Chapter One: The Funeral
It was midday. A storm had begun to hit the city of Shizuoka, and one girl had suffered terribly through it all. Her name was Kyouka Jirou, and here she stood at two tombstones labelled with her parents' names. Mika and Kyoutoku Jirou. Beside her stood a green-haired boy named Izuku Midoriya.
She honestly had no idea why he had stood here with her, but she didn't care. Her mind was only filled with the grief of losing her parents. She couldn't believe how they met their end at the hands of a villain. She found it ironic that she, a hero, couldn't even protect her own folks.
How had it even come to this? She questioned it time and time again during the funeral, and even now she still couldn't find the answer. The funeral had ended and the only two that remained were her and Midoriya, standing under his back umbrella. It was nice of him to stay alongside her; she knew he would do his very best to be a hero till the end.
But no hero could fix what had broken beyond repair.
Kyouka sprinted down the street at which she had walked many times before. The girl ran as fast as she could, taking every shortcut she knew as she had gotten word that a villain had robbed a house in the area. The exact address was unsure of but it was believed to be in Jirou's neighborhood, and she didn't want to chance it.
The girl rushed past the police as she arrived on the scene and stared at the house in shock. It was, in fact, her family's residence. She looked to her side to see the ambulances arrive, and as the bodies were wheeled out on the stretchers she realized just what had happened.
She turned to see other heroes such as Uravity, and Chargebolt, and yet none of them could save her family. SHE couldn't even save her family. The girl fell to her knees as she stared at the house before her. The house that she lived in which held so many memories of her and her parents. And then…
She broke.
And now here stood the girl, under the watch of a silent Izuku Midoriya. He dare not leave her side right now, as he knew just how much she needed a friend. He knew exactly what she was feeling right now as he too had lost someone close to him recently. It was no surprise that All Might would soon meet his end, and Izuku had suffered greatly when his mentor passed.
He didn't even know Jirou all too well, but he wasn't about to leave his friend alone like this. She couldn't go anywhere, her family was gone and in moments like these he knew it was better to not leave them alone with their own thoughts.
"Jirou." He'd call, reaching into her own little dark world. The girl hadn't seemed to hear him as she remained quiet, looking down at the tombstones. He didn't want to disturb the girl, but it was getting late. It wouldn't be wise of him to leave her alone like this, so if anything he'd have to take her with him.
"Jirou." He'd call again, this time actually reaching the girl. She flinched, and turned her head slightly to the boy, acknowledging him. He then placed a hand to her shoulder, and nodded over to the parking lot where his car had been parked. "Come on, it's getting late. I'll take you home."
The girl nodded, and followed Izuku to his dark highland green mustang. The boy had obtained an interest in cars from his father, and due to his position as the number 4 hero he was able to splurge a little for himself, and so he bought a nice car.
The car ride had been filled with an awkward silence, and Izuku could understand why. He was well aware of the fact that Jirou was deep in thought, probably questioning why all of this was happening. He sighed as they drove past the apartment complex she lived in, she seemed too deep in thought to even notice.
The boy had soon turned into his neighborhood, and his home laid in the distance. Kyouka had turned her head to look at the scenery that seemed different from her home, and quickly realized where she was. It was Midoriya's place of residence. Why was he taking her here instead of to her home? Was he trying to get with her, after her parents died!?
"Stop the car." She instructed with an icey tone, to which the confused boy complied, as they were just outside of his driveway. He pulled the car over and put it in park, and as the car came to a halt the girl stepped out of the car. Izuku sat confused before rushing out of the car to see the girl walking down the sidewalk away from his home.
"Jirou!" He called, chasing after her. The girl groaned, and turned around. She knew that if Izuku really wanted to he could catch her, so she might as well get him close enough so that she could attack him if necessary.
"What? I'm not going to just get with you because I'm dealing with losing my parents, Midoriya. I didn't think you'd stoop so low." She stated, turning around to glare at the boy. He stopped a foot away from her and his face erupted into a deep red as he waved his hands frantically and tried to sputter out an explanation.
"I- Wh-What- N-No! J-Jirou, th-that's not why I-I brought you here..! I-I know how hard it is to lose someone, a-and I know more than anyone else that it's not good to be alone in times like this. I wanted to offer you to stay with me for a while. J-Just until you feel better, and partially so I can watch over you…" He explained, stuttering in embarrassment at the girl's previous implications. He wasn't one to "make a move" on people which was evident with him and Uraraka's standstill.
The brunette had tried time and time again to get the boy's attention, and he never picked up on it. Never noticed her. If we're being realistic he only saw her as a friend and nothing more, but she had wanted more from him. She had wanted them to be more.
Aside from that there were other factors as well, as Izuku was under the pretense that Kaminari and the girl were together. And he was definitely not one to steal another man's girlfriend, but as of late the two of them had seemed a bit distant. It was odd, but Izuku dare not pry into a couple's business. He witnessed the blonde leave the funeral, not even offering solace to Jirou and decided to take it upon himself to help the girl.
"So what? You think I can't take care of myself!?" The girl had begun to raise her voice in anger. It seemed her pent up emotions were beginning to pour out of her, and Izuku took notice. Kyouka was never one to show her weaknesses but here, Izuku knew for a fact that she was the most fragile that she had ever been before. And it pained him to see her like this.
"Jirou, you know I don't think that about you. I'm worried for you as your friend, and I'd rather be there for you. I'd rather have you here with me so that I know for a fact if and when something happens." He paused and stepped closer to the girl, looking down at her as she was a few ways shorter than him. He placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her tense gaze to soften. "So that I can help you."
The girl was about to shout in frustration and anger, but she knew it was no use. This was Izuku Midoriya, a selfless hero through-and-through. He had been a friend to her back at UA multiple times, and this was no different than then. He was doing his best to help people; to save them. And right now she really could use someone.
Tears had threatened to fall from the corner of the girl's onyx eyes. Izuku's face formed a small frown as he watched them build up, and then brought the fragile girl into an embrace. His neighbors could have been watching but he didn't care.
"They're gone… Th-They're really gone…" She mumbled softly, as she cried. The girl's quiet sobs could be heard from his chest, and as the cold winds began to blow the rain around them, Izuku became determined. He knew that he needed to do something, and he knew exactly what it was.
He would save her, no matter what.
The two walked into his small, modern home. They had gotten soaked from the rain, and Jirou had begun to shiver. Izuku removed his shoes and made his way over to his bathroom, planning to prepare a bath for the girl. She watched as the boy left, and couldn't help but look around his home. It was very tidy, and… Cozy. Midoriya's home was small, and he preferred it that way. It reminded him of the apartment he had lived in with his mother for most of his childhood.
"Jirou, there's a bath ready for you. I'll get you some clothes to wear in the meantime, but please warm yourself up." Izuku said, returning from the bathroom. The girl nodded and entered the bathroom silently as Midoriya wandered upstairs to his room to get her a shirt, and one of his shirts. It was poor planning on his end, but he didn't want to risk her refusing to stay over with him.
Izuku made a mental note to bring her to her apartment to pack herself some clothes, as he removed the blazer from his suit. He then made his way back down, with a pair of folded clothing and saw that Jirou had left her wet clothes in his laundry bin.
"Jirou, I've left you some clothes out here. Do you want me to dry your clothes out here?" He questioned, calling out to her as she sat in the bath. The girl turned her head to the door of the bathroom as Izuku's silhouette was visible through the door.
"Uh.. Yeah, if you don't mind? Thank you…" She replied, albeit a bit quietly. Izuku stared at the door for a moment, worry washed over him as her quiet tone had just reiterated how fragile she was right now. He sighed and placed her wet clothes into his dryer, starting it and stepping out of the bathroom.
Izuku sat on the couch and pulled out his phone. He decided that he'd just order some food for the two of them so that they'd have something to eat. Izuku had forgotten to get groceries so he'd have to get some tomorrow.
Izuku then hears the sound of footsteps nearing him, and as he turns his head he's met face to face with the petite girl he let into his home. He stares at her wearing his clothing with a bit of a blush on her face, as his own erupts with red.
Izuku begins muttering frantically about how she's wearing his shirt. She looked way cuter than he'd ever seen her before like this. Not that she wasn't cute before, but he wasn't expecting her to look like this. Unknown to him he was voicing his thoughts quite vocally, causing the girl to snicker a little at his embarrassment.
Even throughout his time as a top hero he had never changed. He was still that shy and nervous cinnamon roll from UA, the same boy who… Well, the same boy she had used to crush on a long time ago. That thought, however, had brought up a nasty memory.
One she wished she could forget.
Izuku and Kyouka were walking side by side, conversing about a recent album that had been released by an artist the two of them enjoyed. It was nothing but small talk, but a certain brunette had noticed the two of them talking and getting increasingly closer to one another. The class was now in their second year, and much to her surprise, Kyouka had found herself spending more time with the green-haired boy.
Their increased time together had also meant that her feelings for him began to shift as they spent more and more time together. However that led to one Ochako Uraraka to become saddened at the fact, and she knew she needed to stop them before things got out of hand.
Izuku and Kyouka had reached the 2-A dorms, and separated for the day, as the two of them had much homework to finish. Kyouka entered the elevator to take her up to her floor, and Uraraka entered in after her.
"Oh, hey Uraraka." Jirou greeted, pressing the button that would lead to her floor. Uraraka nodded in response as a silent greeting, and the two went up in an awkward silence. Jirou could feel the brunette's gaze on her. Before they reached Uraraka's floor she stood in front of the girl with her arms crossed angrily. Kyouka was confused by the girl's intensity and took a step back against the elevator's wall.
"I'm going to say this once, Jirou. Stay away from Deku, or else. You know how I feel about him." She threatened, as they reached her floor. Uraraka stepped out of the elevator while glaring at the purplette, before the doors closed behind her.
Jirou stood still in the elevator completely confused. What the hell had just happened? Was Uraraka threatening her? She was right though, Jirou knew all too well about the girl's feelings.
Ever since then she had made her best efforts to steer clear of the boy, in fear of getting in the way of whatever it was that the two of them had. Not only that, but she didn't want to have to face Uraraka if things were to go south.
Instead the girl had tried to move on from her crush on Izuku, and eventually found solace in Denki Kaminari.
But even that was short lived.
Kyouka giggled softly, bringing the boy out of his muttering induced coma. He had forgotten how cute her laugh was. They had spent quite a lot of time together in the past, but somewhere along the lines the two of them grew distant. He had tried to speak to her, but each time they were interrupted or she had plans. Eventually they graduated and spoke to each other less and less. Especially since she had started dating Kaminari.
"You haven't changed a bit…" She said softly, seating herself beside the boy. He smiled as she plopped herself down onto his couch, and then pointed to his phone.
"Yeah, yeah. I ordered pizza by the way, I need groceries so I decided to just order something for now. Hope you don't mind." He informed. The girl quirked a brow at him.
"Did you get-" She was cut off by Izuku who had surprisingly remembered what she'd liked all this time apart.
"Meat Lovers? Trust me, I remember. It's your favorite, right?" He said, being right on the nose. How could he have remembered such a small detail like that? Well, it was Izuku Midoriya. He was an avid notetaker and was very good at noticing details like that about people.
"Uh, y-yeah… Thanks." Jirou said, turning away from the boy. "For everything, actually... You were right, I don't think I should've tried to be alone right now."
"You don't need to thank me. We're friends, aren't we? I couldn't just leave you like that… I care about you, y'know?" He'd say, turning to face Jirou. "That hasn't changed since highschool."
Jirou blushed at the boy's words. Izuku was such a caring person, that it had honestly caught her off guard. She knew that it meant nothing more than him being concerned for her, and wanting her to know that she had someone there for her. And while she appreciated it, he could hold off on the kindness. She was trying to mourn, and him being so nice might make her cry even more.
"Th-Thanks, Midoriya- Ah, sorry! I-I don't really know another way to show my gratitude." She stated, tapping the ends of her jacks together in nervousness. It was always only with him that she would get so fidgety and awkward at times.
"It's fine. You don't have to be grateful, I'm just doing what a friend should." He said reaching over to his coffee table and grabbing the tv remote. "How about we try to ease the tension a little. You can even call me Izuku like before! I-If you w-want to, of course..!"
The boy turned the tv on and changed the channel to some random movie that would play in the background as they talked. Perhaps this would help make their conversation more natural and less awkward with the looming grief of the loss of Jirou's parents.
Kyouka blushed, "I think I'd like that, Izuku… Ah, that really takes me back, though." She'd state looking up at the ceiling and reminiscing about the fun times they had together in their second year at UA. Unfortunately their time together was cut short due to a certain brunette.
Izuku looked back on those moments as well. He had always felt that he did something that made her avoid him, and it stuck with him for a few years. At least, up until she had started dating Kaminari because Izuku had started to drown himself in his hero work.
"Yeah… I'm sorry that I made you avoid me back then. Perhaps if I hadn't I'd be able to help you with the loss of your parents better…" Izuku said, staring at the movie playing on the TV. Kyouka turned to look at the boy; did he blame himself for all those years?
"Izuku…" She spoke softly, before being interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Izuku shot up and went to go and get their pizzas. Kyouka watched as the boy walked off, and she began to feel the guilt from avoiding him like she did. All he had ever been is kind to her, even now he was trying to watch over her and make sure she was okay after the death of her parents. And all she has done is avoid him…
Perhaps it's time she stopped avoiding him, she could really use him in her life right now, and since she's going to be staying with him, she didn't really have a choice.
She just hoped Uraraka wouldn't find out.
The two of them had enjoyed a bit of small talk as they ate, reminiscing about the old days and even cracking a few jokes. It had definitely helped Kyouka feel a bit better, but her mind would always wander back to her parents. It was hard to smile and laugh while grieving, but Izuku was making it easier for her little by little.
Eventually the two of them had lost track of time, and it had reached 11:00pm. Izuku had noticed how late it had gotten after peering out of a nearby window, and seeing the starry night sky. Izuku then turned to the purplette beside him and noticed that she had begun to nod off. She had a long day, and definitely could use some rest.
"Hey, it's late. I think you should get some shut-eye, Kyouka." Izuku stated, causing the girl to jolt awake. She looked around until she locked eyes with Izuku who was smiling softly at her.
"I guess I was falling asleep… Sorry about that." She said standing from the couch, the girl stretched before turning back to Izuku. "So… Where am I gonna sleep?"
Izuku pointed to the stairs, "My room." He simply said, standing from the couch as well. He gestured to her to follow him up the staircase and the two made their way to Izuku's room. Izuku opened the door to his room, to reveal a fairly spacious bedroom with a window view of the city behind them.
Izuku's bed was quite large, and laid a foot or two away from the window. There was a green sliding door to the right of his bed that opened up to a small closet, with a dresser inside. On the left side there was a dark wooden nightstand, with an alarm clock and a lamp on top of it. Behind his bed, and facing the window, was a small white bookshelf. His room was very neat and again that sense of coziness washed over her. Was that just the aura the boy gave off?
"You have this kind of room and you live by yourself?" She questioned looking around his room in awe. "Are you sure you're okay with me sleeping in your room? I don't mind taking the couch."
"No, it's fine. I'll take the couch since you're my guest." He said, as Kyouka sat down on the side of his bed. She patted the spot next to her to indicate Izuku joined her.
Izuku plopped down beside her and turned his head to face her. She smiled at him before looking down somberly. "Thank you for this… And I'm sorry for avoiding you all this time. Things happened, and I just had to distance myself."
The girl had begun to tear up a little. Today had brought on a lot of emotions for her and she was honestly tired of it. It was really exhausting to be feeling all these things at once, and she was beginning to feel overwhelmed again.
But she then felt a hand atop her head, gently patting her. She peered up to see Izuku's outstretched hand patting her head, and she felt at ease.
"I understand. You don't need to say anymore, just try to get some rest, Kyouka." He said, standing from the bed and removing his hand from her head. "You've had a long day, you deserve it."
The boy then grabbed himself some clothes for tomorrow, and walked outside of the room. Kyouka had heard him mumble a quiet sleep well, before his footsteps disappeared. The girl sighed and flopped down onto Izuku's pillows, unconsciously taking a quick whiff of them. They smelled sweet, like… Cinnamon.
"Huh… It smells like him…"
Here's to a new story! This story was created by me and two very good friends of mine, ARandoPerson, and Micah!
It took a lot of brainstorming, and hard work so I hope you guys enjoy what we're coming up with here! Izuku as a friend will always be there to help Kyouka.
Once again, I hope you all enjoy and I'll see you for the next chapter!