"Move your ass Deku before I set you on fire!"

Izuku's legs wobbled and he felt unsteady on his own two feet. He had been sleeping in darkness. Swallowed by the ocean in its cold embrace. He had been falling further and further. Water crashing down on his lungs.

Now he was back. He had died and reset. Back in front of Yuuei, where Kaachan and all of the other students were streaming into the best school in the county if not the world for Heroics.

Kaachan was talking to him.

Izuku shook his head from left to right.

He remembered the way the ocean seemed to fill his ear with nothingness.

Now the noise was everywhere and Izuku hated it.

What was that?

Izuku touched his head.

The sudden change in sound around him was giving him a headache.

Was that my Quirk?

"Kaachan?" Izuku asked, looking at Kaachan through a cupped hand. "What would you do, if your Quirk turned against you?"

Kaachan looked at Izuku like Izuku was an idiot. To be fair, it was a stupid question. Even in his current state, Izuku realized this fact. He knew from years of studying other peoples Quirks as well as reading online documentation and early experiments from many many years ago when the first Quirks emerged that it was scientifically impossible for a Quirk to work against its body. Quirks were like an extra muscle, they were an extra muscle. To ask if a Quirk turned against its body would be like asking if your bicep turned against you.

A muscle could be worn out just like a Quirk. A muscle could ache just like a Quirk.

So it was impossible for a Quirk to turn against its body.

However there were problems with Quirks through reproduction. Take a father with a Firebreath Quirk like Izuku's dad and a Telekinesis Quirk like his mothers and you could've gotten an Izuku that pulled fire towards him. Not a very safe Quirk to have. But usually Quirks that would realistically cause or bring about harm to the body, the Quirk would naturally grant the body some resistance. In the case being supposed, fire resistance. Or at least enough fire resistance so that a normally lethal amount of fire being pulled to the user wouldn't be lethal. There were still limits. A Quirk was just a muscle after all. A muscle that made no literal sense because you could have Firebreath or Telekinesis or maybe even Return By Death.

Return By Death was a funny Quirk. Because there has been no recorded Quirks of a similar nature. To top it all off. No one has ever had a time travel related Quirk, ever. However, Return By Death has explicitly stopped Izuku from trying to tell Kaachan about its existence or at least the details.

Return By Death came with some rules. One, not revealing that Izuku could turn back the clock every time he died. Two, apparently it was sentient enough to stop certain routes from occurring.

Izuku was referring to the many different outcomes to solving his loops, a route.

And until this specific loop, Return By Death hadn't stopped or hindered his progress. During his previous loop, Izuku remembered a hand from a void in the ground reaching up and tripping Iida, forcing him to die. Forcing him to die so Izuku would reset.

Izuku would have had to reset anyways if he hadn't scored enough points in the Practical. That last time he had scored ten points. It might have been enough to barely pass and it might not have.

Izuku was sure that the hand came from his Quirk. He felt it. The same sensation from back when he tried to tell Kaachan the truth of his Quirk.

Return By Death had sentience, a conscience, and it was working against Izuku.

No, Izuku thought. Not against me. Or else Return By Death would have stopped me in my other loops. So why did my Quirk interfere this time? Iida had almost rescued the girl. Is Return By Death trying to streamline my routes? But why? Why? Why? Why? What does it matter how I save someone?

That was another thing. Quirks were muscles. They could not be sentient. Sure there were emitter types and mutations that grew personalities…

Maybe Return By Death could grow sentience?

It was a muscle. Muscles grew.

But what was that hand? It looked like something straight out of a nightmare… What am I saying, my Quirk is straight out of a nightmare. Who would ask for this?

"What?" Kaachan scoffed. "Of course not, idiot Deku. Not unless you wear it out. Now get the fuck out of my way and stop asking stupid questions you should already know, damn nerd."

Izuku stepped to the side and let Kaachan pass.

What else was I expecting to hear? Of course Kaachan knows it's impossible. But my Quirk should be impossible.

Humans really were arrogant. Izuku had thought he had known everything when it came to Quirks until Return By Death had activated that first time. And ever since then, his perception of Quirks just kept flipping over and over again.

Well? What do you want me to do, Return By Death? You obviously don't want Iida to save the girl. So what do you want to happen?

If Izuku had been expecting an answer, he didn't get one.

Izuku tapped his forehead. His head really hurt. He wasn't about to go resetting via the ocean any time soon. He had just been so lost after that betrayal. And betrayal it certainly was. His own Quirk had hindered his progress through the loop.

Izuku stumbled.

No. No. No.

He couldn't faint again. Not again!

He was falling backwards.

The world was spinning.

And it just kept spinning until a pair of hands righted him.

"Whoa! Easy there. Are you okay?"

Izuku blinked. He knew that voice. How could he forget?

"It's you." Izuku turned to stare at the girl who had stopped him from falling, twice now.

"Sorry I used my Quirk on you without asking first, but you were kind of going in for a crash landing. So I thought you wouldn't mind so much." She pulled some chestnut hair behind her ear.

Izuku steadied himself and asked the first thing that came to his mind. "Who are you?"

The girl rocked back on her heels. "My name? Oh. Hi." She bowed her head slightly. "I'm Ochako Uraraka. Nice to meet you."

This was the second time he was talking with this girl. The first girl to talk to him. The girl he had been trying to save. How could fate be so cruel to such a sweet girl?

Izuku nodded. "Izuku Midoriya, nice to meet you, too."

Uraraka beamed at him. He felt his heart squeeze naturally. Her smile was beautiful.

"Isn't this really crazy? Being here at Yuuei?"

"Yeah," Izuku said. "I can't believe that I'm actually here right now. This is where All Might went to school." Izuku also couldn't believe that his Quirk was working against him or at the least, guiding him along, however painful.

"I know! Him and Space Hero Thirteen!"

"Thirteen?" Is she talking about the Rescue Hero with the Black Hole Quirk? "Is that your favorite Hero?"

Uraraka nodded. "Yep! Space Hero Thirteen is the best. She isn't strong like All Might or anything but she's a great Rescue Hero! Besides, we both have space themed Quirks. I want to be just like her."

"Space themed?" Izuku thought quickly. "Zero Gravity?"

Uraraka looked surprised. "Woah! You nailed it. How'd you know? Wait, no. Common sense, I sort of gave it away. Didn't I?" She giggled and looked away for just a moment.

Izuku felt like laughing. Uraraka looked sheepish but her smile was still there.

"How does it work? Zero Gravity?"

Uraraka showed off her fingers. "Like this. All I've got to do is touch something or someone with all five fingers and I can make them float! Too much weight and I kind of get sick though."

"That's really neat." I'll have to write that down in one of my Hero Journals later.

"What about you?" she asked him. "What's your Quirk?"

Should he try to tell her? He's only tried to tell Kaachan about Return By Death. Maybe it would let him tell certain people? His Quirk was too confusing.

"Danger Sense," Izuku lied with a smile on his face. "I can Sense whenever I'm in Danger. And if I've only touched a few people I can Sense whenever they are in Danger for up to twenty four hours."

"Neato! Sounds like you'd make a great Rescue Hero!"

Become a Rescue Hero?

I can't even rescue you.

Uraraka must have noticed that something was wrong. She frowned. "What's the matter?"

"I." How could he tell her? How could anyone tell her that she had only hours to live? Is this what doctors and consultants did whenever their client showed signs of terminal illness? This wasn't something Heroes were meant to say. Heroes were meant to save the day and wish the people well. "It's nothing. I'm just nervous." The lie was easy because it was truthful.

Uraraka's brows furrowed before that warming smile returned. "I know." She grabbed Izuku by the hand and raised their hands towards the sky. "We'll take the test together. That way, we'll both pass. And one day, we'll become Heroes!"

It was a nice sentiment. Too nice and too intimate. Izuku blushed furiously and stared at the walkway. "It won't be that easy."

"Of course it won't, Midoriya." She dropped his hand. "Nothing is ever easy." She began walking towards Yueei and Izuku followed after her. "At least, nothing worthwhile. Like my parents' construction company."

She seemed to grow heistant.

Izuku was walking right next to her, the blush from early faded into a light reddish tint that could've come from the cold. "What about it?"

"Well. Please don't judge me when I say this." Uraraka gave Izuku a sideways glance.

"I won't," Izuku told her reassuringly.

She nodded. "Things aren't looking too good for them. I was hoping I could lend them a hand with a Hero License, I could legally help out with my Quirk. And any excess funds I make as a Hero well, I can give them."

"Thats." That was very sweet. "That's incredible," Izuku said. "And very noble of you. Your parents are lucky to have you."

"Thanks," Uraraka nearly skipped. "I was afraid you'd think of me as greedy or something."

"No. No, not at all." Izuku shook his head. "It's actually pretty Heroic to me."

"Really?"

"Hmmhmm."

"Thanks, Midoriya."

"No, problem. Uraraka."

That was when Izuku saw Kaachan waiting for him.

"Deku? Who the fuck is this?"

The three stood in one of the lines together for the Written Examination.

At first, Uraraka had been very put off from Kaachan's… well… everything Kaachan.

Kaachan snorted. "Should've just let the loser eat concrete, round cheeks."

"R-round cheeks?"

Well at least it wasn't Deku. Or nerd, idiot, loser, extra, stepping stone, red shirt, no name, pushover, weakling, pest, fuckface, or bitch. So that was a plus. It might not have counted as a plus from Uraraka's perspective but she didn't know Kaachan like Izuku did. The fact that he gave her a nickname like "round cheeks," was a very good sign that Kaachan acknowledged you as more than just another face in the crowd.

"Yeah, gotta problem with it?"

"I, I have a name you know?"

"No, really? Don't care."

"You!"

Did Kaachan like starting arguments with everybody?

Uraraka turned to Izuku. "This guy is your friend?" she asked while pointing at Kaachan.

Izuku nodded. "Kaachan's been my friend since I can remember."

Kaachan disagreed. "Like hell we're friends! Why would I want to be friends with such a worthless Deku?"

"He's not worthless!" Uraraka nearly shouted at Kaachan.

Oh no. Not again.

People were staring. Lots of people. Just when Izuku didn't think things could get any worse…

"Would you hooligans keep it down? If you continue to show such blatant disrespect towards your peers and this given oppurti=unity to attend Yuuei, then I suggest you leave before I call on the staff!"

Iida was here.

There was no way in the brightest hell that the entire room was not looking at them.

Tenya Iida was standing straight as a board and throwing his hands and arms around at perfect right angles. All the while he was threatening Uraraka, Kaachan, and Izuku for causing a distraction on such an important day.

Uraraka was indignant with one arm crossed over her chest and another pointing up at Iida. She was trying to tell him that she and Izuku weren't with Kaachan and that Kaachan was the rude boy that Iida needed to get after, not Uraraka and Izuku.

Kaachan stood with his hands in his pockets sneering at both Iida and Uraraka. He wasn't smiling but he was smirking with every word spoken or rather shouted by Iida and Uraraka. Once an opening presented itself, Kaachan took it upon himself to further insult either Iida or Uraraka.

And off to the side of the very verbally aggressive group of teenagers was Izuku. Meek and shaking his head back and forth in his hands making sure that he couldn't make eye contact with the crowd around them.

Why does this have to happen? Why can't I just be normal and have normal friends?

Were they his friends? Kaachan was on the fence. Uraraka and he had just met. And Iida was friends with Izuku in a previous timeline but not the current one.

How did he fix this? What could he do?

Kaachan. Iida. Uraraka.

Three very different people with different personalities and ideals.

Izuku turned to Uraraka first. Izuku didn't know her very well. But what he did know was that she was the kind of person to help stop a complete stranger from tripping on a very important day. There was kindness, heroism, and boldness there.

Izuku placed a hand on Uraraka's shoulder to get her attention. Once said attention was had, Izuku immediately retracted his hand and looked away with a blush. "I. Kaachan is my friend, Uraraka. He just… doesn't mean a lot of what he says. You just need to look into his actions, not his words."

Uraraka blinked and then turned to Kaachan for confirmation.

Kaachan visibly recoiled from Izuku's words and snarled. "What the fu-"

Izuku was fast, slapping an open palm over Kaachan's mouth. People were staring. Lots of people were staring, including Iida and Uraraka. But both had gone quiet which was good. Izuku hoped that was a good sign.

Izuku's hand was covered in spit. Kaachan's first defense and offensive maneuver to get Izuku to remove his hand. Izuku held his hand tightly to Kaachan's mouth like a muzzle.

Izuku turned to Iida. "I'm so sorry for the disturbance." Izuku turned and finally looked at the crowd. He was at the center of attention and he hated it. "I'm sorry. For me and my friends. We didn't mean to cause a scene. This is an important day and we all need to be focused on the Entrance Exams if we want to pass. Forgive us."

A couple nodded. Some laughed. It was clear nobody was irritated with what was happening. Most were amused more than anything.

Iida was shaking his head at Izuku. "I too am sorry." Iida bowed at a ninety degree angle. "I was angry and I jumped to conclusions."

Uraraka was now shaking her head. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so loud."

"Neither did I. I'm not usually so…" Iida glanced around and bowed his head once more. "What I mean to say is, that I am truly sorry for my outburst. However, I would like to ask that if you insist on continuing your little argument, that you use inside voices and be discreet about it. I would prefer it if you didn't argue at all. Today is a very important day. Everybody needs to be at their best."

Kaachan must have realized that coating Izuku's hand in spit wasn't working. In Kaachan fashion. When one explosion didn't work, hit them with a bigger explosion. Sharp teeth broke through Izuku's skin and Izuku yelped, withdrawing his hand, and glared at Kaachan.

Izuku's glare was equally matched and effectively murdered by Kaachan's own glare.

Uraraka blinked. Iida looked horrified at the spit trailing from Izuku's hand. Izuku stared down at his hand and felt it throb where Kaachan's teeth had left little indentations in his skin.

Kaachan was anything but apologetic. This wasn't even the worst of what Izuku had endured from Kaachan over the years. A little bite like this versus a series of minor explosions on his person? This was nothing. That's what Izuku before Return By Death would have thought. The Izuku of now?

Izuku swung his hand around. "You bit me!"

"You put your hand on my mouth!"

"You were being rude!"

"You were being a weakling!"

"I." Izuku hesitated before swinging his arm at Kaachan again.

Spit was flying in every direction. Uraraka shrieked and shielded her face with a hand. If Iida looked horrified before then he had just witnessed the shooting of a cute little puppy.

"Eeew!" Uraraka squealed at the spit that had gotten on her fingers.

The crowd was watching them all over again. Izuku didn't care this time around. His hand hurt.

"What is wrong with you two?" Uraraka finished throwing the spit from her fingers.

"Those two?" Iida's eyes were hidden behind his glasses. "What's wrong with you?"

"Wha?"

"How could the three of you be so disgusting. And to think I was begining to think better of you."

Despite the initial meeting.

Somehow, despite all odds. The four were walking together from the Written Exam towards the Practical Orientation.

Iida seemed to get on well with Uraraka and Izuku. Uraraka had grown tolerant of Kaachan's little outbursts. And everyone was making sure to stay out of their way.

Izuku wondered if this was better or worse than everyone staring at them.

Katsuki didn't know what to think of Deku's two tagalongs.

When he had first seen Deku walking up to him with round cheeks earlier he had assumed dumbass Deku was crushing on some girl. Then she started back talking to him. Him! Katsuki Bakugo, future Number One Hero of Japan, of the world!

Back talking turned to arguing.

Then out of nowhere some rigid four eyed punk with a stick so far up his ass came over and started to chew both round cheeks and Katsuki out. Worthless Deku just hung off to the side during most of the arguing until stepping in at the very end.

Fucking Deku. Fucking Deku went and silenced Katsuki with a hand over the mouth. And when Kaachan bit down on his hand he retreated. How weak!

The whole thing had pissed Katsuki off.

Deku was dead.

D. E. A. D. Dead.

Katsuki couldn't wait for the chance to murder Deku during the Practical Entrance Exam.

And now, fucking four eyes was following them around. Like a pair of fucking stalkers.

What the actual fuck was going on here?

Katsuki glanced sharply at the new additions and not so subtly gave them both the stink eye.

Four eyes ignored him. Nobody fucking ignores me!

Round cheeks stuck her tongue out at him.

Just who are these two lovers? And why does the name Iida ring a bell?

Obviously Katsuki Bakugo knew Heroes. Iida was the name of some Hero but he didn't know which. Which told Katsuki that whoever four eyes was related to, was a loser too. The only Heroes that mattered were the top ten and even then, the real spectacle was All Might.

One day. I'm gonna be at the very top too.

And if Deku and his little sidekicks thought they could get in his way? Well Katsuki would just murder them so badly that Katsuki would indisputably seen as better.

Still…

Deku had been acting… off.

Ever since this morning. Between their first encounter.

Deku was acting very differently.

It was similar. Like the day All Might had dealt with the Sludge Villain. One second Deku was napping in class. The next, he was so fucking confident. What had changed?

Katsuki knew what Deku mentioned at some point, discovering what his Quirk was… Danger Sight? Something worthless like that. It was fitting for worthless Deku.

But it didn't add up.

A Quirk that could detect Danger?

Katsuki knew it was a possibility. Quirks made what should have been impossible, possible.

But that didn't explain the change in Deku's demeanor.

Katsuki wasn't fucking stupid. He just wasn't a nerd like Deku.

Katsuki's jaw worked and he looked over at Deku, walking, smiling, and talking with complete fucking strangers.

There was more to Deku's Quirk. There had to be. The fucking shitty Deku was lying.

To top it all off.

Back before the earlier encounter with four eyes and round cheeks. Katsuki swore Deku had spoken a name before four eyes had reached them. Somehow, fucking Deku knew four eyes. Even though the two had never fucking met.

But what did that mean?

Katsuki glared ahead of them at a group of wimpy extras. They didn't stand a chance in the Practical. Bunch of fucking idiots.

Idiot Deku. He was lying.

Whatever. Doesn't matter what his worthless Quirk is. He's still a weak Deku.

"That's an incredible Quirk, Iida!" Deku was positively beaming at four eyes.

Four eyes nodded. "It's been in my family for generations."

"Wait. You wouldn't happen to be related to the Engine Hero, Ingenium?"

Four eyes looked proud. "Indeed. He's my older brother."

Leave it to the nerd to know all about some b lister.

Once again. Izuku was placed in a separate area from Uraraka. Her fate was sealed in this loop. Izuku just needed to dedicate the remaining lifetime he had left to training.

Because even if he could save Uraraka, he'd still have to pass the Practical.

Izuku looked around but he didn't see Ashido in this group or the teen with the bird head.

Instead he saw a much greater variety.

More potential students with more incredible Quirks. They were his competition.

He wouldn't despair.

He'd already wasted time in previous loops despairing against the odds of his situation. He was past that.

Now, Izuku stood as tall as he could and squared his shoulders.

He had a Practical Exam to take.