A/N {23/4/2020}:

*Loud groaning* This was so difficult to write, my poor brain is fried. I went way above my limits for his one, 6067 words is really pushing it, but you know what they say:

Go beyond PLUS ULTRA!

Hehe, anyway, there ARE some OCs in this chapter, a total of two in fact, but they won't have a huge role (hopefully, Shinji is making it difficult) in the next fic. They were mostly created to establish a background and a steady starting line for Izuku, but who knows? I might benefit from their existence.

Anyway, I talk a lot but never mind that. Onto our second (and last) part!

Shinji's Dojo was not a fancy place by any means. In fact, it mostly looked like an old, rundown, wooden shack (which it was) and was located at the local city dump, a beach park of some sort. It didn't look much better on the inside. With old, vomit green wallpaper peeling at the edges of both the ceiling and the floor, and the occasional crack in the walls and floor here and there, the place was mostly left alone by both passersby and student hopefuls

The man responsible for the place, an old man that goes by Shinji Aimoto, wasn't much to look at either. With long, silvery-white hair, a Dumbledore-esque beard, a short stature, and sharp Asian features, the man seemed like your typical, if a bit on the stereotypical side, old man.

Except for the fact that he could probably kick your ass with only one move.

Izuku yelped as his back hit the ground for the fifth time that evening. Groaning lightly the, now, 13-year-old boy slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, glaring lightly at the cause of his fall. Shinji was laughing full-heartedly even as Izuku grumbled about 'evil teachers' and 'hellish training'.

The Green-Haired boy hadn't changed much in the past two years of training. True he was more self-confident than he was in the past (although that's not saying much considering how below zero his self-confidence actually was) but at the same time, he was still the shy, meek, and unbearably awkward boy he was before the training.

Izuku hissed slightly as he rubbed his aching back, "Oh man," he groaned, "This is so going to bruise!" he pouted slightly as Shinji laughed even harder at his plight. He had one sadistic teacher there.

"Honestly, kiddo," snickered Shinji as he pulled Izuku to his feet, "One would think you'd know how to fall by now!" The old man chuckled at the indignant noise that escaped his pupil.

"I-I- You took me off-guard!" Izuku protested, his normally pale face rapidly turning red.

Shinji clicked his tongue at him, disapproval clear in his tone, "Now, now, kid we both know villains won't wait for you to be on your guard! Its stuff like that'll get you killed." He raised an eyebrow as the boy groaned, wilting slightly as his argument got redirected at him.

"I know, it's just-" Izuku gestured helplessly in irritation, "I dunno. Maybe it would have been easier if I had a quirk." The boy slumped down a wall and pulled his knees to his chest, dejection very much obvious on him.

Shinji raised his eyebrows, obviously surprised at his (out of nowhere) words, and Izuku felt even more dejected. Today marked the end of the first month of junior-high, and it was as though a switch had been flipped. After his mother's visit to his elementary school, his fellow students and teachers all seemed to avoid him, all except for Kacchan, and while it was lonely for a while it also felt like a blessing.

Better be ignored than beaten black and blue.

However, now that they reached Middle-School, it seemed like everyone was making a point out of dragging him down. Most knew better than to get physical with him, Kacchan didn't take kindly to others using his punching bag, so they mostly resorted to verbal barbs.

He didn't know why, but for some reason, it hurt more this time around. Maybe it's because he was hoping for a fresh start with Middle School, maybe it's because he was hoping that they'll spontaneously become more mature. It was frustrating that he didn't know and that's probably what hurt the most. He had high expectations for other people, again, and they let him down, as always.

Shinji sighed and sat cross-legged across his pupil, examining him carefully. Izuku just kept staring at his shoes, stubbornly avoiding eye-contact. After a moment, Shinji sighed heavily. Startled, Izuku looked at his teacher, only to see the man rubbing his face in irritation.

"Alright, what brought this on kiddo?" Shinji asked in a no-nonsense tone.

Izuku blinked, thrown off by the question, "W-wha-"

Shinji snorted loudly, successfully cutting Izuku off, "Don't try that with me kid, you know perfectly well what I'm talking about." The old man gave Izuku a look.

Izuku blinked before frowning despondently. He absent-mindedly began scratching the floor, much to Shinji's never-ending dismay, to alleviate some of his nervousness. He'd bite his nails if he had any nails to actually bite anymore.

Taking a deep breath before glancing quickly at his teacher, Izuku grimaced, "I-it's stupid really-"

"Kid we talked about this," Shinji sighed in disappointment, "If it matters to you, it's not stupid. Honestly, how many times will I have to say this in order for it to stick in your thick head?" The man huffed exasperatedly.

Izuku simply shrugged in response. What was he supposed to say for that?

Shinji rubbed his face irritably before waving dismissively, "Whatever, go on kiddo."

Izuku bit his lip, "It's just- E-everyone at school keeps on taking jabs at me j-just because I- I'm Quirkless !" Izuku spat out hating how his voice cracked at the end as tears gathered at the corner of his eyes, "I-it's frustrating, and I'm tired of it and i-it's j-just s-s-so stupid and I hate it! I hate that I'm so different from everybody and t-that that makes it okay for people to make fun of me and keep telling me about how useless I am! I hate it!"

He was red-faced and panting by the end of his tirade, and he had tears of pure unadulterated anger streaming down his face. At this point, he was just so tired of this never-ending nightmare, and he just wanted nothing more than life giving him a break.

Shinji studied him closely, and Izuku has never felt more scrutinized in his life, before opening his mouth to speak, "So you're mad that your peers treat you horribly?"

Izuku blinked as he processed the seemingly out of the blue question and then frowned. Wasn't that what he essentially said? Shinji seemed to be waiting for an answer and Izuku wasn't sure what to say.

With Shinji staring him down as he waited for an answer, Izuku quickly stammered, "U-uh, yeah?"

Shinji nodded in understanding, not breaking eye contact with the boy, "And you think that a Quirk will make that better?"

Izuku perked up slightly, "Yeah." He answered easily, as he hastily wiped his blotchy face. Gosh, he hated how emotional he was.

Shinji kept on staring at him for what seemed like an eternity before sighing heavily, "Kid, you do remember my Quirk, 'Old-Timer', don't you?"

Izuku's brow furrowed in confusion as he tilted his head, "Um, yeah? I- I mean, it increases your life-span-"

Shinji raised a hand, successfully cutting him off, "And what do you think that would have meant for me if I was in your class?"

Izuku stared at his teacher before cupping his chin in thought, "I- I'm not sure," He admitted, "It could mean anything to be honest."

Shinji tilted his head, "Alright, let me rephrase that," He said slowly, "Imagine if you had a kid with a relatively weak Quirk in your class. Say they can change their eye color," Izuku tilted his head slightly, intrigued by where this was going, "And then one day they decided to be a hero. How would your classmates react?"

Izuku's eyes widened with a bit of realization, "T-they would laugh," The boy admitted, "And most likely try to put them down?" He trailed off unsurely.

Shinji nodded, a strange gleam in his blue-grey eyes, "Exactly. You see kid, my Quirk? It's useless for hero work. It doesn't have any combat values and it does nothing more than let me live longer than most people. If I decided to be a hero, I would essentially be Quirkless." Shinji pointed out.

Izuku felt his body freeze as his thought process sped up a million miles per hour. He was shocked to realize that the man was actually correct. Several pro-heroes, Eraserhead being the most prominent, have had to fight Quirkless numerous times because their Quirks either don't fit the situation they find themselves in or because the person they're facing off has a Quirk that counteracts their own Quirk. It all depends on the situation which is probably why most pro-heroes take extra hand-to-hand combat lessons as soon as they graduate whatever Hero School they were in.

"Hm, that's some sound analysis you've got there boyo, you're finally starting to use your brain," Chuckled Shinji as Izuku flushed a deep crimson.

He started muttering. Again.

"The thing is," The old man continued, "Quirks are nothing more than biological weapons, meaning ," He elaborated pointedly seeing Izuku's puzzled expression, "That what you can do with an emitter type Quirk like your 'childhood friend's' explosions, for example, is the same as what you can do with a hand grenade. Same thing with your mother's Quirk you can simply get up and take whatever small object you need, and while some Quirks are more practical than others, it doesn't change the fact that you don't need a Quirk to survive in this life," Shinji paused as Izuku processed what was being said, "That being said, you certainly don't need a Quirk to be a hero, kiddo."

Izuku's eyes widened as he realized that some of the implications of his teacher's little speech were actually a bit terrifying. Of course, everything the man just said was correct, but was his view only this way because he was from a time where Quirks were still uncommon? And if it was so, did that mean that their government was slowly brainwashing the newer generations into feeling that Quirks were important for survival?

If so, then for what purpose? And how were they doing it? Surely they didn't want a society full of people who relied on their Quirks for every little thing- Just look at all the laws that were passed just to keep those with Quirks at bay! But still, who's to say that people still don't use their Quirks, even when they're not meant to? Kacchan and his band of hoodlums have used their Quirks in public more times than he could count, and they weren't being punished for it.

That being said, if the government isn't punishing rule-breakers for essentially breaking the law that had been there for more than 200 years, and if they didn't care enough to make PSA's on the importance of not relying too much on your Quirk, who's to say that there wasn't some grand scheme behind this whole thing? Gosh, there were simply too many questions that needed to be asked and some could even ruin society as they know it now!

Izuku didn't even realize that he was muttering until Shinji sighed and 'gently' flicked his forehead, "Kid, you're doing it again," Izuku blushed and ducked his head.

"Why didn't you stop me, Shinji-sensei?" Izuku grumbled as he rubbed the sore spot, "You know that I go on really long tangents when I do that."

Shinji simply shrugged, "I wanted to see what conclusions you were going to reach, and so far I'm impressed," The man paused slightly as Izuku ducked his head at the obscure praise, "Anyway, now that you've had your bout of pre-teen angst, how's your Parkour training going?"

Izuku smiled a bit, despite his embarrassment over essentially being called an angsty pre-teen, as he recalled the invigorating lessons. When he first started training with Shinji, the man had insisted that he trains in Parkour as well.

"If you want to be a hero so badly then you better not to be a one-trick pony," Was what Shinji had said at the time. It didn't hold much value to his nervous younger self, but now Izuku could confidently say that he enjoyed the feeling of freedom that performing dangerous stunts gave him.

Although, he could do a bit without his trainer's… ahem, eccentric , tendencies.

"It's going well enough I guess," Izuku shrugged, "Now, that I've mastered the basics we're going to move on to more life-threatening stuff, or so Yamato said anyway."

Shinji hummed noncommittally. It didn't take long for the conversation to die after that as Izuku got up and stretched. Life wasn't perfect, not by any means, but he'll still go on.

'I'm not done yet,' Izuku thought as he got into a fighting stance at his teacher's command, ' Not by a long shot.'

And then he dodged as a well-aimed drop kick flew harmlessly to the side.

"C'mon kiddo pick it up!" Yelled Yamato as he leaped onto another rooftop.

Izuku Midoriya was starting to get out of breath. No amount of stamina building exercises could have prepared him for the living hell that was roof jumping. So far, he had spent a grand total of 4 hours jumping from building to building as he attempted to keep up with his insane teacher.

Mr. Yamato, or just Yamato as he insists he be called, was an extremely excitable 25-year-old man. With his black hair forming a Mohawk on his head, his tanned complexion, muscular build, and pretty casual clothing style, he fit the impression of a sporty person to a T.

Izuku, on the other hand, had ways to go before he ever reaches that level of fitness. As it is, his muscles would be screaming at him for days, and he sincerely doubted that he'll be able to actually move at all tomorrow.

Good thing it's the weekend otherwise he'd be long dead by school time.

Yelping as he felt his foot slip, time seemed to slow down as he tipped forward between the two buildings he'd been jumping on. Certain that he was about to fall to his inevitable death Izuku closed his eyes and prepared for the impact.

Only, it never came.

Cracking an eye open hesitantly, Izuku took stock of the situation. 1) He wasn't dead and 2) He was suspended mid-air by… something. Opening his eyes, Izuku looked above him, only to be met by Yamato's amused face.

It was only then that it dawned on him. He was being held… by the back of his shirt… by Yamato. Groaning, the boy covered his red face as he allowed himself to be lifted back into the safety of the rooftop he'd been jumping to by a laughing Parkour instructor.

"Honestly kid," Said Yamato as he set him down and ruffled his hair, "You gotta be more careful. It's a good thing I have a boosting Quirk otherwise I wouldn't have managed to catch you on time!" The man straightened up and cracked his back.

Izuku, who was too drained from the adrenaline rush to even consider getting up from the floor, merely blinked as he was hoisted onto the other man's back.

"H-hey!" He protested weakly as Yamato adjusted him on his back.

"Welp, that's enough for tonight!" Yamato chirped cheerfully as he began using minor bursts of speed to jump from one rooftop to the other, "C'mon buddy let's get you home!"

Izuku blinked again tiredly, barely registering what was being said. It's a good thing that the man requested his address when he first started training him otherwise going home would have been much more difficult.

Shinji studied Izuku's stance closely, frowning at how stiffly the boy held himself. The boy is one of the fastest and easily adaptable people you'd ever see and seeing him not used to something was a bit strange.

Sighing, the man studied the boy's footing. It was unsteady, as though he was having trouble supporting his body's weight and keeping himself upright. Glancing up at the boy's face, Shinji as not surprised to find his expression twisted and strained with effort. Finally stepping back to re-examine the overall stance, Shinji called out for the boy to relax.

Immediately, the tension that had built in Izuku's body melted away like nothing. The boy sighed in relief and gratefully accepted the water bottle offered by his teacher. Shinji studied him critically for a few more seconds before humming loudly in thought.

Izuku looked at his teacher, his attention momentarily stolen by the loud hum. The old man was giving him an appraising look, almost as though he was dissecting him with his eyes alone, and had he not known Shinji's Quirk, Izuku would have thought that he had some sort of eye-sight enhancement Quirk.

"Alright let us review your stance," Started Shinji as he lowered himself to the ground in a cross-legged position and motioned his pupil to do the same, "But first, let us start with your interpretation of it. How did I feel for you?"

Izuku shifted nervously and cleared his throat, "W-well, i-it felt a bit… stiff?"

"Are you telling me or asking me?" Shinji's eyes narrowed.

Izuku swallowed visibly and closed his eyes to recollect his thoughts. The stance did feel stiff, but he felt as though 'stiff' was grossly understating it. While yes, it did feel stiff it also felt like he was forcing his body into an unnatural position and forcing tension into his joints and muscles.

Opening his eyes, Izuku looked at his teacher and began to fiddle with his hands, "I'm.. telling you sensei. It felt stiff but at the same time it also felt like…" Izuku paused thoughtfully, "It also felt like someone was injecting high amounts of tension into both my muscles and joints."

Shinji hummed a bit more, but ultimately remained silent. Izuku shrunk in a bit on himself. Did he say something wrong or…?

"Don't worry kid you didn't do anything wrong. I was just testing a theory." Shinji grunted as Izuku visibly relaxed.

"A theory?"

"Mhm," His sensei tilted his head, "You see, for the past two years I have been pushing your limits with flexible fighting styles," The man's eyes narrowed, "So far you've been doing relatively well, however, I wanted to see what would happen if I pushed a… stiffer fighting style on you. The stance that I had you try? It's what most heavy hitters learn to mimic in order to be able to fight in close quarters with their enemies."

Shinji leaned forward a bit, his eyes twinkling with… something that had Izuku really worried. That gleam never meant well for him after all.

"People like All Might and Endeavor often resort to learning 'stiff' combat styles as it helps them by adding extra strength to their attacks. You kid? There's no way you'd be able to fight that way, not with your bodily build and mass. You're on the leaner side of the spectrum and while you have a relatively good muscle mass on you, you'll never be able to beef up like All Might or Endeavor."

Izuku wilted slightly. For as long as he remembered he'd always wanted to be like All Might. To be the type of hero that saves people with a smile. How could he ever be like his idol if he can never even measure up to something as little as muscle mass?! Ugh stupid genes!

"Now that isn't necessarily a bad thing kiddo," Izuku perked up slightly, "It just means that you'd be better suited for middle-range combat. Now, while not as well-known as short and long-ranged combat, a middle-ranged fighting style can be pretty formidable if utilized correctly."

Izuku leaned forward like an overeager child, "What do you mean sensei?" He asked in an intrigued tone of voice.

Shinji smiled back, "What I mean is that out of the long and short fighting ranges, the middle range is the most dangerous as it requires you to be quick and light on your feet in order to fight. If you're fighting a long-ranged opponent being too slow would allow for them to put distance between you and them. Same thing with a short-ranged opponent only they will come closer to you so they could execute their attacks." Shinji paused as Izuku took the information in. The amount of potential was almost making him giddy.

"Speed is the key, which is why I'll be putting you on weight training from now on."

Izuku's excited thought process screeched to a halt.

"EH?!"

Izuku twirled the bo staff in his hand experimentally. It was surprisingly... light. And easy to hold. Apparently his martial arts trainer was also a weapons master (probably comes with over a century of life) who also insisted that he gets familiar with weapons.

"You never know when you'll face someone with a Quirk that can't be beaten by simple punches, kicks, and jabs kid, you need to have something else to defend yourself with." Was what Shinji said and, to be fair, he wasn't wrong.

It just felt… weird to need weapons when others usually relied on their Quirks. True some heroes like Eraserhead and Snipe rely on weapons too but it still felt strange.

Eh, it doesn't really matter. He was already standing out by trying to be the first Quirkless hero surely using weapons won't make him more 'special' than he already was.

Shinji appraised his grip, making adjustments here and there until he was satisfied. Izuku tested his grip tentatively and felt his eyebrows rise. Huh… That's actually way better than before.

"Alright kid," Shinji said as he picked up a staff, "Let us start with the basic stances, and then we'll move on to the more difficult stuff." The martial arts trainer (Now weapons master as well) slipped easily into a stance.

"Yes sensei…" Izuku sighed as he mirrored his teacher's stance, and allowed the man to work out the kinks in his overall form.

Oh well, at least his mother was making Katsudon tonight.

"What is the first rule of gun safety?"

"Treat all guns as if they are loaded."

"Good, what is the second rule?"

"Never point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy."

"The third rule?"

"Keep your finger off the trigger until your target is within your sight and you have made the decision to shoot."

"And the last rule?"

"Be sure of the target and what lies beyond it."

Shinji smiled in approval, "Good. Now proceed with the target practice."

Izuku smiled as he aimed at another target. Weapons training turned out to be more fun than he had ever imagined.

"You have to be lighter on your feet than that!" Scolded Shinji as he dodged a swing from Izuku's bo staff.

Izuku wheezed slightly, "W-well, you did have me double the amount of weight I had on- I'm pretty sure I'm carrying more than my own body weight on!"

The 14-year-old had been doing an admirable job with his staff training. He took to the training like a fish to water, and it seemed like the staff was the best weapon option for him.

Well, at least until they added the extra weight on.

Shinji tsked, looking stern even as his eyes gleamed with mischief, "Now, now, I can't let you get complacent; I've been going easy on you enough as it is."

Izuku felt his soul leave his body as he shrieked, "GOING EASY?!"

Shinji closed his eyes as he smiled, "Yes. Going Easy. You wouldn't want me to up the difficulty level now, would you?"

Izuku felt the blood drain out of his face and quickly shook his head no.

Shinji simply shrugged, and training commenced once more.

Inko frowned worriedly as she set dinner on the table. The bags under Izuku's eyes were growing darker and his appearance was getting more and more haggard by the day. As of right now, the boy was lounging in the living room, heavily engrossed in analyzing the Quirk of a newly debuted hero.

The boy was spitting out the strengths and weaknesses of the Hero faster than he could breathe, but he seemed to be managing just fine. He didn't even sound out of breath which was a feat in and on itself. Well, at least his training was paying off.

"Izuku, dinner is ready!" She called out.

She sighed as Izuku distractedly replied with, "Coming!" and silently hoped she wouldn't have to come to drag him from the living room. Again.

(She had to and Izuku was absolutely mortified. It was the 5th time this week.)

Izuku blinked sluggishly as Shinji explained the importance of stealth and situational awareness and how drastic measures could be easily avoided by strategically observing your surroundings and blending in with them. The boy wanted to focus, he really did, especially since it was such an interesting topic, but he honestly, physically couldn't.

He hadn't been sleeping well for the better part of the last few weeks. Most days, it was because of nightmares (really vivid nightmares that always had him waking up gasping for breath), other days though, it was because of some twisted sense of insomnia.

There are nights where he just lies on his bed unable to sleep no matter what he tries, and there are nights where he finally grasps sleep only to be painfully wrenched from its cold embrace by untouchable darkness.

Either way, it doesn't matter. He's awake, he can't sleep, and he can't do anything about it either, so he can either wallow in the painful haze of self-pity or suck it up and deal with it (as he always does).

'It really sucks sometimes,' Izuku mused idly as his trainer's lecture flew over his head rather easily, 'To have tenacious drive, to need to work 10x more than anyone else,' His eyelids were feeling way too heavy and his head felt like it was full of cotton – or was that static? – as his teacher kept on droning on and on, too caught up in his lesson to notice Izuku's fluctuating focus.

It really did suck, because he knows that if it was anyone else, they would have just called it a day, checked in with the dojo, and took the day off to catch up on much-needed rest. Not Izuku though. Never Izuku. Because, unlike everyone else, Izuku doesn't have a Quirk, doesn't have a society, to fall back on, and it really, honest-to-God, sucks .

If he wasn't so caught up in his thoughts and own deep-seated fatigue Izuku might have noticed that his teacher stopped speaking. He might have noticed that he was called on 3 times in a row. He might have noticed the sharp look of alarm that flashed on his teacher's face.

But he didn't notice and so, he was unpleasantly surprised when Shinji moved forward and put a hand on his forehead. Letting out an undignified squeak and struggling to his feet, Izuku was moving on auto-pilot as the simple touch invoked his fight or flight response. Sinking easily into a defensive stance Izuku scanned the place almost feverishly, his sluggish mind barely registering his surroundings.

That was until he started processing exactly where he was and who was it that touched him. It was only then that the 14-year-old boy realized the extent of his fatigue. Shinji was looking at him, the look of unmitigated surprise on his face gave way to a huge unabashed smile of pure pride (not like Izuku knew that).

Izuku felt his face grow hot, "A-ah! I-I'm r-really sorry Sh-Sh-Shinji -sensei I-" His rambling was cut off by a deep hearty laugh that came from his teacher. Naturally that made Izuku even more mortified. Usually, whenever Shinji-sensei laughs it's either with him or at him and since he wasn't laughing right now, he was more inclined to believe that it was the latter.

"Well, it's good to know that you managed to pick up some defense tactics," Teased Shinji fondly once he composed himself enough to speak, " Even if your situational awareness still needs some work." He muttered to himself more than anything, but Izuku managed to pick it up.

Izuku didn't respond, too busy being caught up in his own misery and shame. Seriously, how pathetic can he be to flip out at Shinji like that?! Honestly, how much of a loser was he-

"Hey, what's wrong?" Izuku blinked as he was wrenched from his self-deprecating thoughts. Shinji was standing across of him, looking, well- concerned, which was really strange, and Izuku was hit with a wave of guilt and shame once more. He made his teacher worry.

Licking his chapped lips, Izuku attempted to speak, only for words to evade him. Faced with no other option, Izuku merely shrugged. What could he say to that?

Sighing, Shinji beckoned Izuku over. As the man gestured to him to sit down, Izuku's eyes traced his martial arts trainer as the man went to a corner of the hut. His teacher, he noticed, liked tea very much, and so, there was always a teapot lying on the table in the corner.

How does he even keep the tea so warm, he doesn't know, and he's not even sure he wants to.

Blinking, Izuku looked at the teacup thrust in front of his face wearily. 'Goddamnit, I spaced out again!' He silently fumed as he gingerly held the steaming cup.

His teacher took a place in front of him on the floor, sitting in a cross-legged position. The man held his own teacup as he studied Izuku critically, all hints of humor (or any emotion at all in fact) gone from his face.

His eyes never leaving his student, Shinji took a leisurely sip of his tea. Izuku squirmed, hating how intensely he was being scrutinized. Taking a sip of his own tea, Izuku marveled at how easily his teacher remembered his preferences. Maybe having a strong memory was part of his Quirk? Hm, he'd have to ask him about it later.

"You haven't been sleeping, have you?" Shinji asked rhetorically.

Izuku grimaced and nodded hesitantly. Was it really that obvious..?

"Why?" It was a simple question, no accusation or malice hidden beneath it, but Izuku flinched anyway, his eyes skittering nervously around the place.

"Well?" His teacher's sharp eyes narrowed, questioningly.

"U-um…" Izuku stammered lamely as he fished around his brain for an excuse, "I stay up studying..?" He squeaked lamely.

Shinji stared at him in disbelief before snorting loudly, "Yeah right. Staying up late studying. Okay kid, here's another one. How long?"

Izuku shrunk in on himself, "A few weeks now…" He mumbled, firmly keeping his eyes on his teacup.

Shinji's disbelief was almost palpable from how thickly it coated his words, "And you didn't call in sick?!"

Izuku shrugged, shrinking in on himself even more.

Shinji remained silent for a few moments and when he snuck a look past his eyelashes, he found the man rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Kid," Izuku looked up sharply at his teacher's sharp, worried tone, "Do you have any idea how dangerous sleep deprivation is? You can die, " Izuku flinched, "From working in such a state! Do you know what we call it here?"

Izuku bit his lip and shook his head, "We call it Karoshi, kid, it literally means 'overwork death'" Shinji continued, his voice controlled even as his tone fluctuated widely.

Izuku opened his mouth to protest, only for Shinji to start speaking again, "If you look really closely at your situation, you'll find out that It's very similar, no matter how much you want to deny it," Izuku's mouth snapped shut with an audible click, taken aback by the intensity in his teacher's voice, "Your body is tired, boy, and you forcing it to work is no different than overworking yourself. If you keep going at this rate you will kill yourself."

Izuku felt the familiar sting of tears and blinked repeatedly in an attempt to stop them from building up. He stubbornly kept his gaze on the floor as he gripped the teacup with white knuckles.

He heard Shinji sigh tiredly, "I'm not trying to make you feel bad kid, and like it or not, I am your teacher and as such it is my job to teach you about your limits," The man paused, "Going beyond your limits is one thing, but destroying your limits, and thus yourself, is another. One is acceptable, encouraged even, while the other leads to almost certain death."

Izuku couldn't hold it in any longer and felt the tears spill. Frustration pooled in his gut, coiled tightly like a snake and choking him with its intensity.

"I-I-I-," He stammered, his voice strained, "I-its just- I already h-have t-t-to work harder than anyone else! I can't afford to let my exhaustion set me back!" He cried out, his voice both thick and intense.

Shinji eyed him wearily, "You have to work harder than your peers yes," He said slowly, "But that doesn't mean you have to destroy everything you worked for in the process."

Izuku didn't have anything to say to that.

Shinji sighed heavily, again, and rubbed his eyes, "Alright then. Go home kiddo, we're done for today. Get some rest and don't come back until you've rested your body." The man said sternly and Izuku jerkily nodded in response.

He got up, thanked his teacher, and bowed before leaving the shack, silently wondering if he managed to ruin everything by not sleeping for a few days.

The first thing that Izuku did as soon as he went home was break down in his mother's arm. His mom, loving and caring as she is, gently rubbed his back and soothed him as he recounted the events of his day. The woman ended up agreeing with his teacher, reminding him softly that he was only a human.

Gently, she patted his back and advised him to get some rest. Izuku simply nodded mutely and slowly made his way to his room. He had no doubt that he'd be taking several days off from school. He sluggishly rubbed his eyes, before he caught his reflection in the hallway mirror.

Slowly, as if in a trance, he traced his reflection. He… didn't recognize himself. With heavy bags under his eyes, bloodshot exhausted dull eyes, matted green hair, and a pale sickly complexion, Izuku looked… Sick. Different. Exhausted.

'No wonder Shinji-sensei was so worried about me,' Izuku thought in horrified realization, 'I look… horrible.'

Izuku kept looking at his reflection. He never realized how bad it truly was. He never thought how detrimental to his overall health and appearance sleep deprivation was. It was… eye-opening.

"And to think," He mumbled to himself with hysterical dismay, "That I was going to mope in my room all day because my teacher pointed out that I was wrong." He laughed bitterly and ran his fingers through his hair, "How did it even get that bad?!" He asked no one.

Not that he expected an answer anyway.

And so with that little bit of cheerful realization, Izuku went into his room with the sole intention of picking a change of clothes. If he looked like death than he probably smelled like it too.

Izuku sighed as he adjusted his backpack. Honestly, he didn't know how he went on last week, what with his lack of sleep. He still had trouble now, yes, but he doesn't feel like he's at the brink of a coma anymore.

His mother, as he predicted, completely banned him from going to school or even doing anything in the house. Heck, he wasn't allowed to leave his room until his mom thought he was well-rested. It had taken him some time to actually regain his energy. He had felt lethargic for days on end, and he was sure if it wasn't for the fact that he was banned from exerting any effort at all, that he would have passed out in the middle of completing a task!

Licking his chapped lips, Izuku carefully made his way inside of his school, his red sneakers making light noise as he walked through the deserted hallway. With less than 5 minutes left for the bell to ring, everyone was already waiting on the teachers in their homeroom classes.

He was cutting it a bit close, but he had no desire to mingle in with his bullies before class, or at all in fact, and so Izuku took a deep breath, and slowly walked towards his homeroom class unaware of the events that will transpire later in the day.

A/N {23/4/2020}:

THE END! For now ;-)

HEHE, this fic was a wild ride for the past few days honestly, who knew planning fics was so difficult? Eh, it doesn't matter anymore.

Welp, I guess that's it for this series! For now at least...

I hope you all liked this story! It was a bit difficult to work on, but nothing too bad hehe!

Anyway, if any of you are confused about certain events (or characters) feel free to tell me about it in the comments and I'll try my best to answer your inquiries! For now, though, see you all next time!

JH . exe is officially out!