Chapter 1: The Protagonist Enters

"Some Quirks are naturally great, others have to be made into something great." —Godiame


If there was one word to describe today it would be—honk! honk!

Chaotic.

Shrinking into her seat, Sakura said a silent prayer for the scene outside to be resolved soon while next to her, Tsunade took on a more violent approach. The woman repeatedly slammed her fist on the car horn, spewing curses and threats before deciding she had had enough as she sent the car door flying open and stepped outside.

"Tsunade-shishou!" The pinkette unbuckling her seatbelt and ran after the pro. "What about sch...!"

There was an instant uproar upon Tsunade's entrance, drowning out the teen's words. And as followed, reporters materialized onto the front lines, prompting bystanders to start taking pictures left and right to show off later.

Meanwhile, Sakura was pushed around through the excitement before ending up in the back where she had to get on her tip-toes for a better view.

A reporter nearby could be heard urging the cameraman to zoom in on the newly arrived pro hero. "Would you look at that! It seems Godaime came out to show us how it's done!"

Forgetting about her earlier dilemma, Sakura watched in soundless admiration as the pro single-handedly took down the monster-Quirked villain with one blow to the head, leaving Kamui Woods dumbfounded as the crowd cheered.

"Watch out!"

Just as the villain fell, another hero came crashing into a building with her leg extended out. She tried to minimize the damage as best as she could but her fall left behind a huge crater, shaking the ground.

"Darn it!" the newcomer hissed, rubbing her hip as she slowly got up. She sent Tsunade a sizzling glare. "That was supposed to be my debuting victory!"

A visible tic appeared on Tsunade's forehead. Just the size of a small figurine next to the Quantification-wielding hero, the woman argued, "Then you should've shown up earlier! Honestly what did you expect?!"

"A-Amazing!"

Sakura turned around, recognizing the voice. Before her, Midoriya stood hunched over his notebook, jotting down notes about the incident and the heroes who were presented. Curiously she walked over and peered over his shoulders with interest.

"Whatcha doing?" she whispered against his ear.

"S-Sacchan!" The green-haired boy jolted and covered his ears in surprise. "What...what're you doing here?"

The pinkette crossed her arms and gave a pointed look at where Tsunade was.

"...the generation of heroes these days are slacking off!" Suddenly pointing a finger at the camera, Tsunade declared, "If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself, and that's something I can bet on!"

"Is...is that so," the reporter smiled nervously.

Behind Tsunade, Mt. Lady silently seethed.

"...yeah," the pinkette smiled sheepishly. "But you on the other hand," recovering, Sakura leaned in to scan him up and down before grinning knowingly. "You wanted to watch the action didn't you?"

"Ah," Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. "I guess I've been caught."

"...next time why don't you hold off on your speech?"

"Godaime, please!"

The two students watched as Tsunade, Kamui Woods, and Mt. Lady exchange banter between themselves before looking back at each other and sharing a laugh at the heroes antics.

"Oh yeah!" Midoriya lit up. "Didn't you visited Godaime's agency during the weekend? How'd it go?"

"Um...as you'd expect from a medical-centered agency. Very hospital-like. Shishou's sidekick, Shizune, let me walk with her on patrol though," Sakura reaccounted. "I got to watch, but other than that, not much went on."

"You know, I thought for sure that after Godaime announced her retirement almost ten years ago that she would've shut down the agency as well," Midoriya nodded along to himself, followed by a series of his signature mumbling, "It's still a miracle to me that she returned after so..."

"Actually it was over ten."

"Huh?" Midoriya looked up in confusion.

Sakura pointed at her mentor with a grin. "Shishou was on hiatus for over ten years. She returned just two years ago, remember?"

"But that would mean she's over..." Midoriya's eyes widened in realization as the numbers added up. His mouth open and closed, trying to form the right words. "How does she...?"

The pinkette placed a finger to her lips, eyes dancing. "That's a secret."

"Sakura!" Tsunade was back inside the car. "Come on, we can make it if we leave now! Bring Midoriya if he'd like to come as well!"

"Coming!" The pinkette grabbed Midoriya by the wrist and pulled him along with her. Looking back at him as she ran to the car, she smiled. "You don't mind, right? Wouldn't want you to be late for school."

The boy resisted his usual habit of fanboying as he was seated behind Tsunade. However, his tight-lips and sparkling eyes managed to make both Sakura and Tsunade laugh. It wasn't his first time meeting the hero, but never had he been so close.

Getting back on the road, they passed by Mt. Lady who seemed to be discussing the damage inflicted on the area while the rest of the heroes tried to settle things down. As buses, trains, and cars soon got back on track, so did they.

Through honking episodes and ill-planned shortcuts, they finally made it to Aldera Junior High.

"Is it okay for Godaime to be driving around during the day? I mean, she's in the top thirty, isn't she?" Midoriya asked after bidding their thanks. "Wouldn't that attract attention?"

"She's fine," Sakura waved his worries away with her hand as the walked down the hallways of the school. "Shishou knows how to take care of nosy reporters and pesky paparazzi."

When they got to their classroom, they found that their teacher had yet to arrive.

"Haruno!" A boy called out as the two entered the classroom. "Could you help us with this over here?"

Departing from Midoriya's side with a pat, Sakura made her way over to the desk near the front and next to the window. And as she swung her bag off and started setting up her things, she listened to her classmates' request.

"We're all stuck on this one question," Yamamoto explained. "Sanjou and Tanaka are having difficulties with the last three too."

Taking out her journal to show them how she did it, Sakura looked over their work one by one. "You copied down the wrong notes for this one. Instead, you should've…"

Explaining the process, the pinkette helped them rewrite their notes for future reference. She gave them example problems to exercise the formula, and once they got the hang of it, the three students gratefully thanked her.

"As expected from our class representative!"

The pinkette grinned, joking, "Stop, You're making me blush."

Sanjou clapped her on the arms, saying, "You're too mod—"

"Move your damn bag."

The pinkette's smile froze and so did the students crowded around her desk. As Tanaka tried to pick up his things, Bakugou kicked it away and it struck the leg of her chair. She stared down at it before looking up with a frown.

"What're you? An old bastard?" Bakugou snarled as he walked by, not even sparing the pinkette a glance. "Pick up your damn pace, Extra."

Sakura slammed her hands on a desk, drawing the attention over to her. Firmly she said, "You kicked it, you pick it up."

Bakugou stopped and silence crept in. Suddenly, even breathing seemed like a burden as the two clashed. The boy barely turned his head to look at her, as if she wasn't worth the effort. To her irritation, his scowled deepened.

"Playing savior again, are you?" the blonde sneered and Sakura's face flushed with anger. "Piss off, Forehead."

With clenched hands, the pinkette picked up the bag herself and handed it off to Tanaka, who in return, hooked it back onto his desk carefully. She turned back to the front, and picking up her chair, she grumbled to herself.

"Are you guys still fighting?" Yamamoto frowned. "Come on, just make—"

"Teacher's here!" Sakura snapped and flipped open her textbook with more force than needed. When she saw the wounded look on Yamamoto's face, she instantly regretted it.

"It's just homeroom, Haruno," their teacher laughed, leaning forward on his desk, "Morning everyone. Alright, how do I begin? You're all third years now, aren't you? I'm passing out handouts for your future plans but hey…"

The tension dissolved as everyone picked up on the hint.

"We all know you'll be trying to get into the hero course!" The teacher finished with a toss, and the class cheered, setting their Quirks off. The man whooped along briefly before reminding them, "I know you guys all have amazing Quirks, but put them away for now."

His weak warning was ignored as everyone bathed in the idea of finally applying for a hero school. Meanwhile, Sakura had gotten out of her seat and collected the handouts that had fallen on the floor before going to stand in front of the class.

"Knock it off." She looked up after scanning through the paper. "Or do you want me to do it for you?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Oh, that's right!" The teacher snapped his fingers as Sakura started passing out the paper. "Can I see you after school, Haruno?"

"Sure," Sakura placed a paper on Bakugou's desk, her fingers barely brushing against the wood as though it would zap her. "What for?"

"Just a brief meeting," he said, to which Sakura nodded to tell him she heard. To pass time while the pinkette finished up, the teacher continued, "The world'd lucky to have such passionate students. Do any of you know which hero school you'll be applying—"

He never got to finish as Bakugou suddenly jumped out of his seat and onto his table. Smirking, he glanced down at his classmates below him. He stopped on Sakura, who met his look evenly.

"Hah!" he breathed, tearing his gaze away and jutting a confident thumb out at himself. "Don't go grouping me with these Extras! As if these bottom rejects could ever be in the same class as me! I'm aiming for something higher than just any dump hero course!"

The class booed him, but the teacher managed to silence their comments with a wave of his hand.

"That's right, you're applying for U.A., aren't you Bakugou?" the man mused, recalling past papers. "And so is...Midoriya?"

At this, Bakugou froze, as though the news stupefied him. In unison, the class all turned to the green-haired boy in the back before bursting out in laughter.

"Hey! Quit it!" the pinkette warned, but this time, the students wouldn't back down so easily.

"Aw come on Haruno, you can't be serious."

"Yeah! No way can he get into a top school like that by just studying!"

"And besides…"

The gazes of the class towered over Midoriya. "He's Quirkless!"

Sakura stopped. Fanning herself with the remaining paper, she smiled darkly, making them all sweat in their seats. "Why don't you take that up to U.A. instead?" She looked around, and when none of them argued back, she crossed her arms. "That's what I thought."

"Quit living in your head, Bubblegum!" Bakugou snarled as he jumped down from his desk, the anger he had underneath surfaced as he stomped over to her. His tone was rough, as though he wanted to argue. However, his gesture looked more like he was trying to reason with her. "No way can a useless crap like him stand a chance!"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Sakura wouldn't even look him in the eyes. "Not everyone popped out meant for greatness," she brushed by him, bumping against his shoulder coolly. "We're not all as blessed as you."

"Dammit Forehead! What are you talk—!"

Sakura placed the extra handouts on the homeroom teacher's desk and turned back to address the blonde with a firm look. "This is a school, not a playground for your antics so stop it."

Bakugou's eyes shifted from Sakura and then onto the teacher. It was obvious whose side the man would take and so— scowling—he went back to his desk. But not before sending a deathly glare to Midoriya, promising that this wasn't the end.

"You guys sure have a lot of energy in the morning," the teacher chuckled. "Make sure to turn the paper in by the end of the week. As for today's…"

Sakura walked back to her seat without another word. But, as she started taking event notes, she stopped and stared at her hands. Her hold tightened. That's right, not everyone was born amazing.

But that doesn't mean those who weren't should be denied wanting to become something more.


"Your daughter is Quirkless."

"That makes no sense, the x-rays are normal."

"I don't know. I'm sorry."

"Mama, what's wrong with me?"

(-)

"Are you really Quirkless?"

"I...I think so."

"Freak!"

(-)

"Please teach me! I promise I'll work hard!"


"W-What?"

Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief. Her knees felt weak as she let the news sink in. When she got a smile from her homeroom teacher, as well as a nod from the principal, she was amazed she didn't faint.

"Re...recommendation to U.A. High?" The words felt foreign on her tongue. "But I thought...I thought that those spots were really hard to get. And we're just a normal middle school too, not even a private one. How did you..how did…?"

"A pro hero paid us a visit at the end of the school year last spring," the principal slid an envelope over to the pinkette. "She convinced us to try our luck, and with her as a strong sponsor, we were able to score a seat."

Sakura looked down and traced the U.A. crest engraved on the envelope. It was as if it was calling to her, lulling her in with tempting promises. She was completely captivated it.

"I—!" Her smiled died as a thought flashed through her mind before she could accept wholeheartedly: "What if I fail?"

She glanced back down at the envelope and her eyes widened as she considered the following possibility: What if, after all the trouble the school went through to get this, she couldn't even pass the exam?

Words clogged up in her throat, refusing to come out as Sakura weighed her worries out in her mind.

"What...what about Kat—Bakugou? Or Izuku?" the pinkette finally asked, glancing up. "Why not one of them?"

The principal intertwined his fingers together and rested his chin on it. "Bakugou was a candidate, yes. Both of you passed your previous classes with exceptional marks. But all things considered, it was easy to decide who we should bet on. Make us proud, Haruno."

She shuffled her feet. A few years ago, she couldn't ever imagine hearing those praising words. And even now, they felt strange.

"Thank you, I...I won't let you and the school down, sir," the pinkette smiled weakly, pocketing the envelope and saving it for when she was alone to read. "I'll get going now."

She gave a small bow and walked out, her mind instantly flooding with doubts again.

Just who was she to take on an opportunity like this?

She bit her nails, a nervous habit she was prone to do, thinking, "If I fail, that's it. The recommendation would be wasted. Should I...should I tell him to give it to Izuku instead? Or maybe even Ka—Bakugou?"

She turned back to the office door, a conflict of emotion written on her face.

"But...Tsunade-shishou." She bit her lips. "It feels wrong to throw away this without even mulling it over with her first."

And besides, she wasn't sure if she could face Tsunade's disappointment if she offhandedly did such a thing as well as her own regret.

"I'll think about it later," Sakura sighed, running a hand through her hair. She saw that she had made it back to her homeroom and reaching over, she slid the door opened. "Any one still—?"

She stopped.

Inside, Midoriya was backed up against the wall, stiff as a board. And next to him was Bakugou with his band of delinquents, a burnt notebook in his hand that still had smoke curling from it.

"S-Sacchan!"

A similar memory flashed through her mind of last year.

"What. The." Sakura clenched the straps of her bag before flinging it to the group of boys, eyes ablaze. "Hell!"

She heaved at the effort, trying to force the memories back down.

"Why?!" Sakura looked up and shouted, spreading her arms around her in a big gesture. Bakugou remained quiet, but his eyes had a menacing gleam to them. At his lack of response, the pinkette stomp over and leaned into his face. "Why are you so angry, Kats—Bakugou?! Huh? Did he steal your All Might toy or something?!"

"Pfft—" one of Bakugou's goons looked away when two pairs of resentful eyes landed on him.

"Just shut up. It's annoying with you always getting in my damn way," the blonde snarled, slapping her hand away and throwing the journal out the window behind him without another word.

Midoriya waved his arms around in protest while Sakura reached out. However, the notebook slipped out of her fingers and plummeted to the ground before she could stop it. She leaned out the window, watching with helpless eyes and cringing when she heard the splash as it landed in one of the school's fish pools.

Behind her, Bakugou glowered at her actions. He kicked one of the desks to the ground in frustration, sending it crashing to the ground. The pinkette whirled around in alarm. When she saw what it was, her own anger flared up.

"Dammit Bakugou!" she cursed. "You can't go one day without destroying something, can you!?"

"You're one to fucking talk!" Bakugou snapped. "Why defend him of all people!? Why someone as weak and irritating as Deku?!" The blonde glared at the green-haired boy. "Because of this damn nerd—!" He stopped, as though catching himself. Turning on his heel, he walked out, slamming the door behind him. "Forget it!"

"Hey, wait for us!" one of the boys from earlier cried.

When they passed by Sakura, they nervously tried to laugh it off.

Fuming with fury as she watched them go, Sakura kicked one of the desks as well, knocking down its chair along with it in the process. It did little to subdue her anger, but remembering where she was, she reluctantly picked it back up. When she went to do the same for the one Bakugou had kicked, she saw that Midoriya had already straightened it up.

"I'm sorry," Midoriya mumbled after a period of silence, surprising Sakura. "I know you two were friends last year, but because of me—" He looked up in surprise when he heard the door slide open.

Sakura was at the doorway. "Let's go get your notebook."

"Yeah, okay," the green-haired boy said, a look of defeat in his eyes as he followed her. His hands clenched by his sides in guilt.

Together, they went out in search for the journal. When they spotted it floating in the water, Sakura waded over and held it up above her head, shooing away the koi fishes that were nibbling on it.

"Got it!" she looked back and smiled, handing it off to its rightful owner. "It's soaked so you should try to dry it as soon as you get back home. Some pages might be smudge, sorry."

Midoriya was silent as he took it into his hands.

Sakura tilted her head to the side, trying to figure out why he looked so glum. "What's wrong?"

The boy looked up, his expression a conflict of emotions. "Why...why did you stand up for me back then, Sacchan?"

She blinked, smiling funnily at his odd question. "You're really weird, you know that? Any sane person would have done that."

"That's not what I'm talking about," Midoriya locked eyes with her, absolute sureness in them. He stood his ground, determined to get an answer. "Why did you risk your relationship to defend me? We...we didn't even know each other that well back then but you still...you still..."

"Oh," Sakura stared at the koi fishes in the pool. "You mean last-last time."

"Sacchan," Midoriya pressed.

The pinkette sighed but her smile never faltered. Why was she so protective, he asked?

It was because she knew what it was like to be rejected for being different. It felt like you were crippling from the inside, as though your own emotions was weighing you down. Maybe that's why it had hurt it so much when she heard the same hateful words from when she was younger being aimed at Midoriya.

They might've as well had been for her.

But instead of saying all that, the pinkette settled for a bright smile and a simple answer.

"Just because, Izuku."