Since the beginning, no one really thought much of me. Especially after discovering I'd been born without a quirk. And who could blame them for not believing me when I told them I'd wanted to be a hero?
I learned to deal with it, make the most of what I could, but it was never enough. Something wasn't right. I always knew I was meant for more. It wasn't until the day I'd met All Might, who didn't believe in me until after I'd stupidly ran after Kacchan, that I had some hope of believing I was capable of being a hero.
He trained me and I threw myself into it. The long hours, the research, the exhaustion. It was all to be a hero that other's believe in and with All Might's power…I could do it. UA was just the beginning. Today was the entrance exams.
I rushed through the gates to UA, not paying attention to my surroundings or anything other than the mile-a-muttering going on inside my head. Things I needed to remember from the exams, the lunch I'd packed this morning, All Might's words as he gave me his power. I hadn't known I was headed for the the ground until it was too late and concrete was dangerously close to my face.
Only I didn't fall, I found myself hovering in the air, a sensation far more panic-inducing than falling on my face. I flailed about in the air, stopping when I heard a girl giggling next to me. Her hand was stretched out and I found myself back on my own two feet.
I tried to tell her thank you, or something but my voice wouldn't listen to me. Not when I couldn't take my eyes off of her.
Her hair was shorter than most girls, keeping it tucked around her shoulders with soft bands that complimented her rounder face. Her cheeks were wide and pink. Her eyes were a soft brown, large and kind. She smiled at me, making my heart race and all my thoughts of panic gone.
She was the prettiest girl I'd ever seen.
"Hey! Sorry for using my quirk on you without asking. It would be back luck if you fell though, right?" She said, her voice bubbly and bright.
I wanted to say something but my words caught in my throat. Her smile vanished. A hand covered her mouth as she doubled over in a coughing fit. I cleared my thoat and reached out to her. "Are you okay?"
In an instant, she was back up and flashing that same dazzling smile like nothing had happened.
"Yeah! I'm fine. Thanks for asking," she said. "Sorry about that. I'm Ochako Uraraka, it's nice to meet you."
I bowed. "I'm Izuku Midoriya, it's nice to meet you too."
She smiled. "You're going for the Hero course, right?"
How did she know? Did I look like I was going into the hero course? Did I appear confident ro powerful? Did I—
"You have a folder sticking out of your backpack that says that actually," Uraraka says with a soft smile, causing my entire face to redden. I desperately fought the urge to run away. I really needed to work on not muttering my thoughts out loud.
"I am too, actually. I hope to see you there. Let's do our best!" She said, raising a fist in the air. She turned and walked away, leaving me in shock.
I just talked to a girl!
And…she was really nice.
She didn't laugh at my muttering, she helped me when I was going to fall and she spoke to me like…like a regular person. Not like she was trying to talk down on me. If that's what the people were like at UA…I think I was really going to like it.
That cough of hers seemed troubling. I hoped she wasn't catching a cold. I'm sure that would make the entrance exams a lot more troubling.
Today was already off to a bad start. A guy with glasses had yelled at me for muttering and I had no idea how I was going to take down the bots for the practical exam. Everyone was so fast, so skilled. Almost like they didn't just receive their quirks and have had years to perfect them. I was already running behind and time was not on my side.
In the middle of my blundering around trying to find a bot to earn some points, I saw the others start to run past me. The ground started to rumble. My eyes widened as I saw it, the zero pointer. It was headed right this way. I moved to turn away when I heard someone coughing, my head snapped toward the noise.
It was her, Ochako Uraraka. She was stuck under a large piece of rubble and her entire body shook as she coughed. Her hand was covering her mouth and for a second I thought I could see a bit of red on her hands.
Is she coughing up blood?
I was no doctor but I knew that was bad.
She struggled to move and I saw her leg was stuck under a large boulder. The zero pointer was steps away from crushing her completely. She was stuck and needed help. There was no room for thoughts or doubts. My feet moved on their own and I ignored the odd looks and questions as I ran against the crowd running away and charged straight toward the robot.
All Might's words came to mind. I imagined the power forming through my hands and charged forward. I had to save her. I would save her.
I can do this, it's working.
"SMASH!"
The bot went down in a giant tumble, leaving a massive wave of dirt and debris in its wake. But before I could admire my victory of successfully using my quirk, I realized I was plummeting toward the earth with no way of breaking my fall. My arm was discolored and limp, definitely broken.
But as I was falling I couldn't help but smile. Ochako Uraraka was safe from harm and I was able to use my quirk to help someone, even if it was just her. I closed my eyes and waited.
SMACK
My cheek stung as I opened my eyes to see that I was no longer falling or at risk of death. I looked over at Uraraka who was squinting and arms were shaking. Did she save me?
Announcements stated that the exam was now over but I couldn't concentrate on anything but Uraraka and the sensation of floating in the air.
Uraraka put her hands together. "Release."
I fell the rest of the way to the ground in an ungraceful thump. When I couldn't move, I realized that both my arms and legs were broken and I wouldn't be moving anytime soon.
Uraraka must have noticed this too and scrambled to move toward me. Didn't her leg get smashed? She looked pained as she dug her arms forward to crawl. Why was she trying to move so badly?
"Uraraka! It's okay, you're hurt. Please don't push yourself. Thank you for saving me," I said with a smile before asking, "Are you alright?"
She nodded. "I'm fine, Midoriya. You look way worse than me right now."
Despite my protests, she crawled over to me, looking at my arm with a grimace. "That looks like it really hurts. You didn't have to do that for me."
I was about to protest myself when she curled in on herself, launching into another one of her coughing fits. It was the third time in the span of a few hours that I've seen that happen to her. Coughing up blood like that cannot be normal.
"Uraraka…Are you really okay?"
Her smile turned to panic. She gave a shaky smile and tried to wave it off. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine, really. Thank you for saving me! That punch was so cool!"
Normally, I would be ecstatic to hear her praise. A person thanking me for helping them, my first try at being a hero but…it didn't feel right. Whatever she was going through, it didn't seem like a common cold. She needed medical attention.
"Please, Uraraka," I asked gently. "I know we just met but that cough doesn't seem normal. Will you please get it checked out?"
And then I realized what I'd done. She had no reason to listen to me, we were still strangers! I barely knew her name and now I'm making demands on her health! I should say something, apologize. I didn't want to take my words back because I really did think she needed help but—
To my surprise, she nodded. "Okay, I'll go see a doctor."
I smiled. She really listened to me. Uraraka really was different from anyone I'd ever met my age. I hope there are more people like her out there.
An older woman that I learned was Recovery Girl approached and reprimanded me for being reckless before pressing a kiss to me forehead, effectively healing my broken bones in an instant. She moved to Uraraka, allowing her to stand again.
Uraraka reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone. "Here, we can exchange numbers and keep in touch. I'll let you know how the doctor goes since you seem to be so concerned."
I flushed but nodded. "Sorry for being pushy about it."
She waved it off. "Thanks for everything today, Midoriya. I'm really happy I made a friend here," she said with a soft smile.
My eyes widened and I beamed, grinning from ear to ear. Surely, I had to have misheard her. Or, maybe I was dreaming. "Friends? You and me?"
She giggled and it was the cutest sound I'd ever heard. "Of course, silly!"
Friends.
She didn't take it back and make fun of me. She wasn't laughing at my expense. She really meant it.
It had been such a long time since someone wanted to be my friend.
"Midoriya?" A concerned voice asked. I looked up to see Uraraka standing close. Far too close. My previous emotional state vanished and turned into pure embarrassment, my skin turning a deep pink as heat rose in my cheeks. I tried to slowly inch away, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.
"Oh! I'm sorry! It's just been a long day and all…" my voice drifted off as I looked at her.
She was red, really red. Not like how I was just a few seconds ago blushing at her closeness but like she was sick. Her bangs were damp and sticking to her forehead. Even her breathing looked a little more cumbersome.
"Are you okay?" I asked, all traces of embarrassment gone and replaced with worry.
Earlier, when I noticed her coughing, she shrugged it off with a smile. Her smile wasn't coming as easily now. I didn't know her, I'd only known her a few hours but I could see that she was struggling. Just how long had she been feeling like that and hiding it? Even Recovery Gril's healing quirk wasn't enough to make her feel better.
"I'm just tired," she said, her words coming out in pants. She was getting worse by the second.
I stepped closer to her, placing my hand on her forehead and nearly recoiling from the heat.
"Uraraka, you're burning up!"
"I probably just need to rest," she mumbled. She took a labored breath before looking up at me. "I'm sorry to keep troubling you but…will you walk me to the train station?"
"Of course, but maybe I should take you to a hospital instead?" I asked.
"No, no. It's not that big of a deal. I've dealt with this before. I'll have my parents meet us," she said, pulling out her phone and sending her message.
I was torn between protesting and wanting to respect her wishes. It had happened before? Was this a normal thing for her? And if it was…why had she not seen a doctor about it sooner? But…I can't make her. She did promise she would go to a doctor and if I bring her to her parents…then they can help her if she needs to go to the hospital.
In the short few hours I'd gotten to know Uraraka, I'd learned very clearly that she is not the type that accepts help easily. As much as I was worried about my now-friend, I should respect her wishes.
"Okay."
I turned my back to her and kneeled down. "Hop on. You can rest on the way there."
Her eyes widened and for a moment it seemed like she was worried. "That's such a long walk, Midoriya. I couldn't ask you to carry me that far…"
I looked back at her and smiled. "I've been training for UA for almost a year and a lot of that included strength and endurance training." I remembered my time training with All Might and cleaning up the beach. I was strong, even without the help of One for All.
"I could carry two of you on my back all day. Now, come on. You shouldn't be on your feet if you're sick," I told her.
I wasn't sure if she believed me or if she was feeling bad enough to not care but she walked over and placed her arms around my neck and wrapped her legs around my waist. I placed my hands under her thighs and willed myself to only focus on my task at hand which was helping my friend.
I rose up and started toward the train station. "Are you comfortable, Uraraka?"
She murmured an uh huh and leaned her head down on my shoulder. It felt nice, being close to someone. Having them lean on me. I most certainly had never given anyone a piggy back ride before. I guess that's what friends do. I smiled.
Having a friend was already nice.
Her breathing evened out and I figured she'd fallen asleep. I hoped she was okay. I could understand the fever part after a long day of using her quirk and working hard, but the coughing blood and fever? I hope she sees that doctor quickly and they are able to find out what's wrong and heal her quickly. She's trying to be in the hero course at UA, she's got big ambitions just like me.
But she said she would, so it won't be long until she's healthy again. And I was excited to get to know her. She was so kind. The way she spoke to me…I already know she's someone I'll never forget. After all she was the first girl who ever called herself my friend.
As we approached the train station, I saw her parents. Not only did they look like her, especially her mother, their worried expressions gave them away. Their eyes were glued to their daughter who was resting on my back. I tried to reassure them with a small smile.
"Thank you for looking after our daughter," Mrs. Uraraka whispered.
I kept my voice quiet. "It's no problem at all. I'm Izuku Midoriya. It's nice to meet you."
"She was lucky to have you near, Midoriya," Mr. Uraraka said.
"Oh, I'm the lucky one. She's very kind. She helped encourage me to do my best today and saved me from a fall," I said.
The pair smiled and looked at each other, sharing a silent sentiment. They were probably just as in awe of her kindness as I was. And they clearly loved her greatly. Had they not known she wasn't feeling well?
"Has she been coughing recently?" I asked.
Both parents shook their heads. "I don't recall," Mr. Uraraka said and his wife shook her head.
"She was trying not to show it but I saw her coughing a couple times earlier and it seemed like there was blood with it too. Then later when we were talking I noticed she started looking feverish. She told me she would see a doctor," I said.
"Oh my," Mrs. Uraraka said. "Yes, we will definitely make sure she goes as soon as possible."
I took one last look at her sleeping face, still far too red.
Even sick…she was really pretty.
Her parents thanked me one last time before I left and I called my mom to let her know I was running late.
But that didn't stop her from worrying. When I got home she opened the door for me with a frown.
After the day I had though between getting One for All, using it and the stuff with Uraraka I was exhausted.
"I'm just tired mom, I promise," I told her.
She looked skeptical but accepted it. "I have some leftovers for you then you can rest, okay?"
I nodded and sat down on the couch until the food was ready before joining her in the kitchen. I sat across from her on our small wooden table. She looked lost in thought.
"Mom?" I said, breaking her from her trance. Her brows peaked upward.
"Yes, dear?"
I smiled. "I made a friend today."
Her eyes lit up in delight and ran over to where I was sitting, nearly toppling me over with a bear hug.
"Oh, baby! That's wonderful!" She said.
"Yeah, she was really nice too…" I trailed off. While I was embarrassed to be talking about a girl, I couldn't help but share my excitement. I even thought about calling up All Might.
Mom was over the moon. I knew middle school worried her, so I'm confident me making a friend today gave her some reassurance. Even if it was a bit pathetic I was alone for so long.
But this year will be different and it's all because of Uraraka.
I stared at my phone that evening, looking at Uraraka's contact. I thought about texting. Her to make sure she got home okay, but thought better of it and to let her rest. I could always check in with her tomorrow.
Wait.
I stared down at her name on my phone.
I had a girl's phone number!
Her sweet smile came to mind, the concerned look she had when she was worried about me. I had a feeling she was going to be on my mind for a long time.
The next few days were spent in high anxiety and anticipation. All Might was busy, but at least I had Uraraka to talk to. She lived in Maie, so it was a bit harder to see her. We texted often, Uraraka usually being the initiator of our chats. She spoke about things that excited her like Thirteen and All Might and Mochi. She shared her favorite things to do and whatever was on her mind. My conversations with her slowly became the best part of my days.
It was nice having a person that someone wanted to talk to and share bits of their day. Even if I was ignored at school, it didn't matter anymore.
She'd gone to the doctor, as promised. They wanted to run a few tests to rule some things out, something very worrying to me but she didn't seem too concerned about it, saying that Maie didn't have a lot of things and they always sent her somewhere else if it wasn't a cold or something super minor.
But I still worried.
I wanted to invite her over, maybe even open our letters together when we got them, but i was far too scared to do something so bold. Even if she wanted to be my friend, I didn't know if she wanted to hang out with me outside of UA things.
My phone buzzed and I smiled, glancing at the text from Uraraka.
I'll be in town soon, want to hang out?
I typed of course! Before worrying if that was a too eager response, changing it to sure! What did you have in mind?
Suddenly, I was anxious for another reason entirely. My mom was ecstatic, very eager to have Uraraka come over for dinner. Even though she'd never met her, mom already loved her from what I'd told her about Uraraka.
I still hadn't known Uraraka for long but I knew that she was super sweet and fun to talk to. She didn't mind me rambling about quriks or All Might. I was excited to see her again and talk to her more. I hoped we got into UA. the thought of going to the same school as her and seeing her everyday was really exciting. We could be heroes together!
The day she came, I was a bundle of excitement and nerves. I wore my best button down shirt and jeans and showered three times, just in case. She was there for an appointment in town for follow-up test results, which she said they were probably going to tell her she needed more iron. But she was going to meet with me afterwards to hang out and grab dinner at my place with her parents.
I couldn't wait.
As soon as she texted me that she was on the way, I couldn't stop pacing. I knew it was irrational to be this excited over a friend coming over but I just couldn't help it. Uraraka was in town and wanted to see me.
When they were at the door, I immediately ran out, greeting everyone with a warm smile. Uraraka returned my smile, gently waving. My breath nearly caught in my throat when I saw her. She was in a denim skirt with tights underneath with an All Might shirt and jacket over top. But it was her eyes as she smiled at me that threw me the most off guard.
She was gorgeous.
How did someone like her want to be friends with me?
I cleared my throat. "Uraraka! Mr. And Mrs. Uraraka! It's so good to see you all again!"
"The pleasure is ours, my dear. Thank you for having us," Mrs. Uraraka said.
I urged them to come in and mom stepped out of the kitchen, greeting them all with a smile. They sat down and they started to chat. Similar to how Uraraka and I clicked, conversations between our parents just came naturally. Like they were talking to old friends. I could tell mom appreciated the company.
I turned to Uraraka. "Are you ready to go?"
She nodded, jumping up and smiling. "I'm so excited!"
I chuckled at her before waving to her parents.
"Have fun!"
I tried not to think about the fact that I was going on a planned outing alone with a girl. This wasn't about that. Uraraka was my friend and I had decided that I was going to be the best friend I could possibly be for her. Our first stop: the arcade.
"Are you ready to get your butt kicked, Midoriya?" She asked with an evil grin. But with her round face and pink cheeks, her trying to look intimidating came out adorable. I tried hard not to laugh.
"Those are big words, my friend. I'll have you know I've gotten the high score in ski ball three times," I said with a grin.
Her smile didn't fade in the slightest. "Then this should be fun."
I walked out of the arcade with a wounded pride. Uraraka was a monster, nearly getting a perfect score. My shoulders slumped.
"And here I thought I was good at ski ball. I'm never playing again."
She pat me on the back, her friendly smile returning. "That was so much fun!"
I perked up. "Want to play again?"
She giggled. "You're so funny, Midoriya."
I'm funny? I liked being funny.
"I'd love to play more, but I wanted to check out a place while I was in town," she said.
"Oh, yeah absolutely. You wanted to try out the candy shop, right? The one with all the mochi flavors?" I asked.
She nodded, her eyes lighting up. She grabbed my arm and started dragging me. This time it was my turn to chuckle at her. She really liked sweets.
"Uraraka," I said, breifly breaking her from her thoughts. "It's this way."
I said, pointing the opposite direction of where we were going. She gave an apologetic smile and let me lead the way, still notably holding onto my arm.
Watching her explore around was like watching a kid in Disney land. She told me her family isn't well off and Maie is a small town. Going some place like this is a luxury. And she was loving every second.
We stood in line for nearly ten minutes while she tried to pick which flavors of mochi she wanted. I tried to buy some for her but she shut me down quickly. She may have come from a poorer family, but she also refused to accept anything from me.
When we got our goods we sat down on a bench at a nearby park. The sun was starting to set, and I knew we would have to head back soon. She reached into her bag and pulled out an envelope. A nervous smile crossed her face.
"Your mom told me to give this to you while we were out," she said.
I looked at the letter seeing the UA lettering on the front.
"UA? The results?" I asked in a panic. I couldn't do this. What if I didn't get in and she did? What if—
Her hand reached forward to my hand holding the envelope. "It's okay, Midoriya. Let's open it together."
My heart was running miles, but I took a deep breath. I could do this with her here. I nodded and we pulled the letter out. A projection from All Might appeared.
"I am here…as a projection!" He said in his overly dramatic hero-voice.
Uraraka looked over at me and we both chuckled.
He started talking about how he's been busy and not able to contact him, which Uraraka looked confused about but I waved it off, not wanting to get into my secret quirk.
When he said that my attack results weren't enough to get in, my head dropped. I knew it. I knew I wasn't good enough—
Her hand reached firmly around mine and squeezed it gently.
"If that were the only thing we were grading on!"
My head lifted and I unconsciously squeezed Uraraka's hand.
"Man, he likes to be dramatic," she whispered. I nodded, a brief smile crossing my face as the projection continued.
When they showed a clip of Uraraka, my jaw dropped and she hid her face with her free hand in embarrassment.
I gaped at her. "You really did that? For me?"
"Of course, silly! You saved me and you're my friend!" She said.
But that meant…she had to take the train to UA and spend money that was tough for them just to vouch for me…I looked at her again and for a moment all I could see was her smile.
"Midoriya?" She said breaking me out of my thoughts.
"What?"
"Did you really not hear him?"she asked incredulously.
I hesitantly shook my head.
"You got in! You did it!" She said, wrapping her arms around me.
I got in? I was going to UA?
My arms wrapped around her and I fought the urge to cry—not around her. But…I did it. This was my first step toward becoming a hero and I passed!
I was so caught up in my own happiness that I realized that we were just looking at my results.
"What about your letter, Uraraka?"
Her smile dropped and she released my arms. "I…was accepted," she said in a quiet voice. She got in too? Isn't that a good thing? "but I can't go anymore."
"What do you mean?" I asked. Why would she turn down UA? The hardest school in Japan to get into?
Her head hung lower. "If I tell you…will you promise that you won't treat me any differently?"
I nodded. "Absolutely, you can tell me anything. We're friends."
She took a few deep breaths, and I could see that her eyes were starting to redden like she was going to cry, but she remained calm. Her arms wrapped wrapped around herself like a hug.
"I'm sick."
I raised my eyebrows. "You have a cold?"
She shook her head. "No, I mean sick, sick."
I was still lost. She didn't appear to have a fever anymore and hadn't had a single coughing spell since I'd seen her this morning so—
"It's cancer, Midoriya."