AN: I don't own My hero academia or the characters form the other animes that will be appearing.

Last time… the exam finally reached its climax. Eri was saved and the students distracted Hiro and Arata long enough to finally bring it to an end. Alone, Izuku found himself recollecting the past year. It all started the day be meet that man.

How it all began

There was a tightness around his arm and constant shaking. It was cold and wet. He could hear something from the distance yelling something. What was that? Eventually, the cries got longer.

"Please," begged a voice.

Slowly, he opened his heavy eyes. Blinded by the rays of the setting sun, he groaned and squinted his eyes. Luckily, something was blocking some of the rays from completely burning them. His eyes soon adjusted to his surroundings. He noticed the sand beneath his damp clothes. The waves chasing nearby. And the amount trash around him. How did he get there again? Oh, that's right he fell. Plunged right into the sea. The second he pieced that together the rush of salt slammed on his taste buds and he coughed it out rapidly. No doubt he was in the ocean but now he's on land. How did that happen? The tightness on his arm grew. His senses slowly returning, he shifted his head to the side and saw a hand holding his arm. His eyes followed the arm until it landed on a new face.

It was someone he'd never seen before. A man. Fairly young. Most likely in his late 20s to early 30s. His hair was a bright gold perfectly combed back under a white top hat. His skin was pale with a rosy pink tint. A foreigner perhaps? It was obvious to see especially with those deep blue eyes that shone like sapphires. They were glimmering with the help of the sunset and…tears? What was most puzzling was the pained expression on the stranger's face as his eyes streamed with tears?

"Are you ok, sir?" the boy forced out with a croak.

The stranger's expression changed slightly with a forced relieved smile. "Yes. I'm fine now, my boy," he replied with a posh accent while wiping the remaining tears away. That's not all he wiped away as his attitude turned a complete 180. A blinding smile was placed on the stranger's face as he hopped standing up. Extending a helping hand, he introduced himself: "Hello there little one. My name is Arata Darewell. I was just so happened to be passing by when I saw you fall from that cliff up there." He pointed up to said left the boy once stood on before the edge crumbled beneath him. Even now the edge continued to crumble little by little. "My, it was quite a shock. I tried to catch you, but you ended up taking a little nap with the fishes. Luckily, I fished you up before any damage could be done. Although I hope you don't mind the little mouth to mouth, I had to perform on you. You gave me quite the scare when you weren't responsive."

The boy took the man's hand as he was hoisted back to his feet. His thoughts were still a little muddled. It was kind of like waking up from a deep sleep. Trying to move so suddenly felt awkward. He looked down at himself and notice his clothes were completely socked. Even worst they were coated heavily by sand. The itchiness took over his body as well as a cold chill form a passing breeze. Suddenly, it all hit him like a tonne of bricks. "I nearly died." Then he looked up the man who saved him. "YOU GAVE ME MOUTH TO MOUTH."

The blonde tilted his head with a questioning look.

Meanwhile, the child became a nervous and blushing mess. He didn't know whether he was shivering because of his body temperature dropping or from the sheer embarrassment of realising he got his first kiss from a man. Let alone a stranger. Although could he consider mouth to mouth a kiss. The man was doing his best to save the boy. Since he almost drowned it was the right course of action. That didn't make it any less embarrassing for him though.

A light bulb clicked in Arata's head. "Oh, I see now. No need to be embarrassed, little one. I did what I had to, and you do not need to think of it that way."

The boy blinked twice as he stared at the man that saved his life. "Wait…how did you."

Playfully, the man winked while brought an index finger to his lips. His lips were shut on the subject at least for now. "Never mind that, little one. Let's get you out of those wet clothes…" he eyed the child waiting for him to finish the sentence.

Eventually, the child caught on and introduced himself. "Izuku. My name is Izuku Midoriya," he finished as he bowed deeply. "And thank you for saving my life Mr Darewell."

Arata waved off the boys thank: "No problem and please call me, Arata. I'm more comfortable with that."

The two of them walked off to the edge of the junkyard beach. Izuku took off the top half of his soaking uniform. At some point, the mysterious Arata disappeared. The boy took little offence to it. The man just saved him so he really couldn't hold it against him if he had to run off or something. Then he magically reappeared again scaring the daylights out of the poor boy. Laughing, the man gave him grey sweatpants and a matching hoodie along with a towel. Confused, Izuku hesitantly took the items from the overly smiley man and dashed behind some junk for cover. Soon the boy slid out from the junk with soaking wet clothes in hand. He then handed him back the towel he offered. "Thanks' again, Sir. I'll pay you back for the sweats."

"No need," Arata denied while shaking his head. "I didn't pay for them honestly. I just happened to have them. You keep them if you like."

Izuku gave the man a questioning glare. The price tags he found on all three items told a different story. "Still, I want to repay you in some way, Sir."

The blonde thought for a good second or two before snapping his fingers. He gave the boy a wink along with a playful finger gunpoint and smile. "Then how's about you tell me a story?" The boy was confused by the odd request. That was until he pointed to the cliff the child once stood on. "Now why would a sweet child like you want to off himself."

Jumping back, Izuku didn't know what to say. He looked back to the cliff. Images of what happened that day playing in his mind like flashes of a cinema real. A heavy feeling weighed in his shoulders as he hugged himself for support. Meanwhile, Arata watched the boy with calculating eyes. "I didn't mean to. It's kind of just happened."

"If that was the case you would have been screaming," Arata was quick to argue. It caused the boy to flinch. He tried, even more, to hide as he stretched the cotton hood over his face. The man paused to give the boy a chance to speak. When he knew it was futile, he continued, "When human's fear the coming of death they tend to scream. Alerting others to their present location in the hopes of being rescued. Yet you stayed silent. As if you were accepting your possible fate. Why?"

Out of words, the boy couched into the sanding ground trying to become as small as possible. Soon Arata sat next to him, waiting for his answer. Minutes past as the sun's rays became dimmer and dimmer. It set across the ocean horizon slowly sinking down to its one refection. Either of them could enjoy its beauty under the suffocating silence. Still, the man waited for the boy's response. Not moving an inch. Eventually, the boy cracked as tears ran across his freckled cheeks. "I didn't plan any of this," he sobbed while clawing at the hoodie. "But I'm so tired of everything. Always being pushed down. I just… I just…" A warm arm gently hung over his shoulder as it coated him into his rescuer's chest.

Arata said nothing as he patted the boy's curls. He was thankful for that. The warmth the man gave off was comforting. "It's ok little one. I'm sorry if I brought up something I shouldn't have. You must have had a rough day."

Izuku did nothing but cry in the stranger's chest. He grabbed on to the man's button shirt as his wails grew louder and incoherent. Arata was patience and held the boy softly. When Izuku's wails died down quietly enough for him to ask a question he asked earlier that day: "Do you think someone that's quirkless can become a hero?" There was a pause. Of course. What did he expect? He's been denied this long be everyone around him. his mother, friends, classmates, teachers, other heroes, his hero, everyone. Why would this be any different? He pried himself off the man while forcing a smile. "Forget it. What am I even asking away? I already know the answer."

Then a finger hooked onto the boy's chin. He was forced to look up as he dulled green eyes met the man's bright blue ones. He was smiling at the boy with such contagious confidence and sincerity. "Of course, you can," he said simply.

In disbelieve, the boy looked up at the man with wide eyes. "What?"

Arata wagged his finger at the boy, silencing he from even attempting to rebuttal him. "Being a hero is more than a job description. It's an ideal. A way of life. One I think you embodied greatly, my boy. If your run-in with that sludge villain earlier was anything to go by."

Some shine returned to the boy's eyes as he watched the man stood up and twirled before him. "You saw that?"

"Indeed, and for that, I know you have what it takes. Let's just say you've piqued my interest young Izuku Midoriya." The sun shined even brighter behind him like he was some sort of divine being. Izuku felt like he could become blind, but he could help just stare at the man. Interest in him. what wired parallel dimension was he in. Who is this guy? Arata laughed at the question in the boy's mind. The smile never fading, he extended his hand once more. "As a reminder, my name is Arata Darewell. I'm a professional hero as well as a teacher at Shiketsu academy. As a teacher, I wish to train you. That is if you'll let me."

Unconsciously, Izuku accepted the man's hand.

This was the start of it all.


The sunrise of a new day greeted the young Izuku who found himself trying desperately to drag a refrigerator off the sand. He was closely tied to the piece of junk with ragged ropes. On top of the said refrigerator was, Arata casually sitting cross-legged with a teacup and saucer in hand. He smiled innocently as he asked the boy if he was doing ok? Meanwhile, the boy shot a glare at him that said no. No, he is not doing ok. When he first accepted the man's proposal, he wasn't expecting he would be required to clean up this junkyard beach as a form of training. Arata claimed it would help him build his muscles. Izuku claimed this is torture but it's a torture he was willing to endure if it meant he'll be strong enough to become a hero.

"Come on now, my boy. Put your back into it. we are on a time limit here," the hero said almost condescendingly as he took another sip of tea.

"I…am…uagga…" he trained so hard to get a solid footing in the sand as he matches to get another couple of inches forwards. Incidentally, he also manages to bury his feet in and fell flat on his face. groaning, Izuku spits the sand from his mouth and pushes himself up. He's been doing these training for a few days and already his body feels like he's breaking. He knows he has too. To even survive the U.A exams. He must get stronger.

Arata watched the boy as he was eventually managed to drag the heavy junk to the pavement. No doubt the boy was determined, and he admired that. Even so, he knew it would take more than strength training if the boy wants to stand a chance in the U.A exams. He needed to learn to use some practical skills and he knew just what to teach him. Smirking, the man hopped off the fridge while the child panted, trying to catch his breath the best he could. Quietly, he sneaked up on the child with gentle steps.

Izuku got enough strength to stand proper again. His heart was still racing and there was the taste of blood in the back of his throat, but he thought he could get on with his training. That's when he noticed an unusually large shadow sneaking behind him. With fear being his basic instincts, he quickly stepped to the side. A good thing to otherwise he'd get a leg to his spine. Rightful freaked out the boy screamed at the smiling man that almost broke his back. "WHY?"

Chuckling, Arata clapped his hands, "your reaction time isn't half bad. Have experience in dodging and running."

Izuku thought back to the many times he had to run away from Kacchan and a bunch of other kids that tried to attack him before. He'd learn to be careful, for the most part. Making sure to avoid the places he found they hanged out frequently. Now that he thought about it, he kind of memorised all the placed they'll possibly be during the week. Form their usual patterns to a little snippet of conversations he happened to overhear. Then instinctively change his route to compensate. Whenever he made a miss calculation, he was quick to run and doge into the best hiding spots. They didn't work all the time but it's better to try then continuously explaining to his mother that he fell down some stairs.

"I'll take your silence as a yes," Arata concluded while taking a long hum. "At any case, starting now I'll be adding a new agented to your strength training," he announced, terrifying the poor boy. The child even did the poor mistake of asking what the training was. Evilly, Arata grinned and held a water balloon in his hand. Where he got the water balloon, was a mystery Izuku would continue to ask himself for days to come. "Dodging of course." Mercilessly, he threw the water balloon. It popped on impact frightening the poor child more. "Hum seems like you'll need more training after all." Suddenly an army of water balloons of all sizes and colours appeared floating being him. A devilish gilt in his eyes as he pointed a handgun at the gaping mouth child. "You better start running."

"AAAHHHHH!"

And so, began Izuku's hellish training under the devilish guidance of Arata. What started as simple strength training with random junk on a beach evolved into agility training with water balloons…then paint balloons, then mystery balloons, then random pieces of junk form said beach. Each piece became double the size of the last as days rolled by. At first, Izuku was a complete mess: always left out of breath, tripping over himself and slow to doge anything of the items thrown at him. The number of times he had to explain to his mother the red stains on his clothes were not blood become a nuisance. He could see it in her eyes he gave her a heart attack whenever he came home. Arata claimed it's for dramatic effect but that still didn't stop his mother from hugging him to death wherever he came home.

Speaking of his home life, Arata has somehow made himself at home there too. Dropping by for tea and chatting with his mother. It all started one day out of nowhere he appeared just when Izuku woke up. The man was casually drinking his usual cup of tea at his dining table as if he lived there. His mother said he dropped by to see how the boy was doing. Arata was scarily sharp and noticed Izuku was doing extra training behind his back. The boy claimed he had to. It was the only way he could get stronger faster. Arata commended his efforts but then brutality reprimanded him verbally, claiming he'll overwork himself. It was easy to win over his mother's approval. The woman was a nurse and knew how unhealthy it was to overwork the body. So, for the day Arata banned the boy from doing any sort of training. He even when as far as confiscating all the equipment he had on hand. To top it off he was commanded to have a mother-son day with his dear mother Inko. It was just a façade to watch the child naturally in reality. Mama Inko promised to watch the boy like a hawk while they go shopping.

That's how they ended up here: a popular jewellers store attempting to find a present for his father. He worked abroad as far as Izuku was concerned. He was busy as his mother puts it and rarely visited. The last time he did was…wow Izuku couldn't remember the last time at all. He doesn't even remember his face. The boy vague recalled a man with similar curls to his own only darker, but that's about it. He knew his mother still loved him. She would gush about him every so often and his father would send flattering messages to her whenever he got the chance. So, he must still love her too he hoped. Although those moments are fair and in between. The two of them had a tradition since he left to perform a gift exchange whenever their anniversary was coming up since they couldn't do much else. That's what the present was for. With their anniversary less than a month away his mother wanted to get his father something nice. Last year he got her a golden pendant with their initials elegantly engraved to it. This year she wanted to him similar. She was eyeing the watches the most. Pocket watches to be precise. His father disliked the feeling of his wrist being constricted. So, he opted to use pocket watches in their place. His mother swooned when she found one design that came with a personalised engraving. It was perfect.

"Ah you got a good eye, madam," said the seller as he took the item in question out of the glass case. He was a handsome bloke the charm to boot. Smartly combed-back brown hair paired well with the staffs dark red coloured suit uniform. With sparkling raven eyes, he presented the amber pocket watch to his mother showing off its sheen. "It's a smart and simple design that can be scribed with a personalised message of your choosing. A perfect gift for a loved one." He was selling himself cheerily to his mother being extra sure to smile and waved the watch closer, so it filled her vision. "If you like this model comes in silver and gold as well if the copper-amber isn't too your liking."

There wasn't any need for it. She was sold the moment she laid eyes on it. "It's perfect the way it is. The colour kind of remains me of my husband's flames. We always use to be extra careful in the flu season. The number of times he set his clothes on fire." There she goes talking about memory so far in the past. Sometimes the boy wandered why she loved that man so much when he's so far away. Izuku himself didn't mind. The man was gone from his life since he was 5. His only interaction with him were the rare phone calls and on time presents. So, it didn't feel like it mattered much. That and if he made his mother this happy despite the distance then it couldn't be that bad. "Can it say: My beloved Hisashi. My love for you is timeless. Sincerely, your dearest Inko."

"Of course, Let me just write that down."

Bored, Izuku watched the man write down his mother's cheesy message as they discussed a few other things his brain deemed unimportant. It opted to focus on the man's pen scribbling away in his right hand. It was your stander pen with an embezzled dragon tip end. Its plastic red diamond eyes started at the boy and the boy stared back in minor interest.

Soon his interest waned, and his eyes began to wonder. They spotted some of the other sells people scattered about using their quirks. One lady seemed to have a polish quirk. She rubbed the fingertips off the product with easy. Another had a telescope eye. Their eyes extended out as he is examining some of the gems on display. Two workers seemed to have similar quirks. One lady levitating a bunch of jewellery for their client as they looked at their reflection. Another seemed to be putting some products away without using his hands. Such a variety of quirks. All seemingly perfect for their jobs. The boy couldn't help but be slightly in jealously. Since he didn't have one of his own, he began to doubt himself yet again. Even with Arata's generous and all be it terrifying training; can he make it in the hero world? Can he save people without a quirk? He didn't like the answers his brain came up with.

A gentle shoulder tap brought him back to his senses. "Sweetie, I know shopping isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but you needed this day to relax. You've been working hard from what Mr Darewell told me." Her son nodded in his head not trusting his words at the moment. The thoughts he was having…he didn't want her to know. She smiled kindly, "Tell you what you'll decide what we do next right after we finish this, ok."

The boy couldn't say no to his mother when she smiles at him like that. So, the waited…and waited…and waited. Soon over an hour passed by. The Midoriyas were a patient family but this was getting ridiculous. Izuku eagerly watched the door labelled staff only. The man that was severing them should have be out with whatever paperwork his mother needed to fill. He watched as other employees exited and entered using their ID cards each time. Sadly, the man never came.

Eventually, Inko then asked another sell clerk to see what was going on with their order while politely complaining about the hour wait. The clerk said that they would check right away, and they disappeared into the back room. In no time at all they returned. "Hey, has anyone seen Yamamoto. One of his customers have been waiting for him," they said as they peeked out of the back room.

The employees present all shook their head. Then another head with a pair of ram hours popped out form the door frame. "Say guys do you know who locked the storeroom? I've been trying to get in."

"That's strange we don't usually lock it. don't worry though I got a copy," one clerk claimed and the two when on to solve their problem. But that didn't help the Midoriyas. Just where did their missing store clerk go?

"AAAAAHHHHH," shrieked a voice not long after. The two clerks from earlier came rushing back. Eyes bloodshot and skin pale as if they saw a ghost. "It's Yamamoto. He's dead." Or in this case the corpse of their missing co-worker.

Everything fell in silence as the depravity of the situation settled in.

Izuku and his mother along with other consumers and employees in the shop were forced to stay for questioning. Everyone was on edge. They didn't expect there would be murder to suddenly. What was even more terrifying was that the Midoiryas were with the man before it happened. During that hour of waiting their clerk died. Izuku thought back to those moments. It was all so normal. People going in and out. Window shopping or trying out some of the items themselves. The sells clerks happily helped with all their needs as every so often one of them had to disappear the back room. He thought back to the order of who went in. He doesn't know their names, but he'd be watching them long enough to recognise them by quirks or special characteristics. The first one after the victim was the polisher quirk, then the male levitation, female levitation, then the polisher again and finally someone with horns along with the telescope eye gent soon after. No civilian entered the back room and unless there was a back door somewhere the culprit could only be one of the sells clerks.

Sirens rang outside. The police soon poured inside. They ordered everyone to remain where they were as they examine the crime scene. Izuku's mother held him close as some police stood on guard at the entrance. A couple of them stayed with the crowd. One of them had a cat head. What an interesting mutation quirk. There was this odd one out of the group of police. A man in a tan trench coat with a matching fedora walk into the establishment. He was a simple-looking man, avenge build, average face with closely trimmed black hair. Despite his plainness, he still held an air of sternness and command. He had all the boy's attention as in confidently walked through the growing crowd. The cat police officer's ears twitch at the sight of the man. "Detective Tsukauchi, you're here."

"Show me the body." Without any delay, the detective was escorted into the back room. Hum a detective. Izuku wonders what type of quirk the man might have that would be helpful in his profession. His thoughts ran for what seemed like hours until were interrupted as the detective returned from the room. His face dropped as he was hesitant to say a word. "From what we could tell this was a suicide. But I would still like to ask some questions so please bear with us everyone."

Izuku's eyes jumped at the sudden announcement. Suicide? That can't be right. The man was fine a few moments before he disappeared on his mother and himself. How could he been led to suicide in that short amount of time? It didn't make any sense. Even his mother was confused. Both her hands were over her mouth. She couldn't believe what she heard and either did her son. There was this inching feeling at the back of his head. Something wasn't right. So, he acted on it. The boy broke away from his mother and slid through the crowd. Thanks to his smaller side and recent dodging training he easily navigated through the crowd. His goal was to reach the detective. There just had to be something they were missing. Soon he reached the detective. The man had his back was turned to him as he confined with one of the officers.

"Locked from the inside, no other entryways, the man stabs himself right in the heart. No signs of a struggle and no other fingerprints either. Seems like an open and shut case if you ask me, detective."

Scratching his chin, the detective scanned through the various photos they took of the crime scene. Uncertainty painted his face as he tapped through the photos. He enlarged and shrank them trying to find anything out of the ordinary. Open and shut they say. "I'm not too sure about that. This seems too unnatural to just be a suicide case. That's why I want to ask some questions."

Izuku peered between the two of them. His innocent green eyes caught a glance at the crime scene photos. It was horrific. The man he was with was lying lifeless on the ground holding a knife in his chest. The urge to vomit was almost unbearable. The boy had to turn away. Let those horrific thoughts sink. He's dead. This random guy he just met has died and his corpse is right beyond those staff-only doors. The image was burned in his memory. He had no other option but to think. Analysed the photo memory. That when he noticed something was wrong.

Overhearing the groans of disgust, the officer and detective turned around to see the child bend over himself with one arm around his stomach. One of his hands was over his mouth as his eyes were wide open almost bulging out. They were quick to deduce what was going on. Awkwardly, the detective hind the tablet along with the photos. "Sorry there, kid. Guess you saw something gruesome."

Vigorously, the boy shook his head. He straightened himself up and took a deep breath. Then he nervously twiddled with his fingers too ashamed to look the detective in the eyes. "Sorry, sir I just happen to take a glace out of curiosity. You see the man that died was severing me and my mother. He seemed ok before, so it felt kind of weird for him to just commit suicide while severing us. That and I notice something strange in the picture I saw."

This caught the detective interest. Because of is quirk, he could tell the boy was terribly sincere. There were no lies in his statement as far as he could tell. If his words were true, this was no open and shut case. Putting on a polite smile he crouched down to the teens level. "I see, that does sound strange. Say what was so odd about the picture? If you don't mind me asking." The detective was hesitant to show the child the picture properly. It was classified information and he seemed too young to witness a scene like that. He was scared enough from a glace.

Izuku took more moments to settle his nerves. With another deep breath, he asked the detective an unusual question. "The knife he was holding. It was in his left hand, right?" An odd question to say the least. Tsukauchi had to double-check the photo to be sure. The teen was right. In the short glimpse, he took he noticed that bit of detail. But why was that strange. As if the child could read his mind he quickly answered, "I saw him write a message for my mother's order. I could have sworn he was right-handed."

It instantly clicked with the man. That was strange. If the victim did mean to kill himself, he would have most likely used his dominated hand. As a righty, he should have used his right hand or even both. Looking at the picture more closely there was something wrong with those cuts. They seem to be wider than the actual blade. The knife was even slightly crooked. That suggested the spot was stabbed more than once. He had a feeling if he examined the wound more, he would spot slightly different cut rips on the victim's shirt as well. It all led to one conclusion. "Apologies everyone. It seems like I judged too quickly. This is now a murder case, and everyone here is a suspect. I strongly advise you to cooperate with us for questioning."

"No, that's wrong!" All heads turned to Izuku as be boldly interjected. He didn't notice however as a rush of desperate adrenaline filled him. He didn't want his mother or any other innocent bystander to be labelled a suspect for murder. "Civilians aren't allowed to go through the staff-only door, and even if they could they'd need an ID card to get in from what I've seen. That and out of the sellers here only 5 of them went inside there during the hour the victim was missing. If there are no other entryways behind that door that narrows down the suspects to those 5. You can knock it down to 4. The guy with the telescope eyes was asked to go in the back since he was the only one with an extra key. He never left the room until that moment when the victim body was found. That leaves those 4. The guy with the horns, the dark lady with a polish quirk, the man with a bun and levitation type quirk and that lady over there who also has a levitation type quirk."

"Izuku?" Inko questioned herself as he watched her precious boy break down his observations in a hurry. The way he held himself was meek yet so familiar. She could see the ghost of the man she loved over the boy. His wild black curls and heated gaze. She hasn't seen that look in so long that she couldn't stop the smile forming on her face despite the direness of the situation. He truly was her husband son.

Then there was silence as the teen suddenly yelled out his observations. Honestly, they were all speechless. In a matter of seconds, the kid just knocked out hours' worth of investigation work. That is if they choose to take his word on it. The officers were hesitant to believe the boy and looked at the detective for answers. Surprised was his initial thoughts on the matter but that soon simmered down. Should he believe the boy's claims? He stared into the boy's deep green eyes. The intensity of his gaze caused the boy to fluster. Other than that, the detective could only see sincerity emanating from the teen. He smiled, "they say a good detective follows their instincts and mine a telling me this boy is on to something. May I ask for your name?"

"It's Izuku Midoriya, sir," he answered timidly.

"Midoriya, mind pointing out the ones you mentioned." The boy did as he was asked and added extra information like in what order they went in and their frequency. The detective then called on to the suspects. They reluctantly follow suit. He turned to the boy once last time with an appreciated smile. "Thank you for your help. I'll take over from here." His expression flipped to stern as he calmly walked up to the suspects in questions. The tallest of the group was an older gentleman with a couple of ram horns poking at the side of his brown hair. He was nervous from the way his body twitched under the detective gaze. Next to him was a lady with wavy chestnut curls. She seemed like the fashionable type with her designer painted nails and deep red lipstick. Flirty, she winked at him. Next to her was a woman of colour with while chocolate brown curls. She played around with her curls unable to look the detective in the eye. Lastly, there was another gent with dark violet hair. He had the nerve to stare down the detective with annoyance in his lilac eyes. One of these people was a murderer if the boy's words were to be believed. If that was the case, there was one mystery that needed to be solved.

"The crime scene in question was an odd one. The victim was lying face up with a knife lodged in his chest. The room seemed to be untouched suggesting lack of a struggle. Not only that but it was locked from the inside. There were no windows or other entryways. A key was found on the other side of the door suggesting the victim locked himself in there to commit suicide. A final message was found on his phone claiming that he had enough. All evidence points to suicide, but some things just didn't add up. One was that the victim was tending to a client before he supposedly killed himself. It doesn't seem like a very good time. Not only that but according to his clients, he was fine. One last thing Mr Yamamoto was right-handed, yet he used his left hand to end himself. These factors are what leads me to believe the scene was tampered with to make it look like a suicide when reality it was a murder."

"Oh yeah," the violet haired man lashed out. "So what? You think one of us did it. Oh, please. That old door can only be unlocked with a key. We all know there were only two copies. Yamamoto has the original since he owns the damn place. The other copy is with Macchi over there. So, if you want to blame anyone. Blame him."

All eyes pointed to the man in question. He jumped under their judgmental gazes. Flapping his arms frantically he swore it wasn't him. he didn't do anything. Izuku was quick to back the poor man up. "It couldn't have been him. During the hour Mr Yamamoto was missing he never entered the back room. He reminded out here talking care of his consumers. I saw it myself. It would have been impossible for him."

The violet haired man clicked his tongue, "And we're supposed to believe this brat."

"I do," the detective said calmly. "We could always check the security cameras after, but I don't think that's needed."

"Then how the how else did that door lock if it wasn't Yamamoto himself!"

The detective stared down the rude man. He seemed overly agitated. A guilty conscious maybe. He will soon find out. "Sir we live in a superhuman. I think we all know the answer to that question." Of course, there was only one answer. This was the doing of a quirk. If the boy's observations were right on the mark again only two people in this group had the quirk ability to create this lock room mystery. "Two of you had a levitation type quirk, yes?" The two in question immediately flinched. The flirty brunette and the rude violet haired man. An easy tell. "With a quirk like that this lock room mystery would be a simple task. It would even explain the lack of other fingers prints on the weapon and key. In theory, either of you two could have used your quirk to control the knife for the stabbing and turn the key on the other side of the door. Locking it shut. So please, give me your names, occupation and quirk discriptions."

The suspects now down to two glanced at each other. Each challenging the other to speak first.

So, the detective interrupted, "Oh and by the way, my quirk is Lie detector. It allows me to sense if either of you is lying about your abilities. So, don't bother hiding anything."

Silence.

Young Izuku was in awe. A quirk like that would be perfect for a man with his job description. He had to suppress every part of him to had bombarded the man with questions. The detective was in the middle of solving a case. He didn't want to slow him down by being a nuisance. Still, he had to cover his mouth with both hands to stop the questions from spilling.

The violet haired man grunted, "if that's the case you should have just asked everyone whether or not they killed the guy. At any case name's Kyo Yusake. I'm a salesclerk here. My quirk is Up Stare: if I stare at an object for about 10 seconds, I can lift them and move them around with my eyes. while I can blink, I must remain eye contact with the item. That and I can't lift anything heavier than a cat." His head then switched to the other suspect in the same boat as him. "Your turn."

The woman pouted her big red lips before flipping her hair stylishly. "Well if you must know my name is Lisa Yuki also a point of salesclerk here like grumpy Kyo. My quirk is Magnetic Touch. With one touch I can control any magnetic items. Of course, I can't carry anything too heavy. I am a lady after all."

"I see. Here's your next question. Do either of you hold any ill will towards the victim."

"No," they both said at once.

The was a change. Tsukauchi quirk was tapped like a trip wired. He could hear the change of tone and heartbeats. It could only mean one thing: "You're both lying." The two of them jumped at the man's accusation. How dare he. Both were ready to shout their heads off, but the detective was quick to shut them up. "My lie detector quirk can allow me to see through your lies. So, don't bother arguing with me. What do you two have against the victim."

Both bit their words back. Either wanted to admit anything. That only made them even more suspicious. The judgemental eyes around them burned holes in their bodies. They couldn't hide. One of them was the culprit. Eventually, one of them did crack. "The fucker was cheating on his wife," the violet haired man screaked with venom dripping in his tone. "She is one of my dear's friends. We've been together since childhood. So, imagine my anger when she came up running at me one night in tears! Crying what how he was seeing some other shank on the side!"

"I AM NOT A SKANK!"

"…"

Heads turned to the other suspect. Her face flushed as she released what she said aloud. Hurriedly, she cupped her hands over her mouth, but it was too late. The damage had been done. Her violet haired colleague eyed her down in shock. "You? Lisa, you're the skunk he'd been sleeping with. You fucking bitch."

She turned her head to the side perking her nose upwards. "Hey, it's not my fault I'm far superior to that pig he called a wife."

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK, YOU WHORE."

"Excuse me? I didn't do anything then make him the happiest man on the planet. And he had the gall to break up with me. ME! He was out of his mind that night."

"He finally grew a conscious. What the actual fuck."

"Ok, that's enough you two." The detective cut between them before they wrestled each other to the death. The two glared at each other. Both wanted nothing more than to at least punched the living daylights out of the other. This was going to be a long day. Sighing, the detective pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think I get the picture now. You were mad that the victim hurt your best friend. Meanwhile, you were seeing the victim and he recently broke up with you. Seems like both of you had a motive which leads me to my final question." Pausing, he eyes down both suspects listening very carefully with his quirk on. "Did you kill the victim?"

"I didn't kill him. Sure, I wanted to straggle the guy for what he did but I wouldn't kill him." Kyo proclaimed.

"I loved him. Why would I hurt him?" Lisa wined.

It was a standstill. The detective's head became a fuzzy as an unprecedented turned of events clicked in his mind. According to his quirk. Neither of them was lying. Lost for words he tried again. "Would either of you kill the victim."

"Of course not. He made up with his wife so why would I?"

"I could always find another guy."

The detective found himself between a rock and a hard place. The one true weakness to his quirk is that half lies are hard to decipher at times. While both seemingly are telling the truth there is an under a layer of a lie. That could mean one of two things: they are mostly telling the truth and the lie is theoretical. Or they're trying to cover up their lie by telling half-truths. He can't tell. Instinctively, he bit his thumb trying to figure out how he could solve this case. Which parts are lies? Which parts of truths? He might have to take both suspects in and do a further investigation if push comes to shove. But if one of them is truly innocent he'd rather solve the case right here and there.

While the detective struggled to figure out truths and lies, Izuku's mind began to wonder. There must be some way to figure out which of the two was the true culprit. He thought back to the individual times the two of them went in the back room. Kyo entered first between the two of them so it might have been him. Then again, he had a feeling miss Lisa was in there longer. Both were currently hysterical giving the detective various answers of their possible innocents. Even Izuku was having a hard time figuring out lies from truths. If a man with the lie detector quirk is having trouble what hope did, he? Could they both be innocent? Or are they both guilty? Was there a third-party member they have yet to find? Or was it truly a suicide? No. something wasn't adding up. When the teen was listening into the suspects' quirk expiations one of them had the clear advantage to pull off the crime. Not only that but now what he listened closely to their answers for denial only one of them was careful enough not to give a straight answer. But was that enough to prove their guilt? No. He needed some solid evidence.

Sniff, sniff. "Purr."

The light purring broke the boy's train of thought. He turned to the source and was met with the sight of the cat police officer. He was rubbing his nose irritability as if he wanted to sneeze but can't. "Are you ok, sir?"

The cat officer's ears twitched, and he looked down at the smaller boy. He smiled a catty smile and assured the boy there was nothing to be concerned about. Still, the boy pushed on. Something was bothering his nose. Humming, the cat scratched his nose with his gloved human hands, "well I keep smelling something familiar. Not a good type of familiar like my mother home cook meals. It's something else but I can't seem to pinpoint what it is."

"Do you think you can find it?" the cat officer nodded and so the two of them head off on a mini adventure to fine the mysterious sent. The cat found himself on the other side of the glass case counters. Like a dog, he sniffed around, and his legs told him to couch. Izuku followed in amazement wonder if a cat's sense of smell can rival a dog. That but be very useful for investigations.

The pair stumbled upon a garbage can hidden in under one of the glass counters. It looked like it was purposefully pushed into the further corner out of sight. The cat rubbished inside until he found a paper bag. He sniffed it. The familiar scent was strong. "It's food? No that can't be it." He uncrumpled the bag and found no food but a white handkerchief with golden roses imprinted pattern. The cat officer brought it up to his sensitive nose. The sent dizzied his mind as he finally figured out what was so familiar about it. "This is soaked in Zopiclone. It's a sleeping drug. A very common one."

Izuku green eyes widen as he spotted something unusual about the handkerchief. "Can I please have a look at that?" Hesitantly, the cat officer gave the boy a suspicious item. It was damp heavily soaked in the drug. It even made him lightheaded from just holding it close. Even so, he persisted and heavily analysed the piece of cloth. He was quick to find it. The mark of the true killer in deep red.

"Hold on a gosh darn second. If the bastard was attacked wouldn't there be screaming," Kyo proclaimed getting tired of this back and forth questioning. "I'm pretty sure I would be screaming my head off and trying to run if someone pulled a knife at me. And the walls here aren't exactly thin."

Lisa was quick to agree, "Yeah and look at my petite body. A big strong man like Yamamoto would easily turn the tables on me. I couldn't attack him."

Tsukauchi was beginning to doubt himself. There were too many things to keep track of. He just couldn't pinpoint the lies or truths with his quirk flopping around between them. "Was it just a simple suicide case?"

"Wait!" Heads turned to the young green-haired boy once more as he held up the key to solving this case. The killers face briefly flinched when their eyes saw the item. It was only a matter of time now. a shiver went down the child's spine as he saw all those eyes staring at him. The word becomes stuck in his though as the demon of doubt shut his mouth. What if he was wrong? This could be a mistake. It's not like he's a professional or anything but it all looked so clear in his head. This had to be the answer. All sign of logic point to that person being the culprit. But if he's wrong, he'd just prove to be a waste of time. Maybe it's best to stay quiet this time and let the real professionals deal with it. "Actually..."

No. A voice demanded sternly in his head.

Izuku jumped at the stern but familiar voice. It's kind of sounded like Arata.

I believe you're on the right track, my boy. Now show them what you can do.

Biting his tongue Izuku gave into his thought and yelled his findings. "This handkerchief was found in a paper bag in the trash by this officer." He pointed to the cat man beside him who nodded in confirmation. "It's heavily coated in Zopiclone which is a sleeping drug. I think it's safe to assume the culprit used this to drug the victim and possibly even tied them up after before committing the murder. If that's that case this handkerchief can lead us to the killer. After examining it I can... I think I can…hum… I'm sure the killer is…" Nervous yet bold, the child pointed at the killer with certainty in his eyes. "You, miss Lisa."

The woman gasped at the accusation. "What! Me?"

Quivering, Izuku gave a small nod, "I'm…almost certain it was you."

She gritted her teeth. "Almost? HA! I never seen a tacky thing like that in my life. That handkerchief looks like it belongs to a grandma not a fabulous lady like me." She waved the boy's assumptions off claiming he was some stupid kid. He couldn't possibly know what he was talking about.

"So, you say," Izuku paused and stared down at the woman. The officers around them were confused if they should stop the boy or not. He was just a child. Murmurs travelled among the crowd wondering if the boy was in over his head. It shook him a little, but he still stood firm. Might as well finish what he started. "You are a very fashionably lady miss. I see you have a very deep red lipstick."

The woman perked her lips showing off their fullness and colour. "But of course. Only the best of yours truly."

"Yes, it's a very beautiful colour. It matches the lipstick mark on this handkerchief perfectly." The woman's confidence cracked as the child fanned out the handkerchief using each of his hands to hold its sides. There and the upper corner was a pure red lipstick mark imprinted on the fabric. "Now I don't see Mr Kyo wearing bright red lipstick. Do you?" The spot-like of guilty now on the woman. Her legs trembled at the many eyes pointing their knives of shame at her. It was damning evidence, but the boy wasn't done. "That's not the only reason why I think it's you." The crowd were silent as the boy continued his explanation. Gaining more confidence, he began marching out from behind the glass counters he was hiding behind. "Throughout this entire time, Mr Tsukauchi questioned you both you were the only one not giving a straight answer. While Mr Kyo yelled time and time again that he wouldn't kill Mr Yamamoto, you skirted around the questions. Saying things that you loved him, you are too weak to hurt him, you can find somewhat else to love which I'm sure are mostly true. But they don't answer the question. I guess that after finding out the detective has a truth quirk you were careful and only used part truths just to make your lies more believable."

The detective was hit with the revelation. With the two suspects both yelling at him at once he couldn't pick up on the woman careful words choices. No wonder his quirk was having a hard time figuring out who was the liar. They were both telling the truth just only one of them was telling the wrong truth and craftily dodged his questions.

"But that's not all." The crowd stared at the child in wonder. There was more? What more evidence could he have. "Form the quirk descriptions you both gave, only Miss Lisa could even possibly pull this off. Mr Kyo said that he needed to keep eye contact with the items he's levitating but that's hard to do when a door is blocking his line of sight." The coward gasped at the boy's logic. He had a point and everything he was saying made perfect sense. "However, miss Lisa quirk of magnetism would be able to turn the key lock from the other side of the door easily. As for fingerprints we already know she had a cloth on her. She could have easily wiped her prints off after magnetising them but them in place to make the crime scene look the way it was. She's the only one…I think."

The woman was ready to bite the boy's head off. How dare he accuse her outright like that. She wanted to ruin her nails if that means scratching that smug face off. However, the detective was quick to stop her. Clamping a hand on her shoulder, he forced her back and bent one of her arms inward pressing it at her back. "I'll ask again, did you kill the victim, Mr Yamamoto."

She whined his pain feeling like her bones might break if she struggled. "I loved…"

"Yes or no miss. No dodging the question this time," he demanded to push her arm against her shoulder blades.

Biting her lip, she hissed in defeat. "Fine, it was me! I did it. That jerk though he could dump me after I gave him everything and run back to his stupid wife as if nothing happened. Fuck to that. He was mine. He was always meant to be mine!"

"You can explain that to the judge, miss," the detective said calmly as he cupped the woman's hands together. He pushed her off to one of the other officers and they escorted her out. She scowled at the judgmental looks around her growling like a dog. Soon she was would of sight and the tension from earlier lifted. The crowd took a collective sigh of relief. "Alright everyone, now that's all settled I would like to collect some statements."

Almost immediately after the crowd rushed around Izuku as if he was the hero of this case. The badgered the poor boy with prise and amazement along with various questions like how you did that? What was his quirk? Who are you? The questions plied on with several repeats. Izuku was completely overwhelmed as the crowd devoured him. He could feel himself drowning as he tried to process all the information even to him. Thankfully, the nice cat officer was there to keep the crowd at bay. Keeping them from getting too close to the child.

Then Tsukauchi cut through telling everyone to settle down and eventually the group dispersed into their social groups. The detective looked at the poor child sorrowfully as his eyes were still dazed. "You did great work out there, Midoriya," he prised.

The dizziness in his green eyes disappeared in a blink. Frantically he shook his head in denial. "Oh no I didn't do anything."

"Bullshit kid you saved my god damn ass. If it wasn't for you and Mr kitty here, I would have been shipped off to jail with that batty woman," the now newly proved innocent Kyo blurted out. Happily, he smacked the child's back a little too hard causing him to stumble over his feet a bit. "You got some observation quirk or something."

He quickly shook his head. "Oh no, nothing like that. I'm quirkless actually."

How rare. Tsukauchi was surprised to hear the boy had no quirk at all that could have helped him figure out the case so quickly. While his quirk failed to deliver this quirkless child finished his job for him. It was impressive. "So natural talent then," he concluded. The detective hummed while scratching his chin in thought. "Say have you ever considered being a detective? We could use someone like you in the force."

Izuku blinked at the detective suggestion. In truth, he never thought of being anything besides a hero. Nothing else ever closed his mind. The thought of becoming something other than a hero was alien to him. Everyone wanted to be a hero. Someone like the mighty All Might. It felt strange not to go down that path. "No sir, I can't say I have," he replied honestly.

"I don't see why not. You certainly have a knack for it." Izuku jumped as a certain blonde suddenly appeared behind him. Arata, always smiling, patted the surprised boy's head in prise. He always seemed to appear at the most opportune moments just to give the poor boy a heart attack. How does he manage to sneak up on him like that all the time? "Let me give you some advice: Always keep doors open. If you follow strictly to one path. It would be hard to backtrack if you find it leads to a dead end."

His breathing steading, Izuku recovered from his heart attack. "Mr Arata, when did you get here."

The hero simply shrugged off the question. It was unimportant anyway. "Oh, not too long ago. You have your mother worried sick by the way."

Gracefully the man stepped aside to reveal his mother in the brink of tears. Her lips quivered as he tried so hard to keep her emotions in check. She failed however and let her emotions flow as she runs to embrace her precious child. "MY BABY!" she cried into his T-shirt creating tear-stained streaks. Gently, he put his arms around his mother relaxing into her hold. At least the day was over.


Once everything was settled, the police let the civilians go and dealt with the body. The store would most like have to close for a bit after everything that had transpired in it. Izuku and his mother were the last to leave. Since Izuku was a key and reliable witness they had to keep him behind longer than most for statements on the case. With the other pieces of evidence, they had a solid case that was pretty much irrefutable. Before the detective and some other officers left, he turned around to the child once more. "You sure I can't convince you to be becoming a detective? Having someone like you would make my job a hold lot easier."

With little hesitation, the boy nodded. "I'm sorry, but I really want to be a hero. Also, I really didn't do anything. You did most of the work and that Cat officer was the one that found the evidence needed to find the culprit. I just blabbed observations and luckily pieced some pieces together."

"If that was luck then you should get a lottery tick," Tsukauchi joked as he sat himself down in the vertical. The widow was down so he was able to give a final farewell. "If you ever change your mind, I hope we could work together someday. Or maybe we can work on some cases when you go pro." The boy blushed at the sentiment. Barely anyone has encouraged him to pressure the hero path. They mostly laugh or call him insane. The rare time someone was concerned it was because they were afraid he'd get hurt. "Well, maybe we'll meet each other again, Midoriya." With a final wave, the detective drove off.

Izuku watched the car disappear into the city. He thought about the mess that was his day. Not only was he not allowed to train but he somehow got roped into a murder mystery. Luckily, a real detective was there to sort everything. Meanwhile, Inko cuddled her son proudly. Despite the several, almost heart attacks she had to endure she couldn't stop the swell of pride in her heart. "You were so brave out there, Izuku. I didn't even notice half the things you did and the way you solved the mystery. You reminded me so much like your father."

That was a statement he didn't think he'd hear. "Like dad?" the boy questioned. He doesn't know much about his dad's work. Only that he was abroad.

Happily, she nodded while grinning from ear to ear. "Oh yes. If Hisashi didn't become a lawyer, he would have been an ace detective for sure. You must have inherited some of his observation skills. He would be so proud."

Huh, so his father was a lawyer. Learned something new every day. Then a large hand ruffled his curls. The teen looked up to meet his teacher's deep blue eyes. They were softly staring into his soul. "You know, I think you should consider becoming a detective over a pro hero."

The boy's heart cracked. That isn't what you wanted to hear from the first and only person that told him he could be a hero. Grinding his teeth, he bitterly slapped the man's hand off him. "Why? Because I'm quirkless," he spat.

"No. Because you're talented," Arata sternly corrected. "After that performance, I can see you're clearly gifted. It would be a waste not to put that gift to good use. Not only that, but your analytical skills are far beyond average." Floating out of his blazer was Izuku's tattered hero notebook. He wrote everything he knew about heroes in them: their quirks, strengths and weaknesses, even some non-hero if they're quirk was something worth noting down. It was one of if not the most precious possessions. All his passion-filled each page. Since when did this man take it? Needless to say, the boy was quick to take it and held it protectively in his chest. Arata hummed as he watched the boy retreat from him. Perhaps he made the wrong step. Still, the boy needed to hear this. "Izuku, my boy, I am only saying you should consider it. Keep your options open. With talent like yours, you would thrive under a detective profession. Or perhaps quirk analysis. I'm sure you're smart enough to be to go into medical service if you wanted to. Why go in a hollow, brutal and oversaturated market the heroism when you can be a hero in your way. They might not be as flashy, but detectives and doctors are still a noble profession that are hero in nature. I would argue they are more heroic than some mean less job description title."

Izuku looked down. He understood what the hero was trying to say. Worst of all most of it made sense to him. But that wasn't going to stop him. "I want to be a hero like All Might," he meekly admitted. "Someone that can save people with a smile."

In an instant, Arata's expression became dark. "All Might," he bitterly hissed under his breath. Quickly, he turned around hiding his disgusted expression. "I see. If that's the case, I'll be upgrading you're training tomorrow. If you want to survive the U.A exam you're going to need to learn how to fight. We'll start with some basic martial arts and if you do well, I might upgrade you do something else. I'll meet you at the usual time, the same place," the hero said coldly before flying off beyond reach.

Izuku gazed at the man's back getting ever smaller. For some reason, he felt guilty. No that wasn't the right word. Confused? No that's not right either. He wanted to be a hero like All Might more than anything. He always has. It's all anyone his age wanted to be. So, he should try and be one too. Even after being rejected over and over. This should be what he wanted.

Right?


AN: finally, I have moved on pass that god damn exam. I'm sure you all are tired of it as I even though I had a lot of fun with this weird amalgamation of characters. That last chapter kind of broke me. At any case it's time to travel back in time to the beginnings of Izuku carving a path to where he is to date. I will not cover all of it, but I will cover most of the beginnings. Actually, didn't think I would do a murder mystery chapter. This was supposed to be a first meetings and training montages with the UA exam at the end. Then this came to mind and I rolled with it. This seems to be a common thing for me. I think I was going to do something and then a add a new something extending this.

Alostdonkey – yes and here is another. I am so close to 'finish this' I will continue until it is done. 4 or 5 more chapters. Just 4 or 5 left. No know I said that before I kind of before but I didn't think this would become a murder mystery case chapter. Hope if was fun none the less.

DarkCielo27 – I'm sure many want to kick Arata there especially his students and assistant for the amount of crap he puts him through so no. if I were to describe Arata's teaching style it would be a mixture of Korosensei's care yet playfulness and Reborn's brutality. He is the type to see your weak subject areas, show you how to improve yet when the test day rolls in he'll make sure the hardest question will be the first one you see. All to see how you'll react and if you can overcome it. That's why everyone both love and hate him in the exact same time.

That's it for now. Stay safe and healthy out there to all since the world as gone crazy. I'm currently on lock down myself so yeah. Anyway, next up how did Izuku pass the U.A exams. He doesn't have One for all.