Chapter Three

The morning of Midoriya Izuku's first day of ninth grade went about as well as could be expected. He woke to discover that he had, of course, misplaced his old Hero Notebook. That wouldn't be cause for alarm in most circumstances, given that the book was already completely filled. In this case, the fact it had gone missing at all seemed a strong indicator to Izuku that it had been forgotten in Yaoyorozu Momo's limousine. The green-haired youth wasn't sure if it was right for him to feel joy at the prospect of Momo dropping by the house sometime to return the forgotten item, but he'd be lying if he said the thought of seeing the dark-haired girl again didn't appeal to him. Like as not, though, the best he could expect would be to happen upon the notebook in the mail slot one day. People just...didn't like to associate with some Quirkless kid for long.

Yaoyorozu-san isn't like that! the boy thought as he began his morning routine. Yaoyorozu-san...she told me that I can be a Hero! She's a good person!

It was a pleasant thought, if a moot point. Whether she returned the notebook in person or by post, it wasn't like the two of them were going to become good friends, long-term. They were a boy and a girl, both of them attending a different school, and both of them worlds apart in social status. He'd looked up the name 'Yaoyorozu' last night, thinking that it had sounded slightly familiar, only to discover that Momo was the heiress to one of the most influential corporate families in all of Japan. She was like a modern day princess, complete with an insanely awesome Quirk. By comparison, Izuku was little more than some Quirkless commoner.

Still...it would be nice to see her again...

As Izuku sat down to eat breakfast, his mother eyed him with a curious expression.

Inko had been worried when he'd come home with a bruised face, upset when he ran straight into his bedroom while offering only a token greeting, and scared when she heard him loudly sobbing only moments later. Shortly after that, the boy had discussed the day's events with her, though he'd taken care to excise any mention of Kacchan to keep his mother from running off to have a word with Bakugou's mother. Inko's eyes had gone wide as saucers when Izuku reached the part where a beautiful girl had help him after he tripped and injured himself. By the time the boy got to the part of the story where Momo had told him that she believed he could be a Hero, his mother had begun to cry...even as her smile got larger at the news of her son meeting a girl.

"Izuku," Inko began, far from the blubbering mess she'd been the previous evening, "you are going to invite that nice girl over so that we can thank her properly, right?"

The green-haired boy choked a bit on his drink. "Guh! M-Mom! T-that's completely unnecessary! She doesn't have to c-come here just because I t-tripped on my laces!"

At that, the youth began to stare down at his food, a melancholy expression on his face.

"Besides...," he mumbled, "I couldn't get in touch with her even if I wanted to. She's this super-important heiress, and goes to this posh private school for the wealthy elite. She was probably only over in that part of town to pick up her uniform for the new school-year or something. She was wearing it when I saw her, even though it wasn't a school day."

His mother frowned slightly. "Well, that doesn't mean you can't try, at least. She's going to be attending high school at Yuuei next year, right? If your new goal is to enter Support or General Studies, she'd make for a good study partner, don't you think?"

Wow, Mom was laying it on a bit thick. "Well, I did forget a notebook in her car. M-maybe I'll bring that idea up. I-if she decides to return it, I mean! Maybe..."

Inko smiled. "Good. Now, you need to get going soon, or else you're going to wind up late for opening ceremony."

"Oh, that's right!"

Standing, Izuku made a move to begin clearing the table, but his mother shooed him away with her hands. As he made his way to the front door, he went through a checklist in his mind.

Uniform? Check. Backpack with all required textbooks? Check. Latest Hero Notebook? Check. Shoelaces tied? Double-check. Momo's monogrammed handkerchief? Che –

He froze at the threshold of his home. Indeed, folded neatly and tucked into the breast pocket of his shirt was Momo's handkerchief. He'd washed it last night and placed it on his desk. How did it wind up in his pocket? He must have grabbed it unconsciously on his way down to breakfast. He considered the silken cloth closely...before safely tucking it back into his breast pocket. Maybe...maybe it would bring him good luck? Yeah, that didn't sound pathetic...

Opening the door, he waved his mother a cheerful goodbye, and set out for his first day of ninth grade.

Bakugou Katsuki woke up pissed off. He brushed his teeth pissed off, got dressed pissed off, gathered his school supplies pissed off, ate breakfast pissed off, cleaned his plate pissed off, hugged his mother pissed off, and left for school pissed off. And that was all on a typical morning. That morning, however, he was far beyond pissed off. He was absolutely livid. Problem was, he wasn't sure if he was livid at Deku...or himself.

Things hadn't gone the way he'd wanted the day before. Usually, things played out the same way whenever he and Deku had these little confrontations. The green-haired little twerp would start getting ideas, ideas that he could be a somebody, and then he'd start looking down on the actual somebodies like Bakugou. When that happened, it became necessary for good ole King Explodo-Kill to put Deku in his place. But yesterday...

...yesterday the Quirkless runt had gotten hurt.

Bakugou scowled, kicking away a can on the sidewalk that had the audacity to be in his walking path. It wasn't like Deku had been sent home with broken arms or something! The entire freaking thing had only happened because the idiot didn't know how to tie his damn shoes properly! Nevertheless, Katsuki had begun to feel guilty, freaking guilty, that it had happened! Like he owed Deku an apology or something! He hated that feeling, hated it more vehemently than he hated the very notion of not winning. Well, he simply wasn't going to let it stand. He'd already ripped that pair of idiots new asses for getting too handsy with Deku's stuff the day before, which just so happened to be one reason they had decided not to accompany him to school that morning. Now all he had to do was, ugh...make amends for what happened. He wasn't going to apologize, he was just going to convince Deku of his sincerity that smashing that stupid face of his into a wall hadn't been intentional.

The scowl remained on Bakugou's face as he approached the front gate of the school. Just why the hell had Deku gotten it into his head that he could attend Yuuei? They had the largest barrier of entry of any Pro Hero school in the nation, and for good reason! Only the best of the best deserved to attend Yuuei, and the notoriously difficult entrance exam for the Hero Course proved that point. If Deku tried to get into the Hero Course as some Quirkless nobody, he would fail. Even if by some miracle he succeeded, that sort of success would only serve to make the entire school look as pathetic as Deku was! 'Oh, look, it's the school so easy that even a Quirkless runt can get in!' If Deku went to Yuuei, it would ruin everything Bakugou had been working toward. Ruin the school's reputation, ruin Bakugou's goal of being the first student accepted into Yuuei from their podunk middle school...ruin everything!

Katsuki felt his anger rising again, and had to strain not to set off a few explosions just to make himself feel a bit better. Why couldn't the little twerp just get it through his head already?! The Hero world wasn't for the likes of him! It was made for people like Bakugou, people with the talent and the drive to achieve greatness! Fate had decided to make Deku Quirkless, and thus it would be fate that he would never achieve such an absurd dream. He should just let it go and become something more suitable, something that suited his wimpy personality, like a daycare worker or something. That seemed more his speed.

Wordlessly, Bakugou stepped into the crowded throng of students gathered in front of the class roster listings. Seeing what was written there, he gritted his teeth and began making his way toward the auditorium. He couldn't see his target amid the students gathered for the opening ceremony, but that didn't surprise him given how short Deku was. The ceremony was short and simple, barely a ceremony at all, which made it the best kind. When it was over, the blonde boy headed in the direction of the classrooms.

Upon reaching his class, Bakugou slid the door open with such force that it crashed with a loud 'BANG!' against the other end of the doorway. Sure enough, across the room sat Deku, just as the roster had shown. Even the sound of a simple door being slammed had been enough to make the runt nearly leap out of his skin. Bakugou almost grinned at the green-haired boy's reaction...and then he noticed the bruise on Deku's face, and his mood once again became sour.

Time to get this over with.

"Oi, Deku!" Bakugou snarled, slamming both hands onto the boy's desk.

"K-Kacchan?!" responded Deku, a look of absolute terror on his face.

Bakugou leaned in close, snarl on his face becoming more prominent as he looked the little twerp in the eye. The boy made an audible gulping sound in his throat.

"We have unfinished business, Deku," Katsuki said, with all the charm of a yakuza extorting a shopkeeper. "You and I never did get to finish our little chat from yesterday. So, we'll go ahead and get that taken care of today. The rooftop. Lunch hour. Be there, twerp. I'm gonna give you an opportunity to explain your little comment about Yuuei, so you'd best be grateful."

Deku, too frightened to vocalize properly, simply nodded.

And with that, Bakugou stepped away from the Quirkless runt, put his things in their proper place in his desk, and readied himself for his first day of class.

Momo rode upon a white stallion near the shore, a slope of green grass and the ocean to her right, cobblestone road and farmland to her left. As she continued on her way, she happened to spot three crows in the grass. Cawing loudly, the birds pecked at the huddled form of a small green bunny.

"Deku! Deku! Deku!" shrieked the crows. The bunny they tormented quivered in fear, too afraid to fight back.

Without a moment's hesitation, Momo leaped from the saddle of her horse to rush the group of animals, flailing about wildly with a sword she'd acquired from seemingly nowhere. The birds took flight still screeching their call of 'Deku! Deku!' as they fled. One of the crows halted its retreat for but a moment, its red eyes glaring angrily at Momo. Then it spit, as a human would, and when the spit hit the ground at Momo's feet it popped with a miniature explosion. With one last screech of 'DEKU!', the bird vanished into the distance.

Cautiously, the black-haired girl approached the fallen bunny, kneeling close to it as it shivered in the grass.

"It's alright," the girl cooed softly to the animal. "I'm not going to hurt you."

A closer inspection revealed that the unfortunate creature had been harmed already, and a terrible gash ran along the right side of its face. Unfortunately, it seemed that Momo was without any sort of bandages or medicine, so there was really only one logical option remaining. Taking the battered bunny gingerly in her hands, she brought the animal up to her lips and gently kissed it upon its forehead.

There was a great flash of light, and suddenly the bunny was no longer in Momo's hands. Instead, kneeling on the ground only a few inches from her, was a boy. More cute than handsome, with a face dotted with freckles, and a curly mop of green hair that matched his eyes, the youth smiled at her. It was an enormous, warm smile that set her heart to fluttering and made her cheeks burn. It was a smile that seemed meant for her, and her alone.

"Thank you for saving me," said the boy.

Momo merely nodded, unable to find words. The two continued that way for awhile, kneeling in the grass and gazing at one another.

"Do you..." Momo hesitantly began, her face ablaze with a fierce blush, "want to be friends?"

"Have you asked me?"

"I just did!"

The boy shook his head, though the smile remained on his face. "That isn't what I mean."

"Well, what do you mean?"

"I mean," the green-haired boy calmly spoke as he took her hands in his, "have you asked ME?"

Momo gripped his hands tightly. "I don't know if I can..."

"I do. I know you can do this. Take that first step."

"But what if you turn me away? What if you're intimated by me like everyone else?"

"Do you truly think I would be?"

Momo looked down at her lap. "No...no, of course not. Okay...I'll ask you."

The boy's smile seemed to become even warmer. Looking at him, Momo felt the strangest desire welling up inside of her, though she couldn't quite understand what it might be. She looked deeply into the boy's eyes.

"I look forward to meeting you again...Izuku-kun..."

"I'm certain I feel the same way...Momo-chan. Now, wake up!"

For as long as Momo could remember, her life had followed a strict structure. The few people in her life, outside of her family's household, that became close enough to the girl to learn this structure were almost always surprised to find that it was, and had always been, her own idea. From the moment she woke, to the moment she slept, her days invariably followed a predictable path. She would wake early, followed by exercise and a shower, eat while she studied and/or trained in the usage of her Quirk, and then leave for school. She allowed herself some time for rest and recreation when she returned home, but afterward it was more study and practice for the rest of the evening until bed. Momo had been perfectly content with that sort of life, and had even maintained a perfectly unbroken streak over the last seven years.

Her streak ended that morning.

That morning, she woke two hours later than normal, and had to rush through her shower and breakfast routine so quickly that she still had toast in her mouth as Sebastian greeted her in the driveway of the Yaoyorozu Estate. The knowing smirk upon the old driver's face made him look very nearly villainous, and he visibly struggled to contain his laughter upon witnessing the girl attempting to eat her food, fix her hair, and put her school blazer on all at once whilst sprinting toward the limousine. The girl did her best to glare at the man, but she was really too distracted with all the rest to put any feeling behind it.

As driver and passenger got situated in the car, setting off on their late journey, Sebastian glanced at the frustrated girl in the rear-view mirror.

"Rough night, young miss?" the old man said, not at all trying to hide the humor in his voice.

"Sod off," Momo bit back sharply through a mouthful of toast. Half a moment later, realizing what she'd done, the girl's face went beet-red with embarrassment.

Sebastian merely laughed, a deep, throaty bark of a laugh. "Haha! Such language! You must have had quite the fine dream indeed to make you forget both your alarm and your manners."

"Sebastian, I am so sorry!" replied Momo, bowing as deeply as she could manage while seated. Her long hair, still untied, fell about the sides of her head to obscure her face. "That was most shamefully rude of me."

"Think nothing of it, young miss. This old codger found it quite the refreshing change of pace."

The driver's voice had returned to his usual professionalism, but the smile never left his eyes.

"So...was it, young miss?"

"Was...what?" asked the girl, cocking one curious eyebrow in confusion, while her hands continued to try and tame her unruly hair.

"Was it a good dream?"

Momo...wasn't entirely sure. Had she even dreamed in the first place? Hmm, yes, she had. Had it been a good dream, though? She strained to remember as she finished her ponytail and casually grabbed something from her book-bag. Bits and pieces drifted back to her, until Momo could once again clearly see the events of the dream in her mind. Her heartbeat quickened at the memory.

"Ah, never mind me, young miss," the driver said with a gentle smile, pointing a finger at her in the reflection of the mirror. "All things considered, I think I know."

For a brief moment, the dark-haired girl was confused. Then she realized that the whole time she had been recalling the dream, she'd been clutching something in both arms. Understanding dawned on her as she saw what it was. She'd been hugging Izuku's Hero Notebook! When had she grabbed it? Her face burned as she looked down at the book. Moving it far enough from her to read, she slowly opened its damaged cover. There was an odd...tightness...in her chest as she flipped through the pages. So much potential...so much that Izuku's mind had to offer the world...and nobody paid attention just because he was Quirkless? What fools...

Even after arriving in front of her school, Momo did not move from her seat. Her gaze was locked upon the charred notebook. Then, as if coming to a decision in her mind, she gave a firm nod.

"Sebastian?" she asked, voice filled with all the determination she could muster.

"Yes, young miss?" came the reply, the driver's face betraying nothing behind his mask of stoic professionalism.

"When you return to the estate...please be sure to inform Mother that I shall be visiting someone after school today."

"Of course, young miss. And whom, may I ask, shall I be taking you to meet?"

Momo gave him her biggest smile as she exited the car. "A friend!"

Turning, she made her way onto the school grounds, still clutching Izuku's notebook tightly to her chest.

I want to see him again. I want to see you...Midoriya-kun!

School rooftops in April could get a little chilly if the wind happened to pick up. Izuku knew that wouldn't be a problem for Kacchan, though. He could give off quite a bit of heat with his explosions, if he felt the need to. Of course, the green-haired boy knew the chill that was running down his spine wasn't actually from thoughts that the rooftop might be cold. Why was he doing this, again? Willfully walking up the stairs, when he could have just ignored Bakugou's request...was he insane?! Maybe he was, but Izuku had decided long ago that he wouldn't back down. Kacchan always had some problem with Izuku's desire to attend Yuuei's Hero Course. He didn't have all the facts, though! Maybe, just maybe, the Quirkless boy could get Bakugou to understand if he just explained it right. He opened the door to the rooftop.

Kacchan had already arrived, of course.

What truly surprised Izuku was that his usual two lackeys were nowhere to be seen. The boy raised an eyebrow at that, looking around a second and third time just to be certain. Sure enough, the only other person on the rooftop was Bakugou, leaning against the safety fencing, and looking over his shoulder at the grounds below. In either of his hands, curiously, was held a beverage can.

Without warning, the blonde boy tossed one of the cans at Izuku. The green-haired youth fumbled a bit as he caught it, but managed to keep from dropping the drink. It was a can of fruit juice. Kacchan would undoubtedly be drinking a soda. He'd always preferred carbonated beverages and –

"We're square, now. Got it, Deku?" Bakugou growled from his spot by the fence.

"S-square?" responded Izuku with a look of confusion.

"Don't play dumb!" shouted Kacchan, crushing his can and tossing it carelessly at his feet. "Your face, moron!"

"O-oh! T-thank yo–"

"We aren't on this roof so you can thank me, Deku! We're up here so that you can tell me exactly what you meant in the store yesterday!"

"W-what I...meant?"

"You are really trying my patience, you Quirkless twerp. WHAT did you MEAN when you told that old bag behind the counter that you were gonna go to YUUEI?!"

Izuku fidgeted with his hands nervously, looking away as he tried to organize his thoughts. "W-well, I...t-that is, um...I m-mean..."

The boy trailed off, completely uncertain what to say.

"Tch! Fine!" Kacchan said with a glare. "You wanna act all coy? Then you can go straight to hell! You've got today as a freebie, but tomorrow you're gonna wish you were dead! Lookin' down on me...who the hell do you think you are, huh?!"

Bakugou headed toward the door, a look of barely restrained fury on his face. Izuku was horribly confused. How in the world was he supposed to respond?! What the hell was he supposed to do?!

"I know...," his mind recalled the words, "that you can become a Hero...Midoriya-kun."

"I'M TAKING THE SUPPORT COURSE EXAM!"

Kacchan froze in place, hand hovering in the air just in front of the door handle. He turned to look at Izuku, cocking his head to the side as he eyed the green-haired boy. Izuku held his ground, back straight, chin up, eyes determined...and his knees shaking so hard that his legs seemed to vibrate.

"Support?" Bakugou said, as if he'd never even heard the word before.

"I-I'm...going to s-study really hard this year, and t-take the examination for Yuuei's S-Support Course!"

Kacchan's expression seemed to change, his anger mixing with some other, unfamiliar emotion on his face. Confusion?

"Eeeeeeh?! You expect me to believe that after all of those years and years of being all 'Yuuei! Yuuei! Hero! Hero!' you're going to just, what?! Give it up to become some egghead in a machine shop?! Huh?!"

"Not f-forever."

Bakugou's look turned icy, his eyes hard as stone. ""And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"If...if someone from S-Support or General S-Studies manages to make an impression at Yuuei's annual Sports F-Fesitval...if they make it into the top three..."

The fires of determination burned hot and bright in Izuku's eyes.

"If I place at the Sports Festival," the boy declared, "they'll have to let me join the Hero Course!"

Kacchan stared at Izuku, right eye twitching, clenching and unclenching his hands. Before the green-haired boy could react, Bakugou had seized him by the front of his uniform, slamming him against the rooftop fence. His red eyes stared pure rage at Izuku as he proceeded to lift him ever so slightly off his feet.

"A cheat?!" Bakugou shrieked. "I come up here, thinking maybe you finally got smart, and that's your grand plan?! To abuse some loophole and cheat your way around the system cuz you're too WEAK to get in the RIGHT WAY?!"

The blonde boy seemed ready to burst, and Izuku could do nothing but squirm in his vice-like grip.

"You just don't get it, do you, DEKU?" Kacchan said, holding one of his hands out to the side while the other arm held Izuku in place. Explosions from his free hand served to emphasize his words. "You just (BOOM!) don't (BOOM!) FUCKING (BOOM!) GET IT! (BOOM! BOOM!) This is MY journey! (BOOM!) MY DESTINY! (BOOM!)"

Bakugou released the Quirkless boy, shoving him away with one last growl before walking toward the door.

Izuku didn't get it. He didn't understand! Going through Support wasn't a cheat, it was making use of a strategy suitable for someone without a combat Quirk! And if he didn't place in the Sports Festival, it wouldn't even matter! Bakugou couldn't even complain about Izuku marring his opportunity to be the only kid from their school to pass Yuuei's Hero Exam, since the green-haired boy wouldn't be taking it! So why was Kacchan still so mad?

"Kaccha–"

"SHUT UP!"

Bakugou stopped at the door, exhaling heavily.

"I'm gonna give you this year, Deku," the boy said without turning. "You study your little egghead shit and whatever else it takes. You get into the Support Course..."

He looked over at his shoulder at Izuku, a dark shadow hanging over his features, and murder in his red eyes.

"...and when we meet in the Sports Festival next year, I am going to so thoroughly crush you that you'll be left as nothing more than a sobbing heap of roadkill on the pavement, unable to even lift a socket wrench. And everyone in the nation will know that Quirkless, gutter trash cheats can't hack it when faced with a REAL HERO..."

With that, the boy left, slamming the door behind him. Izuku, uncertain whether or not Bakugou's words were a challenge or a threat, remained on the rooftop, more confused than he'd been when he arrived.

Author's Note: I'll take the time to go ahead and expand a bit on a subject I have spoken of before (in review replies on FFNet, and in the Chapter One Author's Note on AO3) with regard to the character of Bakugou Katsuki.

The Bakugou of "For Want of a Notebook" has managed to work himself up into a fury at what is, ultimately, a misconception. What began with him fixating on a feeling of guilt at what happened outside the stationery store has managed to fester because he cannot see Izuku's desire to be a Hero as being born of pure, natural altruism. We, the audience, know and understand that Deku is an absolute cinnamon roll that isn't interested in the glory, money, or fame – he legitimately just desires to help people so deeply that he feels he cannot give up on his dream, no matter how impossible people say it is. Bakugou does not understand this at this early point in the timeline, because he has his own warped views of what Heroes are, and what Heroes do, and he hasn't yet experienced the character development of the Sludge Villain attack, Izuku's participation in the Hero Course Exam, the League of Villains' assault on the USJ, or Izuku's self-sacrificing attempt to help Todoroki at the Sports Festival.

At this early juncture, Bakugou perceives Izuku's struggle as someone trying to game the system so that they can stand among people better than they are, a pauper dressing in princely garb that he may call himself a prince to strangers. Thus, already in a foul mood because of Izuku's anxiety pissing him off during their conversation, when Izuku tells him he plans to completely bypass the biggest proving ground of Yuuei, the Hero Exam, he perceives it as a cheat. Like someone who isn't good at running trying to win a marathon by leaving the track and taking a taxi nearly to the finish line. He is wrong, of course, but his own preconceptions about himself, Deku, and Pro Heroes in general blind him to the truth.

Between now and the events of the day of the Sludge Villain attack, Bakugou will be a bit out of focus. Rest assured, however, that he still has a role to play in this tale.

Tell me your thoughts in the reviews/comments, both on where you think I'm taking Bakugou in the story (hint: he still won't become a villain), and what you think about the developing connection between Momo and Izuku. I look forward to your responses.

~ Sophie ~