Shock.

Anger.

Sadness.

Bitterness.

Those were some of the things that Midoriya Izuku regularly experienced. His emotions were always… well, the best way to put it was like an open tap of water. Gushing, and at its most intense, messy. It was just the way he was ever since he was child. His nature that he had inherited from his loving mother and that formulated over the years…

However this time it felt… different. Not like he was used to.

You see, the thing is…

He's Quirkless.

Now that might not mean much for you, but in a society where everything revolved around people having superpowers, better known as Quirks, it meant everything. Power, status, respect... even common human decency, were determined by the strength and versatility of your Quirk.

Well, humans were always known for their vanity.

Quirks just managed to take that vanity and catapult it through the stratosphere.

Being Quirkless, was akin to standing on the edge of a cliff. You try your best not to trip and fall, and people…

People try to push you over.

It hurt… in more ways than one. Not having someone to fall back on, being ridiculed for the smallest of things, getting pushed and shoved and spit on by almost everyone for something completely out of your control.

People are not kind, life is not fair, and all men… are not created equal... Those are all realities that are taught the hard way. Being Quirkless just accelerates the process. Insult after insult, hit after hit, being Quirkless has always been a battle of endurance where only the strongest survives. Unfortunately, sometimes… even the strongest of us fall off the edge.

The statistics show that 20% of all society is Quirkless. With the percentage dwindling as Quirkless suicide rates increase and as more of the (Quirkless) elderly pass away, Quirkless people may as well be a strange species that was going extinct.

Not like people actually cared enough about that.

For one Midoriya Izuku, being Quirkless is nothing but a challenge. A (not-so)minor inconvenience. Something that he can shrug off with a smile- most of the time at least. True, it got hard sometimes. True, it hurt like hell most of the time. True, he hated it, hated his situation, with a burning passion on particularly bad days-

But that doesn't mean anything. Not to him at least. People have always viewed his Quirklessness as a disability, as some demented away to dehumanize him because, after all, even animals have Quirks nowadays, so you must be the problem!

Never mind that said 'animals with Quirks' were the products of inhumane and sadistic experiments. It didn't matter so long as a Quirk was involved.

It was grossly unfair and prejudiced, but… that was why Izuku wanted to be a hero. So he could save and protect everyone with a smile, regardless of whether or not they have a Quirk. It's going to be difficult, becoming a hero in a society that would rather burn him at the stake, but it's not as if he didn't know that already.

He already had to work ten times as hard as everyone else to simply get good grades in school, so how was becoming a hero any different? ('You know exactly how different that is,' a nasty voice in the back of his mind whispered, 'you're just deluding yourself at this point, honestly.')

People laughed at him ('Haha, look at this loser thinking he'll ever amount to anything! It's pathetically sad!'), called him a delusional fool, and even told him to end his life on numerous occasions so why…

Why did this hurt more than anything that's ever been said to him? It wasn't the first time anyone told him to kill himself (it was sad how he'd lost count of the number of times he'd been told to end it all but it's not like that will ever matter..) so why?

Why did it feel like someone had torn his heart out of his chest?

Kacchan had always been… brash. He had always been a little bit cruel in his treatment of Izuku despite them being practically cousins, but Kacchan had never, ever, resorted to such petty methods.

"Take a swan dive off the rooftop and pray for a Quirk in your next life!"

He could feel the almost agonizing burning of tears behind his eyes, but none of them fell. It was fine, it was okay, Kacchan probably didn't mean that! Yeah, of course! It was probably a spur of the moment kind of thing, he would never- he would never-

Without really being conscious of it, Izuku grabbed his yellow backpack and made his way out of the classroom.

Shinji-sensei wouldn't appreciate it if he was late to their first lesson in over a week after all, and, hopefully, he wouldn't ask any questions either.

Not wanting to be late he took the shortcut by the roof, only pausing for a moment to gaze thoughtfully at the staircase leading to the rooftop. Sighing heavily and shaking his head, Izuku went on his way feeling as though he had dodged a major bullet.

And if his gut kept on burning and his mind kept on taunting him, well… only Izuku will know.

-0-

Yagi Toshinori was a pretty simple man. Simple and driven, given the right motivation and words. In his youth, he had wanted nothing more than to become a hero, a desire that stemmed from bottled-up insecurities, a strong need to prove himself, and an even stronger want to help people.

His master had often said that his drive is what caught her eye. That it was what she loved most about him, her successor, and to the little orphan, Quirkless boy he was in the past, her words meant more than the universe itself.

And then one day his master was gone… just. Like. That. Her life, taken away, stolen away, by a man, a monster, who thrived in destruction and cruelty like no other.

Toshinori could still remember it all so vividly. His master, the beautiful woman whom he had thought the world of, the woman that was just like the mother he never had, smiled at him as she activated her Quirk, her original Quirk, on him. She smiled even as he screamed at her to turn back, to stop fighting, and to just turn back from the man who had become his responsibility, the man who had become his to take down once and for all. She smiled even as the man, the monster in human skin, viciously tore her apart to innumerable pieces right in front of him.

Shimura Nana had smiled as she watched her successor float away in the arms of her best friend and then turned to face the beast.

It hurt… a lot. It still hurts, but Toshinori manages the same way as he always did. He shoved the pain and grief into a secluded corner of his psyche because what else could he do? The monster was still up and about and there was no one that could stop him from destroying everything humanity knew on a whim. No one but Toshinori that is.

Their battle was a devastating one, away from all prying eyes and ears. Even in the middle of nowhere, the damage their clash left in its wake was more than anyone could have bargained for and as Toshinori got carted away, missing his left lung and his stomach, both lost in the collateral damage, he couldn't help but morbidly marvel at the destruction. He watched as the police officers and clean-up crew dug his mortal enemy's broken body out of the rubble of earth and trees and God-knows-what-else, and tried to breathe again (not that it worked, given that he lost an entire lung-).

All for One was gone. Finally, after more than 200 years of his reign of death and destruction, he was gone.

Toshinori remembered breathing out silently in relief while thinking about how his master can now rest in peace. Then he blacked out.

Recovering from the aftermath of the battle didn't go as well as he had hoped. Everyone that knew of his secret had begged him to simply retire (as if he'd ever just lie down and accept his fate like that, what a joke!) never mind the fact that he wanted to help people to his dying breath.

They all thought of what they wanted. Toshinori wanted to help and protect even if it meant he'd die, but everyone else wanted him to lie down and give up. Retire.

Honestly, they should have known from the beginning that they were set to failure.

Toshinori was nothing if not driven, and it was his drive that earned him his place as Nana's successor and as the Number 1 hero.

If people thought that he'd easily accept being strapped down to a hospital bed while the world burns, then, they're more foolish than he had thought.

--

Toshinori sighed for the hundredth time today as he pulled some cash out of his wallet and handed it to the cashier. It was a slow day in Musutafu and that meant that, unfortunately, Toshinori had nothing better to do.

Well other than buying groceries that is.

It was somewhat nostalgic, what with it being the first time he's been to a small convenience store in years, but it was so painfully… dull.

The itch to do something, anything, was stronger than ever. Being this idle… why it was akin to torture!

Toshinori grabbed his items, sighing once more as he left the store. Time to head home and try not to think about all the things he could've done with his time today other than getting groceries.

"AHHHH-!"

…

Or maybe not!

--

Izuku bit on his lip for the nth time as he tried to let out some pent-up frustration. As it is he couldn't help but mutter a little, feeling more than a little displeased at how his day turned out.

That- that jerk! Didn't he realize… realize that what he was doing was suicide baiting?! He could get in jail for that if Izuku actually took his advice!

What a moron!

Frowning, Izuku leaned down to pick up his notebook from the grip of the koi fish in the school pond and tried to ignore the burning ache as he watched his damaged hard work drip with water.

Idiot…

Izuku felt his body shake as anguish gave way to rage and tried to ignore the small tear that carved its way mockingly down his cheek.

Stupid bastard!

--

All Might cursed as he chased the villain down the street. The bastard was fast, he'd give him that, but his speed was nothing compared to that of- holy shit.

Did he-

Did he just dive into that manhole-

…

Fuck.

--

Izuku rubbed his nose on his sleeve as he wandered towards the exit tunnel. School sucked… as usual. Big deal.

He'll just… maybe he'll take the day off. Shinji-sensei would probably understand.

It wasn't a big deal.

It wasn't.

--

All Might cursed as he raced through the smelly twists and turns of the sewage system, and tried his best not to throw up at the rancid smell that kept shoving its way up his nostrils.

Shit, that villain was fast-

And slippery.

Shiiiiit.

--

Izuku sighed as he finally reached the tunnel. He stopped in his tracks for a moment to gather his thoughts and frowned thoughtfully as he readjusted his backpack.

He shouldn't let what others say get him down. So what if Kacchan told him to kill himself, it wasn't a big deal! Plenty others, including many adults, did the same! It wasn't a big deal. It wasn't.

He clenched his fist and looked up to the sky. That's right. He wanted to become a hero, to prove everyone wrong… he wanted to be… just like All Might.

Grinning at his little epiphany and marching forward, Izuku let out a deep belly laugh, slightly glad that no one was around to mock him for it. Yes. He will persist and he will prove everyone wrong!

He'll be the first Quirkless Hero, and he'll be just like All Might!

He shook his fist to the sky and laughed, as he renewed his vow to persevere and become the best hero he can!

…

If only he was aware of the danger he was in…

Seconds later, just as Izuku was about to leave the tunnel, a strange sound filled his ears. Something like squelching.

Quickly, he turned around and felt himself freeze at the sight of a weird mass of slime forcing itself out of the holes that were poked in the lid of the manhole.

Very slowly, Izuku turned around and started to run, remembering all the self-defense and survival lessons that were, quite literally, hammered into his brain. He didn't have time to be horrified but he had time to book it the fuck out of here-

Alas, it was not meant to be.

The villain extended itself like a wave and, just as Izuku almost made it into the sunlight, proceeded to swallow him whole.

Izuku couldn't even scream as he felt slime get forced down his throat and tried his absolute best to remain conscious even as his lungs felt like they were burning. Even with all the struggling, the villain wasn't phased.

Izuku felt the analytical part of his mind spark, ignoring the way the villain talked about him in favor of internally gushing over the Quirk. His quirk was amazingly versatile and would be perfect for locating victims of disasters or apprehending criminals- it was such a shame-

Izuku clenched his eyes shut as the burning in his lungs became unbearable and his vision became dark at the edges. The villain was laughing maniacally and Izuku was struck by how helpless he was- how useless he was to even save himself despite all the training-

'I can't breathe,' Izuku thought hysterically, 'Is this- is this how I die-' He felt tears squeeze from his eyes as he tried to fight to no avail, 'No… No! I didn't even- I didn't get to- get to…' He slowly felt his arms drop by his sides as he started to lose consciousness and his vision slowly turned black. This was it. This was the end-

"TEXAS SMAAAAAAAASH!!!!!"

Wind pressure and the fleeting sensation of freedom (or what he could feel of it-) as darkness caught him in its grip and Izuku finally fell unconscious.

-0-

All Might was cursing himself as he decided on which side to take in the sewer system. He should've paid more attention to the villain, and now, the bastard was free to terrorize whoever!

"Shit!" He cursed out loud before he paused, as he heard muffled noises come from the right of the intersection. Not pausing to check, he rushes towards the sources of the noise, and just as he came to stand underneath the manhole the villain's cackling became much clearer.

Not wasting any time, All Might jumped, not minding the lid that flew from the wind pressure his jump induced, and was met by the shadowed lighting of the tunnel he found himself in. Quickly assessing the situation, All Might felt himself grow alarmed as he glimpsed the figure writhing weakly in the villain's grasp.

Gritting his teeth and barring them in a smile, All Might cocked back his arm as power surged through his veins, and without any preamble, he let loose a punch that would surely incapacitate the villain!

"TEXAS SMAAAAAAAASH!!!"

The villain's body imploded into a dozen small pieces and All Might winced slightly, hoping that the blow wasn't lethal enough to actually kill him.

The boy in the villain's grasp was released and immediately fell to the ground, limp and unconscious.

All Might's conscience pulsed slightly with guilt as he took stock of the middle schooler (if the uniform was anything to go by). The boy appeared uninjured but his complexion was pale enough to almost guarantee internal damage.

Moving forward, taking care not to step on the villain's parts, All Might crouched next to the child, and very gently checked for a pulse. Thankfully the boy's pulse was very strong, if a little too fast, and his breathing was somewhat regular.

Good, that meant he wasn't damaged in the crossfire.

All Might sighed and rubbed his head as he stood up. Looking around, the hero tried to find something that he can contain the villain in. Thankfully, two empty soda bottles were lying at the mouth of the tunnel and All Might was quick to take them.

Looking between the villain and the bottles, All Might groaned as the arduous process of sucking the villain's (remaining) parts into the bottles began.

-0-

There comes a moment in life where you're forced to confront harsh realities. This was one of them for Izuku.

He shouldn't have hung on to the No. 1 Hero- he shouldn't have asked him the one question that would make or break him- he shouldn't have-

He shouldn't have subjected himself to the pain of being dismissed once more.

Yet here he was, standing on top of a rooftop in the middle of Musutafu, feeling completely and utterly numb.

'It hurts…' Izuku thought, his mind jumbled with the weight of all his self-deprecating thoughts ganging up on him all at once.

'Idiot, did you really think that the No. 1 Hero would actually think you can do it-'

'You're a Quirkless Weakling there's nothing you can do right-'

'Pathetic-'

'All Might is THE No. 1 with a very powerful Quirk he wouldn't sympathize with you-'

'Useless-'

'Worthless-'

'Quirkless.'

Izuku shakily covered his ears, trying to drown out his inner voice as much as possible.

Shut up.

'Useless, Worthless, Loser-'

Shut up.

'Useless useless uselessuseless uselessuselessworthlessworthlessworthlessworthlessworthlessworthlessQUIRKLESSFREAKFREAK FREAK FREAK FREAK FREAKFrEAk FReaK fReAk FREak FrEA-'

Stop it.

Stop.

…

Please.

A tear hit the ground…

….

..and Izuku took a shuddering breath and tried to wipe his eyes. This day couldn't get any worse.

Distantly, an explosion sounded.

-0-

Shit!

Was all that was running through Yagi Toshinori's head.

Shit. Shit. Shitty shit.

A middle schooler was captured by a villain- the same villain he, All Might, failed to capture.

A middle schooler was dying while the heroes on-scene did nothing.

Someone was suffering and he couldn't do anything to save them.

'The kid will die if no one intervenes soon-' he overheard.

'What a pity, if only the heroes on-scene were more capable-' came from his right.

'If only All Might was here-' rang through his ears.

Toshinori gripped the scar that made up his greatest weakness as he hunched over in anguish.

A person in trouble.

And there is no one to help.

Not even All Might himself.

All Might who caused this situation. All Might who can do nothing but stand and watch.

All Might who is too pathetic to help.

Then, a head of green ran into the line of fire.

-0-

Izuku pointedly stared at the ground, biting his lips as he got scolded by Kamui Woods and Death Arms.

He wasn't ashamed of his actions. Not one bit. He didn't regret running in to save Kacchan.

He knew that if he hadn't done what he did, Kacchan would have been dead before anyone decided to intervene.

So no. He wasn't ashamed. He WAS biting his lips, but that wasn't because of shame or even nervousness. No.

Izuku was biting his lips because he knew that if he opened his mouth -if he decided to speak without reining in his emotions- he would snap at the two heroes standing in front of him.

The two heroes who did nothing while someone was suffocating to death.

"Honestly kid! It's almost as if you have a death wish!" Kamui Woods threw his hands up.

Izuku's breath hitched and his face tensed. For some reason that sentence hit a nerve.

"Next time, leave it to the pros." Kamui Woods sighed and rubbed his head.

Something in Izuku snapped.

"My friend almost died today." Izuku said quietly, shaking almost violently.

Kamui Woods startled, "Eh?" He exchanged a look with Death Arms.

Izuku grit his teeth, "I said. My friend almost died today!" He repeated in a slightly louder voice.

Kamui blinked, at a loss of words as Death Arms frowned.

"Yeah but you also could've died. You should have just left it to the professionals." The Punching Hero stated calmly, "Rushing in like you did is what fools do."

"You left him for dead though!" Izuku finally yelled, "You waited for someone with a 'suitable Quirk' to arrive and rescue him!"

Kamui Woods stepped in again, "That was the only thing we could do though, it was an unsolvable situation!"

Izuku stood up, "It wasn't! I can tell you three different ways you could've neutralized the threat and rescued the victim without getting injured or endangering the civilians!" He argued back, not quite yelling.

Death Arms' nostrils flared as he took a step forward in agitation, "There wasn't-"

"YES THERE WAS!" Izuku screamed before pausing and covering his mouth.

'What am I doing?' Izuku thought, dread pooling in his stomach, 'Why am I yelling?!'

'stress.' a part of him whispered silently, 'anxiety. fear.'

'anger.'

Izuku bowed his head, "I apologize," He said, his voice dull, "I shouldn't have yelled like that. Please pardon my disrespect."

Kamui Woods started at the sudden change in behavior, before nodding in uncertainty, "U-uh y.. yeah! It's fine, kid."

Death Arms stared at Izuku's form, frowning heavily.

Izuku pursed his lips and shifted in his place.

He wanted to go home.

As if hearing his thoughts, Death Arms nodded and looked away, "You should probably go home now," He said suddenly, "It's almost sunset."

Izuku nodded once before bowing fully, "Thank you. I apologize once more." Rising from his bow, he kneeled to collect his school bag and began his trek back home.

Today was a stressful day.

And he has couldn't be more glad that it finally ended.

A/N: Hey everyone! This is FMA-Fangirl33 and I am back! This work is the second part of 'A Quirkless State of Mind' series and I can't to see everyone's thoughts on it!

This work will explore Midoriya Izuku and how he navigates society as the first Quirkless hero-in-training! Hehehe it should be fun!

Hope you all enjoy this new fic and the universe I am making!

Thank you so much for reading and watching and see in the next chapter!