AN: Every time I get an email that I got another fav/follow/review it makes my day. Only 4 chapters and I already have over 200 favs, 300 follows and 30 reviews. You guys are amazing! Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far and has been patient with my updates.

I have another announcement. This was recommended by one of my reviewers. I have decided to change the genre to friendship/adventure. There will be Izuku x Nejire fluff, but their relationship will not take off until they're older. I had not intended to write this much pre-UA material back when I started this story. Right now, I'm happy with taking my time developing their relationship as kids.

That will be all!

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Flashback

Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia.

Chapter 5

Izuku felt like he was laying among the clouds. You think it would be frightening being up so high, but he felt strangely at peace. His eyes were closed so he could fully take in the feeling of the fluffiness of what he was laying on. His body and mind just felt warm and fuzzy. He didn't think he had ever experienced this level of comfort before.

"How are you feeling Izuku?" A voice called out to him that seemed to be far away and nearby at the same time.

"I'm….I'm good…Quite happy actually." He opened his eyes again and snapped back to reality. He was back in an office room. The cloud was actually real though. You could say it was more like sheep's wool. Izuku turned his head towards the desk in the room and looked at the young woman behind it. Her face had a welcoming smile and blue eyes. Her hair was made out of the same material he was currently laying on. Horns were sprouting out of her head as well.

"I'm glad. Just make yourself comfortable and we'll get started whenever you're ready," she said happily. Her voice also seemed to have a calming effect on him. Izuku adjusted himself so instead of lying flat on the cloud he was sitting upright to face her. He sunk into the cloud like he was sitting in a beanbag chair, except it was able to perfectly conform around his body.

Izuku was initially nervous when he had walked into this room but now, he was much better. The woman had explained how her quirk worked and he was intrigued by the way her hair grew and formed a puff of wool. The wool had separated from her head and she prompted him to get in it. He was hesitant but did as she said. As soon as he laid down, he felt the calm take over him.

Her quirk was called Sheep Cloud. She had the wool of a sheep for hair as well as sheep horns on her head. She could grow out the wool and separate it to make fluffy clouds of it. When surrounded by it, the wool had a calming effect on the person making them feel at ease. It lowered their inhibitions making it much easier for them to speak their mind.

"Whenever you're ready, we can start the discussion. Just say whatever you want. I want our first meeting to be nice and relaxed. No pressure." This woman didn't know much about Izuku and she preferred to keep it that way. She wanted him to be the one to tell her about himself. All Inko had told her was that he had issues with bullying. She didn't press for any details. Izuku would tell her what he wanted to tell her when he was ready. That was the best way to go about it in therapy sessions.

Izuku hummed in thought for a moment. Then, he got an excited look on his face and told his therapist about some hero news he heard that morning. All Might and Nighteye had busted a drug gang. Nighteye had tracked them down and All Might knocked them all out before they even knew what hit them.

"So cool!"Izuku had exclaimed. He went on to talk about a story with Aquapulse. He had used his quirk to make a large pool of water for people that were jumping out of a damaged building. Izuku had quickly added that technique to his profile on Aquapulse.

"Using water to cushion someone's fall. Genius!"It was just another one of the many ways to utilize water. Izuku had gotten so animated in his retelling that he actually acted out the motions he saw Aquapulse do in the video. That sheep quirk was doing wonders for him. Talking about those events allowed him to open up about his hero analysis hobby.

"Wow! You're really good at observing Izuku. That's quite the fun and useful hobby you have. You must really love heroes," she said joyfully.

Izuku blushed at the praise but wasn't deterred in the slightest.

"If I may make a suggestion, how about you tell me about your new school?" The therapist had also been informed that Izuku had just started a new school. He had just finished his first week there. Again, she didn't know any of the details yet. She just needed an idea of what Izuku could be dealing with. She wouldn't force him, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to try to give him a little push.

Izuku made a face that showed some hesitation, but he quickly went back to being an open book. "It's been great! I like my teacher and my classmates. Two of them spoke to me on the first day and we've had lunch together every day since."

"That's very good. I'm happy to hear you're adjusting well. What are your new friends like?"

Izuku paused and seemed to be thinking about how to respond. There was still no nervousness. He looked thoughtful. "Hmmm. It hasn't been long, but I guess they're like my friends. One of them is super nice and is always smiling! He's a big talker, but also a big listener. I never met anyone as positive as him." Izuku smiled. Mirio Togata really was something. After the first day, he really did continue to have lunch with Izuku. He always seemed to be eager to listen like Izuku was the most important person in the world. Often, Izuku felt there was no way he could be real. This ray of sunshine just appears in his life after going through Hell at his old school. After a week, he was fairly certain Togata was real.

Izuku smiled from the happiness of making a new friend and the soft cloud he was sitting on. "I can't remember anyone ever being so nice to me."

The therapist kept smiling at him as she took some notes. If it bothered Izuku, he didn't show it. Based on his word choice, he may have been bullied by people besides children.

"Amajiki is ok I guess," Izuku continued.

"Really? Why do you say that?"

Izuku thought a little more before deciding to respond. "It's hard to say anything about him because I don't really know him. He joins me and Togata for lunch every day, but he just eats at his desk farther away from us and doesn't say anything. He tries hard not to make eye contact."

"I see. Have you tried making conversation with him?"

"I did a few times, but he looks so fearful whenever I try to approach him. I don't want to upset him." Izuku paused and looked like he was mentally debating whether or not to say what he was thinking.

"Remember Izuku anything that you say here stays between you and me. Don't feel like you have to hold back. You won't get in trouble." There was the exception of his mother of course, but she would only tell his mom stuff that she diagnosed about this mental health. Any specific details she would only tell her if Izuku was ok with it.

Izuku mulled it for a few seconds. He had decided to tell her but still wasn't sure how to phrase it. "I don't want to sound mean, but him acting all shy and fearful makes me feel better. Like there's someone who is even more scared than me. It makes me feel like I'm not alone and weird. I would like to be friends with him, but it's really hard. He used to be the new kid and Togata tried being friends with him. Amajiki follows him around, but they still don't seem that close. Togata said he's been trying for one month. I'm scared and nervous too, but at least I was able to talk to Togata on my first day.

The therapist wrote down some more notes.

Izuku was a little scared. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean-

The therapist pushed her palm out forward to stop him. "It's alright Izuku," she reassured him. "What you said isn't wrong. I can tell that you're not trying to talk bad about Amajiki. I'm actually happy you were able to give me such an honest answer."

Izuku let out a sigh of relief. He was surprised by how easily he calmed down. Thank goodness for that cloud or else he'd probably still be panicking and over-apologizing.

"It's good that you were able to find someone that is also nervous. When you're in a new environment it helps to see your own qualities in someone else, even if they're bad ones. Maybe try talking to him again. The fact that he keeps having lunch with you and Togata proves that he is trying."

Izuku thought back to the moments where he glanced over at Amajiki during lunch. He had only looked at him in bursts so Amajiki wouldn't catch Izuku looking at him. He swore that he saw Amajiki crack a small smile whenever Togata made a joke or when they were talking about heroes. "Yeah. I think I'll do that."

"Great! How about we move on to another subject. What else do you want to talk about?" The therapist was pleased with Izuku's answers so far. She hadn't gotten any more details about his past, but it was still the first meeting.

Since the two boys he just met were still on his mind, there was something else he'd been wanting to talk about.

"Togata told me about his quirk one day. I thought it was really cool!"

"Really? Tell me about it."

"Hey, Togata. I've been meaning to ask you something." It was back on Izuku's second day at this school and it was their lunchtime again.

"Fire away Izuku! I'm an open book!" Togata replied enthusiastically while moving his face forward in anticipation.

'Seriously? How is anyone this confident?' Izuku thought.

"What's your quirk. I meant to ask you the other day, but um….You know." Izuku had been so blown away by Togata's advice about his own quirk that he didn't say much afterward. He was too busy analyzing and kicking himself for being so oblivious.

"Oh right! Sorry I didn't mention it earlier. My quirk is called Permeation. It lets my body pass through anything solid. Like I can fall into the ground and pop back up.

"Wow! That's amazing! With a quirk like that, you could be untouchable. You're really strong. No wonder you're so confident.

Togata calmed down and looked a little sheepish. This was strange. This was the first time Izuku had seen him like this.

"I appreciate the compliments, but my quirk isn't that powerful. It would be really powerful if I could use it right, but it's really hard to use."

"It is?" Izuku couldn't believe Togata wasn't boasting about his quirk more. On second thought, he didn't seem like the type to do that. He was confident, but he wasn't arrogant like Bakugo.

"Yeah. The thing is whenever I turn it on, I immediately fall down into the ground. Since everything goes through me, I can't breathe, see, or hear. My senses are all gone. It's a very strange and scary experience." Togata didn't appear sad, but he looked slightly uncomfortable. Using his quirk didn't sound fun. Perhaps, that's why he hadn't brought it up when they first met.

Izuku felt bad now. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Togata perked back up. "Don't worry about it. You're fine. You dared to tell me about your quirk. It's the least I could do."

Izuku had more to think about Togata now. He still thought his quirk was amazing, but at what cost? "Sorry if this comes out wrong, but how can you be so upbeat with a quirk like that. If I had a quirk like that, I'd be scared out of mind."

It was Togata's turn to hesitate and think about his answer. Izuku knew he was being forward asking him like that, but Togata had no issue asking him personal questions. Togata had changed the way he thought about his quirk. It's only been two days, but he felt closer to Togata than he was with anyone besides his mom. That gave him good enough reason to ask such a personal question.

"Of course, I'm afraid."

Izuku looked at him with his mouth agape. This kid that just exuded positivity was scared.

What was even more surprising was how Togata had a determined look on his face after saying that.

"When my quirk first appeared, I remember the sensation of falling and everything going dark. I was playing outside at school and suddenly I was falling." Togata beckoned Izuku to lean in because he was speaking softer. Obviously, this wasn't something he wanted the whole class to hear.

Izuku followed suit and Togata continued. "I'm sure if I could have heard anything I would have heard myself screaming. I kept falling until my quirk turned off. I sprang back up out of the ground and my vision returned. I immediately screamed and started crying. Not only was the experience horrific, but since everything passes through me, my clothes came off."

Izuku had goosebumps on his skin.

"All the kids started laughing which made everything worse. After my parents picked me up, I never wanted to go back to school. Heck, I never wanted to leave my bed. I was afraid that if I took another step, I would fall through the earth again and never come back up.

Izuku couldn't believe Togata was telling him all this in the middle of the classroom. He was speaking quietly and they were off to the side next to the windows, but it was still risky. Did Togata really trust Izuku this much after only knowing him for barely 2 days?

"Luckily, my dad has the same quirk and helped me not feel so scared anymore. He said as long as I remained calm, the ability wouldn't activate suddenly. Also, even if I do fall down the quirk usually turns off by itself because of my panicking. Good thing it seems to turn on and off due to stress and strong emotions. Either way, I'm still scared every time I use it." Togata still had that determined look.

"I know what you're probably thinking. How can I use it when I'm so scared of it? It's because that's the only way I can make it powerful. You weren't wrong about it being able to be strong. If I could find a way to control it, I could be unstoppable as a hero. During that short period, I'm using my quirk, nothing can hurt him. Thinking about how strong I can become gives me the courage to use my quirk. My dad gave up on trying to make it work, but he didn't say no to me going for it. He still encouraged me even though he knows how scary it is. It'll take a long time, but I'll get stronger and become a hero someday!" Togata raised his voice during that last statement. Not loud enough for the whole class to notice, but loud enough to make a lasting impression on Midoriya and for Amajiki to hear.

Amajiki smiled as he gazed upon the two boys in front of him. He hadn't been able to hear the whole conversation, but he had been looking at the two boys during that whole conversation. The way Togata looked determined and Izuku looked at Togata in shock.

'They're so cool,' Amajiki thought.

Izuku finished retelling the story to his therapist. She had been listening intently. He didn't give her the more personal details out of respect for Togata. He mentioned Togata experienced something traumatic instead of describing the whole incident.

"I couldn't understand how he could tell me something so personal about himself," Izuku said. "So, I asked him. He shrugged his shoulders and said that I was a good person." Izuku started to tear up. They were the happy kind. "He also said he felt a connection with me because our quirks are similar."

"What is your quirk Izuku?" The therapist did not expect the session to go this way. She thought he would say a few words about some new kids he made and move him to talk about something else. He apparently had some life-changing experience with one of them.

"It's called Liquification," Izuku answered promptly. There was no hesitation. "I can turn my body into water and turn back into my regular body. Togata had said my quirk also sounds powerful, but hard to use like his. I thought the only thing I could do was turn into a puddle, but he gave me the idea that maybe I could move in my puddle form. If I could find a way to move, there could be so many possibilities. I don't feel pain when I'm just water so attacks like punches and bullets could go through me. I may not be able to pass through everything like Togata, but there's a way I can still fight and have a good defense." Izuku let out a breath after saying so much. He's really been talking more than he's used to this past week.

"That's great Izuku! I'm happy you were able to make such a good friend your first week at a new school. It's also good that you found out something new about your quirk."

Izuku looked uneasy now. "Um. Sort of." Izuku had lost that spark he just had.

"What do you mean?" She decided to press him. If he started to look too uncomfortable, she would stop.

"After Togata told me to try moving with my quirk, I tried it as soon as I got home….It didn't work."

"I see. Don't be too discouraged. Like you were saying, you probably just need to practice more.

"I don't think that's what's stopping me." When Izuku had tried using his quirk at home, all he could see was Bakugo's filthy shoes descending upon him. "I'm not confident like Togata." Izuku's good mood was officially ruined. All thoughts of his new friends were gone. It was only his past.

"You worthless piss ant!"

"Why don't you go die!"

"You better not say anything to your parents you little shit rag!"

The sheep cloud wasn't helping much anymore. "I can't do it. I'm not Togata. I'm worthless." Izuku shut his eyes and cried. 'Why is this happening! I was doing so much better!' Izuku thought.

The therapist stood up and, grabbed some tissues. She walked around her desk to Izuku and put them in his hand since his eyes were still shut.

"It's ok, let it out. You're safe here," she said soothingly. She waited for him to dry his tears and opened his eyes to speak again.

"Did someone hurt you?"

"Yes."

"Are they still hurting you?"

"No."

"Do you still see them?"

"Only in my head."

"Do you want to talk about it more?"

"No."

"Ok. You don't have to. Just please look and me and listen."

Izuku looked up and saw his therapist kneeling down in front of him. She offered her hand to him. "You could hold my hand if you'd like."

Izuku reached out and grasped her hand. It was soft. The sensation of her hand seemed to help ground him to the wool again. He wondered if that was part of her quirk too,

"I won't pry about your past right now. I want you to know you are by no means weak or worthless. You coming here and talking to me took courage. It's ok if you're not ready to talk about certain things. If whoever hurt you is no longer in your life, you have nothing to fear. Keep thinking about the new friends you have made. It's ok to still be afraid while you move forward. Just like your friend Togata said. You also don't need to be good at your quirk yet. You're only 8 years old Izuku. You shouldn't be worrying so much about the future. Practice with your quirk, but also do your homework, play games, talk to your friends, and enjoy your life."

The therapist clasped both of Izuku's hands in hers'. "You can take your time; you still have a lot of life to live."

Izuku lunged forward and wrapped his tiny arms around the therapist. She wrapped her arms around him and stroked his back soothingly.

"You're a great kid Izuku."

Izuku walked out of the therapist's office after he finished drying his tears.

"There you are, sweetie!" His mom had been sitting outside the room waiting for him. She got up and knelt down to hug her baby.

"How'd it go? Are you ok?"

"It went good….I don't feel ok….But I think I will be."

Inko hugged her baby tighter.

Inko and Izuku were walking back to the lobby when another door opened to their left. A little boy walked out of it. Izuku's eyes widened.

"Amajiki?"

Amajiki had abruptly stopped walking with his hand still on the doorknob. His head quickly turned to the voice that called his name and looked at Izuku in horror. He ran to a man and woman sitting across from the door and buried his head in the woman's legs.

"Tamaki?! Don't be so rude," The woman said. The couple stood up with Tamaki still keeping his face covered. The woman had long purplish, spiky hair and the man had pointy, elf-like hairs. Izuku quickly connected the dots.

"Honey, why don't you take Tamaki to the car? I'll be right there," The woman spoke to the man.

"You got it dear." The man pulled Tamaki off the woman, though he was reluctant to let go. The young boy made sure to keep his back facing the Midoriya's. The man began walking Tamaki towards the lobby, while the woman stayed behind.

Afterward, the woman walked up to Inko and Izuku and bowed. "I'm so sorry about my son. He's just really shy.

Bingo! Points for Izuku.

"Oh Don't worry about it. My son can be shy as well"

'Gee. Thanks, mom.'

"Thanks for understanding, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Kaoru Amajiki." She stretched out her hand and Inko took it.

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Inko Midoriya. This is my son, Izuku."

A look of realization appeared on Kaoru's face. She looked down at Izuku "Hello Izuku. Your name actually sounds familiar. I also noticed you called out to me son. Would you happen to be in his class?"

"Yes-s-s m-mam." Izuku was still shaken up from his therapy session.

"Are you new to his class?"

"Yes-s."

"I knew it. My son mentioned you the other day."

"He…did?" Izuku looked at the woman like she grew a second head.

"Yes. He talked about how brave you were introducing yourself to the class and your talk of heroes with Togata during lunch. He said you looked nervous, but you kept on having lunch with him and Togata. He likes listening to you two speak and says you're really smart."

"Huh?" That was all Izuku could say.

It was Monday morning and Izuku was chatting with Togata waiting for class to start. Amajiki was sitting alone at his desk. He was still embarrassed about Saturday's incident at the therapy building. Izuku ended up having a good weekend. His mom cheered him up by taking him to his favorite Japanese restaurant and buying him the new Hero Kombat videogame. He had a blast playing it. It featured a lot of veteran pro heroes like All Might, Endeavor, and Gem Flash. He wondered if his friends would enjoy it.

"Hey, Togata. Do you wanna come to my place to play video games after school?"

"Hmmm. I'd have to ask my parents first, but I could probably do it later in the week. Sounds awesome!"

"Great!"

"Also, you can feel free to call me Mirio."

Izuku was shocked again by how close they already were. "You sure?"

"You bet! We are friends now aren't we?!" Mirio raised up his fist with his knuckles facing forward.

Izuku got the message. He bumped Mirio's knuckles with his own. "Yeah, we are. I'd like that Mirio. You can call me Izuku too."

Mirio chuckled. "Thanks, Izuku too!"

'Did he? Did he seriously just make a dad joke?' Izuku thought

"That. That was awful." Even Izuku couldn't compliment that.

Mirio smiled nonetheless. "I know. Congrats! You passed the test."

"What?"

"Nevermind."

The teacher walked in, and anyone who wasn't in their seat took it.

"Alright, students! You're not gonna believe this, but we have another new student joining us!

Izuku looked worried. Was it another student from his old school?

The door opened again and a girl came in skipping towards the teacher's desk. She turned towards the class and started bouncing up and down on her feet.

Izuku looked at her carefully. If she had gone to his school, he at least knew she wasn't in any of his classes. He definitely would have remembered her. She had a mane of flowy blue hair that went down to her knees. Her eyes were blue as well. She wore a gold t-shirt, a black skirt, and sparkly sneakers.

'Cute.' Izuku smacked his hand over his mouth. He hadn't said that out loud, thank God, but he felt embarrassed for just thinking it. Not that it mattered because some of the kids heard him smacking himself and looked in his direction. He quickly put his down and tried to act casual.

Luckily, the teacher got all of their attention again. "Why don't you introduce yourself, young lady."

The girl was grinning ear to ear. "Hiya! I'm Nejire!"

AN: Feel free to submit any more ideas for quirks.

Thank you for reading! :)