast? No that would take too long. Are you on your way home now? Of course you are. I'll need to clean up the guest room in case they stay the night! They probably won't but I have to be prepared! So much to do! Okay bye son! I'll see you soon! I love you!'

With that, she hung up on him.

While he didn't inherit his muttering sprees from his mother, she had taken on his habit after raising him for fifteen years. It was true that people adopted the habits of those around them. Although it was much rarer for his mother to do it then her son. She only muttered when she was incredibly excited or upset.

The pair had only made it a few steps into the apartment before Izuku was suddenly enveloped in a bone crushing hug. His mother already had tears in her eyes.

"Oh my gosh Izuku don't ever do that to me again! What were you thinking attacking a villain like that! You could have died! I don't know what I would do if I lost you!" Izuku took a step back, trying to balance himself from the sheer force his mother had hugged him with. The young boy immediately felt a pit of guilt grow within him.

'I can't believe I never considered my mother's feelings when I almost…' Izuku felt his eyes stinging with more tears as he tightly wrapped his arms around his mother. 'I'm such a horrible son. How could I do that to her?'

"I'm so sorry mom. I don't know what happened to me. I just ran in without thinking." Izuku rubbed soothing circles into his mother's narrow back, comforting her. Assuring her that he was still there, and he was okay. Inko eventually let go of her son, looking him in the eyes. She took his face in both of her hands, tears threatening to spill.

Ochako smiled at the show of affection. Izuku's mother really cared for him. She was a relatively slender woman sporting the same green hair and eyes that Izuku had. It seemed he had inherited his habit of crying from her as well. They had only been there for a few seconds and both mother and son were on the verge of spilling tears. Inko eventually let go of her son, turning toward the company he had brought.

"Hello my name is In- Oh my gosh! What happened to you! You need to get out of those cloths! And you look like you need rest! And some food! Here, come with me!" Inko's mother instincts instantly kicked in as she took Ochako by the hand and rushed her straight to their bathroom. Ochako didn't have the strength or will to argue. Inko led her into the bathroom and looked over her. Noticing the cuts and bruises that littered her body.

"Oh, you poor girl. You are going to take a shower and get that grime off you. Then I'm going to take care of those wounds!" Inko stated as she walked past the young girl and started the water in the shower. "I'll see if I can find some cloths you can wear when you are done okay?" Ochako nodded, she wasn't going to protest. Based on what she had seen already, the Midoriyas were a stubborn bunch when it came to helping people.

"Okay. I… Thank you Ms. Midoriya. This really means a lot to me." Ochako smiled gratefully at the Midoriya matriarch. Her luck really was turning around. She wasn't sure what she was going to do after the Midoriyas helped take care of her. Would she end up back on the street? The Midoriya family surely couldn't take care of another person in their home… right?

"By the way… I never got your name…" Inko trailed off, standing in the doorway. Ochako's eyes widened at her rudeness.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! My name is Ochako Uraraka! It's great to meet you!" Inko smiled sweetly and with a quick bow, she left Ochako alone in the bathroom. The brunette slowly took the rags she called cloths off and neatly placed them in a corner. Her sore muscles making even the small task of removing cloths moderately difficult. Once she stepped under the hot water of the shower, she immediately felt relief.

Ochako sighed contently as the hot water lightly washed over her pale skin. Washing away the dirt and grime that had been her life for the last few days. Her muscles loosened and felt immensely better as the warm water wreathed her in a cocoon of comfort and warmth. She could feel her stress washing away along with the dirt and grime.

For the first time in a week, Ochako felt safe. She didn't feel like she was going to be stabbed in the back, or beaten, or worse. She didn't have to worry about whether or not she was going to go to bed hungry. Or go to bed at all. She spent the last few nights desperately searching for anything that could even come close to safety. Now that she had it, she felt a mountain of stress and worry ease off her weary shoulders.

Ochako couldn't help but smile fondly as she thought of the reason why she had this feeling of safety. Izuku Midoriya. The boy she had met only a couple hours previously. He immediately offered everything to her. Izuku offered to take her to his home and nurse her back to health. He didn't ask for anything in return. Ochako couldn't help but worry for him though.

'What has he been through? You don't just try to kill yourself for no reason…' Ochako idly thought as she began scrubbing some of the gunk from her nails. 'He seemed kind of uncomfortable just talking to me. Maybe he's just shy? When I asked him, he deliberately avoided mentioning anything about it.' Ochako couldn't shake the worry that plagued her mind. The image of Izuku jumping off the rooftop playing over and over in her head. She shook her head, willing the horrible sight to leave her troubled mind. 'I'll have to bring it up later in a more comfortable environment.' Tiredness began weighing on her eyes again. Ochako let out a long yawn. 'Definitely not tonight though.' Ochako wanted nothing more then to eat a big meal and crash into the nearest bed.

After scrubbing herself thoroughly and washing her hair with Inko's shampoo, Ochako stepped out of the shower. After drying herself off she spotted what they had chosen for her clothes. Some underwear, she assumed were Inko's, pair of black gym shorts and a blue All Might t-shirt that was a couple sizes too big for her.

'These are Izuku's cloths…' Ochako blushed as she realized that Izuku had offered up his own clothing to help her now. He had only just met her, and he was treating her like they had been best friends for years. Ochako felt guilt in the pit of her stomach. She didn't deserve this kindness. Not after what she had done. 'Maybe he's just a genuinely good person. He seems so nice…' Ochako thought back to the moment when she saw him jump from the building. The scene kept replaying in her mind. She couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she hadn't been there. Would anyone else have noticed? Would they have cared?

Ochako couldn't help but think about a certain number one hero. Her expression soured as she thought of him being the reason for Izuku's attempted suicide. While she didn't have the full story, she had put together that All Might's words were the ones that finally pushed Izuku over the edge. The girl had lost a margin of respect for her idol. The man who supposedly helped everyone had pushed an innocent boy to attempt suicide.

'How can he tell someone that they can't be a hero? Who gave him the right to crush the dreams of a young boy? So what if his quirk is weak or not combat based? Someone like All Might should know that a hero isn't defined by their quirk alone.' The brunette thought as she slipped on her loaned clothes.

Ochako didn't want to think about Inko's reaction if she had found out what her son had done. The young girl decided that it would be best to talk to Izuku first before informing his mother about the incident. She had to know his story and make sure he was okay. Inko's worrying would likely only make things worse at the moment.

'What she doesn't know won't hurt her.'

Ochako admired herself in the bathroom mirror. She looked like a completely different person. Her hair shined a familiar light brown color. The color had returned to her face, the flush on her cheeks back to its usual shade. She still had heavy bags under her eyes, but the young girl felt so much better now that she was clean and refreshed. The blue All Might shirt sagged a little bit but fit decently enough; she was surprised that the shorts fit her perfectly. Ochako smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She didn't know if she was going to stay with the Midoriyas, she didn't know what the future had in store for her. If she would actually make it into U.A, or if she could be a hero at all. But this was a start to a new life, be it better or worse.

"This is a new beginning for you Ochako."

Inko closed the bathroom door behind her after picking out some plain undergarments she hoped would fit the girl, she made her way back to the living room where Izuku was pacing back and forth worriedly. He was off in his muttering world again, something along the lines of going to school with someone? Inko tapped her son on the shoulder and snapped him out of his musings.

"Okay Izuku, what's the story with her?" A dark look glanced over Izuku's eyes but is was gone as quickly as it appeared. He placed his hand on his chin for a moment, contemplating on how to answer.

'I definitely can't tell her how we really met. I don't think that I could tell anyone about that. But maybe I can just keep it vague?' Izuku hated lying in general, especially to his mother. But he definitely wasn't going to tell her about his suicide attempt. Izuku thought to himself before speaking.

"We met right before the incident with the sludge villain. I tripped over my own feet on the sidewalk and Ochako caught me." Inko shook her head knowingly. Izuku was always the clumsy one. It didn't surprise her one bit that he had managed to do something like trip over his own feet. "But then I saw the condition she was in and I got really worried. She said that she ran away from home and was on the street for a few days." Inko's eyes widened, she had not expected that. She thought that maybe the girl had been attacked by the villain and Izuku had offered to help her. "I think that her family might be abusive. Otherwise she wouldn't have run away right?" Inko nodded. She agreed with her son's assumption. But they couldn't be sure.

"Still, we should ask her before coming to any conclusions. But first, I'm going to finish the Katsudon I was making. Here, take these." She handed the underwear to her son, who promptly flushed red when he realized what he was holding. "Could you make the bed in the spare room for her and pick out some cloths?" Izuku fought the blush on his face and the Midoriyas went about their tasks. The spare room was right next to Izuku's, while his mother's was across the hall. Izuku asked how they had managed to get a three-bedroom apartment and still afford to pay for it. His mother had given him the explanation that she knew the landlord personally and they got a discounted rate. Izuku had met the landlord a few times, she was a very nice and understanding lady, but she wasn't around enough for Izuku to think that she and his mother were friends.

Inko worked from place to place ever since Hisashi left them. The man had gone overseas to America and never spoke to his family again. Inko was forced to support a child and pay for the apartment all by herself. Luckily with their discounted rent, as well as Inko's raise in pay over the years they were able to get by relatively well. While Izuku didn't know exactly where they stood financially, he wasn't sure they could afford to support another mouth to feed.

The green haired teen placed some clean sheets and a comforter on the guest bed before embarking on his quest for clothes. They were all pretty much the same body size, so she could easily fit into either his or his mother's clothes. Izuku wasn't sure if Ochako would like any of his mother's clothes, however. Come to think of it he didn't really know what kind of clothes she liked. Izuku didn't want to assume anything about his new friend without asking her first.

"Hmm. I don't know if she would like anything my mom wears. But she doesn't really wear anything super extravagant anyway. A t-shirt and jeans is simple enough. But wait, isn't that what she's been wearing for the past few days? She wouldn't be comfortable in that right? No, no, no I'll find something else." Izuku muttered as he rummaged through his closet and dresser trying to find something that the young girl might like. "She did say that All Might was one of her favorite heroes right? I could give her one of my soft All Might shirts that she could sleep in. She is probably going to want to go straight to bed once she eats, so maybe sleep wear would be best. Yeah, yeah, that sounds right. How about these? No too big. But… aha! There! Perfect!" Izuku held out a pair of gym shorts that were a bit too small on him. Given Ochako's slightly smaller stature Izuku assumed that she would fit perfectly in these.

Smiling at himself, Izuku carried the cloths toward the bathroom door, he cautiously placed his ear on the door. The shower was still going. Izuku cautiously knocked.

"H-hey, Ochako. I've got some clothes for you…" Izuku trailed off nervously. Getting no response, Izuku slowly cracked the door. Seeing that she was indeed, still in the shower. The young boy quickly placed the clothes in a pile. Izuku quickly rushed out of the bathroom, his face tomato red. The boy leaned on the door and tried to get his breathing under control, hoping that the fire on his face would die down a little bit.

'I was right next to a naked girl! What if she decided to come out?! She didn't hear me so she could have walked out with me still in there! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! What if she thought I was a pervert and spying on her?!' Izuku thought, panicking. As if on que, the water in the shower turned off and Ochako stepped out. Izuku quickly scurried away, wanting to be as far away from the situation as possible.

"This is so good Ms. Midoriya!" Ochako exclaimed as she wolfed down her second helping of Inko's homemade Katsudon. Inko smiled brightly as her son and his new friend ate the food at an alarming rate. Both teens were famished after the events of the day. Ochako hadn't eaten much of anything the last few days, especially something this good. Every bite felt like her mouth was exploding in flavor, she couldn't get enough of it.

"I'm so happy that you like it! And please, just call me Inko alright?" Ochako nodded happily and continued eating. Not many words were exchanged between them, and after Ochako's third helping of Katsudon, they were finished. Inko thought she had gone a little overboard when Izuku mentioned that he was bringing a friend over. She got excited and ended up making enough Katsudon to feed five people instead of three. Turns out that was the best decision she could have made. There wasn't a bit of food left after the trio was finished.

"Thank you so much again for the food Ms.- Inko. I'm sorry that I ate most of it… but it was just so good!" Ochako happily exclaimed. After a nice shower, getting her wounds tended to, and eating, Ochako was beginning to feel like herself again.

After her shower, Inko looked over the young girl and applied some basic first aid to her cuts and scrapes. Using alcohol and some bandages to stop any infection that was likely starting. Being out on the streets was a dirty thing, and it was especially dangerous when you had open wounds that could get infected. But Inko assured her that she should be okay in a few days. The older woman had also taken note of the nature of Ochako's injuries. She had expected to find various old injuries. Old scars or bruises as a sign of repeated abuse. But she found nothing of the sort. All of the young girl's wounds were relatively recent.

Ochako got up from the table, once again thanking Inko for all of the wonderful food. She was about to wash her plate when Izuku took it from her and began washing it himself.

"I'll take care of it Uraraka, okay? You need some rest." Izuku flashed a kind smile at her and Ochako felt her knees buckle a little bit. How could one person be so kind and thoughtful? Ochako nodded her thanks and hesitated, before hugging Izuku from the side. Wrapping her arms around him tenderly.

"Thank you Midoriya. F-For everything you've done for me" Ochako muttered, her nervousness almost overwhelming her at the sudden closeness. Izuku's face was completely red, he completely froze, unsure of what to do next.

"I-i-it's no problem U-Uraraka. Really! I-it's nothing compared to what you did for me." Izuku stuttered out. Ochako released him, her own blush still raging on her rosy cheeks. The young girl felt the fatigue of the day come crashing down on her. With a long yawn, the brunette began her retreat to the guest room.

"Goodnight Midoriya."

"Goodnight Uraraka."

Ochako fell face first onto the soft mattress of the bed, barely finding her way under the covers before drifting off to a deep slumber.

Inko and her son sat together at the kitchen table. Ochako had gone to bed a while ago, leaving the two Midoriyas in silence. The silence between them was thick with tension. They were left in an odd situation. Neither of them knew what to do with Ochako. While both of them desperately wanted to take her in, they knew next to nothing about her. Other then the fact that she was homeless when she and Izuku met. Based on how her injuries looked, she didn't look like she was on the streets for long. So, something bad happened to her in the last week that made her homeless. Question was, did she actually have a home or family to go back to? Was she running from abuse? Or was her family attacked? Where there people still after her? So many questions that neither of them had the answers to. Izuku spoke up first.

"We have to let her stay mom." Izuku stated flatly, looking his mother directly in the eyes. Inko was surprised, the only time she heard him sound so determined was when he was talking about becoming a hero. Inko sighed and looked back toward the wood table.

"There's still so much we don't know about her Izuku. What if she has parents to go back to? What if she was attacked and her parents are looking for her?" Inko argued. Izuku shook his head.

"No. She said that she ran away from home. I'm not sure if her parents are looking for her. But I don't think I want them to find her either." Inko looked up at her son, surprised at the stance he was taking for this girl. "The look in her eyes mom… she was scared. She was running from something. Who does that to their own daughter?" Izuku had tears brimming in his eyes. He couldn't believe that someone would abuse their child. Especially someone as sweet and selfless as Ochako. She went out of her own way and risked hurting herself just to save him. Not to mention her determination. It was something that Izuku already admired in her. Even when she was collapsing from exhaustion, she still pressed on. Izuku refused to let her wander the streets alone again.

Inko sat in a stunned silence, she had no idea that her son thought so highly of a girl he just met. Izuku always saw the best in everyone around him. Even in his childhood bully, Katsuki Bakugo. No matter how much Katsuki teased him, Izuku always admired the boy's strength. Katsuki was determined to become number one no matter what. With his powerful quirk and large circle of friends, Izuku always admired him. Aspiring to be like him one day. But they had to face reality, they weren't financially stable enough to support someone else. They were lucky they had made it this far on Inko's job. Only having to feed two mouths was perfect for the income she was bringing in, adding another person would certainly cause problems.

"Izuku… honey. I know you want to help and protect your new friend… but we physically don't have the money to take care of her here! I'm already working full time at my current job. Even if I got another job for weekends, we would be just scraping by…" Inko explained mournfully. She didn't want to reject the poor girl. In fact, she wanted nothing more than to take her in and protect her for the rest of her life. But as it stood now, Ochako would do better in a foster home. Izuku suddenly stood, his chair scraping on the floor.

"I'll get a job!" Izuku declared. "I can help pay for the food and rent! I don't care what it takes mom!" Izuku's eyes blazed with determination, surprisingly he wasn't crying. Typically, the waterworks would start whenever his emotions ran high.

Ochako saved his life, without her, Izuku would have been long dead, and nobody would have noticed. Ochako gave him a second chance, now it was his turn to return the favor.

"No Izuku! You have school you have to focus on! Especially if you have any hopes of getting into U.A! That school will take all of your time and more! You can't manage it with a job!" Inko said fiercely, hoping to placate her son. She had never seen him this passionate about anything other than heroes. Something about this girl really moved her son. While Inko was touched that someone meant this much to Izuku, she couldn't allow her son to jeopardize his future over it.

"This is my choice mom! I refuse to stand by and let her suffer! You know how bad orphanages and foster homes can be!" Izuku defiantly stated. For the first time, Izuku glared at his mother. Inko had never seen her son this upset about something before. Even after being bullied by Katsuki. The boy would just brush it off and start writing in his hero notebook. He was always too shy to confront anyone about anything. This was completely different then the Izuku she was used to. Inko sighed in defeat and looked her son in the eyes.

"You really care about her… okay, we'll talk with her in the morning." Izuku visibly calmed down, his emotional outburst draining his energy. The boy nodded slightly, muttering a light 'okay'. Inko quietly got up from her chair, preparing to go to bed.

"She wants to be a hero you know…"

Inko stopped in her tracks. Glancing back at her son, who still hadn't moved from where he was standing. He was talking so quietly that you would never had heard him if not for the deafening silence of the room.

"I want to give her a second chance…" Izuku muttered. Tears began falling from Inko's eyes. Her son was being a hero again. Trying to make other people's lives better. Even if it made his life much more difficult. Inko truly admired her son. The sheer will and determination he showed always motivated her to do her best. Because that's just what Izuku did. He always put his full effort into everything. He always studied hard for school, tried hard to help his community, worked day and night on his hero notes. Izuku Midoriya knew that he had to work harder than anyone else to achieve his dreams. So, all his life he worked to keep putting one foot in front of the other. To be the best hero he could be.

Inko closed the distance between them and wrapped her son in a tender embrace. He immediately reciprocated, wrapping his arms tightly around her. They were openly sobbing into each other, but neither of them cared. They always carried their emotions on their sleeves, letting them out whenever they needed to. Crying was almost a daily occurrence in the Midoriya home. They stayed like that for a while, crying into each other, letting their pent-up emotions out. Inko eventually pulled away from her son, who was still a sniffling mess.

"I love you Izuku. My hero."

"I love you too, mom."

Izuku's phone began ringing as his mother retreated to her bedroom. Izuku glanced at the contact and gasped in surprise.

All Might

The young boy was still giddy with excitement that he actually had the number one pro hero's contact information. The fanboy in him practically exploded at the thought. Izuku quickly answered the and put the phone to his ear.

Izuku tossed and turned uncomfortably in his bed. He couldn't sleep. Izuku lost track of how long he had been laying there. Trying in vain to get at least a little bit of sleep. The boy was thoroughly exhausted. After the events of the day, Izuku wanted nothing more than to peacefully sleep the night away. His brain however, wouldn't have it. While his body was weak and exhausted, his brain wouldn't rest.

Oh. You're quirkless.

You quirkless loser!

Get away from me freak!

What a useless Deku

I don't talk to people like you

What a piece of garbage

The voices of his fellow students tormented him. Izuku was rejected by everyone else his age due to the fact that he was quirkless. Various people had completely turned away from their friendship with him when they learned he didn't have a quirk. By the time he got to middle school, the fact that Izuku Midoriya was quirkless was common knowledge. The boy was treated like a second-class citizen. Constantly looked down upon and treated like garbage because of his quirklessness. Izuku was always left out of everything, people avoided him like the plague. Izuku would always sit by himself during lunch. No one else daring to go near the quirkless boy. Izuku sighed as he turned and rested on his back, staring blankly at the familiar ceiling.

Izuku didn't let anyone know this, but he was depressed for most of his childhood. He dealt with constant social anxiety and suffered in silence. The thought of suicide had crossed Izuku's mind more than once. On days when Katsuki would beat him after school, days where he felt completely alone. Izuku never had anyone to vent his frustrations on. His mother wouldn't understand, his father had left long ago, and Izuku never had any friends who cared enough to listen to anything the young boy had to say. All stemming from one simple fact, the only thing made him different than anyone else. Saying that Izuku was afraid to tell Ochako about his quirklessness was a massive understatement.

He was fucking terrified.

For the first time, someone didn't immediately jump away from him in disgust. Nor did she insult him and try to leave. Even though Izuku wasn't the best at talking to people, she didn't seem annoyed with him. She even went as far as to hug him! No one had ever done that before. But Izuku knew that it was because she didn't know the truth.

If she knew the truth about him, she would leave him like the rest. She would be ashamed that Izuku was going to use a quirk that wasn't his. She was going to tease him and leave like the rest. She probably wouldn't even want to stay in his apartment with him anymore. She would rather live on the streets then be around him.

Izuku shook his head, trying to get rid of the dark thoughts. He had already made up his mind. He was going to tell her sometime soon. If she planned on going to school with him, he didn't want her getting teased because she was friends with the quirkless kid. If people saw that she was friends with him, then she would be isolated too. Izuku didn't want that for her. She deserved much better than that. Izuku glanced at the clocked resting on the nightstand.

-12:34 A.M-

Izuku groaned, throwing the covers off and making his way to the desk tucked into the corner of his room. Turning the desk light on, he fished his hero notebook out of his backpack. Mysteriously, it had come out of the incident with the sludge villain unscathed. He quietly placed the spiral notebook on his desk, letting out a sigh of sadness at the sorry state of it.

-Hero Analysis for the Future! No.13-

The poor cover had bits of it charred off and the pages were slightly waterlogged. After letting it dry, he discovered the ink had smeared a bit throughout the book; but it was still legible, and his sketches of the heroes weren't too damaged. Izuku flipped to the nearest open page and began working.

Name: Ochako Uraraka

Quirk: Gravity Manipulation

He continued filling out information for her, a basic definition of her quirk, writing down any uses and tactical advantages he could come up with. He hadn't really seen her quirk in action yet. While she had used it to stop his fall, he was far too distracted and caught off guard to study it. He had assumed that since she said gravity manipulation, then it was more then just removal of gravity on an object.

'Hmm, maybe she can shift the direction of gravity on things. She can likely make things weightless as well. That could prove very useful in a fight. Rendering an opponent weightless will leave them off balance and completely open to attacks. If she can increase the gravity affected on someone, then she could completely immobilize them by simply touching them. How did she disable it again? I'll have to find that out.' Izuku frantically wrote anything he could before running out of ideas. He needed to actually see her quirk in action before he could study it any further.

Izuku flipped to a new page and began idly writing basic information he knew about her. While it wasn't much, Izuku hoped that he would have the chance to fill the pages he set aside for her. Izuku's eyes began to droop unconsciously and before he knew it, his head hit the desk with a light thud, and he fell into a deep sleep. Snoring softly on the early sketch of Ochako he had been working on.

*sssssshlink*

The sound of a cold knife effortlessly slicing through hot flesh echoed in her ears. Ochako looked up panicked, finding a middle-aged woman on the ground in front of her. Her brown hair spooling out on the floor around her. Hair that was all too similar to her own. Familiar brown eyes shot up and met her own. Pure panic and fear clouded this poor woman's eyes. Ochako let out a strangled sob.

This woman was her mother

Ochako collapsed next to her mother, cradling her head in her lap. The woman let out a wet gurgling sound as she attempted to suck any oxygen out of her slit throat. Only thick spurts of blood came out as she soaked everything around her in her life essence. Blood was pumping out of the fatal wound with her heart rate, which was increasing at an incredible pace. Immense fear and dread flooded Ochako's head. She frantically moved her hands to cover the wound. Tears flowed freely from her panicked eyes as blood quickly flooded in between her fingers, staining her whole hand a sickening red. Ochako let out a loud cry as she felt her mother's life draining into her feeble hands. Tears mixed with blood on her cloths and the floor beneath them as the young girl wept openly.

"Do it. You can still save her." A menacing voice boomed from the shadows. Ochako looked up form the form of her mother to find a young woman strapped to a chair, a single light hanging above her. She was a slender woman, sporting long jet-black hair and was wearing a nurse's outfit. Eye makeup was streaming down her pretty face as she begged them to stop.

"Please don't! If you do this, then my life will be over! Please no!" The woman begged struggling to free herself from her bindings. Ochako looked toward her mother and wept, she was nearly gone, Ochako didn't have any time to think. She held her hand out toward the woman, tears still streaming freely from her eyes. Horror filled the young woman's eyes.

The woman screamed.

When Ochako looked toward her mother again, she had found only cold, lifeless eyes staring back at her. She was dead. Her mother was gone. Ochako felt a void open within her, as if someone had torn her heart into pieces. She franticly placed her hands on her mother's throat, with some vain hope that it would heal the damage done.

"No, no, no! Please! You can't leave me! Please!" The brunette screamed in agony as the world fell to black around her.

Ochako awoke with a loud scream. Her breathing was frantic and erratic. Her eyes darting to every corner of this mysterious room. Afternoon sunlight filtered through the window and cast the room in a pleasant light, directly contrasting how the young girl was feeling. The door slammed open and Ochako's head snapped toward the loud noise, her body was poised to fight the intruder. She was met with Izuku's surprised and concerned stare.

"U-Uraraka! What's wrong? How'd you get up there!" Izuku exclaimed as he slowly approached her. Ochako blinked in confusion before realizing that the bed was floating close to the ceiling. The young girl breathed deeply and pressed her fingers together, causing the bed to hit the ground with a loud crash. Izuku slowly approached the distraught girl, who had curled herself into a ball and was openly weeping.

"H-hey. I-it's okay Uraraka. I-I-I'm here." Izuku rested a tender hand on her shoulder. Ochako flinched at the sudden touch and Izuku immediately pulled his hand away. Guilt took over his senses, he had made her even more uncomfortable.

'What was I thinking? Stupid! Of course she won't be okay with you just touching her like that!' Izuku muttered apologies before quickly standing up and heading for the door. Ochako uncurled herself from the tight ball and held her hand out.

"Wait! Please… don't leave…" Ochako pleaded. She hadn't meant to offend him or push him away. She simply wasn't expecting the sudden touch. She had been so lost in her own thoughts that the sudden contact surprised her. The events of her nightmare still played freshly in her mind. She could still hear the screams of the poor woman she had damned. The wet gurgling sound her mother's throat made as she slowly bled to death. Ochako couldn't bear to be left along with her thoughts right now. Izuku hesitated and shyly looked toward the crying girl.

"A-are you sure? B-because I c-can leave you alone if you want! I don't want to intrude!" Izuku stared after her. The sight of this girl so broken hurt the young boy's heart. He wanted nothing more then to see her smile again. But he also didn't want to overstep and intrude on her privacy. Ochako's pleading eyes made Izuku's knees weak.

"Please."

Izuku nodded and made his way toward the bed again. Izuku sat at the edge of the bed while Ochako was halfway curled up in the corner. They didn't look at each other and the room was uncomfortably silent for a few moments.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Izuku asked rhetorically. He had already assumed what had happened. After suffering from endless night terrors himself, Izuku knew panic and fear that came with awakening from a particularly bad nightmare. Ochako silently nodded, confirming Izuku's suspicions. "Do… do you want to talk about it..?" Izuku asked hesitantly. He desperately wanted to help his friend with whatever she was going through. But he also didn't want to risk hurting her more by prodding particular nerves that would make her more distraught. Ochako stayed silent for a while. Trying to will her voice to produce any sound at all. After choking back a few sobs, she finally found her voice.

"My parents… they're… gone…" Ochako broke down. Tears freely flowing from her reddened eyes. She had never told anyone that, hell, she was still coming to terms with it herself. Only a week ago, she was happily living with her parents, enjoying life and living without any worries. Sure, they didn't have the most money in the world, but her parents loved her more than anything and they enjoyed the life they had. Then her life was turned upside down in the worst way possible. After everything happened, Ochako had freed herself and fled, while her parents had met their untimely demise in that horrific place. Images of her mother's bloody corpse flashed into her head again. Her throat cut wide open, blood pooling the ground beneath her, her eyes wide and dead.

That wasn't just a nightmare… it was a memory.

Without thinking Izuku wrapped Ochako tightly into his arms. She welcomed the comforting touch and cried into Izuku's shirt. Izuku felt tears stinging his eyes.

'How terrible! She lost her parents? Is that why she was homeless? Is she still being followed?' Izuku thought as he idly rubbed soothing circles on the young girl's back. Izuku wasn't entirely sure what to do in this situation. He never had to comfort other people. Couple that with his general social anxiety, Izuku simply didn't know how to handle this. So he didn't think, he just acted on his feelings, and hoped that was enough. Eventually, Ochako's sobs turned into quiet sniffles, she slowly pulled away and blushed at the state of Izuku's soaked shirt.

"I'm so sorry Midoriya! I didn't mean to do that!" Izuku chuckled. Honestly, he was lucky if his shirt wasn't stained with tears by the end of the day.

"It's okay Uraraka, really. As long as you're feeling a bit better." Izuku scooted away from the girl a bit to give them some space. Izuku felt like he was going to spontaneously combust at any moment with the amount of closeness the two were constantly showing. Ochako stared blankly at the bed.

"Not really, but I'm a bit better…" Ochako sniffled, attempting to stem the tide of tears that had been streaming from her tired eyes. The young girl tried to get a grip on her emotions. After her escape, she never really had time to think about everything that happened. She was constantly running or trying to survive. Now that she was safe however, everything came crashing down on her at once. Sending a tide of pent up emotions rushing over her. "It's just a lot ya know? I was living happily just one week ago. Now… my family is gone and I don't have a home…"

"You can stay with us." Izuku suddenly stated. Ochako's eyes widened. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't stay here with the Midoriyas. While her dream was to go to U.A and become an incredible hero, there were bad people after her. She was a target, and whoever she stayed with would be at risk too. She didn't want to risk Izuku and Inko's lives.

"No, I can't Midoriya. I'm sorry. These people are still searching for me. I know it." Ochako gave her friend a serious look. He returned a puzzled one. What could these people want with one girl? Her quirk was amazing, he had never seen anything like it. But was there something else she was hiding? Something worth murdering a family over?

'Nothing is worth that'

"But why? Who are they and why would they do this?" Izuku placed a hand on his chin, trying to put together the puzzle. Ochako shook her head and looked away.

"I don't know who they are, but they'll stop at nothing to get to me. That puts you and your mother at risk. I won't do that to you." Ochako shifted uncomfortably. She desperately wanted to hang on to this feeling of safety, but she knew that it was never going to last. At some point she would be found, and the nightmare would return. They would be back for her, she was sure of it.

"We can protect you Uraraka. Don't forget, we know All Might now. As long as he's around, you have nothing to worry about!" Izuku stated confidently. He still had immense respect for the number one hero. Even though his words had pushed Izuku to do something horrible, he knew Toshinori hadn't meant anything by it. It was a combination of Katsuki's bullying, his anxiety, and emotions running at an all time high that had pushed him over the edge. Toshinori made a mistake and apologized fervently about it. So Izuku had it in his heart to forgive the man.

"Speaking of All Might… Why would he tell you that you couldn't be a hero Midoriya? Even weak quirks can be trained into something amazing… I just can't figure out why he would say something so horrible. He crushed your dreams…" Ochako trailed off. She desperately wanted to change the subject. Horrific memories continued to pop into her head the longer they talked. She wanted, no needed a distraction. Izuku had a dark look in his eyes. Dread filled him.

'Just tell her! Get it over with! Even if she hates you, she deserves to know. She'll find out at school anyway.' Izuku opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His gut wrenched at the thought of losing yet another friend. 'Come on Izuku! Just fucking tell her! Do it!' Izuku clenched his fists and steeled his nerves.

"I'm quirkless!" Izuku yelled a bit to loud and avoided Ochako's eyes. He didn't want to see it. The disappointment, the disgust in her eyes that would surely be the result of learning the truth. The icy fear of rejection was quickly becoming too much to bear. An immense pressure in his head made it impossible to think straight. He began breathing rapidly. Sound became muddled and a sharp ringing pierced his ears. Izuku wanted to run. To just run and never get close to anyone again. It only hurt that much more when they turned him away. He could just look the other way and ignore it when other students gave him looks of disgust. But not Ochako, the first actual friend he ever had in ten years. He felt insurmountable fear and dread the likes of which he had never felt before. Before he got lost in his inner turmoil any further, a warm feeling wrapped itself around him.

"I'm so sorry Midoriya. That must be terrible to deal with. I didn't know…" Ochako hugged him tightly. Wrapping her arms around him warmly. She was blushing fiercely despite the situation. Izuku's eyes were wide, he was absolutely stunned. Any fear or anxiety was completely washed away with relief and elation. Ochako… didn't…care? She didn't care that Izuku was quirkless? That he was a worthless Deku not even worth the air he was breathing? Izuku smiled widely and wrapped the girl in a tight hug, the waterworks began running again as Ochako, the first person in ten years, other than his mother, accepted his quirklessness and didn't judge him for it.

Izuku felt genuinely happy.

She knows

She knows and she isn't leaving!

She doesn't care that I'm quirkless!

"Why would I care that you are quirkless? It doesn't define you. Your actions define you Midoriya. That's why you impressed All Might. Even without a quirk!" Izuku was openly bawling at this point. "All Might was impressed with you only because of your heroism. Not because of some flashy quirk." Ochako finished her impromptu speech. Izuku held her tighter and cried all of his emotions out. Ochako pressed her forehead into Izuku's chest and rubbed his back tenderly, letting him relieve his pent-up stress.

Most hero agencies were active all hours of the night. Villainy never slept, if anything, it became more prominent with the coming of night. The heroes of the world had to keep a constant watch over the world in order to keep the peace. While most heroes worked shifts, so they all had a reasonable distribution of work and rest. Certain pro heroes were called in case of extreme emergencies. All Might's agency was no exception. Being one of the most renowned heroes in the world came with many benefits, but with it came some side effects. His agency was running hot all of the time. It was always busy there. The number one hero had hired others to file paperwork and run the agency in preparation for his upcoming position as a U.A teacher. It wasn't big news yet, and only a few people in his agency were let in on it. Even still, All Might liked to take it upon himself to oversee the goings on of his agency. He always had work to do. Be it stopping criminals on the street, running his agency…

Or making training plans for two young upcoming heroes.

Bits of crumpled paper and notes littered Toshinori's large office. He had spent all night brainstorming ideas and coming up with efficient meal plans that would ensure that Ochako and Izuku were ready for the U.A entrance exam. The number one hero had already taken care of a few… issues regarding Ochako.

Toshinori had been loosely informed of the situation with Ochako shortly after announcing Izuku to be his successor. She was homeless and was clearly running from something. In order for her to get into U.A, she would need a boost in her academics and a place to stay. Toshinori used some sources and called in a few favors to get Ochako enrolled into Aldera Junior High, as well as have her status kept a secret. She hadn't talked about who was after her, but if they had resources then they could find Ochako in the school records and ambush her there. She would also be staying with the Midoriyas for the time being. It was the safest place for her at the moment and there was no risk of anyone selling her out. The only issue with that situation was the money.

After a long conversation with Izuku, he had learned that their financial situation wasn't exactly the best. They lived on one income and couldn't afford to take in Ochako without one of them taking on another job. Inko already worked full time and long hours, so it was unlikely that she would be able to find a steady second job. Izuku already had too much to do with school and training, so there was no way Toshinori was going to allow the boy to take a job either.

After hanging up, Toshinori directed his agency's financial team to send checks to the Midoriya household monthly. It would be more than enough to cover any expenses they might have and then some. The Midoriyas would be living comfortably from now on. It was the least he could do after crushing the young boy's dreams.

With that out of the way, Toshinori set about a training regimen. Taking into account their body types, which were very similar, their fighting style, quirk usage, diet, and anything else that might be related to the heath and fitness of the two teens. This was much easier said then done. He didn't want them just going to some random gym and working out for ten months. This needed to be real training, something that would whip their bodies into shape and make them proper heroes. While Izuku was the main focus, Toshinori refused to leave Ochako out of anything. She deserved to be a hero as much as anyone else.

He had decided on Dagobah Beach. The tides had moved in such a way that any garbage in the ocean eventually ended up there. Once, it was a very beautiful place, but now it was a junkyard of heavy appliances and general garbage. Plenty of heavy things to move and it was great community service. A perfect job for future heroes. Toshinori nodded to himself.

'Yes, this will be perfect. But based on my schedule, they will finish with at least three months to spare.' Toshinori hummed in thought. 'This works out well. I don't want to give young Midoriya One For All without any training. It could completely break him…' Toshinori reached for his phone.

'I have some phone calls to make.'

A/N: Frankly, I was overwhelmed with the amount of positive support I received for the first chapter. I honestly wasn't expecting people to like this so much. To be completely honest, this is the first time I have written something like this. So I wan't to learn how to write better to make this the best I possibly can.

I wanted to address something. Izuku and Ochako are moving very fast with their friendliness and closeness. They are both suffering from intense emotions and they will slow down a bit when it comes to an actual relationship.

I plan on having a chapter ready to upload every Sunday

Lastly, I just wanted to thank everyone for their support and reviews would be really appreciated!