Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia. I'm writing this purely for fun andwriting experience. I don't profit from it.
A/N: Heyo, guys! Hope everyone's doing great!
First off. I'd like to say a big, Plus Ultra, thank you for all the wonderful reviews and all the favourites and follows. I honestly didn't expect the pilot of this fic to get such positive response. It really means the world to me. Makes me want to continue this fic even more.
Now on another note. Originally I planned to release this chapter like 2 days after the first, but going through this chapter, I just wasn't happy with what it originally was, so I spent a few days, rewriting some bits. I probably rewrote some scenes like 3 or 4 times to finally get to a version I was happy with and, I dare say the results were worth it.
Takes me back to that one day at University where our teacher told us "The first draft is always shit" A Famous quote from Ernest Hemingway that was one of the things inspired me to write. I guess even the best writers out there make shitty first drafts. That's what editing is for.
So if you're also an aspiring writer who thinks his first drafts are crap. Don't beat yourself up. That's normal. Edit that shit and you'll be golden.
Anyway, I'm rambling again. I think Deku's rubbing of on me. Anyway, here's the second chapter! I hope you enjoy it
Move Forward And Take Flight: Part 2
"Where am I?" Izuku looked around. Everything around him was pitch black. Nothing but darkness and fog. He looked down at his body only to notice he was only a head and right hand.
"This again?" Izuku pondered as he remembered a previous dream like this "Well this time I have my mouth so maybe I'll get some answers." He looked around and saw two faint silhouettes in the distance. One was a skinny and frail man with shoulder length hair. The other was of a woman, tall and extremely well built, her hair was also at shoulder length.
"Wait I know those two!" He recognised the silhouettes from his previous dream. His suspicion became clear when the two came closer to him
"You've grown quite a lot, 9th user." The slender man spoke to him. "You still have much to learn though." He then turned to the woman standing next to him. "Do you think he's ready, 7th?"
"Well, no. Not really." The tall muscular woman stated "But his heart's in the right place."
"He could barely get a hold of Black Whip. I don't know if..."
"Hold up, you two. Ready for what? I don't understand."
"For my quirk." The woman smiled at him "Your heart reached out to me."
"Heart? I don't... I don't understand. You're... You're Nana Shimura, aren't you? All Might's master. What do you mean: My heart reached out to you? I don't even know you."
"You're pretty observant, Izuku Midoriya." Nana stated
"You... You know my name?"
"We're the vestiges of the previous users." the man explained "And through One for All, we are now a part of you, 9th user."
"What? I-I don't understand. How can you be a part of me? Each of you were your own individual people! And I'm me. This doesn't make any sense."
"Parts of our essence and memories is stored within One for All, Izuku." Nana started to explain "Shigaraki here just likes to be cryptic."
"Wait, Shi-Shigaraki!?" That name struck a chord and Izuku became agitated "Like Tomura Shigaraki? I don't understand. Are you related to him? Answer me!" Something about the mention of that name struck a chord inside Nana and she frowned.
"Shigaraki is the family name of All for One and, consequently, mine as well. Although I prefer not to be addressed by that name, 7th." There was no response. Nana was strangely silent.
"I see. Well partly, anyway. I mean it does make some sense, but... I still have so many questions. And what's this about another new quirk?" Izuku asked, still somewhat confused.
"My quirk, Float." Nana stated while smiling "It's manifesting inside of you. It's faint, but I can feel it creeping out of the shell. Your heart reached out to me for help and here I am. The whole package if you will!"
"Whole Package!?" Izuku turned red. He felt like the more he asked, the more questions he ended up having "Why though? Why is this happening now? And what does this have to do with my heart? Am I sick or something? Am I in some sort of imminent danger? And is Tomura Shigaraki related to All for One? Who is he? I don't..."
"I know you have many questions, Izuku." Nana tried to comfort him as the 1st user approached him, getting closer "I assure you, all of your questions will be answered in time. As for right now. Be ready for anything and trust your instincts! The future is in your hands, Deku." Calling him by his hero name shook him up. Shigaraki reached out with his hand as if to grab his.
"A great threat is looming over this world. I feel, my brother is somehow involved." He stated "Be prepared for anything. The future is in your hands, 9th user."
"Wait, I'm not finished, I..." He was interrupted by the 1st user grabbing his hand. A bright light shun and expanded from his hand, becoming brighter and brighter. The next flashes and images came too quickly for Izuku to comprehend, but somehow he understood them all. On a subconscious level, faintly, abstractly. But he understood them all.
"What was that all about?" Izuku woke up thirsty like a hippo in a desert. He aggressively reached for his water cup only to knock it over the floor spilling it everywhere
"Damn it! I'll have to clean that up."
He jumped out if bed and rushed towards the kitchen while still in his PJs.
"Be prepared for anything? Trust your instincts? What did they mean by that? I don't feel any different, except... Now that I think about it, my heart's been pretty stirred up. It feels like, it's... glowing? Can hearts glow? I don't know. I have more important things to worry about right now."
"NEED WATER!!!" he yelled out as he entered the lounge. He didn't even bother taking out a cup from the kitchen cupboard. He just placed his mouth right bellow the sink and drank directly from the flowing tap.
"Daaaamn! Slow down Midoriya. Do wanna drown or something?" An energetic girl's voice came from behind. He turned around to see his classmates Mina Ashido and Momo Yayorozu sitting on the couch with a cups of tea in hand.
"Ashido, Yaoyorozu? Good morning." Izuku politely greeted them with a smile, before turning his attention to the clock on the wall. "It's 6 in the morning. What are you doing up so early?"
"We decided to try out a new morning routine, to help us prepare for the final exams." Momo explained "We wake up at 5 in the morning, meditate and then drink a soothing cup of Jasmine Tea while reflecting on our progress so far."
A/N: This routine is purely a plot device. I'm not saying it will work on you, nor that it won't. It'll explain further in my notes at the end.
"Wow, that's so cool. And is it working?"
"You bet it's working!" Mina enthusiastically cheered "As I was doing it, I felt like I've became smarter and more aware of everything. Although, to be honest, it was very hard at first. I couldn't even get through the second day without falling asleep in class. But the more I did it the more I felt one with myself and the universe. The exams are gonna be a piece of cake!" Izuku smiled at his classmate's newfound confidence. That routine seemed interesting, he made a mental note to try it out later.
"What about you Midoriya? You rushed in here like you were struggling for your life, is something wrong?" The tall girl asked him.
"I had a weird dream." Izuku figured it didn't hurt sharing the dreams since to other people, they could be just regular dreams. "There was this woman. An older heroin, who looked pretty built. She was with this other guy. A slender looking man." While he was telling them he got himself a cup and poured himself more water. "They were talking to me about some, pretty cryptic stuff if I'm being honest" He decided to stop there. No need to dive into further details. "Next thing I knew, I woke up more thirsty than I've ever felt in my life." He scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Interesting. Did you know that dreams are often times our subconscious mind trying to communicate with us?" Momo explained.
"Your subconscious mind? That's very Interesting." Izuku stated "Well whatever it was I guess I didn't get the message." It wasn't a complete lie, he did understand some things, but he did end up having more questions than he originally started off with. A little white lie couldn't hurt.
"Thirsty eyy?" Mina giggled "Maybe, you have a thing for older heroines." Mina teased which made Izuku spit out the water in his mouth.
"I, uhh... Doubt that's the case..." He said sheepishly pouring himself another glass of water.
"Ooohh? What's your type then?"
"Mina, that's enough." Momo tried to shut her up, but the wouldn't stop the shipping queen of Class 1-A.
"Oh, come on Yao-momo, can't a girl have some fun?" She turned to Izuku and asked him again "Come on, Midoriya tell us, or do you already like someone?"
"Like?" Izuku's heart skipped a bit. "You mean as in like as friend or as a person or..." He tried acting dense to avoid the subject, but to no avail.
"No, dummy. I mean do you LIKE like someone? You know, you want to be together with that person. Hug, kiss, go on dates, cuddle, share your deepest darkest secrets, wear matching t-shirts... You know, that kinda stuff." Momo simply took a sip of her tea, patiently waiting for this to be over. There was just no getting to Mina once she gets like this."
"Oh... LIKE like?" Izuku's face turned red. He was overwhelmed with nervousness, yet for some reason he couldn't help, but answer "Well... I guess you can say that... There is... Someone..." *"Craaaap, what did I just say?"*
"Eeeeeeeeeeek!!!" Mina let out a high pitched screech which almost made Momo drop her tea. "I knew it! I Knew It!! I KNEW IT!!! Come on tell us! I wanna know! Is it Hatsume? You always go to her for 'support items'. Or wait don't tell me. Its Momo isn't it? You were probably trying to hide it when you stepped down as class rep. Or is it Kyoka? You guys were sure getting along during the culture festival! No? Someone from class B, maybe? Is it Kendo? I wouldn't blame you, for wanting Misty from Pokémon giving you a handjob with those huge hands of hers."
"That was just. Very insensitive..." Momo muttered to herself almost shedding a tear, as she took another sip of her tea. "Goodbye childhood."
"Or maybe Neijire?" Meanwhile Mina continues her onslaught "She is the beauty pagent winner and one of the big three and everyone in class knows how you always go for the gold. You can't help but chase after status can you? Nooooooo wait! I got it! I got it!! It's Ochako isn't it? Isn't it Midoriya?! I mean you too are practically inseparable ever since the first day, It's a miracle you two aren't dating already? Or are you! Don't tell me you two are secretly dating without letting anyone else know? Wait that's not in your nature at all... Come on, TELL ME, MIDORIYA!!!"
"U-u-u-u-uhm...W-w-w-we-e-e-ll..." Izuku started having a nervous breakdown. He was being bombarded with so many questions and possibilities, it almost made him go into a fit of muttering. As funny as that would be, his embarrassment won him over. How did he think letting his guard down was a good idea? Trick question. He wasn't thinking. He just did it before he had a chance to even think. And now he was in deep. He had to get out of there.
"Can you, PLEASE, drop it!" Momo furiously let down her cup on the table, trying to save her classmate from Mina's assault. "If Midoriya really likes someone, then he should be the one to open up about it when he's ready. It's frankly non of our business so we shouldn't pry. We have more important things to worry about, Mina!"
"What's more important than love, Yao-momo?" Mina snapped at her
"Passing the first year, for example, or did you forget how you kneeled down and practically begged me to teach you!? Or the fact that you're still behind on THREE different subjects!"
"You mean, just three! I started out with being behind on seven this Monday! I definitely made some progress!"
"The goal was for you to get them all by TODAY!!!" Momo snapped at her "But you just kept getting distracted. Even with the routine in place, you kept getting distracted by these, Small, Insignificant, Dirty things. Why can't you just focus on what's important right now!?"
"Pfff." Mina scoffed "Puu-leeease. Nothing is more important than love Yao-momo! I saw it in my morning meditation." Mina said crossing her legs, placing her hands on her heart and closing her eyes. And in a soft voice she stated "This world is all but made up of love! Every single atom in the universe including our own consciousness is love. We are love and love is us."
"Knowing you, I doubt you needed meditation to get to that conclusion." Momo sweat dropped in defeat.
"Oh, put a sock in it Yao-momo!" She opened one of her eyes and looked at her teasingly "You're just cranky, because Shoto doesn't pay you any attention, now does he?"
"Th-that's not it!!" Momo blushed with fury "I'm mad because I've been trying to drill knowledge into your horny head for the past YEAR now! And somehow you still manage to fail! Again and again! And I end up teaching you... Again and again... Which can only mean one thing." Momo almost instantly went from furious to gloomy."I failed... I failed as your friend and mentor. As your hero! I-I failed" Tears started forming in her eyes as she fell into a gloomy, curling up into a fetus position on the couch. "I'm such a failure."
"Yeah, you definitely need some love in your life." Mina said assertively.
"Shut up!!"
"Anyway, Midoriya..." She turned to face the Green haired boy, but he was nowhere in sight. "Midoriya? Where'd he go?"
Izuku had taken the chance to sneak away from them as they were arguing. As soon he was out of sight he ran to his room as fast as he could.
"What am I saying? What am I doing? I just talked without thinking? I heard that mornings can cause you to let your guard down, but this? Craaap!! Is this because of that dream I had? Is it because of the quirk? What is happening to me!? Is this what they told me to be prepared about!? Crap, Crap, CRAAAP!!!"
He quickly entered his room, wanting to hide from the world. Without noticing the water he spilled on the ground he slipped and fell on his back, causing the air to escape his lungs. Taking a few struggling breaths to he managed to get his breathing back to normal. Still lying on the ground he looked up at the ceiling with a tired look.
"I'm such a mess." Izuku thought as the spilled water was seeping through his PJs. "I should take a shower and get these PJs dried" A loud grumble came from his stomach "Or eat first. Yeah, maybe it's a good idea to eat something first." He stood up and went to check what he had in the mini-fridge in his dorm. "Empty? Just great!" He let out a defeated sigh, closing the fridge door "One more thing on the to-do list." He took off his clothes, grabbed his towel and headed for the showers.
"I wonder..." He started thinking as he was rubbing his All Might Brand, Plus Ultra Hair Strength Shampoo in his scalp "...maybe I should get something to snack for the study session... It's gonna be a long one so best stock up. Hmm... What does Uraraka like? I think it was, Mochi, but what flavour? Oh yeah..." His thought process shifted to the thought of spending the whole day which her, which made him blush from embarrassment. "M-maybe it's gonna be fun. It's Uraraka after all. She's one of the nicest girls in UA. If not ever. It's gonna be fine... I don't know why I'm so nervous..."
"Midoriya?" A voice interrupted his thought process. He quickly recognized it belonging to his classmate and friend, Shoto Todoroki, who happened to be taking a shower in the next stall.
"Huh? Todoroki? Hey, good morning! I was just..."
"Thinking about Uraraka."
"H-huh!? What made you think that?" Izuku blushed in panic
"You were thinking out loud and I heard you mention her name." Shoto spoke coldly. Not in a judgmental kind of way but in the Shoto Todoroki kind of way. "Do you have a date with Uraraka?"
"Wha-WHAAAAT!? NO!!!" Izuku's face was now like a tomato. And he thought Mina was bad. "It's nothing like that! It's just a little study, get together, thing! For the final exams. Yeah. Nothing more, I swear."
"Crap! Why? WHY?? Why is this happening!? I can't I just can't..."
"I see..." There was silence. Izuku knew Shoto was very often blunt and inconsiderate, mostly because he doesn't know how to act, but in this situation it was getting too much for Midoriya to handle. "But do you want to go on a date with her?"
"H-huh???" Izuku's face had probably discovered a new shade of red by now. "Where's this coming from? I mean sure, she's one of my closest friends and she's cute and all. But go on a d-d-d-date with her? Like as a c-c-couple???"
"Would you? Would it make you happy?"
"I-I guess, but... I don't know if I it's a good idea." The words escaped his mouth without a second thought. "I mean with my qu-" He slapped his mouth as his was this close to spilling to Shoto about his quirk. "Why are you talking! Just stop talking you damn idiot!!!"
"Are you unsure of yourself? Do you feel unworthy of love? Like you don't know what to? Torn between your own thoughts and reality, built in by the people around you and their ideals, until you become an artificial mess of a human being that feels more like a project than a human?" That last part caught Izuku's attention. Something clicked. Todoroki wasn't asking him, but more like asking himself indirectly.
"Todoroki, do you..."
"I'm sorry, am I asking too many questions? I'll stop if it's bothering you."
"No, no, no, I mean. It is very awkward for me to talk about this stuff, true, but... I get the feeling you're not really asking me, but you're more or less asking yourself." The statement caught Shoto a bit off guard. There was a brief pause.
"Hmm... I guess it's a bit of both. Truth is there has been someone on mind for quite a while now." He looked at his left hand "I don't really know what to do with these feelings. Should I act or should I just let it happen naturally. Frankly I'm at a loss"
"Todoroki..." Something clicked inside him again when he heard that. What he just said was exactly what Izuku's been thinking of. More or less. He didn't realise he was thinking it until he did. "Well, I guess I'm in the same boat as you on that one." Izuku said "Anyway, I don't know if I will ever wholeheartedly pursue these feelings."
"Why not? Don't you want to be happy?"
"Well yeah, a part of me does, but..." Izuku smiled then looked down at the floor "Another part of me just thinks, I'd be a terrible boyfriend. To anyone." He thought with the burden of One for All in mind "I mean, in all honesty, who would want to date someone like me anyway."
"I see..." Shoto paused to think about what his friend was saying, clenching his fist sympathetically "Midoriya."
"Yeah, Todoroki?"
"You're full of shit."
"Wha-what!?? "
"Didn't you hear me? I said, you're full of shit. " He repeated his previous statement. "Don't think, I haven't observed you over this past year. The bonds you've formed, the people you've inspired, myself included. The strength you've gained. It's all... Immeasurable!"
"Todoroki... Do you really mean it?" Izuku was starting to tear up yet it was hard to notice under the shower
"I do." Shoto smiled "You've done more for others in a year than I've seen some heroes do in a lifetime."
"I think you're exaggerating, a bit"
"Sadly, I'm not. You may not realise it, but a lot of people look up to you. Myself included. Frankly, I think, I could never hold a candle to the friendships and bonds you managed to form." There was silence. The green haired boy had no way to respond to that statement. "Anyway, I'm done showering. Good luck with your study date, Midoriya." Izuku wanted to scream out that it wasn't a date, but the words couldn't escape him. He was deeply lost in thought. And it didn't end there.
As Izuku was walking through town and in the supermarket, he couldn't get Shoto's words out of his head "Am I really just being hard on myself?" He put a bag of chips in the basket."I know I have to work harder, because I'm so behind on my quirk, but... Oh mochi" He saw a pack of different flavored mochi. Remembering, they were one of Uraraka'a favorites he placed them inside the basket. "Have I been neglecting my own progress? Have I really grown that much? And have I really not noticed now my natural demeanor affects others? I guess I never really thought about it." Similar thoughts were going through his head all day with the occasional mutterstorm here and there.
"That'll be ¥3163, please." The cashier said snapping Izuku out of his trance.
"Wait, how much!?" He looked at the amount of things he brought. A lot more than he usually buys. About twice as much, but because of his thought process and rumbling stomach he didn't pay attention to what he was buying. "Wait a second." Lucky for he he had enough to pay for it although just barely. "Here you go."
"Thank you. Have a nice day."
"You too." Izuku answered to the cashier and left the store. He was walking home at a slower pace than usual. The hunger was starting to get to him so he sat down on a nearby bench and started eating some of the meat buns he bought from the store. "Inspire others? Formed bonds? Don't other heroes do that? I know All Might kind of does, sort of. For me it was just normal, even if everyone made fun of me in Elementary and Middle school, I guess I never really stopped, did I? Maybe, I tried to be more like him than I originally thought." He swallowed the bite and took another one "But is that the hero I want to be? I think, I..."
"HELP!!!" A Sudden woman's cry jolted him up. He looked around to identify the source. A slim looking individual in a brown trench coat was standing above a certain woman. She was sitting on the ground struggling to stand up. Without thinking Deku, swallowed the remaining meat bun whole, left his bags on the bench and ran towards the commotion
"One for All 8% Full Couling!" He was about ready to punch the man when he turned around to face him. His eyes were a light glowing shade of blue. As soon as Deku made eye contact with the villain, the young hero felt his entire body grow heavier and heavier. He collapsed on the ground trying to get up.
"Whatta you know. An angry twerp, playing hero." The skinny man taunted him. Deku tried to pick himself up, but to know avail, his body became heavier and heavier. "Don't bother kid, my quirk is a checkmate against power and speed types!" Deku's body became even heavier. "I could squash you like a pancake with just one look if I wanted to. Of course, that wouldn't be fun now would it?" The green Haired boy suddenly turned lighter, a lot lighter, lighter than he usually was. He lost his balance getting up. "A weight affecting quirk? Or is gravity?" In his confusion he was caught off guard by a surprise kick in the stomach sending him flying and crashing into a nearby car. "Pathetic." He turned around to face the woman. She was around her 30s, and looked rather wealthy based off her clothes. "Where were we? Miss, I feel like we got off on the wrong foot. Just give me that designer purse you're carrying and we'll both be on our way."
"Ahhh. Someone, help me! " The woman screamed out.
"Now, now. No need to get defensive. You wouldn't want to piss me off now would yah."
"Get away from her!!!" The villain turned around to see the green haired boy from before charging at him with blinding speed.
"This kid again? Jeez." With one glare he collapsed him on the ground mere centimeters away from him "Persistent little brat, aren't yah." The villain heard running footsteps behind him. The woman he held hostage began running for her life. "Look what you made me do, kid. You made my dinner run away." He sighed and glared at her causing her to collapse on the sidewalk. "I got distracted. Won't happen again..." He took a mental note and began walking towards his "prey".
"Your quirk?"
"Ehh?" The villain turned around to look at the young hero in training.
"You can control the weight of an object or person with your eyes. One eye controls one object. So you can effectively control two objects at once, is that right?"
"Well aren't you perceptive?" He said almost mocking the boy. "Well it's true and there's a limit like any quirk, not like you can do anything about it kid." He turned his back on the boy walking towards the woman "I make most pros fall to the ground crawling like babies, so what can a hopeless high-schooler like you do-oooohh" Something grabbed him on the leg tripping him. He looked down at his feet and saw a black vine wrapped around his leg. "What the, how did? Where?"
"I know your type!" Deku said with determation in his eyes. "Common criminals who got lucky in beating a pro once and it went to their head." Deku stood up. "The shock must have undid his quirk... Now's my chance!" "I'll show you what a real hero's all about!" Quickly he used another vine from Black Whip to cover the villain's eyes.
"What the... Damn you!!!" He struggled but to no avail. He was as good as captured. The police quickly came and took the villain into custody. Deku showed them his Provisional licence when they asked him to.
"So you're a student at UA, huh?" The officer was rather young and friendly. "Gotta say, I'm impressed by how you captured this guy. Wish I had a quirk like that."
"It's no big deal, I've dealt with worse."
"I can imagine, with UA's streak record nowadays." The officer wrote something down and returned his Licence "Anyway, I'm usually not allowed to do this for a Provisional licenced student, but I'll write full credit to the capture to, The hero Deku!"
"Wow, Really? Thank you so much. But won't you get in trouble for it" Izuku's eyes were glowing
"Think nothing of it, kid. Least I can do for the next generation of heroes. I know, you guys barely get into the spotlight with all the pros running around, hoggin' all the glory. And don't worry about me, it ain't my first rodeo. My colleagues down at the station don't call me Hero Hunter for nothing, Hahaha. And who knows, one day I might encounter the future number one hero and give him the kick he needs to succeed."
"That's very nice of you, sir."
"You think so? It's a bit selfish from my point of view, but if Deku says it's okay, then I'll keep at it! Hahaha." The officer laughed
"One more thing. About the victim."
"Oh yeah." Izuku looked at where the woman was. There was no one there now. "Poor woman. She must have been so scared, she ran away."
"Well, based on your description she appears to be wife of the CEO of Hero Fantasia. You know, the company responsible for producing all those action hero action figures. Frankly it's no wonder they were targeting her, especially during these days. I'll run it through tge guys at the station. I promise you she's safe in our hands now thanks to you." The police officer commended him "Good work out there, Deku!"
"It was nothing, really." Deku humbly stated.
"It's okay to be humble kid. Just don't downplay your contribution." The officer winked at him before getting into his car. Deku watched as the patrol car left the scene, with a proud smile on his face.
As the police car turned the corner, a bald man who seemed to be watching the whole show dialed something in his phone.
"It's me, I think I found the man you're looking for..."
"Well, now that that's settled, guess I better head back" His tried to grab the phantom bags he dropped "Oh, crap the bags!"
"Excuse me young man, I believe you dropped these." Izuku turned around to see a middle aged blond man holding out the bags he left at the bench.
"Oh, thank you so much." Izuku took them and gave a small bow
"Think nothing of it. Honestly I should be thanking you for handling that villain and keeping us safe." He replied modestly "Do you happen to be a hero in training?"
"Yes, I am." He said smiling.
"That's awesome, keep at it kid!" He punched the air before trailing off somewhere. "You know, I have a daughter your age. Also a hero in training. She always loved heroes and wanted to be one herself. She even told us she would save us from our debt. Ha-haha."
"Heh. It sounds like you're really proud of her." Deku said smiling.
"You, bet I am!" He said looking out "My little angel, she's growing up so fast. Oh, sorry young man, I got a little emotional there."
"It's no problem sir. Honestly, I cry all the time." Deku said authentically.
"Hah, I like you kid! Say, which school do you go to?"
"Oh, UA sir."
"UA? What a coincidence, my daughter also studies there. With promising young heroes like you and my daughter I feel like the Symbol of Peace will be restored in no time."
"Thank you sir. I-it means a lot." Izuku trailed off "Honestly, it's hard at UA, but we're all doing our best. Although recently it's been mostly exams and not that much villain activity. I don't wanna jinx it, but I would give my right arm for some real hero work right now. Oh, I'm sorry, I don't mean to bore you." The older man simply laughed
"Hah. Try having a kid. You hear school stuff constantly!"
"I can imagine." he said sheepishly
"No, you can't! You're too young. Hahaha." Izuku went silent. This man was very kind, bit at the same time a bit eccentric. He reminded him of a certain someone. "Anyway, I don't want keep you from your school work. Go Plus Ultra, am I right?"
"Yeah! Well thanks for taking care of my bags. Stay safe!" He said as he started walking towards the UA Campus
"Wait! One more thing!" The man stopped him in his tracks
"Yeah?"
"Young man? What's your hero name?"
"Oh." Izuku smiled brightly "It's Deku!"
"Deku ey?" The man smiled back "I like it! Gives me a "You can do it!" vibe."
"It does, doesn't it?" Izuku said . "Huh, deja-vu." "Well, thanks again! Bye now."
"Oh one more thing, before you go." He stopped him dead in his tracks.
"What is it?"
"If you meet my daughter, tell her I said hi, will you?"
"I will? What's her name?"
"Ochako Uraraka. Brown hair, pink cheeks, can't miss her. She takes after her mother, that one."
"U-u-uraraka?" The mention of the name made Deku tense up. "N-no way? You're her f-father?"
"So you do know her, do you?" Ochako's dad raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, of course I know her. We're in the same class." The green Haired boy was trying extra hard to keep it cool. "Honestly, I probably wouldn't even be in UA if she hadn't helped me during the entrance exam."
"That sounds like my Ochako, all right! She's a real peach, if only she weren't so selfless..." He tensed up for a split second "Don't get any funny ideas kid."
"It's not like that, I swear!" His tone became more nervous "Also, I disagree. Selflessness is important if you want to be great hero."
"I know, I know. Spirt of Self-sacrifice and all that crap, but... I'm just worried about her human side, you know. Too much selflessness can do a real bad number on your head. Take it from me, young man."
"I see. Well, thanks for the advice sir, but I..."
"You gotta go, I get it. Gotta ace that test! Well, it was nice talking to you, Deku. Tell, Ochako I said hi."
"Will do! Bye now and take care!" That being said, they parted ways, waving at each other. As soon as Izuku turned the corner, his mind started flooding. "Holy Crap. I just met Uraraka's dad! I mean it's no big deal, right? I've met Todoroki's and Kacchan's family before. Why am I making such a big deal out of this."
"But do you want to go on a date with her?" Shoto's words echoed in his mind
"Shut it, Todoroki, it's not like that atvall! She is cute and all, but right now would be a terrible time to start dating. Besides even if I could handle it, if she gets too close to me, she'll... She'll get hurt, or worse... And her dad, he is such a nice person. I don't want to hurt him either, but at the same time I can't ignore my feelings! Ahhhhhh! Why'd I have to have to develop a crush on my best friend?!" Izuku froze at that sentence. "Best Friend?"
"She's my... My best friend?" Izuku smiled at the thought. He always knew they were close, but he never really admitted it to himself that Ochako was his best friend at UA. Probably his best friend, period. For a long time he thought his best friend was Kacchan, but deep down he knew that was just his loneliness talking. Now it's different. Now he had friends in almost everyone in UA. He had a choice. His feelings had a choice. And he knew without a doubt who the title of Izuku's best friend went to. At that moment, he didn't feel nervous or awkward at all. He simply felt blessed.
"Wow, having a girl as your best friend amazing!"
"Hey is that the guy from the sports festival" A sudden girl's voice snapped him out of his trance. "It is!!" He felt an earthquake of footsteps approaching him. As he turned around he noticed a swarm of people running towards him.
"Oh crap, now what?" Izuku panicked as he was surrounded by them"You're Izuku Midoriya, right? From the sports festival!"
"Oh wow, he looks even cuter in person!" one girl said.
"Man, that battle against Endeavor's son was amazing!" A boy said
"Don't forget the cavalry battle! I was on the edge of my seat." An older looking guy said.
"Can I have your autograph?" A little girl approached him
"Uhm, guys..." Izuku whimpered as he was being bombarded by what seemed to be fans of his. "I appreciate it, but I'm really in a hurry." His feeble attempt at reason was futile as the swarm of fans grew tighter. It was getting really hard for him to breathe.
"Aww, crap, can this day get any weirder?"
A/N: Aaaaand, that's a wrap! Boy, this chapter took its toll on me. But to me it was worth it. Tell me what you think. I libe reading your reviews.
Now a couple of notes.
First off as your aware this chapter was mostly Izuku focused, since I wanted to flesh out his character to the best of my abilities and plot convince :P
Next chapter will focus more on others, I promise!
About the routine Momo and Mina were using. I was inspired by what I like to call "Sleepy Town Time". It's the time period between 3 am and 6 am. Its difficult to explain it, by I know from my own experience, that during this time frame, I think a lot more clearly. Like my thoughts are uninterrupted, by the countless people who are awake during the day. Does that make sense? To me it does :)
Meditation is scientifically proven to be really healthy for your mental state, so gotta include that.
Jasmine tea: That's mostly just an Avatar reference. Since it was one of Iroh's most memorable tea types.
Lastly: Self-reflection. Also a pretty good mental state technique. It's mostly used for understanding yourself.
In layman's terms, I crafted my own plot device trying to be as real as possible. How's that going to affect Mina Ashido? Well, all I'm gonna say is:
I absolutely love writing her in the state that she's in with this fic. I don't think I've had this much fun writing in forever.
So be ready for anything. ;)
Once again, thank you for all your support. It means the world to me that you guys like this fic.
See you in the next chapter!