"I'm sorry. I can't accept."

"W-what?"

"You're a really great guy, but I'm just not ready for a relationship right now."

Izuku could not believe his ears. Three years of secondary school, two failed attempts to confess, one school dance, and countless battles fought together. He and Ochako had seen a lot of things during their time at U.A. Faced a lot of things. People say that bonds between friends grow stronger during times of war. And they had battled in many wars. At some point, his feelings of camaraderie for his friend developed into feelings of affection. After villain Shigaraki Tomura - rather, Shimura Tenko - had been arrested and held prisoner in Tartarus, supervillain All for One was executed, and Pro-Hero Endeavor started to clean the blemishes on his title, Izuku thought the worst had passed. He redid his second year of secondary school because he had defected from school to fight the villains himself. His classmates had entered their third year.

And now, just as he was beginning his last year at U.A. His friends were already stepping out into the world, as fully-fledged heroes, but he was not upset in the slightest. He felt like his life was getting back to normal. And he was ready to confide his feelings to the girl he wanted to share his life with.

But of course, things were not all unicorns and rainbows after wartime and revolution. Hearing Ochako decline his confession made his heart stop beating for a second. He stood frozen there in his neatly ironed suit and bouquet of roses in hand. Classes were supposed to start next week, and he wanted to begin the new semester with joy.

Ochako's face flushed with shame. "I'm not saying that I don't like you. Actually, I like you a lot. You're inspirational. Brave. And considerate. But I'm just starting to make my name as Pro-Hero Uravity. My career has just started, and I want to devote my time to making it soar. A relationship will take up my time, though. You're really sweet, Deku. I hope you understand."

Deku. Even after everything that they witnessed, she was still calling him that. "Y-yeah. I do," Izuku replied dumbly. He was still too shocked. "G-good luck! Y-you'll d-do amazing out there!"

Her face reddened harder. She raised a hand and started to reach out to him. Pity. That was what she was feeling. Izuku was beginning to feel the tendrils of embarrassment, humiliation, and dejection escape his eyes in the form of tears, and despite the rejection, he did not want to hurt her with the sight. Before she could touch him, Izuku turned around, clenching the stems of the bouquet, letting their thorns prick him and direct his focus elsewhere.

No. The thorns were not enough of a distraction. Those thorns only reminded him of what just transpired. He needed the opposite. An escape from his feelings. And the best way to feel happier was bringing happiness to others.

Izuku went home and changed out his suit into his hero costume. The dark green of his hair with the white and red accents. The additions to his costume were a testament to his journey throughout U.A. He took pride in it. The public took pride in it. After the many wars, his ensemble became recognized by almost everyone across the main five islands that comprised Japan. The costume became a beacon of safety and order throughout. Regardless of the fact that Izuku was not a fully-fledged Pro-Hero by law, the world treated him as such.

With this pride and its sister, confidence, Izuku began his nightly patrols of the city. Helping an elderly man cross the street, assisting a disabled woman with her groceries, saluting the police on rounds, and helping the occasional mewling cat climb down the trees. At one point, he decided to gift the roses to a group of school children. It was a rather uneventful patrol. By the time he finished, the sun began to set. It was then that he decided to confront his feelings.

Izuku ordered katsudon carryout from the local restaurant before heading toward the beach. Takoba Municipal Beach Park. The beach All Might had made him train at. The beach All Might had made him clean. The beach where All Might told him that the legacy of One for All lied with him. So many memories were attached to this beach. It had become a refuge to him. A sanctuary where he could stare at the ocean waves and let his emotions flow with them.

As he brought another mouthful of katsudon to his lips, Izuku contemplated. Now that he had been turned down, what would he do? Completing his final year at U.A. was given. No doubt about that. Would he pursue Ochako and ask her out again? Or would he accept it and move on? Emotions were not stagnant. They were like the waves, coming in highs and lows, rising and crashing. Perhaps he would be upset about his unrequited love for some time. Then it would fade. What was that statistic? The likelihood of ending up with your first love is minute. Maybe he would find someone else. People went through breakups and rejections all the time. Why should he be the exception?

Consumed with these thoughts, Izuku nearly failed to notice that his phone was ringing. He hurried to finish the last of his meal before answering the call. Katsuki was on the other end. Once a bully, then a rival, now an ally. At least their bond strengthened over the years. After All Might's retirement, Katsuki was the only other person with whom Izuku could freely talk about his quirk and its developments. Even now, despite all his former classmates knowing, teachers knowing, it was easiest to talk to him about such things than it was with anyone else.

"So," Katsuki greeted, as he loathed pleasantries. "Your mom told me that you were going to confess to Uraraka. Why did I have to hear about this from your mom? And how did it go?"

"S-sorry for not telling you earlier, Kacchan. I was … I was just busy with a lot of other things. And, I got turned down. She said I was nice and all, but she wasn't looking for a partner."

On the other end of the line, Katsuki chortled. "I don't blame her. If I were her, and you confessed to me, I would probably reject you, too. Without saying all the 'you're nice and all' stuff."

"Thanks a lot, Kacchan," Izuku grumbled. "Your words are really doing wonders for my self-esteem. Shouldn't you be consoling me instead of making fun of me?"

Katsuki cackled again. "Have I ever consoled you, Izuku? I started calling you that instead of Deku. Don't expect any more from me. Anyway, you don't sound like you're depressed and heartbroken enough for me to come over there and smack you."

"Right. Your care language is hitting and blasting," Izuku replied. "Anyway, are you excited? Have you decided which hero agency you're going to gain experience at?"

"Best Jeanist reached out to me again. As much as I hate the guy, he knows his stuff. So I'll study under his tutelage for a year or two as my part-time job. I'm gonna open my own hero agency after that. Here's to hoping my business management and economic studies majors will be useful at the university I'm going to. What about you? Don't get into stupid stuff once you begin your final year, Izuku. You'll never graduate at that rate."

Izuku smiled. "I won't. I promise not to."

"Yeah, you say that, but then you break it the instant some crisis arrives. And you break it without any thought," Katsuki lamented. "I'm serious, though. Don't get yourself nearly killed again. I don't want to have to visit your family grave to insult you. I wanna beat your ass when you're officially a hero."

Both of them bantered some more. For as long as the call lasted, Izuku's wish was granted. He forgot about the rejection. But at some point, the call had to end. And when it did, the thoughts returned. Night had fallen by now. The moon was bright, generating high tides amongst the ocean waves. He decided to wade in the water. Let the cool water lap at his feet. Little did he know that someone else had the same idea.

Kamiko was very upset. She had applied to numerous universities, but none of the acceptance letters had arrived yet. Her fox-face appearance must have had a factor. Despite the so-called quirk equality and acceptance in today's world, discrimination toward those with mutant quirks persisted. No one really said it, but it was difficult for those who did not look quite "human" to obtain jobs, have stable careers, or pursue higher education. One would think that the universities' policies of affirmative action would have brought some awareness to the plight of mutant quirks. Instead, it only fueled the resentment and disgust others had toward mutants.

Mutants who were mostly humanoid - like those with just a tail or bird head - had fairly decent chances of having a successful future. Those who were not - like Pro-Heroes Cementoss or Gang Orca - had to endure trials of fire. Very few passed those trials, as most simply succumbed. Mutant quirks lied on a spectrum, and Kamiko was somewhere in the middle. Indeed, she had a long snout with reddish-brown fur on her face, back, and sides. The fur across her chin, throat, stomach, and limbs were a gray-white. Her tail was the same reddish-brown, with a tuft of the gray-white at its tips. Her ears were large, pointy, and they protruded from the top of her head. And her canines were a little sharper. Sure, she had some fox-like mannerisms. But otherwise, she had many human characteristics. Large, expressive amber eyes, strawberry-blonde shoulder-length locks of hair, eyebrows of the same color, bipedal structure, fingers that only slightly tapered at the tips, long feet, tall height, and an overall feminine physique.

Kamiko used to take pride in her looks. But time taught her from an early age that others did not think so. Bullying in primary school, which carried on and intensified as the years passed. It had become so terrible that strangers on the street would insult her and spit at her. A part of her had hoped that after secondary school graduation, her luck would start to change. College would be like the pulsating light of a lighthouse, beckoning the promise of new adventures and change. But that light seemed so far away. And it seemed to dim with each passing day.

She came to the beach to escape from her dismal thoughts. After hearing that the junkyard that once trashed the beautiful place had been scoured four years ago, she started to visit. It was close to her home and convenient for morning and evening walks. Very few people came here, so it became a haven to her. Some days, she was lucky to spot a pod of dolphins swimming and frolicking together in the distance. On a rare occasion, a starfish would wash up to the shore. More often, a pretty seashell would bury itself in the sand. Kamiko loved adorable animals. Perhaps her vixen appearance had a role in it. Regardless, she was hoping to view another miracle of aquatic nature. And that is why she did not notice the boy coming from the opposite direction.

Both of them bumped into each other, nearly stumbling back.

"I-I'm sorry. Didn't see you there," the boy said.

"No. I'm the one who should apologize. Squeak! I was so lost in thought that I stopped paying attention to my surroundings," Kamiko replied.

It was then that Kamiko truly looked at the boy. Unruly forest green hair and wide forest green eyes, with a slightly cherubic facial structure. He must have been a meter shorter than her. An overall innocent countenance. But it was the costume the boy was wearing that truly piqued her interest. Although it was the same shade of green, this was the feature that cued her to recognize him. This boy often appeared on television. Involved in numerous wars, successor to All Might, and renowned nationwide. Pro-Hero Deku. Otherwise, known as Midoriya Izuku. He was responsible for tackling on the infamous Shigaraki Tomura and his mentor All for One. Who in Japan did not know of him?

But Kamiko knew this boy for another reason. About two years ago, late one rainy night, he had rescued her from a bunch of thugs who attacked her thinking that she was a villain. The hysteria surrounding the Paranormal Liberation War, the truth about lieutenant Dabi, Endeavor's public declaration confirming that truth, and the suspicion surrounding Pro-Heroes had fueled the public into a frenzy. People took matters into their own hands, no longer trustful of the heroes they once worshipped. Kamiko had been hurrying home from cram school, already late for evacuation. She was living in a relatively peaceful town, but the growing numbers of casualties made her panic, and she opted to hide in the shelter of the hero school nearby. That was when the thugs spotted her and assaulted her. Deku had arrived at the nick of the moment, calmed the thugs, and reassured a scared Kamiko that things would return to normal. That was the one and only time she had spoken with Deku. But a bond had been forged. A secret she kept from everyone, even her parents.

That night he rescued her. And Kamiko's fox instincts had marked him as her partner. Foxes tended to be monogamous - only having one partner until death claimed said partner. Kamiko's parents were much the same. They still loved each other very much, and Kamiko wished for that kind of love, too. But wishing and having were two very different things. What would she have said to Deku? That she was a damsel in distress, and he was her Prince Charming? Because he saved her, she was inextricably bound to him? That she wanted him to herself? It was so cliché and utterly humiliating. She met him once, and they only had a brief conversation. She could not give him a bad impression of herself. But in spite of her logic, she cherished the umbrella he returned to her like it was a treasure. She had consoled herself that they were likely to never cross paths again. But just now, they did.

Much more to her surprise, Deku recognized her. "Hey! I remember you!" he exclaimed. "You were that girl from two years ago! I never properly introduced myself that day. I'm Midoriya Izuku. More commonly known as Deku. But I'd rather you call me by my actual name instead of my hero name."

He bowed down to her in greeting. She reciprocated. "My name is Furukawa Kamiko. Squeak! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Midoriya-san." She squeaked again. Kamiko had a bad habit of making such sounds whenever her emotions were running high. They did nothing but reveal her embarrassment and humiliate her further.

But Midoriya did not notice. He grinned without a care. "Nice to meet you, too, Furukawa. But I insist that you drop the san. Just call me Midoriya."

"Squeak! Sure. Midoriya. I can do that."

"Not many people come to this beach. Especially this late at night. Any special reason?"

Kamiko responded with, "Just to get away from the struggles of life for a while. I like it here."

"Yeah. I get that. I'm here for the same reason, too. Peace and quiet do wonders for the mind."

Kamiko whispered her agreement. Both of them stared out at the dark waters of the ocean beyond. The reflection of the moon and stars rippled across the surface. But the silence was not unpleasant, and the feeling was mutual. Kamiko had come here to avoid her worries about college, but now she was all too aware of the boy standing next to her. Her tail twitched in his presence, reminding her like an alarm of her one-way mate bond. She tried to ignore the sensation, but that was easier said than done. He had talked to her the way she wished all people would. With respect and no judgments. He did not even seem to really care about the height difference or her bouts of nervous squealing. A deep admiration rose within her for him.

Midoriya's phone rang, and he hurried to answer the call. When he finished, he spoke, "My Mom's calling me for dinner. But I had a great evening with you."

"I did, too! Would you - squeak - would you like to hang out again?" Kamiko asked.

"Sure!" He pulled out a notepad and pen from one of his costume pockets and scribbled something down. "This is my number!" he said as he tore the paper and passed it to her. "Time and place, you can decide. See you then!" And Midoriya turned around and jogged back home.

Kamiko stared at the paper before folding and tucking it in her capri pocket. A soft smile tugged at her mouth, and she did not rebel it. Perhaps she was too shy to tell him about the bond. But at the very least, she could befriend him. That much was all right.