Izuku dove out of the way, the side of his shirt scorching as he only just managed to dance out of the way of the explosion.

"…So then she dropped me back off at my house, and I had spent the rest of the night explaining to mom why I hadn't been answering my phone."

Bakugo snorted, blasting up and out of the way as Izuku charged forward and threw a heavy right hook.

"Bet she ripped your ass good for that." Still flipping in the air, Bakugo pointed his palm at Izuku's back, letting loose a powerful blast that tossed Izuku through the air, tumbling end over end.

"Well that explains why you're a freak," chuckled Bakugo as he landed casually on the grass. "So…magic is real? That's fucking dumb."

"Apparently," Izuku charged forward, catching Bakugo by the foot as he tried to blast away and slamming him into the grass. Izuku tried to slam his palm into Izuku Bakugo's chest, but Bakugo countered as he raised his own hand and made to blast Izuku in the chest. Izuku's hand snapped out, grabbing Bakugo's wrist and throwing it out from him. The explosion arced through the air, scorching the grass. Reaching down, Izuku grabbed the front of Bakugo's shirt and hauled him to his feet and tried to unleash a flurry of blows. However Bakugo kept dancing out of the way just in time.

"Well maybe they'll actually teach you how to fight, nerd," snarked Bakugo, "Instead trying to copy the moves from old karate movies."

"It's not my fault," grunted Izuku, ducking under an explosive punch and driving his fist into Bakugo's ribs. "You know how many times she refused to let me take self-defense classes?"

"And it shows," smirked Bakugo. Rocketing behind Izuku and grabbing the back of his shirt. Using his explosions to increase his velocity, he threw Izuku high into the air. Grinning manically, "Still too slow loser!" Pointing his hands high in the air, he let loose a barrage of explosions at Izuku. Laughing maniacally the entire time.

"You need to learn some restraint," groaned Izuku as he rubbed at his slightly singed torso.

"Not my fault you suck," grunted Bakugo as he took a large gulp of water.

Izuku grunted, and he sat up. He scooted back, so he was pressed up against the other side of the tree that Bakugo was resting against.

"When do you start?" Asked Bakugo,

"Tomorrow," said Izuku, reaching down and grabbing his own water bottle. "I guess it's a year-round program. The other first years are already a couple of months ahead of me."

Bakugo grunted. "How many in your class?"

"Only two, another guy and a girl. I don't know their names."

"Small class," muttered Bakugo, "Can't believe I have to wait two fucking months before I even take the entrance exam."

"Feeling prepped?"

Bakugo tossed his empty water at Izuku. "You even gotta ask?"

Izuku deftly caught the flying bottle and whipped it back at Bakugo. "Don't be rude, I was just checking in."

Bakugo blew the bottle out of the air without looking at it.

"I'm not worried about getting in. I'm worried about the losers who are going to be in my class. Rumor has it that apparently there's a lot of group work, and I don't want to be stuck with a bunch of losers weighing me down."

"If they're getting into UA, they're probably pretty tough Kaachan," sighed Izuku, closing his eyes as he rested against the tree. "Besides, you need to learn how to work with people that aren't me."

"I don't work with you," scoffed Bakugo, "You just happen to make a really good punching bag."

"Tsundere," muttered Izuku, as his phone beeped. He stood up, "I gotta go. My teacher is going to be here soon to show me to the school."

"Try not to die," grunted Bakugo.

"Good luck to you too, Kaachan,"

If the tearing into that Izuku had gotten for coming home late, it was nothing compared to the chewing he'd gotten when he'd told her about the school. His mother had been dead set on Izuku going to school in Tokyo, but when she learned that Izuku had supposedly gotten a full ride to the university she had changed her tune. Izuku hadn't explained to her the truth of the school. The poor woman was too kind-hearted for her own good, and as much as she loved Izuku she had never been supportive of his dream of being a hero. Especially after his father had died.

It was better that she didn't know what Izuku was actually going to school for. Better that she didn't know anything about what was really out there in the world.

Though she had been confused when Izuku had told her that he was going to be moving out far sooner than expected. Still, she had handled it better than Izuku had anticipated, and after a tearful goodbye and promises to call her at least twice a week and to come home whenever he could, Izuku was waiting outside the train station in the outskirts of Tokyo.

"Hey kid!"

Izuku looked up from his phone, waving back to Sara as she walked over to him.

"All set?" She asked, looking down at his small suitcase and backpack. "Didn't bring much, did ya?"

Izuku shrugged, "I didn't have much to bring. Besides, you were the one to tell me to pack lightly."

"Guess I did," laughed Sara, rubbing the back of her head. "Anyways, you won't be needing those right now," she pointed a hand at Izuku's luggage, which disappeared with a small "pop."

Izuku blinked, then stared incredulously at his teacher.

"What…was that?"

Sara waved off his concerns, "Don't worry about it, now here, take this." She pulled a small bundle out from the inside of her purple cloak, and tossed it to Izuku. "That's your summer uniform, hurry up and put it on. Time for your first class."

"Wha-" Izuku stammered out,

"No time!" Shouted Sara excitedly, "Hurry and change! Let's go, go, go, go, go!"

With a blast of energy from her hand, Izuku shot backwards and he was bodily thrown into the nearby bathroom.

"This might have been a mistake," he groaned as he hauled himself to his feet and quickly changed into his uniform. It was a summer uniform, similar to Sara's. A purple cloak, with short sleeves but a high collar and matching purple pants.

"This is the summer uniform?" Asked Izuku, already sweating, "It's a little…"

"You get used to it," giggled Sara, "Now let's get moving!" She snagged Izuku by the sleeve, and as he was bodily dragged by the woman down the road.

"W-w-w-what i-i-is g-g-g-going o-o-o-o-o-on" Izuku tried to ask as he bounced along the road behind Sara.

"Oh?" She abruptly stopped, and Izuku only just barely managed to avoid slamming into her back.

"Did I forget to tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Asked Izuku in exasperation, "You haven't told me anything!"

"Whoops," muttered Sara, flushing a little around her cheeks. "Guess I did forget. Sorry kiddo." She slowed her pace and Izuku fell into step beside her.

"So what is going on? I thought I was moving in today and meeting the other first-years."

"You are meeting them," said Sara, "You're just not meeting them at school. We got a report about a few low-grade curses in an abandoned office complex. I figured this would be a great opportunity for some bonding with your new classmates! Nothing brings people together like the fear of untimely death."

Izuku shivered, an icy wave washing over his chest.

"M-more…more c-curses?"

Memories of the fight with the snake danced in front of him, and his stomach clenched and unclenched painfully. He felt like he wanted to vomit.

"Thought you wanted to be a hero?" Said Sara, her voice surprisingly firm. Izuku stiffened. "Isn't that what you told me? That you wanted to help people? That you wanted to save lives?"

"W-well…w-well yeah," said Izuku, his voice trembling, "I…I-I guess I just t-thought that-"

"We don't believe in handholding, Izuku," said Sara seriously. "The job is too dangerous, and we can't afford to waste time with coddling. Sorcerer's are fighting a continuously losing war against curses. We're outnumbered, and outgunned. Every year, more and more of our most powerful sorcerers are taken down. We need numbers and we need them fast. I told you, we're going to throw you into the deep end, and that starts today."

Izuku gulped, as he tried desperately to calm his breathing.

"Relax Midoriya," smiled Sara, clapping Izuku on the back, "You'll be fine, nothing there is going to be even close to the level of curse you fought at school. Besides, it's too late to back out now! Onward!" Once more she grabbed him by the sleeve, and dragged him away. After nearly twenty minutes of being dragged around the outskirts of Tokyo, they finally stopped. He bent over, his hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath. He normally wouldn't have even been winded by that kind of a run, but it was so hot and the damned cloak was suffocating.

A hand clapped him on the back. "Don't worry about it buddy, you'll get used to them."

It was a new voice, distinctly male and fairly deep, though equally bright and cheerful. Craning his neck, Izuku met the beaming face of a man about his age, maybe a little older. He had a large, dimpled smile that showed off rows of pearly white teeth. He had bright green eyes which complimented his long, bright red hair that was tied up neatly into a ponytail. He wasn't a large man, Izuku was probably a couple inches taller than him, and he lacked some of the considerable bulk Izuku had. However his lithe form spoke to an agile and quickness that Izuku likely wouldn't be able to match.

"Names Shujinkō Miseru, call me Shuji!"

"Izuku Midoriya, please call me Izuku." Finally able to breathe again, Izuku stood up and gripped Shuji's hand in his own in a firm shake, smiling at the exuberant man.

"So you're our number three then?" Shuji's eyes scanned him up and down, "I'm getting big, close-range fighter vibes from you my man."

"Probably," shrugged Izuku, "Truth be told…I'm still kinda new to all of this. Only learned about everything a week ago,"

"Really Gojo, you're saddling us with your baggage?" A new voice called out. Following the voice, Izuku's eyes landed on a girl, also about his age. Her long black hair was, like Shuji, tied up in a tight ponytail. Her bright red eyes narrowed in suspicion, as her eyes glanced over Izuku's form.

"Why do we have to be the ones to induct the newbie?"

"Hey come on Kataomoi," said Shuji, running over and wrapping an around the girl, Kataomoi's, shoulder. "Lay off the cold shoulder. Izuku here's overwhelmed as it is. Besides, you remember what it was like when you were first learned about everything."

Kataomoi flushed crimson. Averting her eyes and mumbling something incoherent under her breath.

"Don't worry about her Izuku," grinned Shuji "She's really nice, just a little prickly at first. Should have seen her the first time we met."

"Shuji…" grumbled Kataomoi under her breath, flushing an even deeper shade of crimson.

"This is Kataomoi Shitsuren." Introduced Shuji. "She's awesome! Easily stronger than me, and her cursed technique is awesome!"

"Shuji!" Hissed Kataomoi, elbowing the man in between the ribs. He yelped, and jumped away, rubbing his chest.

"So violent," he teased, then turned back to Izuku, "Don't mind her, she's just a little self-conscious because she's so awesome!"

"You're going to give her an even more swelled head than she already has, Shuji," chuckled Sara, "Besides, you should give yourself some more credit. You've improved an awful lot too."

It was Shuji's turn to flush, and rub the back of his head.

"Yeah, I guess I've been doing okay," he chuckled.

"Anyhoo, it's little Midoriya's time to shine today," chirped Sara, appearing behind Izuku and smacking him on the back. "Big guy took down a grade one last week, so this should be no problem!"

"What?" Snapped Kataomoi, as Shuji whistled.

"A grade one huh, damn…you must have a hell of a cursed technique."

"That's the best part," laughed Sara, "He doesn't even have a cursed technique! Big guy's just got bones of steel."

Izuku really wished that Sara would stop talking. The way that Kataomoi was glaring at him was starting to make him uncomfortable. And what was a cursed technique? And what were these grades they kept talking about? He wished that he would have had at least one class before getting dragged out to fight for his life. Though he supposed that getting practical first-hand experience would be good for him.

"That's impressive as hell man!" Cheered Shuji excitedly, smacking Izuku on the shoulder. "We've been missing out on a close-range powerhouse for a while. I knew you'd be tough, but I had no idea that you tackled a grade one. Not even Kataomoi over there has killed one those yet."

Kataomoi didn't say anything. She was occupied with scrutinizing him closely.

"All right," said Sara, clapping her hands together. "Shuji, why don't you and Midoriya head on in. I know curse-killing is starting to become a little old hat for you Shuji, so do me a favor and let Midoriya take the lead on this one." She glanced up, looking over at the abandoned building.

"I can feel at least three inside there. None of them are bigger than a grade three at the most, so it shouldn't be a problem for you."

"Right-o teach!" Said Shuji, snapping off a sloppy salute before turning and heading off towards the building. "C'mon Izuku, time's a-wasting!"

Izuku glanced over at Sara, who nodded encouragingly at him. Gulping, and doing his best to calm his racing heart, Izuku turned and ran after Shuji.

They watched Izuku and Shuji disappear into the building. No sooner had the flash of Izuku's sneakers disappeared through the doorway, than Kataomoi rounded on Sara.

"What's your game?"

Sara casually picked at something under one of her nails. "What do you mean?"

"Midoriya, smartass," growled Kataomoi. "What is he?"

"I have absolutely no idea," smiled Sara happily. "He's something of an enigma, right?"

"Enigma?" Asked Kataomoi, "He's a freak! He has more cursed energy than I do, and I doubt he even knows how to use it!"

"He doesn't," confirmed Sara, "And he's got a hell of a lot of anger in him too. Should have seen him take on the grade one. Pretty sure he would killed two more if they had been there too, man it was so intense." She laughed happily, clapping her hands together.

"That makes it even worse!" Snarled Kataomoi, "He can't control his emotions. He doesn't know how to control his cursed energy. He's a ticking time bomb, and sooner or later he's either going to lose himself to his emotions or he's going to explode!"

"Then it's a good thing he's at school now," said Sara brightly. "That's what the school is for, right? To teach you energetic little kids how not to kill yourselves and others."

Kataomoi didn't have a response to that.

"Where did you find him?" She finally asked after a minute.

"Funnily enough," chuckled Sara, "he literally just fell into our laps. Kid applied to UA, and the Dean over there recognized what he was and called our dear principal. She called me to pick him. As far as we know, he's just some nobody."

"The family's aren't going to like this…you know that right?"

"And the sun rises in the east and sets in the west," said Sara, rolling her eyes.

"This isn't a joking matter," snapped Kataomoi. "You know what they're like."

"I'm taking it seriously, kiddo," said Sara. She sighed, and plopped onto the ground, resting her back against the fence behind her. "I miss the old days, when the families were still to scared to pull shit."

"What do you mean?" Asked Kataomoi, "The families have always been powerful."

"Not always," said Sara. "My great-grandpa used to tell me stories. We've all heard about what happened to the Zen'in family, but that shocked the hell out of the major families for a good generation. They were too scared of one of their own doing something similar so they backed off for a while." She idly reached down into the dirt and began sketching a crudely drawn picture.

"But life is cyclical, and history is bound to repeat itself. Eventually what happened to the Zen'in became distant enough that people stopped caring…and they fell back into their own bad habits." She closed her eyes, and tilted her head back.

"Man…if my great-granddad could see this…he'd be rolling in his grave." She opened her eyes and glanced over at Kataomoi, "Either that or rolling heads. Probably both, knowing him." Groaning, she stood back up, brushing the loose dirt from her skirt.

"But to answer your question, the families aren't going to go near Midoriya. Especially not once I'm through with him."

"You'll be painting a target on his back," warned Kataomoi.

"Then it's a good thing he'll you, me, and Shuji to watch over him now isn't it?" She suddenly disappeared and then reappeared behind Kataomoi, wrapping the shorter girl up in a hug.

"It's so sweet that you care so much about your new classmate already! I just knew that icy demeanor of your was just a facade! Oh you cute little two-timing tsundere!"

"Shut up!" Kataomoi tried to snarl.

"Shush," whispered Sara, clapping a hand over Kataomoi's mouth.

"It's starting." She smiled, "This is the real test. He managed to use his cursed energy before, but once could be happenstance. Time to see if it was a fluke, or if he's the real deal."

BREAK

The inside of the building looked like something out of an old horror movie. It had once been an office building, but when it had been abandoned, much of the inside hadn't been cleared out. Old tables, water coolers, and all sorts of other office supplies were scattered around the building. It was wet, and the soles of Izuku's feet squished and squeaked as they walked over the oddly wet floor. He could smell mold and mildew, and Izuku was fairly certain that they were probably the only ones to be inside the building in some time.

"So you probably have some questions, huh?" Asked Shuji, and Izuku jumped.

"Y-yeah…" said Izuku, "I don't…really know what's going on."

"That's not a surprise," laughed Shuji. "Gojo's a great teacher, but she kinda sucks at explaining…literally anything." He grunted, cracking his neck loudly as he rested his hands behind his head.

"So go ahead and shoot, whatcha want to know."

Izuku thought for a moment. "What are these grades you guys keep talking about? Everyone keeps talking about me killing that big snake like it was a big deal…but I have no idea why…"

"Makes sense," nodded Shuji, glancing down a hallway intersection, before continuing forward.

"Curses and jujutsu sorcerers are graded based on skill and power. Starting at grade four, then working its way up to grade three, then two, then one, then special grade. To make it simple, a grade four curse is about as dangerous as a rabid dog. A grade three? About as dangerous to us as some punk with a baseball bat. But when you get grade two curses and above? That's when you start to see a real change in power. Grade two curses are about on the same power level as your average pro hero."

Izuku choked.

"Yeah," nodded Shuji, "They're pretty strong, I'd say that the average grade one curse is probably on the same level as one of the top pro heroes. I've only seen a couple and they're…something else."

Izuku's mind was blank. He couldn't even begin to comprehend what he was hearing.

"And then there are the special grades," continued Shuji. "They're a beast unto themselves. The closest approximation to them would be on the level of All Might."

"That's impossible," said Izuku quickly. "There's no way there are other creatures as powerful as All Might out there. It's just not possible."

"I used to think the same way," nodded Shuji gravely. "Then I saw one for myself." He shuddered, "They're…they're unlike anything I've ever seen in my life. Would have killed me in a second if Gojo hadn't been there."

Izuku stopped, "Wait…she beat a special class?"

"Of course she did," Shuji stopped and smiled at him, "She's easily the strongest sorcerer in the country right now."

"Really?" Asked Izuku, then quickly tried to correct himself. "I don't mean to say that she can't be that strong, it's just that…"

"Nah, I get it," Shuji waved it off. "She's got that aloof and wonky attitude of hers, I felt the same way you do when I met her. But you'll come to learn that the more powerful the sorcerer, the crazier they are."

Izuku shook his head in disbelief. "This is all insane."

"Welcome to the world of jujutsu," chuckled Shuji as he poked his head through a doorway briefly before turning down the next hallway towards a staircase.

"Okay," said Izuku softly, his head pounding from the influx of information. "So what's the deal with cursed techniques people keep talking about?"

"Oh!" Shuji instantly perked up. "Cursed techniques are a form of jujutsu. You read manga?"

"I used to, when I was a kid," said Izuku, feeling more than a little self-conscious of the collection of All Might manga in his luggage.

"Well you remember like special moves and stuff in some of those battle manga?"

"Yeah," nodded Izuku.

"It's a lot like that," Shuji stopped and examine his hand. "A cursed technique is an ability that a jujutsu sorcerer is born with. It's not something you can learn, it's a lot like a quirk in that way. But only a select number of sorcerers are born with the ability to use cursed techniques. It's like, only twenty percent of jujutsu sorcerers have them."

Izuku couldn't help the swell of envy that blossomed in his chest.

"What's with that look?" Asked Shuji.

"It's nothing," dismissed Izuku quickly.

Shuji stopped, meeting Izuku's eyes squarely. "No it's not. What's up?"

Izuku shuffled his feet and averted his eyes, heat rushing to his cheeks.

"I don't know," he said uncertainly. "It's just…you know, all my life I wanted a quirk. Wanted to be a hero. And then when I found out about jujutsu…"

"You felt special," nodded Shuji in understanding. "For the first time you got to experience what everyone else experienced. I get it man, really, but seriously…don't worry about it. Just because you have you a cursed technique doesn't make me any better than you." He smiled, clapping a hand on Izuku's shoulder.

"I mean look at you, you took down a grade one curse on your own, and you probably don't even know how to use cursed energy yet. Right?"

Izuku flushed and averted his gaze. But he couldn't fight the smile that threatened his lips, nor did he fight the slight burble of happiness in his chest at the praise.

"Thanks…Shuji," said Izuku, smiling up at the other man.

"Of course," laughed Shuji, removing his hand from Izuku's shoulder and turning back to the staircase.

"We're both jujutsu sorcerers now, and we're in the same year. As far as I'm concerned, that practically makes us brothers!"

Izuku didn't quite know how to respond to that, but he smiled nonetheless and chased after him.

Izuku scanned up and down the staircase and tried to peer up at the floor above."So what are we looking for exactly? I would have thought that we would have run into one of the curses by now."

"Eh it's not too surprising. Curses can be smarter than you'd expect, even the weaker ones. They know that we're here, and they probably know that we are strong enough to kill them. My guess is they're just biding their time until-" The wall beside them exploded, showering them in debris. Izuku lost his balance, ducking just out of the way of the large, green, slimy hand that reached out through the cracked structure. He rolled painfully down the stairs, not stopping until he slammed into the opposite wall at the bottom. The ceiling over him shattered, as a large, cream monster fell screaming and hissing down at him.

Izuku screamed, scrambling out of the way as the blob of mangled, flesh slammed into the ground Izuku had been only moments before.

"Izuku!" called out Shuji, "You can only kill a curse with cursed energy!"

"And how!" Shouted Izuku as he caught the arms of the curse and threw it violently into a nearby wall. "The hell am I supposed to do that!" The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Rolling out of the way, he narrowly avoided the purple claws of curse with four legs and three large, bulbous eyes.

"You remember what you did the first time?" Called Shuji, who sounded suspiciously like he wasn't fighting anything.

"Kind of hard to think about anything right now!"

Shuji laughed happily, "That's fair. Cursed energy is fueled by negative emotions! You're scared right now, right?"

"Very!" His arm shot out and clocked the purple curse in one of the eyes. It launched backward, smacking into the green curse, and both collided with the staircase.

"Focus on that fear. Control it. Imagine that your arm is microwave and the negative emotions are the electricity! Funnel the electricity into the microwave Izuku!"

"That's a terrible metaphor!"

"Blame Gojo!" Laughed Shuji.

Izuku growled. His frustration and fear nearly numbing his senses. He tried to take a calming breath and focus on the negative emotions swirling around inside of him. But his lapse of judgement caught up with him, as the cream colored blob of a curse sucker-punched him in the chin, and Izuku was thrown through a wall. Groaning he clambered to his feet, wiping the blood dribbling down his chin, and he tried again.

He could feel it. That same energy from before. From the school. From when he was a kid. The sudden burst of energy he always felt when he got too emotional. What he'd held back for so long, what he'd fought against for years. He let the dam finally burst and welcomed the sensation. His muscles hummed with renewed energy, and his vision began to blur. He roared, and charged forward. Forcing the energy into his arms and his legs. In a blur of movement that he didn't realize he possessed, he found himself in front of the green curse. He shoved his fist into the into what could reasonably be described as the curse's stomach, and released the energy. There was a flash of blue as his fist dug into the flesh of the curse. There was a terrible squelching sound, and his arm grew warm and sticky as he broke through the flesh of the curse.

He ripped his hand free, foul-smelling purple blood dripping from his fingers. The green curse tried to scream, but it came out as a half-strangled cry as it burst into blue-purple flames. He was mutely aware that Shuji was shouting something, but Izuku wasn't listening. His ears were pounding with the sound of his own blood. The cream curse rumbled over to him. In another blur of movement, Izuku was behind the curse. His leg kicked out and smashed into the back of the curse, which howled in pain as it was launched across the room, its body erupting into flames.

Izuku wasn't thinking, he wasn't even really seeing. He was acting and reacting. His body running on pure instinct and adrenaline. He mind was in a haze, and all he wanted was to destroy. To kill the creatures that were terrifying him. To destroy. A purple claw arced through the air, and Izuku deftly caught it. With a numb jerk of his arm, purple blood flew through the air as Izuku tore the offending limb free from the curse. It hobbled backwards, grunting and screeching in pain as Izuku descended on his prey.

The curse lunged forward, trying to wrap its enormous maw around Izuku's arms. Izuku leapt over the top of the curse, his hand snapping out and gripping the top of the jaw. With a roar of primal rage, Izuku tore at the curse. With a horrifying squelching sound, Izuku ripped the top half of the curses head clean off from the jaw up. It fell to the ground, flames erupting from its body.

A strange silence descended on the office building. Izuku collapsed to his knees as his hold over his cursed energy slowly dissipated. He felt drained. Exhausted. As though he had just subjected himself to the most grueling workout of his life. He felt something wet and warm trickle down his arm, and he glanced down to see his entire right arm was drenched in purple blood and gore. The reality set in. The full weight of what he'd just done smacked him as though he'd been punched and he couldn't stop himself as he hunched over and profusely vomited over the cracked tile floor.

"Easy there, big guy, easy," soothed Shuji as he rubbed a circle on Izuku's back.

"I…I…k-killed them…" He surprised even himself with how vulnerable and weak he sounded.

"Yup," said Shuji, "But they're not humans, Izuku. Never were. They were curses. Thoughts made monstrous reality. You didn't kill a living being, but a nightmare."

He knew that had meant to be consoling, but it certainly didn't feel like it. He hadn't felt this way after fighting the grade one, but he'd been so overwhelmed and shocked by what he had seen and experienced that he hadn't exactly had the chance to process it. But here and now, where no one but him had been in danger? It felt too real. Too raw.

"It gets easier," said Shuji. "You've got a kind heart, and I know this is going to be hard. But believe me man, this is for the best."

"I want to help people," whispered Izuku. "What kind of hero kills people."

"You've got a very black and white view of reality Izuku," sighed Shuji, reaching down and grabbing the back of Izuku's shirt and hoisting him to his feet.

"Look. The reality is this. These curses aren't human beings. They don't have hopes or dreams or families or anything. They only care about themselves, and killing people. Satisfying their own base desires. You want to be a hero? That's fine, I get it. I wanted to be a pro too, remember? So if it helps, just contextualize it like that. By beating these monsters, you're going to be saving countless lives."

Izuku didn't respond, as another tremor ran through his stomach and he nearly vomited again.

"You'll be okay Izuku," said Shuji, wrapping an arm around Izuku. "We'll help you figure this shit out, all right?"

Izuku nodded, still feeling slightly numb.

"After all," smiled Shuji,

"What are brother's for?"

AN: Shoutout to Double0Sxvxn for being an awesome Beta and dealing with my bullshit and as always if you enjoyed this but haven't checked out my other work, give them a try you never know you might find something else you like. I'm also on discord now, where I and a bunch of other writers hang out, chat and brainstorm ideas, you just have to copy the link that's in my profile bio if you want to come and hang out with us. Stay safe, stay healthy and have an awesome week

All My Love,

LilDB