This story is heavily based off of the anime/manga series "Boku no Hero Academia". This work of fiction may contain spoilers towards the series, as well as references and characters. I do not own any of the references or characters from the original series that may appear in this story. This work and its original characters are fictional, any resemblance to real people living or dead is purely coincidental.
To be unique, is to be one of a kind, unlike anything else. What does that mean in a world where everyone is unique?
The world has transformed dramatically. Unique abilities that are normally impossible for an average human to achieve, are now commonplace. Nearly 80% of all of humanity is equipped with some sort of ability or mutation. These unique traits are known as "quirks". When individuals are given power, they are capable of making decisions that can affect others.
The definition of a hero is different for every individual.
Saturday, April 1st 6:32 p.m.
Dusk had arrived, and the sun was expending the last of its rays, painting the sky with a soft mix of tangerine and lavender. The warm light crept into the Satou Residence, illuminating the top floor's west bedroom.
It's been a week. I should be over this already.
Satou bit down, attempting to control his anger before settling heavily against the windowsill in his room. Kotonoha laid back on a beanbag, her attempt at an encouraging smile fading as Satou's furrowed brows etched confusion and frustration into his face. He shifted to a more comfortable lean, and Kotonoha tensed, surprised by the sudden movement. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she stroked the flower in her hair.
"Youji... It's fine, okay?" She suddenly spoke up, her hushed voice breaking the silence. "I think you need to move on. That boy... It was like he was someone else at the cafe, compared to the exam. It almost seemed like he was gentle."
"Gentle? He put everyone there in danger with his reckless attacks, he even targeted us! He could've... You could have-"
Satou's feelings quickly dissipated as he saw his old friend looking towards him with concern. His eyelids drooped as his gaze shifted towards the window, Kotonoha still in the edge of his peripheral vision.
"...I know. I'm sorry, you're always helping me let go of things that I shouldn't worry about." Satou picked up the hologram device sent to him from the academy. Kotonoha's gaze followed his hand as he held up the device, displaying their grading on the entrance exam once again.
Satou Youji had scored twenty villain points and twenty five rescue points, resulting in a total score of 45 points. Chigusa Kotonoha had scored fifteen villain points, and nineteen rescue points, resulting in a total score of 34 points. During the physical portion of the exam, Satou had spotted a student that had been trampled by the stampede of fleeing students, caused by Kazuto's rampage. He'd stood by the collapsed individual, effectively shielding them from harm. After the cluster of testgoers had passed, Satou carried the injured individual to the entrance before the test had concluded early.
His frustration was not misplaced, as he had genuine concern of the people around him. More so than anybody else, he was primarily concerned with the well-being of his old friend Kotonoha. Having known her since middle school, the two have shared a unique friendship. Due to Kotonoha's timid nature, she had more than her fair share of harassment from her peers. This continued for some time until Satou had taken it upon himself to take the role of her protector, and defend her from those who wished her harm.
Was it because of his sense of justice?
To this day, the two had been near inseparable, aspiring to become partners in their hero career. With each other's support and perhaps some friendly rivalry, the two launched to new heights in academics and physical prowess, becoming worthy candidates of attending the most prestigious hero academy in the world, U.A. High. They were far from elites. Products of hard work and dedication would better fit their description.
Satou's eyes slowly trailed towards Kotonoha to get a quick inspection of her expression. With worry still riddled on her face, Satou could only groan before inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly.
He couldn't stand to see his friend upset like this. There were only a handful of things in this world that could turn her frown upside down. As if aquiescing to a request that had yet to be requested, he took a few steps forward and knelt down towards Kotonoha planted on the beanbag.
"Do you," he said tense and sheepishly, "want to go get ice cream? There's still over half an hour until Haagen-Dazs closes."
Her eyes lit up like Christmas lights.
"Yes! Let's go, come on!"
Kotonoha sprang out of the beanbag chair, sending it tumbling backwards, knocking over a floor lamp. Without batting an eye, she grabbed Satou by the arm, and they dashed towards the ice cream shop.
Saturday, April 1st 9:15 p.m.
Kazuto's eyes strained as he checked the time on his cell phone. His squinted eyes eased as he adjusted the brightness of the screen to the lowest level. Curiosity painted his face as he noticed a text notification from Rock.
"hey! me and riku ended up passing the test. kinda surprised that i did well lol, prob gonna be busy until start of school, ill see you there ok? lets meet up sometime at school"
A small laugh came out as a short hum.
"Congrats on passing to both of you! I hope we end up in the same class. I'll see you on the first day."
Placing his phone on the desk on his right, he slumped backwards and flopped onto his bed. Kazuto extended his arm upwards, and stared at the back of his hand. As his body began to shiver, he clutched his blanket and wrapped himself tightly. Fear enveloped his body in a cold sweat.
Fear that he would be taken again.
Fear that he would lose control.
Fear that he would hurt someone.
The thought of harming another burned in his head. His mind spun around it, unable to focus on anything else.
I'll definitely control myself. I don't want to hurt anyone, I-
Horrified by his endless thoughts, he curled into a ball, shivering in the dark.
Sunday, April 9th 11:03 a.m.
The day had finally come!
The day before classes begin, otherwise known as "Moving-In Day!"
All of the students accepted into U.A. send their belongings and essentials in the mail to move into the dorms of the academy, and unpack on campus the day before classes begin. Rock and Riku approached the gates of U.A. High for the second time, this time as their home. Although they'd already seen the school, they couldn't help but marvel at it's magnitude.
Heights Alliance, the group of several dormitories inside of the U.A. campus.
Due to the rise of villain activity focused on the harm of U.A. and its affiliations, U.A. had converted to a boarding school in order to protect its students. The dormitories are easily accessible, being only roughly a five minute walk from the main school building. Several buildings resided in Heights Alliance, with one class per building. Among the buildings were the first, second and third year dorms.
The first floor of the building is common space, with a dining area containing a fully equipped kitchen. Students are encouraged to prepare their own meals, although there is plenty of room for storing in the fridge and freezer. Additionally, the baths and laundry facilities are also located on the first floor, both separated by sex. Aside from those facilities, the living room is the highlight of the common space. Several couches and seats all surround a large table, and are positioned towards a large flat screen television.
With a choice of stairs or elevator, the upper floors are where the rooms for the students are located. On each floor, there are two groups of four rooms; half for boys and half for girls, up to the fifth floor. Each floor is separated into a left and right wing, with boys on the left and girls on the right. Every student receives their own private room. Each room comes with an AC unit, a bathroom, a refrigerator, and a closet. Additionally, there is a veranda with a view of the other buildings of Heights Alliance, with the main school building in the distance.
Rock reached into his pocket, and slipped out the U.A. hologram device, switching it on to display one of the .PDF files loaded onto it.
In front of Rock and Riku appeared a hologram document.
CLASS 1-B ROSTER
Fujimoto Kazuto
Ayama Ryuji
Chigusa Kotonoha
Momochi Ruka
Akutagawa Riku
Hachiman Garuru
Ishikawa Rokuro
Chideta Maeda
Endo Emiri
Higashi Shou
Sasaki Tamika
Satou Youji
Tengan Daiki
Hirose Anzu
Nakano Renka
Usui Isamu
Yanagi Junko
Morino Hide
Kaya Asuka
Yamada Masanori
"I guess we're both in Class 1-B then," Riku said, scratching his chin with his pointer finger, "ever since the symbol of peace retired, I heard U.A. focuses more on raising teams of heroes. It'd make sense to keep us in the same class based on the teamwork we showed during the entrance exam."
Rock shifted the stack of boxes cradled in his arms to get a sturdier balance. "That makes sense. According to the documents we received, there should be someone to check in with on the first floor of the 1-B building."
Riku nodded his head before giving him a skeptical look. "Didn't you send your luggage to U.A. like it said in the document? There's no need to bring stuff to the dorms..."
"Yeah," Rock chuckled, "I actually forgot to do that, so here I am bringing it all myself."
After a short walk, the two arrived at the entrance of the 1-B building. Suddenly, the box at the top of the stack fell off as Rock was bumped on the shoulder by someone passing by. In an attempt to catch the falling box, he slipped and fell onto his backside. Rock grunted as his bottom ached with a burning sensation.
Ugh. I really need to be careful. Lately I'm falling down all the time. Now who did I bump into-
Rock froze as he saw the irritated individual whom he collided with.
The stranger's hair was scattered and hung over her face, deep purple eyes visible, shining through like a flashlight in the dark. With a huff, she adjusted and brushed her voluminous, dark short hair away from her eyes, as her pupils darted up and down inspecting the fallen boy.
Two things had caught Rock's attention.
She had an extraordinary physique, she looked like an Olympic athlete. The stranger looked around his height, five feet and eight inches or so. Her creamy mocha skin radiated in the sunlight. Although her attire, consisting of a black tank top, blue denim shorts and white tennis shoes, had expressed an ordinary sense of style, everything about her simply was not. The toned muscle which flowed from her legs to torso, around shoulders to arms and full strong neck, showed an impressive unsympathetic unity of strength.
She also had various wrappings and band-aids around her body, she must've been injured recently.
"Watch where you're going," she grunted with a small scowl. The stranger turned away and continued towards the door to enter building 1-B.
"Are... you okay? You're riddled with band-aids and stuff." Rock stood up and dusted himself off.
Before answering, she paused thinking of a proper response.
"I'm fine. This is nothing," her eyelids drooped as she looked towards her hands.
The boy took that as cue to continue the conversation. "I'm Ishikawa Rokuro. People usually just call me Rock for short," he extended his hand, offering a handshake with his introduction. "You're heading into the 1-B building, so you must be in class 1-B too, right?"
"Nakano Renka," she gently took his hand and moved up and down in unison with Rock.
The boy was taken aback by how gentle this powerful person's touch was.
"And yes, I am in Class 1-B. Is this person as well?" Renka's attention turned to Riku.
He quickly introduced himself, and then proceeded to ask her a question, "I'm curious, what'd you score on the physical portion of the entrance exam?"
Renka's faint warm expression dissipated. "That's not something I'd like to share, sorry."
Riku's face soured as his question was shot down.
Rock sensed the mood, and made the quick decision to interject.
"Oh! We should head inside already. It'd be nice to put all these boxes away," he chuckled, crossing legs and bouncing his right foot. He bent down to round up all of his luggage. To his surprise, Renka and Riku had each taken a box to help lighten his load.
"Might as well lend a hand. I'll just add this to your extensive list of favors that you owe me," said Riku, ill intention evident in his growing smirk.
"...Might as well," uttered Renka, sneaking a peek at the contents of the boy's box.
Isn't it rude to go through someone's stuff without asking permission? Especially if you've just met?
Struggling to force a believable smile, Rock gestured for the others to follow him inside the 1-B building.
As the three stepped through the door, they stood in awe, admiring the pristine condition of their new home.
"This place is amazing! I must've died and gone to heaven," Rock exclaimed, running his hand through his hair.
Renka smirked, surprised to find herself struggling to contain her laughter.
"Not bad, all things considering," said Riku.
"I've been to your place dude. Your mind should be blown right now."
"Fuck you, your apartment is the same Rock."
As they advanced through the vestibule, a booth stood before them. An individual wearing a brown cowboy hat sat behind the booth, in a comfortable looking chair. Upon closer inspection, the individual's hat had a metallic plate on the front with a stylized "S" embedded. However, the objects of interest would have to be the strange pale yellow gas mask the person was wearing, as well as the large gun resting in his holster.
He looks familiar...
"Hey! It's Snipe!"
Riku's shout startled Rock, Renka, and other individuals inside of the building.
"I used to watch the cartoon based off him," Riku informed.
Oh yeah, we used to watch together on Saturday mornings while eating cereal in our pajamas.
"Is he our teacher?" asked Renka.
Rock shook his head "Beats me. There was no information on who our teacher would be in the documents."
The group approached the booth and greeted Snipe, before laying down the boxes nearby.
"Howdy, pardners. I'm the pro hero Snipe, I also work here as a teacher at U.A. Although classes start tomorrow, I'm here to introduce myself as 1-B's homeroom teacher."
Snipe is our homeroom teacher, huh? I've heard that he never misses his mark with his guns.
"Is that all you're here for?" asked Riku.
"I'm just here to answer any questions you may have about moving in. Also, I have your room numbers here. Just gimme your names and I can tell you which room you're in."
"Akutagawa Riku."
"You're on the third floor, second door on the left. Your names are also labeled on a panel on the lefthand side of your door."
"How about Ishikawa Rokuro?" asked Rock.
"Ah, you're on the fifth floor, the very last door on the left."
Nice! The very last room on the top floor. Should have a pretty sweet view, I'll be sure to check out that veranda later.
"Rock, trade rooms with me," grumbled Riku, blatantly dissatisfied with his room arrangements.
The boy replied by crossing his arms, forming a large 'X'.
Snipe gave an approving nod as he checked both of the boys off of a list. He turned his head towards Renka.
"And how about yourself?"
"My name is Nakano Renka."
"Alright Renka, your room is also on the fifth floor, third door on the right, in the girl's wing."
Rock, and Renka nodded with satisfaction. Riku grimaced, envious of his friend's room location.
"Do you three have any more questions for me?" asked Snipe, checking Renka off of a list.
Rock rubbed his chin as he pondered deeply if he needed clarification on anything.
Renka stood silently, eyelids shut, waiting for the conversation to be over.
Riku scrolled through his phone out of boredom.
"... I can see you're clear on everything. Alright you three, I'd explore the place a little if I were you. First, it's probably a good idea to get those boxes to whoever's room."
"Yeah, I forgot to send them here. Oh well, live and learn." said Rock, with a bright smile. "Thanks for all of your help today Snipe! Er- Do you prefer Mr. Snipe? Oh! Can I call you Professor Snipe? Sounds like Professor Snape from Harry Pott-"
"Yes Rokuro, I've watched the movies. I know what you mean. Do whatever you like."
The three scooped all of the boxes up and headed towards the elevator.
"Thanks Professor Snipe! I'll see you around!"
Snipe waved and gestured goodbye to the students.
"What a weird kid."
Sunday, April 9th 11:36 a.m.
With an audible click, the door opened to Rock's room. As if by some stroke of luck, his room's wallpaper had been his color of preference, a solid green. Rock, Riku and Renka were astonished by the clean, spacious room. The room came with a standard queen-sized bed, beige desk with office chair, and a table with a flat-screen television.
"Feels like some kind of nice hotel," said Riku, running his feet through the soft light blue carpet.
"Hey guys, if you help me unpack, I'll buy you both dinner! Pleeeease? I heard the cafeteria food here is like ambrosia." Rock rolled his eyes as he described the cafeteria food for emphasis.
Her lips pursed, Renka shrugged in agreement.
"Alright Rock, I'm down." said Riku, placing a box down on the bed before opening it. He paused after examining a labeled hardcover book with intense focus. Riku began grinning, smile quivering as his breath became uneven.
Suddenly, he cackled as he clutched the book and grabbed Renka by the wrist, pulling her outside with him before slamming the door shut.
Rock only stared with a dull expression before checking the contents of the box. His face turned white as he immediately recognized what had been missing from the box.
My... old ...diary.
"Riku!" he roared in anger.
The boy turned the knob and tried to push the door open, but to no avail as Riku and Renka had been leaning on it, effectively keeping it shut tight.
"Riku, this isn't funny! Come on!" pleaded Rock, a palpable desperation flowing out.
He pushed on the door, becoming increasingly irritated as his attempts failed, hearing Riku roar with laughter, most likely gasping for breath.
Rock's eyes began to change to a deep crimson.
"...and that was when I realized, it was all a dream! I still ended up kissing her, oh my gosh it was insane! I'd give anything to meet Mount. Lady-"
Tears streamed down Riku's face as he couldn't bear to read anymore without hopelessly howling with laughter. Renka stifled a sincere giggle, doing her best to restrain herself.
The door flung open, knocking Riku and Renka into the wall in front of Rock's room.
"Wait wait wait! Rock, I'm done, I'm done! Chill out it was just a joke!" cried out Riku, still clutching his aching side with his left arm, and holding his right out in defense. After a quick glance, Riku could tell he had made a big mistake. His friend was now in his rage mode, about to lose all control.
"Renka," said Riku calmly, "get ready to run, we've gotta get outside where Rock can't smash anything. We can't get into huge trouble on our first day."
She gave him a perplexed look, and then tensed as she spotted Rock dashing over towards the two.
Riku and Renka dashed out of harm's way, and began sprinting down the stairs. Rock gave chase, ferocious in his pursuit.
"What's wrong with him?! He looks like he's trying to kill us!" exclaimed Renka.
"It's part of his quirk! He's an emotional wreck! I fucked up, he's super sensitive to shit like that! Hurry up, he's gaining on us!"
After several flights, they'd finally made it to the first floor. The two made a break for the exit. Snipe, still sitting calmly at the booth, glanced over in their direction before jolting to his feet in shock.
"H-Hey! What's going on here?!"
"Outta the way Snipe! We're just playing tag!" yelled Riku.
Riku and Renka cleared the door, and made it out into the courtyard. Rock was pursuing them, fury unsubsided.
"Now what do we do Riku?!"
"We either knock his ass out, or calm him down!"
"We should calm him down, it's our fault he's like that!"
"Wow. It's so nice of you to take part of the blame, seeing as how it was mostly my ide-"
With an unexpected burst of speed, Rock closed the distance between him and his targets.
"Shit! I forgot how strong he is like this!" yelled Riku.
The enraged boy slammed his fist towards Riku with wicked intent. With a swift backstep, Riku narrowly escaped a devastating blow. Rock's fist continued downwards, unearthing the concrete in jagged fragments, producing a crushing noise that made Riku's face grow pale.
Renka's eyes widened, enthralled by the raw strength coming from a boy who seemed so harmless.
The boy ripped his fist out of the small crater before swiftly turning his head towards Riku, snarling with anger.
"Oh, what I wouldn't give to just turn this guy to ashes right now!" said Riku, continuing to avoid a melee confrontation.
Rock swiftly dashed forward towards Riku, inches away from his chest. He stepped forward, planting his foot firmly while simultaneously turning his hips, and thrust his fist out to strike Riku.
As Riku dodged the second attack, his left hand had begun to glow with black flames, an involuntary reflex from all of the close calls. Noticing his unconscious ignition, he quickly deactivated his quirk and allowed the flames to dissipate.
"Can't use my quirk, don't wanna melt his face off!" he shouted.
A spine-chilling gust of wind produced from Rock's punch shook the branches on a tree about twenty meters away.
Thanks to Riku taking all of the boy's attention, Renka took the opportunity to lightly tap Rock's back with her left palm.
He swiftly turned around and whipped a closed fist towards the girl. With skillful movement, she predicted the incoming strike and crouched quickly, chopping him down with a fast leg sweep.
Rock fell onto his back with an audible grunt. Renka stood up and took a light fighting stance, bouncing to a solid rhythm. He charged forward with a guttural roar, swinging his fists with reckless abandon. She continued to evade his burst of anger with fluid weaving.
Several more exchanges began, resulting in Rock's fists striking nothing but the air.
Riku noticed Rock's movements have slowed as the boy attacked on, haggard and dripping with sweat. "Renka," said Riku, impressed by her agility. "What did you do to him?"
"It's my quirk," she replied.
[Quirk: Leech]
After making physical contact with an individual, Renka is able to temporarily sap their strength, speed and stamina while simultaneously bolstering her own. The draining is a slow process that takes time, but the longer the fight goes on, the stronger she will be! As the individual's abilities are taken, any physical activity will expedite the transfer of power. This quirk can only be activated on a single individual at a time.
"Riku, you've got to try to snap him out of it," she insisted.
"Rock! Calm down! It's okay!" yelled Riku, attempting to resolve this issue peacefully.
The boy's eyes strained as he paused, clutching his forehead with his palms, clawing at his scalp.
Taking advantage of his moment of struggle, Renka slid over and gently placed her hands on his shoulders.
Rock stood straight with his eyelids squeezed shut.
She opened her mouth, but could not find the right words to say.
As the boy slowly lifted his eyelids, his irises revealed a plain black. Rock was back to his normal self.
"Are you... yourself?" Renka tried to meet his gaze, but shifted her focus to the ground.
"Huh?" Rock took in the sight of Renka standing before him looking dejected. "Where are-"
He paused, immediately understanding where his lapse in memory had come from, as well as the concerned looks his friends had given him.
"Yep Rock, you totally went crazy on us. I know I shouldn't have fucked with your diary, but I mean come on man, have some restraint!" said Riku, a sardonic smile sliding up his face.
Rock looked at his hands, which he clenched firmly, after noticing the scratches and dirt coating his rough fingers and palms.
Renka, her hands still on his shoulders, shook Rock out of his stupor. "It's alright. It was just a little exercise."
His downcast eyes were lifted, revealing a radiant yellow hue.
"Your eyes are yellow," uttered the girl with wide-eyed interest.
He chuckled, as his beaming smile reached his eyes.
Snipe stomped outside into the courtyard, attempting to locate the source of all of the noise.
"Just what the hell are you guys doing?! I could hear you from inside-"
The pro hero's right foot caught onto the small crater Rock created, causing him to stumble and fall forward.
"What's with this hole?! Property damage too, God dammit!"
"Professor Snipe... I-"
"-was just exercising. We were just doing a little exercising, a friendly spar. Rock here got a little into it." said Riku.
Dusting his shoulders off, the masked man stood on his feet after composing himself.
"If any other teacher was here, you guys would've gotten in a ton of trouble. It's only your first day here, you shouldn't mess around too much. Next time, do it during free practice, borrow a training room. I'll get Cementoss to fix this up. Have you guys finished unpacking yet?"
The three shook their heads.
"Then, I'd advise you to get that done. The day is still young."
"Thank you... P-Professor Snipe," said Renka, bowing her head slightly.
Snipe scratched his cheek with his right pointer finger (despite wearing a full-face mask), and tipped his hat in response.
Rock grinned and jumped up and down, shaking Riku in excitement knowing his nickname for his teacher was catching on.
Riku promptly shoved him off, bringing the boy to the ground. Renka offered a hand, and helped him up.
The three of them waved to Snipe as they entered the 1-B building, preparing for the second round of unpacking.
Sunday, April 9th 5:47 p.m.
As the sun continued to sink past the buildings of Heights Alliance, the clouds were symmetrically spread across the bright mango and violet sky. The three had managed to successfully unpack for each of their rooms, with their combined assistance and teamwork. They now stood leaning on the railing of the veranda of Rock's room.
It's beautiful. This is like a dream. I get to go to school here, in this paradise?
No words were spoken for nearly ten whole minutes. Just pure admiration for the beautiful view.
An audible internal growl echoed through the silence.
"Guys, let's go to the cafeteria. It's a little early for dinner, but I'm starved. Besides, Rock's paying, right?" Riku tore his gaze away from the beautiful sky, and headed towards the door to exit Rock's room.
"Sure thing, that sounds good!" Rock happily turned around to follow Riku, but froze as Renka put a hand on his shoulder.
"Wait up," said Renka.
The boy turned once again to face Renka, uttering a questioning hum.
"I wanted to thank you."
He blinked, slightly tilting his head to the left with a confused look.
"What for? If anything, I should be the one thanking you for bringing me to my senses, especially without clobbering my head in."
"No, that was nothing. It's just, I've never really had an easy time talking to people. You were just so approachable. Most people are a little intimidated of me."
Huh. I did kind of get that elite vibe from her. That initial intimidating glare was pretty chilling.
"Intimidating? Naaah. You're fine!"
"Seriously, I've... never really had friends."
Rock was taken aback once again, her words reminding him of a similar time in his life when he was without friends.
"No problem Renka, we're friends now. We need to hang out like this all the time!"
The boy's bright smile was accentuated by his yellow irises reflecting the beautiful sunset.
A small gasp escaped her lips, almost indistinguishable from the sound of a regular breath.
For the first time, Rock had seen Renka fully smile.
New school, new home, new friends! Moving-in Day continues with the next chapter! Going to continue to introduce new characters, as well as touch base with some previously introduced characters. Thank you for reading!