I honestly really enjoyed my life. I was a successful firefighter at my local FRD and was about to begin university again for my Advanced Emergency Medical Technician course. I'd always wanted to be a superhero, so being a firefighter/medic was as close as I could get. I'd helped a lot of people and really found my passion in life. But you know what they say about heroes…

You usually die one.

We didn't usually get a lot of actual fires in my area, it was typically medical calls. My team was the first to respond right after the authorities. My partner and I were on search and rescue and there were reportedly still six people in the duplex that had caught ablaze. After entering, the rest of the first family were easy enough to find, as they were still on the first floor. Ascending to the second floor, things got a little more dicey. Most of the smoke had risen to that level, and it seemed one of the parents had been rendered unconscious. We had to act quickly, as the building was only getting less structurally sound every second we stayed in it. My partner picked up the unconscious father and directed the mother to hold his hand and follow him. I had their teenage son follow me out. After a few moments we had them out safely and I thought we were in the clear.

And then came the screaming. The mother we just brought out was hysteric, screaming about "her baby." I counted. Eight tenets reported, seven people outside. Shit. The building was barely stable now from the looks of it. I exchanged looks with my partner. His look only gave one word:

"Don't."

I couldn't. My heart raced and before I could even think I was sprinting inside. It was worse now even just after a few minutes. I climbed up the stairs as fast as I could, trying to survey where the kid could be once I reached the top floor. Smoke obscured much of my view, but I caught it out of the corner of my eye. A sign, "Miranda's Room." I ran over to hear a child crying inside, a little girl from the sounds of it. I tried to enter but the door was jammed.

I called out in a panic, "Stay back, I'm going to break the door!"

I prayed she could hear me, as I pushed all my might into kicking her door open. She couldn't have been older than 9, and she was clutching a stuffed duck while sobbing on her bed. I walked over and knelt to her level. I needed her to trust me, but with her door now open there was no buffer between her and the toxic air whatsoever.

"Hey honey, shh, it's okay, I'm here, everything's gonna be okay. I need you to trust me and follow me okay?"

No response, she was stricken to the very core with fear. I had to think fast.

"Hey, what's your friend's name?" I pointed to the duck stuffy clutched in her arms.

She perked up, still crying. "D-ducky…"

"Well you and me gotta get Ducky out of here, okay? Do you think you can be strong with me so we can help him?"

I needed her to go along with this. There wasn't a lot of time left between the building taking damage and the toxic air going to affect the girl.

"Y-yes.." She was still panicked beyond anything else, but I got through to her.

"Okay, take my hand and don't let go whatever you do, okay?"

She nodded and did as I asked. After that I started leading her out of the building.

We had the door in our sights as pieces of the top floor crumbled onto our only exit. I started to panic. I didn't know another way out, and there were no windows big enough or in a safe enough area for us to use as an improvised escape. My mind was racing and I came up with a stupid idea. I had my axe, and this duplex was a two-part building complex. From my looks at the outside, the other half of the building had taken significantly less damage. I thought I might be able to break through a wall to escape through the other half. I pulled my axe off my back and looked at Miranda.

"I need you to stay back okay? For just a minute, I promise everything is going to be okay! I'm going to save you!" I needed to reassure her.

She was terrified, but complied with my instructions.

I started to swing at the wall. Bit by bit, pieces of drywall and lumber splintered and crumbled beneath my strikes. It didn't take long at all for me to make a sizable hole in the structure due to the drastically decreased stability of the building. I had hope; we were going to make it through!

Then I heard it. The sounds of breaking, cracking, and collapsing right above me. A structural beam and a chunk of the next floor fell on top of me before I could react. It's the last thing I remember.

After that it was… darkness, but only for a few moments. It was soon replaced by a warmly lit presence. It was all I could see. Was this heaven? It wasn't the worst afterlife I could imagine. It was comfortable, and I didn't feel scared. But something changed. My thoughts were no longer my own. The mental intruder had no voice of its own, instead using my own.

"I am not done."

That was the only thing I spoke to myself. After that the light slowly faded again and darkness returned. My senses slowly returned to me and my thoughts raced again as my heart rate doubled. Miranda, the fire, I had to save her! But the sounds weren't one of fire and a building, but of city ambience. The smell wasn't of fire and ash, but of morning air. I open my eyes to see the ground of an alley, with a homeless man beside me. He drank from a worn whiskey bottle and looked to me as I slowly came to. I had a million questions in my head. I didn't recognise where I was, I wasn't in my heavy fire equipment, and I had no clue how long I was out. The old man spoke to me.

"You were out for a while, you okay there?" he inquired.

I sat, shocked. He didn't say anything shocking, but he was speaking Japanese. And I understood him. I knew a little Japanese from watching anime and teaching myself, but it was only a few phrases at most. But here I was, completely understanding this man. What was happening? Could I speak Japanese? I attempted.

"I-I'm okay… where am I?" I stuttered over my shock. Fluent Japanese. I was completely lost in what was happening.

"Musutafu. Do you have any parents, kid? Someone looking after you?"

"Huh?" Was he insulting me? I would get him calling me kid, I'm only 20 and he looked well into his 50's. But asking an adult man if he has parents taking care of him is strange. However, he didn't seem to be insulting me because of how genuinely he was asking…

I looked down at myself for the first time since I awoke. What the hell was going on? I looked like I did in middle school? This was too much to wrap my head around. I was lost in Japan, I guess, understood and spoke a language I had never learned, and my body looks like it belongs to a 14 year old boy. Did I die? I imagined I did… but what was this? I guess this is a sort of reincarnation. Or I'm in a permanent coma and this is all my vegetative fever dream… either way I need to make the best of this and find more information.

The old man interrupted my thoughts. "Kid, you okay? What's your name?"

I didn't realize I had literally just been sitting there silent while thinking. My name? I can't give my real name, it's a dead giveaway I'm not from here.

"...Ryoshi. I don't have any parents… can you help me find a library or somewhere with a computer?" I hope this guy is willing to give me some more charity, I need to figure out exactly where I am, or even when I am.

"Hmm.. yeah, kid, sure. No parents, huh? Some might say you were lucky. My folks ain't the kinda people to be proud of." He got up and began walking, gesturing for me to follow him as he rambled on. I did so.

I didn't need to get to the library before I knew where I was. I saw strange people all around me. Oddly colored hairs, some even appeared animalistic or alien in nature. And I saw a costumed person being praised as he went down the street. Mustafu. That's not a real city in Japan… it's the home of Izuku Midoriya in My Hero Academia. I gently placed my face into the palm of my hand. Did I get reincarnated into an anime? I'm not really sure how I felt about all this. Did I have a quirk? When was I in the anime? How much did I have the power to change? Would I even be able to change anything? Did it matter if I did? It was all too much.

But suddenly, two phrases resonated in my head…

"I'm going to save you!"

"I am not done."

I was here to do what I couldn't before… I couldn't save Miranda. But maybe I could save these people? Maybe I could be… a hero? I looked down at my hands as I walked beside the old man. I remembered the light giving me comfort.

I thought to myself, "Alright… it's time to be a hero!"

I willed the energy in my body forth into my palms as a bright light shone from it, causing quite a few people to suddenly turn towards me. It hurt my eyes from the intensity of the light, and the old man shielded his face from me with his hands.

"Hey, kid, what are you trying to do, blind someone?! Quit it or you're gonna get us in trouble!"

I did as he asked, imagining the light receding into my body. I still had flashes in my eyes even after I diminished my light.

"Okay, my quirk is… summoning light, I guess? But I have no immunity to my own power. Great. No, it's fine. We'll make this work. I didn't drop out of engineering for nothing…"

I apologized to the old man, "I'm sorry! I… didn't think it would do that."

"Eh… it's okay. Gotta be honest, with you showing up and then that kid getting kidnapped by that sludge monster yesterday, I feel like this town is getting too exciting for my tastes."

I thought to myself more, "The sludge monster that trapped Bakugou! That means I'm here right at the beginning of everything, and the UA entrance exam hasn't happened yet! Good. Okay. I need to start planning for the future right now. First thing. I literally have nothing. Right… I'll need a way to survive."

I started brainstorming, and of course I came up with a stupid idea. But if it worked… I'd be in a very good place for the rest of my time here.

After a short while, me and the old man, who had said his name was Kenshi, arrived at the local library. I knew exactly what I needed to do, so I went in and took care of business. After taking several minutes to find an address, I exited the library. I walked out with Kenshi for a bit before stopping and looking at him seriously.

"What's wrong kid, you look like something's bothering ya?" he inquired.

"Thank you for helping me so much Kenshi… I don't have any way to repay you, but I need to go do something on my own now. I'm sorry…" I felt terrible about using him for help and then just ditching him.

He smirked and shook his head. "Hey kid, don't worry about it. I can see how serious you are, and I get a funny feeling that one day I'm gonna be seeing more of you. So go, and when you make it where you wanna go don't forget about us little people, Ryoshi."

I almost teared up but just smiled happily at him. It is a sad truth that the people with the least to give have the most charitable hearts. I told him goodbye and ventured towards my destination.

I eventually made it. I looked ahead at the apartments, specifically the large building with a "2" labeled on it. This was it. If this didn't work, I was probably boned and would have to come up with a different plan. I walked to the suite number I had been lucky enough to also find on the internet. I let out a hefty sigh, put on my best sadboy face, and knocked on the door.

A few moments later, a short woman with black hair who I knew to be Inko Midoriya opened the door, confused by the child at her home. "Hello there, can I help you?"

I put a false strain on my voice and feigned a look of defeat and despair. "I-I'm sorry to bother you ma'am… I'm just so hungry. I haven't eaten in a while… Can you help me, please?"

I felt wretched as I saw the sympathetic look sweep across the caring mother's face. It was wrong of me to lie to her, but I needed her help. Also… it wasn't technically lying. I really hadn't eaten in a while and was going to starve and probably die without anyone's help.

She started crying as she grabbed me by the arm. I had forgotten how sensitive the Midoriyas were.

"Oh you poor boy! Come inside right away, I just made some breakfast for my son and I but we can spare some for you, for sure!"

She pulled me inside without a second thought and sat me down at her dining table. I looked around for Izuku. If I'm right, he shouldn't have started training with All Might yet. After a moment, the distraught Inko set various foods in front of me: a bowl of steamed rice, another bowl of miso, and a plate with a fried egg on it. It looked absolutely delicious, not only because I was quite hungry. I thanked her and immediately dug in.

Inko wiped her tears away and began questioning me, as I believed she eventually would. "What's your name? Why are you all by yourself?"

I took just a moment to come up with a half-believable answer for her second question. "M-my name is Ryoshi, and I've always been on my own… I never knew my parents. People have taken care of me here and there but…"

"But what?"

"I-I've never had any family…" I felt dirty playing her like I was but I forced tears and a little sob out of myself.

"Oh… you poor boy. Don't worry! My son is going to school in just a while and when he's gone we'll try to find you help, okay?"

I shook my head. "Y-yes ma'am. What's your name?"

She smiled at me, tears still in her eyes. "I'm Inko Midoriya."

I pretended to force a smile. "How old is your son, do you think we could be friends?"

Right on time, the skinny green-haired boy came out into the hallway from his explosion of All Might merchandise he called a room, dressed in his school uniform.

"Hey mo- oh? Who's this?" Izuku scratched the back of his head in confusion.

Inko answered for me as I meekly waved. "Oh, Izuku, sweety, this is Ryoshi. He asked us for help, he's been all alone for a while apparently. I offered to try and find help for him while you were at school."

Izuku still looked slightly confused but smiled at his mom and me. "Oh wow, I'm sorry to hear that Ryoshi, but I really hope you find someone who can help you!"

I smiled at Izuku. "I really hope I do too. To have a family like this is one of the two things I've always wanted…"

Inko and Izuku both looked curious, and Ms. Midoriya spoke up. "What's the other, Ryoshi?"

I showed a genuine smile, knowing I could finally tell her the truth. "I don't know if I ever could, but one day I want to be a hero!"

Izuku beamed at my words, and spoke to me as Inko smiled. "Then you can do it! I've always wanted to be a hero, too, and I'm going to be the greatest hero ever! Don't let anyone tell you that you can't, you have to always believe you can!"

Gosh, I had forgotten how passionate this kid was. His speech, however short, did actually inspire confidence in me. I happily smiled back at him. The rest of breakfast went by pretty fast, but I started to see the problem with my guise. It was hard to not talk about things that I definitely shouldn't have known. I was able to mitigate that mostly by just talking about All Might and heroes with Izuku, while occasionally answering a question from Inko. Soon enough Izuku was off to Aldera Junior High and Ms. Midoriya and I left. She originally brought us to the police, and they instructed her that dealing with this kind of situation was best suited for the municipal office. After visiting the municipal office they did a bit of research to conclude that there were no records for me, deeming me an "abandoned child." The official stated that they would assign me a new Koseki and I would become a ward of the state. This troubled Inko, as she had heard that foster systems were typically not healthy for children of any age to stay in. I felt filthy, but I needed to manipulate her one last time, hopefully.

I looked into Inko's eyes and mustered tears and the most desperate sadboy face I could imagine. "I-it's okay Midoriya-san. You and Izuku have given me all the hope in the world that maybe one day I can be a part of a family as amazing as yours, and I can be a hero. You've been one of the nicest people I've ever met, and I only hope the person who cares for me will be even half as kind as you are."

We both cried after that. Inko looked with determination after wiping her tears. She turned to the official and plainly stated.

"I'd like to take this child into my care!"

I knew this was my idea all along but my heart still dropped at this woman's proclamation. It showed the goodness and heart of this family, that this woman was willing to help a boy she met that same day. I hugged her tightly as the official explained the process to Inko. We went through more of talking to government employees the rest of the day. It seemed that my official adoption into the Midoriya family would take about 6 months while I lived with them, and a representative from the Family Court would be checking in periodically to ensure a safe and healthy home environment for me. After a long day of high-strung emotions for me and my new adoptive mother, we were taking the train home. Inko felt it was best to ask some real questions now that she had just invited me into her home to stay.

"So, Ryoshi, do you have any quirks? Izuku doesn't have one, but he still wants to be a hero so badly." She had a bittersweet look on her face after saying that. I knew why, of course: the regret from her not believing Izuku could be a hero without a quirk.

I smiled. "Well, I don't know much about it but…"

I tried to come up with an analogy like Izuku's microwaved egg to help me envision how to control my quirk. I decided that a light fixture that uses one of those turn dials to set brightness would be the perfect one. I just slightly turned my mental dial so that my outstretched palm summoned a faint light that floated above my hand. It looked like a slow firefly, but brighter and not flickering. Inko smiled greatly at my ability.

"That's great, Ryoshi! What a useful quirk! I bet you could help a bunch if the power goes out at home!" she giggled at her own joke afterwards. I couldn't help but laugh a bit myself as I awaited her next question.

"So, would you want to go to school like Izuku? I know the semester has already started but I'm sure I could talk to the school principal and work something out, maybe remedial classes?"

I hated school. I always have. But I knew I would probably need to graduate from a junior high to be eligible to apply to UA anyways, so I reluctantly nodded my head. I suddenly realized a problem, though. I have extensive knowledge of not only all of the subjects they would cover for the rest of my academic career, but I was incredibly fluent in English. How was I going to explain that?

"Um, yeah… I always liked reading at the library. I would sometimes stay there because I had nowhere else to go. I read everything I could, I even taught myself English!"

"Please for the love of everything believe this absolute bullshit coming out of my mouth."

Inko perked up suddenly. "That's incredible! Such a tragic life and you still took every opportunity you could to learn! Oh, I'm so proud of you! I can try to get in touch with the school principal tomorrow."

She said she was proud of me. Those few words made my heart swell. I was going to have to make it up to this woman one day for all the deceit I was putting her through. Eventually, we made it home, where Izuku was waiting for us.

Izuku turned to his mother and me. "Hi mom! Oh, hey, Ryoshi! What happened? Were you able to get help?"

Inko smiled at her son. "Izuku, Ryoshi is going to be staying with us! He didn't have any family or any records at all, so they were going to put him in the foster system… I just couldn't bear the thought of that!"

Izuku was shocked and changed his gaze back and forth from me to his mother in rapid succession, eventually breaking a small smile.

"Wow, mom, that was so great of you! And Ryoshi, that means you and I will be brothers! I think that's awesome!" Izuku beamed at me.

I didn't deserve this incredibly heartwarming welcome into their family or into their home. I'd make it up to my new mother by making sure her son was safe. My new brother had a long road ahead of him, but I knew with me by his side, it would all be a little easier.

- Author's Notes: -

Hello everyone! So, this is my first fiction I'm writing, and I welcome constructive criticism!

I'm aware this is a slow story, but I find that's the sort of pace I enjoy in stories and it's the kind I will be writing.

As far as relationships go, I'm going to be sticking with the canonical Izuku/Ochako. However, there will probably be some Jirou/Kaminari as well. I'm unsure as of right now if Ryoshi will be paired with anyone, but it will probably be Yaoyorozu if anyone, as that's the one who I like the most IRL.

This will be an ACTIVE SI story, so the SI will be making changes. Some changes will be more drastic than others, but no one wants to read a story where the SI just piggybacks onto the canon.

I am currently looking for someone to storyboard with on this fic, as I am not knowledgeable of the entirety of MHA, I have only watched the anime.

If you're interested to storyboard or have any questions you can contact me at lukewindsortheauthor

This story will be cross-posted to AO3 (Archive of Our Own), where it will receive updates first.