(A/N: Warning for mention of suicide in the paragraph starting with [Izuku thought back to what...]. After that is fine. )

...

Izuku woke to a persisted tapping of his face. Groggily he woke up, taking in his surroundings.

There was a tunnel…and a sludge monster….he was taken…and then!

Izuku's brain snapped back into reality in a form of whiplash and he looked up to see THE NUMBER ONE HERO stand in front of him.

ALL MIGHT.

All Might was in front of him. And he was saying something? Oh right, he should be listening to that.

"I'm sorry…what?" Izuku said.

"I said, I thought I lost you there," All Might repeated, his iconic smile plastered on his face as always. "Apologies for getting you involved with that Villain. I only got back in town recently and the sewer system is very confusing! But not to worry for I…"

As the Hero talked about how he captured the Sludge Villain, Izuku was mentally freaking out. All Might. The Number One Hero. The Symbol of Peace himself was stand in front of him, talking to him, and had even saved him!

Oh my god, am I dreaming?

He pinched himself.

Nope, not dreaming. Oh man, I need to get his autograph.

He looked around for his notebook only to see it was open on the ground with All Might's signature already in it in big bold lettering.

"Now then, young man, I must be off," All Might said, securing the bottles he had trapped the Villain in in his pants pockets. "I need to bring this guy to the police station."

"W-wait, you're leaving already?" Izuku asked, his nervous stutter coming through. H-he can't leave yet. I have to ask him!

"Yes, a Hero's work is never done," All Might said, preparing to jump. "Now stand back, I'm taking off!"

Izuku didn't know what possessed him to do so but he jumped forward and latched on to All Might's leg as he took off like a rocket.

"Hey, kid! What are you doing?" All Might said, trying to shake Izuku off. "I like my fans but this is a bit much!"

"I c-can't let go!" Izuku yelled over the wind as they flew. "If I l-let go I'll die!"

"Hmm, good point. Hang on tight and close your eyes and mouth." The Number One Hero glanced down to check on the boy and noticed the bottles were starting to slip out of his pockets. He firmly shoved the bottles back in and then held the boy more securely to his leg. He coughed and a drop of blood leaked out of his mouth. Shit.

They landed on a building a short while later and Izuku felt like he was going to throw up. That was the scariest and stupidest thing I have ever done. He took some deep breaths to settle himself after flying across the city while hanging on the Number One Hero's leg. Yeah, not my greatest moment.

"That was not a smart move, young man," All Might said, scolding him for his foolishness. He coughed a few times and Izuku was worried that he might have a cold or something. "I really must be going now. Hopefully someone in the building can let you down."

"Wait!" Izuku pleaded. He had to ask him. He just had to!

"No! I can't wait!"

Well, here goes nothing.

"E-even if I don't have a Quirk, d-do you think I can be a Hero like you?!" Izuku yelled, mustering all of his courage to ask the one question that consumed his whole being. He continued to talk about his goals and dreams to help people, not noticing his idol changing before him. When he finally looked up, the muscular form of the Number One Hero was replaced by what could only be described as a walking skeleton.

"Wha?! Who are you?! Where's All Might?!" Izuku exclaimed, frantically looking around for some clues to what happened. There's no way this could be the same man.

The man stared at him with piercing blue eyes, some blood dripping down his chin. "I can assure you. I am All Might."

"N-no way…" Izuku felt like his mind was a frozen computer program. "How?"

"You know how some people suck in their gut while at the pool? It's like that."

The explanation was lacking to say the least. All Might talked about how his smile was a brave face he put on to encourage people but that there was fear behind it none the less. Izuku felt like he would puke again when the man lifted his shirt to reveal a gruesome scar that marred a large portion of the Hero's torso. It was a wound he had gotten about five years ago from some big time Villain.

"I'm down to only being able to do Hero work for three hours a day," All Might said, lowering his shirt.

"F-five years ago? Was it Toxic Chainsaw?" Izuku asked.

All Might let out a slight chuckle. "You're well informed. But no, that lowlife could never do something like this. No, this was a fight that I asked not to be made public. As the Symbol of Peace, the public mustn't see me in this state or they could lose hope."

A Villain that proved a match to All Might? What kind of power could such a person have to challenge the overwhelming power of his idol? It seemed impossible but the evidence was right in front of him. Out there, in the world of Heroes and Villains, was someone who had the power to almost destroy the Symbol of Peace himself. Izuku had never felt so small.

"The life of a Pro-Hero is one of risk and danger," All Might said, staring intently at the Quirkless boy in front of him. He didn't want to crush the kid's dream but this was something he needed to hear before he got hurt. "Without a Quirk, can one become a Hero like me? It pains me to say this, but I must say no, I don't think it's possible."

"Ah." That was all Izuku could say. So, I guess it's true if even All Might himself doesn't think I can do it? But he doesn't even know me or what I can do? Could he be wrong?

As he was lost in thought, All Might stood up to leave and walked toward the stairs, checking his pockets once more. The bottles containing the Villain from earlier were still there. He mentioned something about joining the police to still help people and that it was ok to work towards a dream but to keep it realistic. With that, the man left and Izuku merely sat down and looked out at the cityscape.

...

At the end of the day, Izuku found himself still on the roof that All Might left him on. He never found the energy to leave as he continued to stew over the interaction. All Might told him no. He did give some understandable reasons why but even the sight of his mangled torso couldn't extinguish the fire of Izuku's desire to be a Hero. Although…it did burn a little less bright. After all, All Might himself, his favorite Hero, his idol, didn't think he could do it.

Izuku thought back to what his childhood friend had said to him early. 'If you want a Quirk so bad, why don't you take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a Quirk in your next life.' As if he could ever do that. He would never do that to his mother. Besides, he was too stubborn to give up like that. Even if no one believed he could, it had never stopped him from working towards his dream before. And it wasn't going to stop him now.

As he was sitting by the edge of the roof, watching the sun setting in the distance, he heard the faintest noise behind him. Slowly and cautiously, Izuku glanced behind him. He expected a Hero of some kind to be there. No one super famous but maybe an Underground Hero. Like Eraserhead. But that was not who he saw behind him.

The Hero Killer: Stain

Izuku's eyes widened and a quiet gasp escaped his lips. "Stain?"

The man chuckled.

"So. You have heard of me, child?"

There, right in front of him, was the Villain who had credit to multiple murders and assaults of Pro Heroes. Claiming them to be fakes and that he was cleansing the world to reclaim the term Hero. His red eyes stared at the boy through a ratty mask and a long red scarf was wrapped around his neck that was just as tattered. His outfit was made for combat with armor protecting his torso and legs. And knives. Just so many knives.

Izuku could only look on in fear and bewilderment at the man. What was he doing here? Why was he on this roof? Izuku was not a Hero, yet, so Stain shouldn't have any beef with him.

"W-what are you d-doing here?" Izuku stuttered out, voice quiet. He watched the man like a hawk, unsure of what he planned to do. He knew he wouldn't stand a chance against the Hero Killer but he refused to be taken by surprise.

Stain stares at him before answering, "I was out looking for false Heroes and saw a lone figure on a roof. Decided to check it out only to find a child. So, I'll ask you the same question. What is a child like you doing here?"

Izuku continued to stare at the man and when he made no move towards the boy, he hesitantly replied, "I-I was thinking about how I want to be a H-hero…but no one believes I can be."

One of Stain's eyebrow quirks up as he asked, "Why?"

Izuku took a stuttered breath in. Well, I either live or die regardless. "Because…I'm Quirkless."

Stain's eyes widened for a brief second. More in shock of meeting someone who is Quirkless. It was extremely rare now-a-days. He never had given a thought to the Quirkless in his mission. But he had never thought they couldn't be Heroes.

To him, a Hero was someone who was self-sacrificing, wanting to help others with no interest in monetary gain. Putting the safety of others before their own without interest in if it would make them popular or not. Never letting something as pathetic as personal gain or self-interest sway them. Never abusing their power for favors or seeking revenge. There were so many fakes out there that did so and Stain planned to cull them until only the true Heroes remained.

Society's view of Heroes today was fundamentally corrupt, filling the minds of future-Heroes with false ideas of what a true Hero is. More and more fakes were being produced, thinking that a strong Quirk is all one needs to be a Hero. Power does help in a fight, but if the person wielding it doesn't have a Hero's heart, everything they do is a lie. An act to placate the public all the while being paid for putting on a show. Actors on a stage. That is what the term Hero has been reduced to today. Fakes performing while the people watch and cheer.

Stain knew nothing about this boy except he had no Quirk and wanted to be a Hero. Being Quirkless, the boy would never have the temptation to abuse a power over others since he didn't have one to begin with. That didn't mean he couldn't fight. Quirks were just tools and many needed other tools or Support Items to be used properly. For the Hero Killer, his knives were important for his work, making it easier to get the blood he needed to subdue fakes. After all, if he couldn't consume someone's blood, he himself essentially fought Quirkless.

To him, even someone without a Quirk could be a Hero. As long as they had the heart.

"If I may ask, why do they think someone without a Quirk can't be a Hero?" the Hero Killer asked, deliberately putting his knives back in their sheaths slowly and then lowered himself to sit on the roof.

Izuku watched the man's actions and spoke only once he was seated. The gesture helped the boy calm down a bit. Like the man was putting himself at the same level as him. Treating him like an equal. It was…kind of nice.

"Because everyone…my mom, my childhood friend, classmates, teachers…they all think that the Quirk makes the Hero. That I am weak without one and would just be a liability to other Heroes in the field. Even All Might said I couldn't."

"All Might?" the man questioned. Stain didn't know what to think about that. All Might. The ultimate Hero in his eyes. He said someone without a Quirk couldn't be a Hero? He didn't want it to be true. But why would the boy lie…

"Yeah. I met him today. He saved me from a Villain. I was just happy to meet my favorite Hero and couldn't give up the chance to ask him," Izuku replied, getting lost in his fanboying for a second. But the excitement of meeting the Symbol of Peace now had a bittersweet after taste. "His answer was no. He didn't think someone without a Quirk could be a Hero like him."

The man furrowed his brow, still not wanting to believe that All Might would say such a thing. Before Stain could say anything, Izuku continued speaking, his hands gesturing wildly in the Number One Hero's defense.

"Don't get me wrong!" the boy said, turning to fully face the man. If the Hero Killer was willing to give him his full attention, Izuku could return the favor. "I understand why All Might said what he did. It hurt but he does have a point. To a degree. How could I be a Hero when I would only be a liability in the field? Without a Quirk, wouldn't I only ever be a useless Quirkless Deku?"

"Deku? Is that your name? Kind of a cruel to give a child a name that means 'useless'," the Hero Killer commented.

"No, it isn't," the boy said, turning his head to the side to look over the city. "That's just what Kacchan calls me to make fun of me. We've known each other since we were born. We used to do everything together. But he changed when he got his Quirk…and I never got mine."

Stain sat there, lost in thought. He couldn't really believe that All Might had said that. But he guessed that every true Hero could have some flaw. And he didn't know who this Kacchan was. But the connotation of the name Deku left a sour taste in his mouth. He didn't know what he wanted to do about all this. But before he could even start to think about what he wanted to do; he needed some answers.

"Child…"

Izuku hesitantly looked up at him.

"Why do you want to be a Hero?"

...

Blog name: ja0-s-blank-canvas-fic

Notes extension: post/626547942838435841/chapter-2-can-i-be-a-hero-like-you