Hey, everyone, it's good to be back, sorry about the long delay. I struggle with writer's block and I haven't had much time to work on my writing, not to mention how crazy the world has been. That along with me having to iron out some details caused the temporary hiatus. But now I'm back and ready to continue writing. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own MHA or it's characters

Narrator

Two years have passed since Izuku was told that his dream of becoming a hero was impossible. Since then he had to endure being belittled again and again by a world that saw him as weak and useless. A world that tried to extinguish the flame that burned deep within him.

Izuku watched the televisions through the store's window as the news played going over another villain attack that had been resolved by a heroine. He watched transfixed as the woman moved so fast that she was a blur with arcs of electricity trailing behind her as she struck the villain then jumping away repeating the process in a series of fast and fluid movements, the impacts along with the bursts of electricity taking down the much bigger and sturdier man. Izuku opened up a notebook he began to take notes muttering quietly to himself, a habit he had fallen into. "She was able to take him down using speed but even with her quirk how did she do so much damage? It must have been where she hit him, or maybe she's stronger than she looks…"

He continued muttering to himself and taking notes not noticing the looks he got from others as they passed. His musings only lasted a minute as a familiar set of voices sounded right behind him causing him to jump in fright and drop his notebook.

"What are you up to Deku?" Katsuki Bakugo asked in his usual aggressive and scolding tone. At his sides, his usual followers grinned at Izuku's reaction and his frightened expression.

"K-Kachan! H-hey I was uhh...j-just watching t-the news." He tried to smile but his fear made it an impossible task. That fear grew as the skinny boy used his quirk to snatch up the notebook with his extended fingers, smirking as he read the title and handed it over to Bakugo. Izuku paled as Bakugo flipped through it his eyes filling with anger, a vein bulged on his forehead as he closed the book.

"So Deku you're taking notes on heroes, you better not be thinking that you can be a hero." As he spoke his followers began to edge closer, "Because I thought you would have learned your lesson already." He smiled at Izuku but the smile didn't match the look of anger in his eyes. "A quirkless loser like you could NEVER be a hero."

Knowing what was about to happen Izuku glanced at his notebook in his once friend's hand and took off running as fast as he could. Tossing the notebook over his shoulder Bakugo took the lead chasing after Izuku. His two friends following close behind unaware of a hand in a black glove picking up the notebook.

Izuku bent over with his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath, he looked around hoping that he had lost his pursuers. He let out a sigh of relief as he noticed that the park was empty but his moment of peace ended with the sound of flapping wings before he felt a hard kick to his back. Groaning as he got up from the kick he heard more footsteps and his fears were confirmed, Bakugo and his friends had just caught up and were surrounding him.

Bakugo grinned as he saw the panicked look on Izuku's face. "Come on Deku you are an idiot if you thought you could get away from me." Stepping closer, small explosions coming from his hands, and the other two following their leader's example with their quirks.

Izuku was trembling, once again he was about to suffer for his dream. As the beating began he tried to fight back but it was useless, despite his desire he just couldn't stand against them. Even if it had only been one of them he still wouldn't have been able to win. Tears ran down his face both from the beating and the knowledge that there was nothing he could do. And so the flame in him began to dim as hopelessness settled in.

"Hey stop that!" A voice rang out causing the three to stop. Running towards them was a boy that looked their age with black pointed ears and a black tail that was swinging from side to side erratically. His angry tone along with his sudden appearance made them back away in surprise from Izuku causing him to fall from the beating he had just received. The boy stopped a few inches away from them glaring at them with his teeth bared exposing gleaming fangs for a moment before pushing past them and crouching down extended his hand to Izuku the anger fading from his bright almost amber-colored eyes.

Izuku blinked up at the proffered hand then at the face of his rescuer. "Don't worry I'm here to help." It took a minute for the words to sink in when they finally did Izuku's eyes watered as he took the proffered hand and was helped up. It was then that the others seemed to get over their shock.

Bakugo was the first to recover as he watched this random person showing concern for Deku and when the stranger began to walk away while supporting the hurt Izuku without even a backward glance as if he didn't find the rest of them worth his time Bakugo's anger boiled over. "Hey! Who do you think you are butting into our business!"

The boy didn't respond but continued to walk away with Izuku. "Come on let's get you somewhere else. Are your parents close by?"

"Uhh...n-no my mom should be home. B-but I don't live that far, I-I think I can make it on my own." He wasn't sure if it was true since he wouldn't be surprised if Bakugo and his gang ended up trying to catch him on the way but he didn't want this person getting any more involved than he already was out of fear of what Bakugo would do to him.

"Don't worry, I don't mind helping you get home." As they spoke, Bakugo's friends looked to the stranger than to their leader with uncertainty. Bakugo could see the expectancy in their eyes and the quickly growing doubt, for the first time they were doubting if he Katsuki Bakugo was all that he claimed to be. After all, this random nobody just strutted in from nowhere and pushed them aside just with his words and was now ignoring their leader as if he was nothing.

Bakugo trembled in rage and with a wordless shout he ran at two figures planning to show this upstart that he was not someone to be ignored, that he was strong, and that no one could get in his way. He covered the short distance in a few seconds, his hands sparking with small explosions. And before they could move he swiped at the air unleashing a stronger explosion than he ever used. The smoke from the blast obscured his vision but he was already grinning wildly after all his explosions were enough to make kids twice his age run away after a few small blasts. So this guy who seemed to be his age should be ready to give up, and the blast should have also hit Deku so that would help remind the nerd of his place. After a few seconds passed the smoke cleared up and Bakugo was expecting to see both of them on the ground

As they walked away Izuku heard Bakugo but before he could warn the boy helping him he was on the ground with the unknown boy covering him with his arms around him in a protective embrace. Izuku felt his face heat up at being hugged by the stranger but he also felt oddly safe. The cat-eared boy for his part was gritting his teeth from the initial pain, despite his clothes protecting him from most of the heat, he still felt the impact and his jacket now had a large burn mark. So with deceptive calmness, he spoke through his gritted teeth. "H-hey do you mind walking ahead for a minute? I think this guy wants my attention." And letting go of Izuku he turned around as the smoke cleared up and he faced the explosive quirk user.

"You have my attention, so now what?" The calm almost bored tone and the blank expression took Bakugo aback and for a moment he felt what could almost be considered. That emotion was quickly squashed, replaced once again with rage.

"You bastard who do you think you are talking to me like that and getting in my way?" Bakugo was barring his teeth in a fierce approximation of a smile, his whole body trembled with barely restrained rage.

The boy's expression didn't change and neither did his tone. "I'm just someone who doesn't stand by and watch other people get bullied. Plus I wanted to return that guy's notebook." He gestured to his leather bag that had fallen off when the explosion had ripped the strap. With the flap open said notebook had fallen out and they all looked at it in surprise. "Now if you'll excuse me I got to get this guy home."

Bakugo was outraged, he hated this guy's smug attitude and he was going to make this guy pay for disrespecting him no matter what it took. He lunged forward in a crude imitation of a palm strike his hands sparking with another explosion. A moment before his explosion landed he felt something hard slam into his nose knocking him back onto his back with a shout as a burst of pain came from his now broken nose. Clutching his nose he looked up and once again saw the same bored expression as before now with a hint of contempt. Bakugo saw red and with a shout of rage, he forgot about the pain in his nose, from that moment on he had tunnel vision his only goal was to beat this interloper who had humiliated him and dared to look down at him. He attacked the cat boy with everything he had swinging wildly releasing explosion after explosion fighting like a wild animal. He even managed to land a few hits but they were only glancing blows the rest were dodged by the boy all the while looking focused but still calm. And soon he was panting his arms screaming in pain as his quirk had reached its limit, even so, he had to beat this bastard, after all, that was what a hero does, they win no matter the odds. With a wordless cry, he lounged forward only for the boy to sidestep him and with a sidekick clipped him on the side of the head. His vision blurred and he hit the ground the world growing dark, his last feelings were disbelief and a burning hatred for the boy who had beaten him, then the world went dark.

Izuku had watched the fight with growing awe as he watched his once friend be defeated by this unknown kid without using any quirk that he could tell unless his cat-like appendages were signs of a possible mutation quirk. Even so, it was the guy's fighting skill and calmness that stood out, despite facing someone with such a powerful quirk he never seemed to be worried and he never lost control. In his head, he couldn't help but wonder if he could ever be like that, so calm and confident. The boy turned to the other two boys who had watched in horror as their leader was utterly dominated. They flinched as the boy shifted his attention to them as they feared he would do the same to them. The boy simply pointed to their unconscious leader and with the same tone as before spoke. "You should get him to his parents." Then he turned around and helped Izuku up, grabbing his bag, and together they walked away.

Izuku was quiet for a few minutes as they left the park, he wasn't sure what to say to the mysterious boy until he noticed that his movements were stiffer and the smell of burnt fabric clung to him. Looking down he saw holes in the boy's shirt, concern for the boy made Izuku speak forgetting about his pain. "H-hey, are you okay? Kachan didn't hurt you badly did he… ?" He trailed off realizing that he still didn't know the name of his rescuer.

The boy blinked a sharp sudden motion that seemed to be his way of showing surprise. Despite that, his tone was plain and unemotional like before as he answered, "I'm fine, he didn't get a solid hit on me."

"O-oh, good...um thank you for helping me by the way. I'm sorry that you might have gotten hurt, I know Kachan is really strong and that you didn't have to get involved. I don't know why you did but I'm really grateful…" As Izuku spoke was getting quieter and faster until he was muttering unintelligibly.

The cat-like boy's face twitched as a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips, his ears not just a simple difference in appearance to others were much stronger than a normal person's so he could hear the boys muttering even if it was difficult to understand due to how fast he was talking. But he did manage to hear when the greenette said something about not knowing his name to thank him properly. The boy blinked again as he realized he had yet to introduce himself or ask the name of the greenette he was currently helping. Mentally scolding himself for his breach of etiquette he decided to correct the mistake.

"Hey, my name is Kenford...Kenford Sadao and it's okay." The calm and confident voice broke through Izuku's muttering, he looked back at the cat-like boy. "Any injuries I may have gotten from that fight aren't your fault so you shouldn't feel guilty about it. You needed help and I was in a position to do so if I hadn't helped then it would have been the same thing as hurting you myself." Izuku stayed quiet and they stopped walking, the boy seemed a little disconcerted at the intense look Izuku was giving him. But with only his tail giving a nervous twitch he carried on. "And even if I had known that I could have gotten hurt helping you, I still would have done it regardless. Now come on we need to get you home." The cat-like boy named Kenford looked up at the building they were standing in front of, he felt embarrassed that he had made his actions sound so heroic after all he had only done what any decent person would have done.

Izuku's eyes began to water, despite Kenford's expression of disinterest the conviction in his voice and the soft tone in his voice spoke volumes. This stranger had put himself in harm's way for him and unlike Kachan he didn't do it for glory or to prove he was the best, while he would always care about and admire his once friend he knew at that moment he was with someone who already had the makings of a great hero. Wiping at his eyes before he shed more tears Izuku smiled at his rescuer. "My name is Izuku, Izuku Midoryia."

Kenford looked like he was about to say something but with a desire today what he felt pushing him forward Izuku didn't give him a chance to say anything and now his voice didn't waver or stutter. "Thank you for helping me Sadao-san, you're my hero."

Kenford was left speechless, his cheeks warmed though thanks to his darker skin his blush didn't show, so with some difficulty he managed to find his voice. "Y-your welcome Midoriya-san, now come on let's get you home to your mom."

Izuku nodded and together they climbed the stairs and just as they arrived at the door to his apartment a question occurred to Midoriya. "Hey, Sadao-san where are your parents? Won't they be worried about you?"

Kenford blushed and looked down at the ground his tail twitched nervously, he shuffled his feet and his ears drooped, his expression was that of a child who knew they had done something they shouldn't have done and was now caught. "W-well I kinda left my dad when I chased after you...and he's probably freaking out right now looking for me."

Izuku looked shocked but quickly gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Sadao-san I'm sure my mom can help! She can call your dad if you know his phone number or she can call the police and they can help let your dad know you're okay! Until then you can stay here maybe we can play a game. Oh! Or I could show you my All Might collection, he's my favorite hero and you can tell me about your favorite hero!"

Kenford felt a tug on his lips as a small smile grew on his face as Izuku continued to ramble. It had been a long time since someone had made him smile aside from his family. When he had decided to help Izuku he had just planned to help and leave as soon as possible both to find his dad and because he wasn't comfortable around anyone who wasn't a member of his family. But Izuku put him at ease, maybe it was the innocent look on his face or his energetic nature, he didn't know but he felt like he could just maybe let his guard down a little, and after a nod, the two stepped inside the apartment.

The rest of the day passed quickly, Inko Midoriya immediately panicked when she saw the boys. And after an explanation where Izuku reluctantly named Bakugo, his once friend as the primary bully who had been tormenting him for the past two years she thanked the young boy who had helped her son. She fussed over the two boys and made a call to the police. Kenford's father arrived soon and thanked the woman for helping to find his son, also learning about why his son had left and the consequent fight. To Izuku's surprise and delight he learned that the man was a hero and was part of a family of famous heroes. The rest of the day was spent with the two parents talking while their children talked and played. By the end of the day, the two families parted ways reluctantly but with promises of seeing each other again. Izuku and Kenford waved goodbye to each other with a smile albeit the latter's was a small one.

Two young lives changed because of a chance encounter, perhaps they weren't around each other for long but neither would forget the other. And now with the beginning of a friendship that was sorely needed in both their lives so much will change. Because sometimes you only need one true friend to stand with you and rise above the challenges that life throws at you but that is a story for another time.

Hey everyone I hope you liked this chapter, again I'm sorry this one took so long to make. I will be trying harder to get a chapter out as soon as I can. I can't give you a specific schedule but I can at least promise one chapter a month. I know that makes me sound lazy but my job leaves me exhausted every night and I barely manage to get away with an hour a day to try to write with Sunday being the only day I have more time to write. The good news is that I should have an easier time writing now that I'm almost done with my own fanfic exclusive chapters. Soon I'll be writing into the actual show and that should speed things up a little.

Anyway next order of business, pairings, I did change this into an ocxharem but I'm not going to throw girls in randomly at the moment each girl has been chosen for a reason and I may add more girls in time but I'll be careful and selective about it. And who knows maybe Izuku will get a harem of his own after all there are plenty of girls who I think would be interested in our greenette cinnamon roll.

And finally, thank you to Entitled24, Slowwindmage, Flame151, and Mrsiri for following/favoriting my story. It means the world to me that even though I didn't update for so long more people decided to show support. If you enjoy this story consider leaving a review or follow/favorite. Thanks again and I'll see you next time!