Izuku took a deep, long breath before bowing deeply before the girl in front of him, who in turn gasped slightly in surprise. Shutting his lips tight, he mentally recited his confession while focusing his sight on his bright red shoes. The spring air drifted softly, warm and comforting just like the slight push of encouragement he needed right now.

"Tomie… Ever since we've had the same homeroom class together, I knew I liked you!" His right arm shot up diagonally from his position, holding out a single flower for her. "Would you please be my girlfriend?" Immediately after asking, his breath hitched and he held it, the coat of his middle-school uniform feeling way too tight as he did before he heard her breathe deeply.

"Midoriya, you're a very sweet guy, and you're honestly amazing! I love how badly you wanna be a hero too…" Izuku's eyes widened slightly with excitement.

"For some reason, I get so sick when I think about dating you, I'm sorry!"

"G-Gah!" Izuku croaked as pain pulsed deep inside his chest, like his soul itself, was gut-punched. Tomie excused herself, leaving Izuku to fall to his knees as his heart and spirit broke into shards. His arm slumped down, his flower dragging across the ground as he did.

The warm spring air suddenly felt like it drifted right through him, and became a heavy and cold draft that made him want to just shrivel up and die…

With a small sniffle, the young man dragged himself from his knees back onto his feet, wiping his knees of dirt, and trudged towards the gate to go home, and maybe shrivel up there.

Just as he passed the gates, the sounds of his feet nearly dragging across the ground were soon accompanied by another set of feet, just to his side and behind him, tailing him for a full block. Not that Izuku paid any mind, but by then he gave a deep sigh, and the person behind finally pipped up. "Damn, that bad, huh?"

Izuku closed his eyes for a bit and raised his head slowly before looking back at Katsumi. "Yeah, that bad: She said she felt sick at the th-thought!" He explained, before turning away in shame and sniffling again.

Katsumi sighed shortly, her shoulders slumping a bit as she walked over and patted Izuku's shoulder awkwardly. Given the difference in statures, the simple, apathetic-but-trying gesture rocked the smaller boy's entire body like a scale. "Deku, look, I'm sorry but-"

"I-I just have to get over it, I know." He finished, before wiping his eyes and nose with his sleeve, then making a determined fist and pursed his lips tightly as he looked up to the sky, small pink leaves fluttering by, and to an eccentric like Izuku, two crossing or close ones looked like flying hearts, like a divine gesture to say: Love is in the world!

"Y-Yeah! I'm a l-lover, so there will always be another girl, right?! N-No matter how many times I get rejected…" He asked, as Katsumi just nodded stiffly.

"Uh huh… You're like… Like an unrelenting hero of love or some crap…" Then, the blonde bomber put her hand to her chin, her brows furrowing slightly more than usual. "Say… With that Domie chick, how many girls those that make it?"

Izuku chuckled timidly. "Y-You mean rejections? Exactly one hundred!"

If Katsumi had a drink she would have spat it out, even backing away slightly as her brow furrowed at Izuku. "Damn! More like a monster of love! Don't you have any standards!? Shit, any shame?!"

"I've got plenty of that, I assure you."

Ignoring her short friend's comment, Katsumi began to wonder again. "Still, don't you think it's weird?" She asked hypothetically, turning upward a bit as Izuku tilted his head slightly at her with curiosity.

"You'd think by now everyone's opinion of you would be in the shitter… But the girls seem to like you, as a friend of course-" She explained, instantly slam-dunking Izuku's hope back into its grave. "You're pretty nice, awful generous, you're top of the class with me, you're respectful, even to those shitty teachers, and you don't look that bad, if pretty plain and scrawny… Honestly, what the fuck are you doing to get rejected so much?"

"Kaachan… a-are you like, hitting on me, or insulting me?" Izuku asked, and after a short, awkward pause Katsumi answered.

"A-As if… if anything, I'm pitying you." Pouting, Izuku just turned straight ahead and the pair walked in silence for a good minute before Izuku sighed again and slumped enough to draw Katsumi's attention.

"... I wonder if I'll ever get a girlfriend…" He muttered under his breath, looking down slightly before Katsumi's hand slapped onto his shoulder and stayed with a light grip, again making Izuku tremble under it from the weight, clearly being the young woman's idea of a reassuring hold.

"Deku… I gotta ask. Why are you so dedicated to this crap? Between this and all your stuff about heroes, you're starting to scare me, man."

And to that, he didn't really have an answer, he just looked up, but inward as well. "... I'm just… I don't know. Everyone wants love, don't they? Maybe I'm just sensitive to the feeling."

She stared down at him for a moment or two, before Katsumi just shook her head. "Not me. I couldn't really care less. Plus, getting into a relationship now would just be a stupid distraction anyway," She pointed up one finger, then a second as she continued: "And, you already have me to hang out with, so it's not like you're some loner. Don't you want to get into U.A?"

Izuku's gaze turned to the side as he pouted again, while still mentally acknowledging she had a point. "Can't you be at least a little merciful..?"

"I am." She answered bluntly. After that, Izuku just changed the subject entirely, whipping out his hero notes from his backpack to talk about the latest entries, or just things in general said heroes reminded them of, to the news, and back to UA and their future, until soon enough they were at the fence of the Bakugo household.

"Hey, Deku, you want me to walk you home or something? My old man's working late anyway, so no one's waiting." She offered, stopping to lean against the brick wall of a fence.

"No, but thanks for the offer, Kaachan, I need to run a small errand on my way home anyway… Oh, I really needed to talk to someone about today, you know? Thank you, a whole lot." He smiled softly, the pain still visible on his face, but nulled and filled with enough hope to let Katsumi know her friend would just bounce back again.

"Yeah, it's no problem… But if you want to thank me really, I have a question:" Izuku nodded curiously. "Just outta curiosity… The hell is your type?"

Izuku paused, the wind whistling by before he tilted his head. "What?"

Katsumi stiffened slightly as if she were caught doing something, looking away with embarrassment. "I mean, I know you ain't picky or anything, but a hundred confessions since you were like, eight months old?" She looked up, raffling through her mind. "A new crush, new confession… About every forty-somethin' days? Maybe fifty?"

"Did- did you just do all that in your head?"

Ignoring the question, Katsumi just asked again: "So what's you're type? Or even, just the ideal girl, I guess… Since a monster wouldn't really have a type, I think."

Izuku was quick to shrug. "I don't have one, really… There's beauty everywhere if you're really looking." He stated, smiling again dreamily this time "There's something to enjoy and appreciate with everyone, even if I fall for a girl who has nothing in common with me, I still see how enthusiastic and passionate she is about what she does, and I can't help but fall for them…"

"... Oh." Was all Katsumi could say, before turning to her house. "Oh, right! Yomi or whoever was really into photography, you said, right?" He asked, turning to see Izuku on his knees again, gasping in pain from just the mention of her.

Even though it took a minute or so to recover, Izuku still dragged himself to his feet again and began to go home, but taking a special, small detour to a shrine about halfway there.

Particularly, a shrine for a God of Love and Match-making. It was humble, small, and old, and while it was nice and cleaned appropriately, it was still obvious not many people came here on any basis.

Alone, he stood before the shrine and clapped his hands together in prayer, his entire form trembling slightly as he squeezed his eyes tight. "Oh, Great Buddha of Love..! May you please bless me, and grace my high school life with happiness, and a girlfriend?"

"... Worry Not, My Son."

Suddenly, Izuku perked up, and the wooden wall of the shrine that was previously blank had what Izuku almost mistook for a mask or ornament, but no. An elderly man's face was phasing through the pallet with a focused, collected expression. He had a clear bald head that shone in the light, and a long white beard that reached more than a foot down. And then he blinked while making eye contact with Izuku.

Izuku cried out in panic and jumped backward. "Wh-Wha?! Are y-you a thief!?"

"Theif!?" The old man squawked, blasphemed and shocked at the accusation before shaking his head, returning to his collected expression. Then, he rose out of the pallet, phasing through like a ghost and drifted a foot into the air. "No, I am the God of this shrine: The Great Buddha of Love!" He exclaimed, a pink sunshine-like ray emitting from behind him.

Izuku gasped, feeling himself surrounder to wonder as he stepped slightly closer to the God. "W-Wow…"

"Indeed." The Buddha said, before floating down to his feet, not making a sound as he did. "Now, my boy… To answer your question, there's no need to worry."

"Th-There isn't?"

The old Buddha shook his bald head. "None, my boy. I have much to tell you, about your love life and what the future foretells." He informed, sitting down against the shrine's base like a bench, before tapping the spot beside him.

Hesitating for a moment, Izuku gulped as went down to sit, although fairly stiff. "First off," The God of Love began, clapping his hands together as he seemed to organise his thoughts, "I assume you're familiar with the term, 'soulmate'?"

Izuku gasped again and turned to him, filled with joy and a wide smile. "A-A soulmate?! I have one of those!?"

Wincing a bit from the point-blank yelling, the Buddha of Love continued. "In a way, yes… You see, everyone in this life is born with a set amount of fortune like a currency… Some who have enough will be soulmates with each other, and others get no problems getting to their objects of affection, some are unfortunate enough to never find true love, and so on."

Izuku nodded in understanding to the sound of scribbling. The Buddha of Love's brow furrowed slightly before he looked down, his eyes widening slightly and his mouth open, about to ask how and when that notebook came out but decided against it last second.

"A-Anyway, you, my boy, had enough fortune to receive a s-soulmate." He explained, his voice quavering a bit and looking to the side, as if embarrassed. "Or at least, that was the plan…"

Izuku squinted a little and bent forward so he could see the old God's slightly red face. "I… Excuse me?" He asked, truly attempting to sound polite but also conveying a very underlining tone of Kastumi-esque bluntness in his voice.

The Buddha of Love inhaled sharply and miserably. "Y-You see, every person has a sheet which we Gods fill for every person, yes? W-Well, when I was making yours, The Castle in the Sky was on TV, so-"

"Wait, what?" He interrupted, taken aback by the mental image before the old God raised a finger to tell him to pause, genuinely looking as if he'd rather end his immortal life than be forced to continue, but perhaps by som obligation he did:

"I may have… Goofed up, my boy." He admitted, coughing into his fist. "I was just finishing up with yours, the last thing I needed was to fill out the soulmate tab and a few others below that and submit it. And I did! J-Just without looking…"

Izuku's breath hitched in his throat as the Buddha rubbed the back of his neck. "A-And when you submit the form, it's set in stone, no take-backs." He explained, before finally turning back to Izuku. "In short, my boy, I didn't give you a soulmate… I've given you a hundred."

The last statement echoed in Izuku's brain, ringing like a gong that oppressed every other thought he could have had at the moment. "A-A… Hundred..?"

"That is cor-"

"-L-Like, One, zero zero!?" Izuku squawked in a panic.

The Buddha of Love could only nod, ashamed. "Indeed… And that massive fortune is kinda why you've had no luck with the ladies up until now, because all your love fortune went to that one massive blessing… It is your fate: That the moment you enter U.A High, you are set-"

"I GET INTO U.A!?" Izuku shouted, jumping up suddenly, bouncing on his heels as the old God rubbed his ear slightly from the sudden outburst. The sudden affirmation made him feel like he could just cry outright! "S-Soulmates… U.A… B-Buddhas… C-Castle in the S-Sky." He uttered, information filling his brain faster than he could compensate for as he shook his head slightly. If allowed to continue, he probably would have looked like an odd zombie and left groaning nonsense like one too.

"A-Appereantly! Anyway… Over the course of three years you attend U.A, you will encounter all one hundred of your soulmates. However, you'll only meet each other, what happens after is entirely in yours and their hands, my boy." He confirmed, looking Izuku up and down to check whether or not the poor lad was going to collapse, (Physically, at least, since he seemed well on his way to a mental collapse) against his precious shrine.

Suddenly, Izuku perked up and his eyes widened with realization. "Wait, how will I know?"

"Hm?"

"When I meet one of my s-soulmates, how will I know?" He asked, still tripping over the word given how surreal it all felt. "I mean, I told myself the girls in the past were probably my soulmates, but you just said they weren't…"

The Buddha of Love just raised his hand slowly and snapped. Suddenly, Izuku felt a shock go through him, not a painful electric shock or like the sudden shock after being hit out of nowhere, but a sudden rush of pure energy, his heart raced and his eyes focused exactly straight like he was trying to see through the wall, but it started and ended within half a second. "You felt that, my boy?"

Izuku nodded frantically, panting as he grabbed his chest. "D-Did you j-just- did you give me a heart attack?! " He accused, taking a step back

"I don't control hearts like THAT, boy!" The old God sniped back before sighing. "What you felt was love at first sight… When you make intimate, direct eye contact with your soulmate, you both will feel that sudden rush." He explained, now propping up his head on his hand. "Plus, now you're convinced I'm not just some geezer having a laugh now, do you?"

Izuku flinched slightly, mumbling out, "He got me..!" in response before he rubbed the back of his head and nodded. "Y-Yes sir… Sorry to doubt you, but even you have to realize how crazy this sounds!"

The Buddha shrugged. "Yeah, that's fair. Even I didn't believe it when I realized what happened. I thought some angels were just punking me!" He admitted, shaking his head. "Anyway, I'm giving you this ability because when it comes to love, there's this very important distinction:" He began, sitting up a bit straighter.

"Men tend to fall in love over time, and even when they meet their soulmates they probably won't know it, while Women tend to fall in love at first sight, like that; Therefore, I'm giving you this now so you'll all would be able to tell right away instead of having to guess."

"I-I see… Thank you, Buddha." Izuku sighed shortly and cupped his chin. "Well, Kaachan did say that getting into a relationship now would get in the way… And if I have to wait until U.A anyways…" He mumbled, before looking back down at the Buddha Of Love.

"My boy, if you want my advice: Prepare yourself in that time, get stronger so you can be the hero you want to be, and enough to protect everything, and everyone, you'll come to love." He said, making a fist and a short pump-up cheer. "I'll be rooting for you."

Smiling, Izuku nodded. "R-Right, thanks… Wait, why?" He asked, tilting his head again as a realization hit him. "I mean, by all accounts… I'm just a mistake, right?"

The Buddha just snorted. "After I realized what happened, I had to look to the future to see how it would most likely end up… Then I realized it may not be so bad." He put it simply, his mouth turning to a small smile beneath his thick beard.

"Really, like what?" And the Buddha just stood again with a small stretch.

"I can't say why. But I'll say this: the reason I came down to give you help is that you, Izuku, are an investment. But be weary:" He warned, pointing his finger down at Izuku as he straightened up.

"The future only shows what may be, and what is most likely, but any major change could redirect your entire life into a brand new course, so you must be very, very careful, and make all your decisions wisely, or all of this is for naught…"

Izuku lay in bed that night restlessly, the Buddha's words echoing in his mind endlessly. It felt too surreal, that things like this don't just happen to quirkless nerds like him…

He sighed and turned in his bed, clenching the cover tighter. "One Hundred… Soulmates…" He repeated, the words trudged off his tongue with a heavy, nerve-wracking feeling.

Izuku wanted to be a hero, someone who acted like a pillar or a shield; A symbol of peace for all like All Might was. On top of that, he wanted to be an ideal boyfriend, a man who would always be there for his beloved, to be reliable, responsible, trustworthy enough, good enough to deserve that love.

Two problems dawned on him to the point of suffocation, both of which being foils to both of these ideals: Expectations, and doubt.

His mom, Katsumi, Aunt Mitsuki, and Uncle Masaru gave plenty of encouragement when it came to becoming a hero despite the fact that he was quirkless, and he knew he could try his best, and work as hard as he could, but there was always that doubt: What if he couldn't? What if he wasn't enough? What else can he even do? No matter what he did, or what anyone did, there was a limit… So where was his? How would he know, lest he reached it suddenly, and everything he worked for comes crashing down without warning…

His stomach turned slightly as he looked up at his wall, reading over an All Might poster. It was simple enough, just a tall portrait of him flexing and smiling wide down at him, the words Plus Ultra over his head. Again, it was a simple poster, but it was just what Izuku needed as he got up and clenched his fist with determination.

"Get stronger so you can be the hero you want to be… and enough to protect everything and everyone you'll come to love." Would be words that would carry Izuku on… After all, he had ten long months to go, before it all would truly begin.

Katsumi was… Concerned.

Which was odd, really. She was hardly ever inflicted with doubt or worry, especially with her own actions, but she really couldn't help it now.

She was long since gotten used to Izuku's Heartbreak stages: Depression, Struggle With Acceptance, Moving On, Happiness\Normalcy, and New Crush, only for the cycle to inevitably repeat just like the water cycle. It was sad, sure, but it was routine. Until now, that is.

It was hard to explain it exactly, especially since she sat in front of Izuku for the majority of the day, but if she had to describe it, it would be something along the lines of, It felt like Izuku just skipped past the first three phases and just got back to the normalcy stage overnight. There was an invisible weight lifted off his shoulders it seemed like, but there was also something else… Izuku looked like he was on edge about something, just a tad more jittery and thoughtful than usual, while still keeping upbeat and cheerful when he spoke.

Therefore, it was probably more accurate to say a great weight was pulled off his shoulders, only to be replaced with a new one.

Her lips pursed slightly as the teacher was rambling on about career planning or whatever. Anything that her teachers said that wasn't an assignment to breeze through was equivalent to the dramatic, bitchy rambling of two characters on those soap operas she knew her parents liked. U.A was a top-of-the-line school, a place that wouldn't accept anything less than the best of the best! So if she and Deku had to put up with this to prove it, they shall!

Suddenly, she was snapped out of her train of thought as his teacher spun around and threw his sheets like confetti. "But who am I kidding?! You're all aiming for the hero course, right?!" He cheered, riling up the rest of the students to cheer and show off their quirks as if stretchy eyeballs and having a rock for a face were brag-worthy.

Rolling her eyes as the teacher tried bringing them back down, Katsumi stepped onto her desk, deciding it was time to show up the rest of these extras that forgot their places in her origin story. "Oh please!" She roared, cracking her knuckles and flaring small explosions around her, grinning wide with her unusually sharp teeth. "The only ones even worth enough of a damn to be heroes are me-!" She jabbed a thumb towards her chest proudly before pointing at Deku behind her. "And Deku! Just stay out of our way!" She threatened as Izuku peeked from behind Katsumi.

"I am… So sorry for her behavior." He muttered, bowing his head slightly as the rest of the class glared at the two. "B-But thanks, Kaachan, I'll be doing my best, promise." Katsumi huffed proudly and nodded.

"That's right!" She barked, before dropping back down to her seat, kicking her legs up on the table as the teacher shook his head and just turned back to the board. Although, she didn't quite get what Deku had to apologize for. He knew she wasn't wrong, if these extras couldn't handle the truth, then maybe they actually should try and be heroes, see how far those wimps get before tapping out, assuming they don't die straight away!

Katsumi snickered a bit at that thought, eyeing the clock to figure out how much longer she had to listen to the old man babble on about nothing.

Thankfully for her, class was over within two hours, and while she was stuck in her thoughts it felt even quicker than that. As she got up, she couldn't help but notice how everyone around still snuck glares at the two and gossiped amongst themselves, although they were always much too scared to say anything to her face. Figures.

She clicked her tongue and muttered "Extras." Under her breath. To her, they all just didn't know their places yet, pitiful really. Especially since they thought they would surpass her OR Deku! Sure he was quirkless, but just like her, he was much fucking smarter, and a thousand times more worthy than all of them! She turned to her smaller friend as he put his notebook into his backpack and hoisted it onto his shoulders. Then, Katsumi frowned a little. Being smart helped, yeah… But if only she could get him to bulk up or something, then they'd be in business!

Deku tilted his head a little bit. "Are you okay, Kaachan?"

Katsumi blinked, then nodded before pointing down to Deku's midsection. "Just thinking about how you spent all that time chasing girls instead of training, is all." She explained as he pouted, before flexing her bicep which in turn made him blush slightly. "Girls like guns like this, you know. You'll have a hard time getting girls and being a hero while you're so scrawny." Then, she turned to two girls who were leaving and flexed again, and they only scoffed in response before leaving. "Well fuck you too!"

"Kaachan!" He chastised, putting his hands firmly on his hips while attempting to reprimand her.

"What?" She asked, starting to leave the room as Deku walked with her, explaining how it was bad to talk to people that way. Or, at least trying to, if Katsumi actually cared about that stuff. The conversation, but more like nagging to Katsumi, carried on until they reached the front gates, and Deku just turned and waved to her.

"Huh? Where are you going..?" And Deku just pointed his thumb behind him.

"I'm taking the long way home today… I just need some time to think, you know? There's just a lot on my mind… U.A, girls, school, all that lame feelings junk…" He explained with a small sigh and a barely kept-up smile.

Katsumi squinted a little bit, before slowly nodding. "I… I mean… Okay, sure." She said, unnaturally quiet as her shoulders slumped just slightly. "I'm going shopping, then… See you around?"

Izuku nodded. "Mhm. I'll see you in a bit, I just need a minute to myself." He assured.

Now Katsumi drew the only real logical conclusion she could: Wow… That Komi chick really fucked him up, huh? And while normally she would just offer violence against someone's family or an awkward attempt at comfort, she just nodded again, knowing that the former would get shot down and the latter wouldn't do anything. "Y-Yeah, I get it… But listen, Deku?"

Izuku perked up a bit. "Just… Take care of yourself, okay?" You worry me sometimes, she wanted to add but decided to leave it at that, watching as Izuku smiled a bit wider and gave her a thumbs up.

"Of course, thanks, Kaachan. And you take care too, see you later."

Katsumi smiled back. "Thanks, Deku." She said, staying at the gate as Deku just turned and walked off, further and further away, not turning his back once. Katsumi sighed and took one last look, before walking off alone for the first time in years.

Izuku lowered his head slightly in thought as he walked home. This way was more of quiet backroads than anything, so it was still and calm enough to really be alone with his thoughts. Which was a good or bad thing depending on one's perspective: Self-reflection, concentration, and planning were always a plus, but there was also nothing besides his own mental fortitude to stop himself from being drowned in doubt or fear.

Still… The Buddha of Love's words rang true in his head. Granted, he was certainly a very… Unprofessional God, at least from that meeting. Then again, he never assured him he'd get into the Hero course specifically, there was always the General or Support courses.

He shook his head just as he reached an underpass and sighed. A literal God told him not to give up, his family told him not to, his best friend told him not to, and All Might probably wouldn't either! He slapped his cheeks before gritting his teeth with determination. "I'll be an incredible Hero, dammit!" He declared into the echo-filled underpass, as if to the entire world. "A-And! An amazing boyfriend to boot!"

"Aww… Good for you, kid ." Izuku spun around and gasped, his heart stopping dead as he looked up to the green, writhing mass of sludge with huge, red eyes peering down on him, growing steadily as he crawled from the sewers.

Izuku took one step back and tripped onto his ass just as the slime villain crawled out fully, his position only making him even more massive and even more indomitable as he crawled backward and away, his breath caught in his throat. "Look, just be still for a moment, I gotta get this over with before he catches up with- Hey! Where do you think you're going!?" He roared, lurching forward as Izuku scrambled to his feet and ran the other way.

His massive, covering hand of sludge slammed onto his back and forced him down, knocking out his panicked breath from his lungs before he got reeled into the villain's sludge-like body as he kicked and fought wildly, until he was dragged straight into his mass, and the sludge villain surrounded him, going on about something Izuku didn't care about, instead pushing away as hard as he could but couldn't find a grip on him, like he was trying to climb out of an endless pit of sinking mud.

He felt tears rushing down his face before he realized he was crying, but even then his thoughts were occupied with pleas for someone to help him, as the thoughts of his Mom, Kastumi, Uncle Masaru, and Aunt Mitsuki flooded his mind; Particularly Katsumi's as he lingered on the last time he saw her, and the last things he said.

'See you later…' He repeated miserably and almost sarcastically to himself, even in his mind the words trembled with sadness and regret. His eyelids became heavy as his body became light, air had left him entirely, leaving his head feeling light and fuzzy as he slowly and finally closed his eyes. 'Damnit… I'm sorry, everyone…'

Katsumi felt a shiver down her spine. She turned around and only saw the normal swarm of people walking about the market, nothing really of concern, and the weather didn't spontaneously change, so what was she looking for? She looked around more, scanning the area as the sinking feeling in her gut lingered.

With a deep breath, she put a hand on her chest, feeling her heartbeat before gritting her teeth slightly. She couldn't feel or see anything going on, so what was wrong? Was she being watched, or something wrong was going to happen?

"Hey, Bakugo!"

Katsumi huffed slightly before turning to her little 'group', that is to say, a few extras from her class that latched onto her after they saw her at the market like lost dogs. If she had to give them anything, they were pretty adept at flattery, so at least they had something going for them. "What is it?" She demanded shortly.

The lanky, black-haired student gulped slightly before smirking, trying to hide how much he shook as he did so. "Why don't we all head to a club or somethin'." He suggested, him and the second extra aiming down the street with their thumbs.

Her brow furrowed slightly as she clicked her tongue. "You dumbass, I can't be caught in a place like that!" She barked, making them flinch slightly as they gave meek apologies. Not only would that mess with her chances of getting into U.A, and not only would it get her parents to tell her off some more, but what would even be there for her? Drunk fools, choking cigar smoke, weirdos shooting their shot with the future number one, nothing she would willingly walk into.

Again, she looked over the area, trying to figure out what exactly was setting her off right now. She had long since learned to trust her instincts, and she didn't wanna regret not following them now. Especially since if something happened, she'd have her parents, Aunt Inko, and Deku crying all over her.

The thought made her sigh slightly as her shoulders slumped a bit, the last interaction she had with Deku replaying in her mind again. "Stupid… Stupid, Stupid… Stupid, Dense Deku…" She growled, crossing her arms with a short huff.

Izuku blinked blankly once, then twice before he tilted his head slightly. "H-Hi again…"

The Buddha of Love, kneeling across from him from a small table, just waved. "Nice to see you again, Midoriya. So, have you thought about what I said?" They were seated on the clouds, with only the small table before them and a television set to the side.

After a moment, Izuku just nodded. "Yeah… I-I'm trying to figure out exactly what to do, but I don't think that matters now…" He said, his voice rapidly dropping to a whisper as he looked down.

"Hm? Oh, Izuku. You aren't dead, but since you got knocked unconscious I decided to check up on you." He explained, making Izuku perk up again, relieved but still visibly down.

"I-I'm not!? Oh, well that's a relief… That was pretty scary." He admitted as the old God nodded. Then, Izuku's eyes widened before he rounded onto him, slamming his hands onto the table. "Hey! Why didn't you warn me about that!?" He demanded as the Buddha choked. "You can see into the future, can't you!?"

The Buddha of love threw his hands up and shook them as he defended himself. "N-Not really! Only things specifically to love! L-Like meeting your soulmates at U.A, but n-not really knowing any specifics, I promise!" He shouted as Izuku huffed.

"Fine, but you know what? I WAS thinking about what you said, especially about me being an investment! Let me guess, you told the other Gods that you didn't make a mistake with me, and even placed bets, right?!" He accused, but the old God's short gasp of horror told him all he needed to know.

"Give me a break, okay?! Millions of years of working, and this was the first and only time I screwed up!" He shouted back in his own defense as Izuku huffed and puffed out his cheeks angrily.

But suddenly, the glaring match was interrupted as Izuku's knees and legs dropped into the clouds he was kneeling on while the rest of him slowly sunk into it too. "Wait, what?!"

"You're going back." The Buddha of Love informed him bluntly, craning his neck up and looking down as Izuku went down. "But remember what I said! I'm counting on you, damnit!"

Izuku shot back up with a short gasp, a ready insult in his mouth before he blinked and realized he was seated on the gravel road, back on earth, and more importantly- far from the jaws or disgusting mud-like body of that villain. 'Oh yeah,' He realized suddenly, 'How the heck did I-?'

"Woah there, already up with a start, I see!" A loud, jovial voice said behind him, relieved and happy. "Good, I was starting to get worried there!" The man ended it with a laugh before Izuku spun around to see exactly who it was.

And low and behold, All Might was right before him, throwing his head back and laughing heartily as Izuku felt feeling coming back to his legs as he shakily got back up. "All Might!?" He exclaimed, taken aback and shocked enough that the last few minutes were practically shoved towards the back of his mind.

"In the flesh, young man!" He said as Izuku sprang up fully, starting to stammer excitedly to himself, suddenly pulling out his notebook and trying to ask for an autograph, only to be taken aback by the full two-page spread autograph, then bowed deeply over and over again.

"Thank you so much, All Might, Sir! I'll treasure this forever and ever!" He promised, before All Might laughed it off and waved dismissively, before sharply turning right and coughed into his fist, seeming to go entirely still in thought.

Izuku never really had doubts in All Might after all these years of idolizing him, but the sudden pause as he staed into his hand made him stop. "Anyways, I've got to take this creep here down to the station!" He declared, showing off a two-liter bottle with the unconscious sludge villain trapped inside. "Sorry I can't hang around, but duty calls, you know! Stay out of trouble until then, young man!"

"W-Wait, All Might, I need to ask y-you something!" He interrupted urgently as All Might squatted down, prepping his legs for a mighty leap. He grabbed onto the back on his shirt, trying to get his attention before he suddenly launched off the ground, the sudden force was so great Izuku felt like his arm was about to get torn from its socket before he grabbed on with his second hand, and clung on for dear life.

The sudden jerk sent a bolt of pain through his arm, making his teeth grind together for just a moment before the sudden wave of air really hit him, like he was shot out of a cannon, and considering how fast All Might could move, he may as well have. "H-HEY!" He cried desperately, his entire body waving like a flag behind him.

"Wh-What the?!" All Might yelled, shaking his leg as Izuku screamed. "L-Look kid, I love my fans, but this is way too much! Let go!"

"I'D DIE IF I DO!" He shouted back, as All Might perked up suddenly in realization and redirected himself to a nearby rooftop. However, to neither of their knowledge, the bottle in All Might's pocket slipped free and began to fall in a wild spiral toward the city.

Katsumi, still huffing to herself, just reclined back while the two extras before her, now weary and desperate, babbled on as they tried to find something that she would like: The arcade, a movie, karaoke, the mall, yadda yadda yadda… Earlier she noticed from the way the second, more scraggly-looking, one would count how much Yen he was carrying, all these 'ideas' required them to pay something, which probably meant they thought they could buy her favor because they too realized they had nothing to offer.

It was almost amusing. Besides, all these ideas they were racking off were flawed for one major, fundamental reason: Neither of them were Deku, and they should be grateful she'd even stop at all for these losers. Rolling her eyes, Katsumi hiked her backpack up and got off the wall as the other two stopped. "H-Hey, what's up, Baku-?"

"Save it." She grunted whilst cracking her neck to the side, the sudden cracking making them flinch backward slightly. "It started off cute, like a sad dog." She started, watching their pride shatter in real-time, "But now, I can't stand either of you, just step out of my way and save me the trouble." She demanded as the two parted to either side.

She made it about three steps past them before the first one, the lanky guy with a creepy smile, spoke up again. "Oh come on, Bakugo, don't be like that! Besides, what else is there to do? Hang out with Midoriya?" He asked, ending with a small, almost hearty laugh as Katsumi stopped dead in her tracks.

The first barely heard the second mutter out, "Oh Fuck…" as Katsumi turned around, gritting her teeth. "Exactly right… Because unlike you fucking creeps-!" She roared, drowning out the sound of a plastic bottle crashing behind her and suddenly popping open.

Katsumi kept boring into them, and she got probably a single sentence in before they noticed the writhing, slowly-growing green mass behind her that suddenly popped out a pair of disgusting, red eyes that stared right down at Katsumi.

Their breaths hitched suddenly, and they both took a single step back before turning and bolting as fast as they could further down the alley before Katsumi stomped and yelled after them: "-And good FUCKING riddance!" She yelled, huffing slightly before turning around, and met with a wall of what she could only assume to be sewer sludge.

The smell assaulted her nose, making her gag slightly before she looked up, stunned as the wall of sludge lurched over and seemed to beam with sick delight, before it dived down, spreading its gross body apart like a wide net.

Katsumi had barely a second as she gasped, before grinding her teeth together and raising her arms high, placing her foot back as she braced herself and fired off the biggest explosions she could in that instant, getting a direct hit on its front as it cried out in pain.

However, just as she was reeling from her attack, his bizarre, sludge hands had her by the wrists and molded around her hands thick, enough that even as she blasted again, it barely made past the surface before another gross tendril was around her waist, and with a sudden jerk that took the breath from her lungs, she planted front-first into his writhing, disgusting mass.

She could hardly tell what happened after that. She let loose explosion after explosion after explosion until her hands felt burnt and her arms ached, then redoubled her efforts. There was screaming, flames, and sirens soon enough, but she didn't care. She screamed and bucked and kicked and fired off as many explosions as she could, only hardly getting even the smallest wisps of air, and even that was enough to fuel her efforts for another minute or two of her restless, wild struggle for her life.

Soon enough, she felt herself crying, from pain, panic, strain, or a combination of all of them, she couldn't really tell, but she still didn't care… All she wanted to do was fight harder against this disgusting being that was using her and her Quirk to cause all this destruction. When she had her eyes open, she could faintly see pro heroes and people watching her in fear.

For a moment, she imagined her parents seeing her like this, and the image for even a second caused a gut-wrenching feeling deep inside her. She knew she had to fight for them now, to fight for herself, for her dreams, for Aunt Inko… And for Deku…

Speaking of which, she could imagine him too… Staring, wide-eyed and afraid, hands over his mouth in horror and crying just as she was. That was, until she blinked, and realized she wasn't imagining anything: He was there, in the back of the crowd, just as horrified as she was.

Suddenly, she realized she was about to die like this. No one had come any closer, especially with the fires and explosions around, and she was about to be smothered by this bastard, all as Deku watched. Slowly, she clenched her eyes tighter as she made one, final tug at his mass, finally bursting her face free for another moment. "GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!" She screamed, firing as hard as she could, only to be sunk back in the next instant.

The next moment seemed to play in slow motion: She was facing the crowd again, but Deku was missing. She could probably have chalked it up to him not wanting to see her like this, but no, he had erupted from the front of the crowd and was sprinting, right at them.

He moved faster than she had ever seen him before, dodging and side-stepping every obstacle and raging flame in the way even while the heroes and crowd screamed at him to return, even spinning to the side a massive sludge-hand that slammed against the ground with enough force to knock most people- even heroes -out cold. And with that spin, he took off his backpack and flung it as hard as he could, and it sailed over her head.

Suddenly, the sludge monster screamed out in pain and reeled back, and his monstrous grip loosened but she was still in utter shock, even as she kept struggling.

Izuku was a mess, his clothes were dirty, his breath was ragged, every step was guided by instinct and panic, plus the flames around him visibly bored on him to the point where he may just drop out of exhaustion. To Katsumi, he looked like an angel.

Before she knew it, he began clawing at the sludge monster's body, trying to dig her out as she pushed forward again and again, until her entire top half, sans her arms, were free. She panted loudly and coughed up a bit of green sludge as he kept going, getting her shoulders and hips loose. "... W-Why..?" She asked, her voice soft and ragged, and her face a mix of gratitude, confusion, and utter joy. "W-Why do this..?"

Suddenly, Izuku turned his head up. He was crying even harder than she was but still smiling brightly, even if it quivered while sweat rolled down his face. "Are you s-serious, Kaachan!?" He asked, suddenly wrapping both hands around her and tugging, "You're my best friend!-" he declared as he leaped backward, suddenly jerking her out as she gasped. "Of course I'd rescue you!" He shouted, just as they hit the ground with a small thud.

"YOU!" The sludge monster thundered, reeling upward again as it stared down furiously. "YOU DAMN BRAT!" He shouted, looking down at Izuku before looking down at them both and roaring again as he descended.

Katsumi, who was hardly given a moment to actually remember to breathe deep and recover, could hardly raise her hand again to fire. Thankfully, as fate would have it, she wouldn't need to. That was because at that very moment, All Might had appeared and grabbed both her's and Izuku's wrists in his massive hand, yelled something about being the Symbol of Peace that Katsumi couldn't really make out, then let loose such a massive, destructive punch that she swore it caused a tornado right in front of her.

The harsh winds whipped them both around harshly and seemed to vacuum the oxygen around them, making it hard to breathe. And for Katsumi, it was too much… Her vision was blurry as she blinked once, then twice as the world went dark, and the noise around her dimmed slowly. She was certain Deku yelled her name, but she didn't even have it in her to answer…

Katsumi suddenly felt very… Small. It was hard to describe or tell why, but she felt utterly tiny.

Suddenly, the darkness around her cracked in half and shone brightly, it hurt her eyes, so she rubbed the softly with the side of her fist with a small coo, before the brightness overwhelmed the darkness and opened to a whole new world!

She recognised this place… It was bright, big, warm, and safe. She felt herself being carried forward, and with a small groan, she looked up and saw her mother carrying her in her arms. She was huge, but so were most people, most of the people that held her like this had hands as big as her very head!

Her mother smiled down at her softly, and she felt a warm, delightful reinsurance. She was safe here, she now knew.

Then, she was placed on the ground, it was soft and pretty frilly compared to the ground outside it that was brown and hard. She blinked in confusion then looked up at her Mother and Father talking to another lady, with long, green hair that went down her back. She recognized this lady too: Auntie Inko.

She was holding something small in her arms in the same way Katsumi was held in people's arm, but it was held tight in a small, blue blanket. She bounced up and yelled a little, not too angrily, but enough to get the big people's attention and let her see the blanket too. Auntie Inko giggled and said something to her parents before getting onto her knees, so the blanket-wrapped thing would be low enough for Katsumi to lean forward and see.

It was a boy who was just a tad smaller than she was. Unlike anyone else she knew, he had little dots on his face, but green hair that was darker than Auntie Inko's. His eyes were closed, and his mouth slightly open as he breathed. Deciding to do the little one a favor, she reached for his cheek and began to wipe his face off, but was quickly frustrated that the dots wouldn't get off as the adults around her laughed at something Auntie Inko suggested.

Suddenly, the boy pouted and blinked a few times, his emerald-green eyes widening with each blink, before they rounded on Katsumi. She jolted as she sat back again, her body rocking and her eyes wide as she stared down at the boy who simply stared back, then giggled at her.

Auntie Inko straightened her back and began to sit up, but Katsumi wouldn't have it. She pouted loudly and reached up while grabbing, crying out louder the farther she went, until she just complied and sat back down. Taking her chance, Katsumi put her arms around him and hugged as tight as her arms could hold while the adults 'awwed' down at them, and Izuku perked up with a small coo, wondering why this friendly little stranger was hugging him so suddenly.

Katsumi, meanwhile, just put her head on him and hugged a little harder. She didn't know who this little green boy was, but he was hers now…

Mine now, she thought with a huff, repeating it like a mantra.

Mine Now…

Mine Now…

Mine Now…

"Kaachan!" Izuku called, shaking the girl as he propped her head up.

"... Miiine nnnow…" She drawled, turning her head with a small snore.

"Katsumi Bakugo!" He shouted suddenly, and she shot up like a bolt, her eyes wide as her head shot around wildly.

"Kh- Mom!?" She shouted with worry, blinking rapidly as she slowly returned to earth again, blinking rapidly to adjust her eyes to the light.

"No, sorry." Izuku pipped up, redirecting her attention towards him again. He tilted his head to the side a little with a small smile. He had long since wiped the tears from his eyes, although he was just as messy as before… Before..?

Suddenly, she perked up again as she looked up again and really studied her surroundings: The aftermath of pure carnage, with the fronts of buildings shattered, burn marks and small craters from her explosions, and running water from what she assumed was the firefighters… But considering she, Izuku, and All Might were all covered in it, she really did have to wonder if a passing storm went while she was knocked out…

… Oh, right, All Might was there too, she just realized. But more importantly: Deku. She grabbed him by the collar and tugged him forward suddenly. "What were you thinking, Deku!? You almost died, damnit!" She shouted, putting herself onto her knees instead of lying back.

Izuku shrugged with a tired, beaten smile. "... Would you believe me if I said it was the second time today?" Stunned, Katsumi's grip loosened and her eyes widened as she looked over him again, seeming to melt and shake with worry and fear.

Izuku closed the distance again with a desperate bearhug, and instantly melted into her with a shaky, horrified sigh. "I-I'm going to die before I let you go again..!" He declared, finally breaking down now that she couldn't see his face, and all she could do was hug him back and do the very same, the two of them breaking down into a fit of relieved, overwhelmed sobbing.

Before long, the pair got to their feet again, and the entire time Katsumi held him tight to her side, hardly paying attention to anyone around them. Some hero asshole extra was yelling at Deku about something, while another was praising her, or something. Not that it mattered, she merely huffed as she brought him along in tow, lowering his head slightly in embarrassment as she led him down the road and past the crowd.

Their walk passed in silence between the two as the sun began to set. There wasn't a lot they could say- Or rather, not much that could be put into words. Their phones were probably blown up by their parents earlier, although it didn't matter now. They were together again, and togetherness meant safety.

Izuku hissed a little bit in pain as Katsumi turned down toward him. By now, they were both on the final stretch to his mom's apartment and the sky was already bright orange and dimming slowly. "What's wrong?!"

"N-Nothing!" He stammered, before looking down at his arm. "Y-You're just holding me a little tight…" He explained, making her look down at his arm that looked like she was about to snap it clean in two., and with a wince she pulled away, looking away with clear embarrassment and a deep blush on her face.

"M-My bad…" She apologized softly before clearing her throat as Izuku rubbed his arm, smiling a little. She rarely apologized for much, so even shy ones like those were monumental.

"Don't worry about it, really." He said, giving his arm a small shake as they walked past an alley that All Might was peaking behind.

Hoping to catch the young man alone, he couldn't help but feel a little let down, as cute as the scene before him was. He kept his distance but still followed, seeing when they might diverge, only to be met with the blonde girl, 'Kaa-chan' he recalled, asking to sleep over, and he happily agreed.

Frowning slightly, All Might dropped his form, returning back to his smaller, lanky true self, fully determined to talk to this young man once again.

Finally, after a few more minutes of walking, they approached an apartment building, and Toshinori knew he had to act, now! Quickly snabbing a pebble and getting behind a building, he took aim and threw it hard, landing on his shoulder on the opposite side Kaachan was walking by.

Izuku perked up and turned his head back curiously before his eyes widened in realization and he stiffened, quickly drawing her attention as well while Toshinori took cover again.

"Uh… Kaachan, can you please head in?"

"What?! Why!?"

"Oh-! N-Nothing important, I-I promise it'll only take a minute!" Toshinori sighed deeply in relief, then hissed in pain while holding his side. He heard her huff and grumble something before storming off, then finally the young man walked around the side of the building. "A-All Might?"

Toshinori nodded down at him. "Hey kid, Midoriya, right? I wanted to talk to you about something urgent." He explained, before jabbing his thumb past the wall. "But first, is that Kaachan girl inside?"

Izuku's eyes narrowed for a split second, to a point where he looked even a little upset before looking for him. "Yeah, she's gone… But her name's Bakugo Katsumi, so you should just call her Bakugo."

"Ah, I see." Toshinori sighed again before getting off the wall. "Now, first of all, I'd like to thank you, so very much." He said, making Izuku look up with wonder and confusion.

"Really?" He asked as Toshinori nodded, crossing his arms.

"Exactly. If we hadn't talked before that accident with young Bakugo, then I wouldn't have been able to fully grasp what I saw: A small, Quirkless child, and brave desperate to protect his best friend, despite the impossible odds." He explained while Izuku gave a dry chuckle and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well… Thanks but it wasn't really bravery. It's hard to explain really, but-"

"You didn't really mean to, did you?" He interrupted, as Izuku looked up with realization. "Your legs moved all on their own, you moved to protect the innocent before you could even stop to think about it. If anything, the only thing you really thought about was how to throw your backpack that well, right?"

Izuku nodded rapidly. "Y-Yes, exactly!" And Toshinori just smirked.

"Mhm. Of all the greatest heroes, no matter how different, unique, experienced, or whatever: They all do exactly as you did, protect the innocent no matter the cost, even in their youth when they're inexperienced or weak." He explained, watching as Izuku's eyes twinkled.

"... But what does all of this mean, All Might..?" He asked, his voice trembling softly as Toshinori straightened his back.

"It means, young man, that there is incredible promise in you… You see, there are plenty of theories about my Quirk, I get asked all the time too but I tend to shake it off with a laugh, but in truth!" He gestured in a grand, extravagant manner that may have looked better in his Buff form, but worked just fine to stoke the wonder in Izuku. "My power has been passed on from generation to generation, and its name is One For All!" He declared as Izuku's breath hitched, taken aback as he shook slightly on his feet. "And for as long as I've had it, it's high time I took on a successor, a great hero for the next generation!"

"And secondly," He continued, lowering his tone slightly, soft with gentleness and regret. "I'd like to apologize, and change my answer from before… Yes, Midoriya, you can become a hero. All you have to do is accept."

Izuku sniffled, his body quivering as he reeled back slightly. Mentally, he could have prepared for this, with the Buddha's sort-of affirmation, and the support from those closest to him… And now, with All Might himself, who was probably his greatest inspiration for becoming a hero, Izuku felt a sudden, uplifting surge inside him. Now, the path was so much clearer…

Steadying himself, Izuku nodded while wiping tears from his eyes. "I do, I accept!" He declared, while All Might grinned.

"Haha! I thought so, look, I've held up enough time by now, I'm sure your family and young Bakugo are worried by now. Do you know of Takoba Beach?" Izuku nodded excitedly, lighting up at the idea of the beginning of his true hero training. "Good! Meet me there at Six in the morning, sharp, we can begin then… For now, rest up, young Midoriya." He ordered with a small nod as Izuku nodded back in understanding.

"Yeah- Er, Yes sir! Oh, and thank you, thank you so much again, All Might!" He said, his voice trembling again as he bowed deep, but he simply waved it off.

"You're very welcome, but run along now, seriously. This probably looks really weird, and I don't want to know what young Bakugo is capable of if I keep you any longer and make her mad."

"You really don't." He confirmed, hiking up his backpack again. "Six-AM sharp, right?"

"Exactly, and don't tell anyone about this! This All For One business isn't for just anyone to know!" And with that, they both said their goodbyes, and were off.

Inside, Izuku got a single foot past the entrance before his Mom tackled him with a bearhug from the front, facing him to take a step back and keel over a little before Katsumi did the same to his side, getting him onto one leg as he tried to recover and breathe through the double crushing.

Groaning slightly with pain mixed with the sounds of his Mom sobbing and talking about how worried she was and how overjoyed she is, Izuku finally managed to put one arm around them both and hug them.

That night and the following morning marked the next ten grueling months of Izuku's life: Daily training on training, whether that be cleaning the trash from Takoba Beach, sprinting, or carrying All Might in his buff form on his back, he took it all in stride.

Even outside his daily regimen All Might gave him, he forced himself to take on more, on his own time or at school at the cost of sleep and studying, he even asked Katsumi to box with him just so he'd have actual fighting experience.

Granted, she loved that he was taking it seriously and that he wasn't getting sidetracked with any romantic interests anymore, but even Katsumi saw how much he was wearing himself down. However, between her appreciation for his renewed dedication and the complete lack of the ability to talk about feelings, she more or less stayed out of the way.

Thankfully, she didn't need to, because around Summer, roughly five months after training began, Izuku and All Might were out for a run, and he collapsed entirely.

"Hey now, what's the matter?" All Might asked, hopping off his scooter and squatting down near Izuku as he wearily lifted his head.

"N-nothing's the… M-Matter." He croaked, shakily trying to push himself up, before All Might went into his Buff form and lifted him by the collar.

"Oh, I see the problem here! Young Midoriya, you haven't been following the American Dream Plan, have you? If I had to guess, you've been doing a good deal more than you can handle!" Izuku just groaned miserably in response.

"When I put together that plan for you, it was taking your body's condition as its main consideration, going above it would only be abusing your body!" He explained, placing him back onto his shaky legs.

"I-I know… But everyone else has had their Quirks since they were four, like Kaachan, and they've all been working super hard to make it to U.A! I have to work three times as hard just to keep pace!" He explained with a deep breath, bringing his fists up with a determination that was hardly deterred by exhaustion.

After a moment, All Might laughed and slapped Midoriya on the back, making his entire body rock. "Haha! There's that fire! I understand exactly how you feel, young Midoriya, so fine: Leave it to me, I'll readjust your plan, and have you ready for U.A in no time flat!" He promised, ending with another hearty laugh. And from then on, Izuku stuck to the plan in full.

Finally, the ten months were up and they had arrived in Fall, and it was the morning of the U.A entrance exams. Katsumi, confident as always, slept easy the previous night to the thoughts of her and Deku acing the exams, getting top of their classes, and instantly being top heroes… Oh yes, everything was going perfectly.

She woke up extra early to get some practice in and hype herself up for the day, and was finally off to make sure Deku did the same too. Or she planned to until her dad stopped her right at the door. "Hold on a minute, Katsumi."

She groaned and turned to her father, her hand still on the doorknob. "Yeah, what?"

He only smiled back, thinking fondly of Mitsuki for a moment. "You've got this. You and Izuku both, I believe in you, but please look out for each other if you can."

Katsumi's snarl softened significantly, merely turning back towards the door. "Of course we've got this, who do you think we are?... But, thanks, Dad." She said, before leaving.

Masaru sighed deeply as she left, before getting up to get ready for work. "I think that's the nicest thing she's said since…" He pondered to himself before chuckling. "Ever."

Outside, Katsumi was trying to see if Deku was up by texting him, but quickly realized he was probably still asleep since they stayed on "Sent". She frowned a little deeper, knowing that the entry was only a few precious hours away! Since when was Deku a sloth? No, it was more likely he stayed up late for one reason or the other, like studying or fretting about whether or not he'd pass.

Katsumi arrived at Midoriya's apartment and knocked while shaking her head. A few moments later, a very tired Inko peered through. "Oh, Katsumi! Good morning, dear."

" 'Morning, Auntie. Is Deku inside still?"

Inko shook her head with a small laugh. "Oh no, he's out training before the exam at… Takoba Beach, I think. But honestly, the morning of exams? He should be resting up, haha." Inko sighed and leaned against the doorframe, staying silent for a moment before giving a soft, but slightly forced smile. "I love my boy, Katsumi… But he worries me with just how far he's willing to go, sometimes. Talk just a bit of sense into him, won't you? I don't want either of you working yourselves into the ground." She asked, patting Katsumi on the shoulder.

Katsumi nodded and turned to leave again. "Of course, and thanks for the heads up, Auntie."

"No problem, dear. And good luck!" She wished, before retiring back into the living room.

Once outside, Katsumi grumbled to herself as she walked and kicked aside rocks at dangerously high velocity. "Fuckin' Takoba?! That dump of a beach is where he's been training this whole time? It's filthy!"

It took a little bit longer than she'd like, but she finally approached. The first thing she noticed, or rather first two things: Takoba was nearly spotless, an entirely pristine beach of golden sands and ocean that glowed beautifully in the sunrise. And second: A freaking gigantic mountain of garbage off to the side. Judging from how much was there, and how bad it looked before, it looked like All Might swooped down and made that giant pile. "The hell…"

Next, as she walked over, she noticed something very peculiar near the base of it. A man, thin, middle-aged, and lanky as hell with dirty and wild blonde hair. Next to him, was Deku who was visibly gagging on something he just ate.

"OI! DEKU!" She shouted, making both the old man and Deku jump suddenly and turn towards her. It was also at that moment that she noticed something else, and that was that Deku didn't have a shirt on, at all.

He was always fond of long-sleeved shirts, hoodies, and jackets, even his hero suit was supposed to be full arm-length, so she was never used to seeing any part of him really bare.

All of this to say, that Izuku never once hinted at how fucking shredded he got recently! Sure, he had been filling out his clothes a bit more, but she thought it was more of a growth spurt, not all of that! Geez, she could grind meat on abs like those! Quickly shaking her head, she jumped the railing and landed on the sand as the two before her looked spooked to see her. "Deku, the exams are getting close! And who's this old man?"

Flustered, the old man patted Izuku's back. "O-Oh me? I'm no one, really, just young Midoriya's… Personal trainer, you see."

Katsumi's brow furrowed at Izuku, who quickly nodded. "Y-Yeah! He's been helping me train for a while now, since the sludge villain accident, I mean."

"Hm…" She answered, clearly not even looking at Izuku's face. "Fine, but we'd better leave now if we're going to make it."

"She's right, you know. You two need to head off, and good luck, you two." He wished with a small nod, as Izuku scrambled to get on his shoes, top and uniform shirt over it, (to which Katsumi groaned at something, but he couldn't tell what.) And finally hiked on his backpack.

"Alright, I'm ready! O-Oh, and sir?" He turned towards the man again and bowed deeply. "Thank you, thank you so much for everything you did for me!"

The old man laughed it off with a "You're welcome, young Midoriya," and Katsumi raised an eyebrow at the display. "Stop your brown-nosing and let's go!"

He jumped up at the yell and began to run after Katsumi, who already dashed up the stairs. "W-Wait up for me!" He shouted, before turning to wave goodbye one last time to the old man at the beach, then chasing Katsumi up the stairs and through the streets.

A couple of hours, and a quick meal later, Katsumi and Izuku finally stood together before the gates at U.A, the golden title glowing magnificently. Both stood proud, with Katsumi grinning wide and snickering to herself. "This is where it really begins, Deku…" She declared, while Izuku nodded.

Izuku had his fists clenched to his side as they shook nervously, looking around himself. "Er, Y-Yeah… This is it, Kaachan." He said, knowing that while they both meant the beginning of their hero careers, the words of the Old Buddha of Love rang again in his head.

He sighed before taking one deep breath. "Let's go." He said, making Katsumi smirk as they walked together. Even the first step past the gate felt monumental. This was a place that churned out the greatest heroes in the country, including All Might himself! And, if he hadn't messed with the timeline or whatever, it was the start of his great high school romance-!

At that exact moment, Izuku tripped over a stone and began to fall face-first into the ground. He didn't even try to protect himself, he just suddenly accepted his fate and decided to die.

Except, the impact never actually came. Instead, he just floated in the air, not a single part of him touching the ground. He looked to his side and saw Katsumi half-reaching for him, but she definitely wasn't doing… Whatever this was. Then, she looked up and past Deku, to his other side.

Looking over, he couldn't really help but gasp slightly at the girl before him. She was incredibly pretty, with a warm smile, rosy cheeks, and short brown hair with bangs framing her cute face. "Sorry about using my Quirk on you, but I figured you wouldn't mind if I stopped you from bashing your face on the first day, right?" She asked with a giggle, pressing all ten of her fingers together and dropping him back onto his feet.

Then, the girl turned her head upward to speak but stopped dead when they met eyes. Because just at that moment, it was exactly as the God of Love forecasted: A sudden, instantaneous shock rang through them both the moment they met eyes. Instead of speaking, her voice halted into a small squeak like she was trying to force it through, but couldn't.

They were both there so long, Katsumi suddenly swatted him on the back. Granted, her fuse was so short that ' so long' was actually about two or three seconds. "Earth to Deku, do you read?!"

Whining, Izuku rubbed his back. "D-Deku? That's… A cute name." The girl said, drawing his attention again.

"Hm? Oh, Deku is just a name Kaachan here's been calling me since we were little. My name's Izuku Midoriya, it's so nice to meet you." He said, unable to rid the smile off his face.

"It is? I thought it sounded like Dekiru, or, 'You can do it. ' So I like it!" She said cheerfully, making him blush as he felt another shock go through him.

"R-Really? I never thought about it like that… Okay! You can call me that too, then!" He declared with a small laugh. Katsumi, meanwhile, furrowed her brows. Instead of seething rage, she just felt… Confused, sure she was a little annoyed, but there was something off about her.

"I'm Ochako Uraraka, it's nice to meet you, Deku~" Like that! Katsumi jumped slightly as Deku laughed softly and shook her hand, with her offering her hand first!

Something wasn't right here! Girls weren't supposed to be into him! A hundred girls by now, and not one of them even considered him for a second, and it was supposed to stay like that, dammit! She was talking cute and sweet to him, and even from behind he could tell he was blushing just as hard as she was.

"Oh my god-! That's a Thirteen sash, isn't it?" He asked, leaning in slightly towards her scarf, acknowledging a small sash onto the end that looked like the hero Thirteen's head.

"Yeah, it is! Wait, you know who Thirteen is?! Most people just look at me funny when I say who she is!" She asked, almost bouncing on her heels from excitement.

"Mhm! She's amazing, her Blackhole Quirk was pretty much designed for rescue-based hero work! Oh, did you hear that she's a teacher here?" He asked, just as giddy as she was.

"I know, right? It can take out tons and tons of rubble or debris, which is the work of like, an entire rescue crew with construction-level equipment, in the span of a few seconds, and nothing left over!" She gushed, looking just as happy to have found a kindred spirit as she did having met a fellow Thirteen fan.

Now infuriated, Katsumi grabbed Deku by the collar of his shirt and pulled him along toward the door. "Alright, enough! Let's go before they leave us behind!" She demanded, now dragging him like luggage.

"W-Wait!" Ochako jogged over, then leaned down to talk to him. "Which course are you going for, Deku?"

"WE'RE going for the hero course, so step out of the way, Round Face!" Katsumi barked, making Ochako frown.

"Oh… Well so am I! So, with any luck-"

Katsumi growled. and stomped away faster, now choking him out as he struggled in her iron grip. By the time they made it into the first half, the written exam, Izuku was back on his feet.

While under normal circumstances he would have reprimanded her behavior, especially on their first day on campus, he was simply glowing with delight! 'So Uraraka was one of my soulmates?! She's so cute, and we clicked as well as Kaachan and I did! Damn, I should have asked for her number!'

He was so enraptured by his thoughts, that even when they took the test and made it into the auditorium he nearly squirmed in his seat with delight, hardly able to pay attention to the presentation Present Mic was giving. He was so far gone, he barely geeked out from seeing the hero in person, a fact Katsumi caught onto quickly and was very bitter about.

On top of that, they learned how they were going to be divided into groups, and being seated directly next to each other, they were put into different testing areas. By then, Katsumi was outright growling as she clawed into her armrest, just about cracking them both into splinters before Izuku coaxed her into calming down.

Soon enough, the pair had to split up again, giving each other one last wish of luck before parting onto separate busses towards the mock-city exam areas. The enemies they were all told of seemed formidable, and Izuku only had some experience fighting from Katsumi, where he just spent most of the time being beaten into a paste.

He slouched back and sighed deeply, deep in thought. One For All needed him to digest the hair he swallowed earlier, and while the thought made him shudder with disgust, he was still very anxious… He didn't know how to handle it, he didn't even know if his body could but he damn well had to try!

Before he knew it, the bus came to a stop and all the applicants began to file out into the lot outside. Breathing deep to calm his nerves, he stepped outside too and began to look around, more than a little nervous… The people here looked strong, and most of them had some kind of item like a belt, weapon, or accessory of sorts.

Quickly, he had to slap himself lightly across the face, reigniting the determination within himself. 'Of course they all look strong,' he told himself, 'They all trained so hard for this day, just like I did!'

Huffing, he looked forward and saw Uraraka again, doing some stretches in preparation. "U-Uraraka!"

Suddenly, she turned around and instantly lit up while her cheeks blushed a bit more prominently, then turned to walk over. "Deku! Wow, this is awesome!" She cheered, instantly propping herself up at his side, making him clam up quickly and blush brighter as well, his smile shaking awkwardly from his own timidness.

"Y-Yeah! Anyway, I-I just wanted to wish you good luck on your exam, I'll be trying my b-best too!" He said, rubbing the back of his head slightly while Uraraka smiled a bit brighter.

"I hope you would! I mean… Wouldn't be nice if we had the same class?" She asked, looking a bit dreamy-eyed as she said it. "Yeah… that sounds nice~."

Izuku inhaled sharply, his eyes wide and his face even redder as she practically fanaticized out loud. That was until Present Mic's voice boomed over the blares above. "ALRIGHT, ALL YOU GROOVY HERO-HOPEFULS!" He shouted, instantly making Uraraka and Izuku jump up in surprise.

"Good luck, Deku!"

"Thanks, you-" "GET MOVIN'!" Present Mic declared as the gates shot open suddenly, and the flood of applicants poured in, with one noticeable blue and tall blur at the front. Everyone moved so fast, Izuku was even left behind, and it was while he was charging down the street he suddenly roared in frustration and slapped himself again. "I forgot to ask for her number!"

Meanwhile, across the campus, Katsumi already jetted through the sky and landed on some poor 2-Pointer bot with a dropkick, using it like a board and crumbling it to bits under her feet.

Katsumi knew one thing for sure: How to rage. In particular, how to aim that rage toward her goals and use it as jet fuel to reach and shatter those goals. And right now, she had enough to own this stupid exam a hundred times over!

"STUPID FUCKING-!" She swung to her right, slamming her hand into the 'guts' of a 1-Pointer and blowing it to bits. "ROUND FACE!"

She dashed forward with both hands behind her as two more 1-Pointers closed in on her, and she swung both arms out for a conjoined blast that tore them and the ground apart with enough force to set herself back slightly. She tore off her jacket and cast it aside, leaving her in her black tank top, nothing protective, but it allowed for the most mobility and speed, just as she liked it.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?" She roared, slaughtering a 3-Pointer and snarling at the extra who dared complain that she stole 'their' kill. "IT WOULD BE YOURS IF YOU WEREN'T DOGSHIT!"

She ran again in search for a bigger fight, coming across a small squadron of four 2-Pointers that tried to encircle her. "Dense fucking Deku… STAY OUTTA MY WAY!" She cried as she swung wide from low to high like an uppercut with another explosion, sending the first spiraling through the air.

The next two went to her sides and she just held her arms out and fired again, then aimed behind her to fire again, sending her flying forward and above the tin can that tried backing up, but she stopped it with a mighty stomp that snuffed it out. Panting, she threw her head up and roared wordlessly like a wild beast.

"YEAH!" A voice roared behind her.

She snapped her head back while gritting her teeth. There was a girl who held a 3-Pointer in a headlock, bashing it's face in with her fist that appeared to be made of stone. She had wild, red hair pointed up with matching eyes, incredibly sharp teeth, and a scar on her eye. Like Katsumi she had on a black tank top too, showing off just how impressively built she was, and using that strength to batter that robot. "Wreck'em, Girl!" The cheerful redhead rooted, finally tearing off the 3-Pointer's head.

"SHUT UP!" She roared back, before blasting off to slaughter more robots.

Unfortunately, Izuku had no such luck with harvesting points… In fact, he couldn't collect even one so far! He had to get saved by someone who shot a laser from their belt, too! So naturally, it came the time when he got really anxious, running frantically to get just one bot!

However, it was only made worse soon enough: He ran by Uraraka, and heard her say, "Alright, that should be 34!" And when he listened to others around him, he realized just how grave his situation was. The exam worked off of places, meaning that if he was this far behind now…

A deep, cutting feeling found a home in Izuku, seeming to freeze his insides and turn them bitter. "I… I C-Can't believe this…" He gasped, clenching his fists as he ran. "All of th-that time, all that training with All M-Might and Kaachan… Is it gonna all go to waste?!" He said in despair, clenching his fists even harder.

Minutes passed them by, minutes of Izuku sprinting with growing desperation, and Katsumi raising her body count.

Until finally, with only a few precious minutes left, the 0-Pointer was unleashed, and holy cow was he not prepared for this. The thing felt like it was causing an earthquake as it rolled towards them and the city, towering over the buildings that were only really shoulder or neck-height in comparison.

In shock, Izuku fell back and on his ass as he could only stare up in awe. Everyone ahead of him had already long since bolted, and he got up to do the same until he heard Uraraka again.

"O-Oww!"

Snapping to attention, he suddenly turned back and saw Uraraka with her legs pinned beneath the rubble that the 0-Pointer had dropped on her, trying to crawl from beneath it as the titanic robot kept moving forward.

… This feeling was natural, but still not very familiar to him. Izuku sprinted towards her and the robot without a single thought, his only concern being to help his new friend, and newly-found soulmate. He didn't care about his points, he didn't care that it wasn't worth any, he simply moved.

Suddenly, he felt a deep surge inside him as he ran, distracting him for just a moment as he realized that it was happening, One For All was ready!

He crouched down for a moment, feeling its power concentrate in his legs right as he leaped, firing him through the air as if from a cannon. In the blink of an eye, he was eye level with the massive 0-Pointer, which had begun to swing its massive arms around to grab him.

Gritting his teeth, Izuku reeled his arm back, feeling the fabric of his jacket literally burst off from the power right under his skin. "SMASH!" He roared, swinging and hitting the 0-Pointer right in the middle of its six robotic eyes, catering its face and sending the back, and like a great massive statue, fell back and collapsed.

For a moment, Izuku was simply suspended in the air, recovering from the feeling of adrenaline that drove him to just punch out a skyscraper-sized robot. And for that moment, he looked on with astonishment and a very unfamiliar sense of pride.

However, that moment wouldn't last, as he suddenly began to descend with a yelp of surprise and fear. Then, the second round of shitty, sudden realizations hit him: His legs and arm were broken, his entire arm turned an ugly, bruised, and twisted purple as it failed helplessly as his legs did.

He couldn't afford to think about it now, as he just kept falling and gaining momentum, and with only one arm left, he found himself with only one option: He was going to punch again, and break his fall before he went splat!

'Damnit..! Then I won't be able to get any points, then I'll be done for-!' Suddenly, he was literally slapped out of his thoughts and back into reality. His mind lagged behind for a moment as he stayed suspended in the air for a moment, then lit up with realization as he looked to his side and saw Uraraka, levitating on a chunk of one of the defeated robots to reach him and break his fall.

Then, she touched her fingers together again and dropped them both, letting him flop onto the ground with a groan while she turned to the side and began to vomit over the side. Shock and exhaustion were ringing them both as some of the other examinees surrounded the area, talking amongst themselves.

Finally, Izuku pushed himself up with one arm and began to drag himself forward, his face contorted with pain as Ochako turned to watch, both with awe and horror at the display. "J-Just… One… P-Point, at least..!" He grunted, pushing himself forward before a horn suddenly blared, drowning out the noise around them.

"ALLLRIGHT, EXAMINEES, TIIIIMES UP!" He declared, making Izuku freeze up with shock and despair, face-planting into the ground. He brought up his uninjured arm, clenched his fist, and punched the ground with a frustrated cry.

Ochako, slumping miserably, pushed herself onto her feet, clenching her stomach and walking on wobbly legs, plus the injury to her right leg, barely made it over before getting onto her knees and patting him on the back with her pinky carefully lifted. "Th-There, hic! There…" She said hopefully, her gut sinking both from the sight before her, and the thought that this kind, sweet boy wouldn't make it with her… Assuming she made it too, as well.

Frowning, she wondered if she could help him out somehow. Not in her condition, but if she could only give him a few of her points, maybe. After defeating the 0-Pointer after seeing her injured, it felt like the least she could do.

Suddenly, the realization hit her full force: He turned, saw she was injured, and without a moment's hesitation, sacrificed himself to destroy the 0-Pointer, and all for a girl he just met! If she weren't so nauseous, she would've swooned off her feet.

"D-Deku…" She whispered, before smiling softly and patting his back again comfortingly. "You're a really great guy, aren't you..?" She cooed softly, taking one hand to his wild, green hair and petting it affectionately.

"Don't worry about him, deary." A withered, elderly voice called, making Ochako look up, and see a small, elder lady with a needle-shaped cane walking over. "I'll take care of everything."

Izuku groggily lifted his head and squinted a little, "R-Recovery… Girl?" He croaked, propping himself up with his uninjured arm again.

Ochako clicked her tongue. "Deku! Don't waste any of your energy!" She chastised, before groaning slightly in pain herself, and falling back with exhaustion.

"Oh my." Recovery Girl said as she dug in her pockets and pulled out a handful of colorful gummies. "Here, young lady, take some vitamins, that red one there should help with your stomach issues too." She said as Ochako happily took them and began chewing quickly. "And for you, young man… Hoo boy, you sure did a number on yourself." She said, before her lips suddenly began to expand, and she kissed him right on the wrist. "There, now, let's get you to the resting area."

Two small robots rolled up behind her with a stretcher and reclined Izuku into it as he groaned miserably, and just before they began to roll off, he raised his hand. "W-Wait! Uraraka..?" He weakly lifted his head with a small smile. "I-I never… Asked for your number."

After a moment, Uraraka giggled and heaved onto her feet, walking alongside the stretcher as the robots began rolling away. "For sure!"

And while the two were guided to the rest area to make sure Izuku got a full recovery, Katsumi was proudly standing atop the smoking remains of her area's 0-Pointer. A sadistic smirk spread across her face, her eyes glowing with delight. "Whoo…" She sighed, kicking aside a piece of it from her feet.

The poor thing didn't stand a chance, really, she was still more than filled with rage when it showed up, and the thing's very existence was a challenge, and there wasn't a single challenge she wouldn't rise to! Besides, it wasn't about the points with that one: it was about proving to everyone here, including all the teachers watching, that Katsumi Bakugo was here to take first place, in this exam, in U.A, and the hero world next!

She proudly hopped off, strutting past all the gawking extras and remains of broken robots towards the entrance again. Damn, it felt good to be number one! Katsumi snickered to herself, wondering how Deku would react to seeing her proudly present some kind of token or award for getting so much done. Knowing her, he probably wouldn't be surprised to see her with yet another trophy, but wouldn't it be nice to get praised?

The thought made her feel… Odd inside. She knew it would make her pleased with herself, but there was also another level to it besides just base pride. Something about Deku being proud of her made it seem all the more rewarding. She felt squeamish at the thought, every inch of her body alight with energy.

Quickly, she just shook these thoughts from her head. No matter how good it would feel, mushy crap like that had to wait! For now, she just had to wait for them both to get accepted… But if they were smart, someone would just come running out, get into dogeza, and beg her to join right away!

During the bus ride back, she managed to wipe herself clean of sweat, oil, and ash, then had a moment to freshen up before jumping out, expecting to find Izuku right as he came out his bus, but frowned when she discovered no such luck.

Growling and whipping out her phone, she quickly called him up, tapping her foot against the concrete impatiently. On the second ring he picked up, "Kacchan? Hey! What's up, how did you do?"

"Hey Deku, and I aced it obviously. I even beat the crap outta the 0-Pointer, but never mind that- The hell are you at?!"

He laughed nervously over the other side of the phone. "I'm not surprised. W-Well… I kinda got hurt, but don't worry, I'm in a rest are right now, I should be let out soon."

"Hurt!?" She shouted, stomping her foot and growling. "How!?" She couldn't see him, but she could almost feel how he physically recoiled from the phone.

"I-I took on the 0-Pointer too! But I just got a little injured-" "A little?!" Uraraka interjected as Katsumi clenched her phone harder. "Deku, both your legs AND your arm was broken after that!"

Suddenly, all of Katsumi's rage was sapped away, her knees felt weak as that information hit her, and she grasped her phone with both hands. "B-Both legs..? Your arm?!" She shouted, worry clear in her voice now.

"Kaachan, it's okay! Recovery Girl's here and she healed me up, plus, Uraraka's keeping me company. You remember her from this morning, right? I now you're not great with names, but…"

She shook her head to clear it. "Who, Round Face?!" She demanded, the sinking and burning feeling in her guts returning again, knowing that she was there for him when he was injured, instead of her.

"Er, yeah… Her. A-Anyway, after I get out, I'll text you. Uraraka needs to get to the station, so we can walk her there, then… Go home." He said, his tone suddenly dropping miserably. Granted, she couldn't tell why he'd be more depressed about the aspect of going home rather then being injured, but she only guessed it had something to do with round face.

Then, the flames were only stoked as she heard Uraraka gently talking to him. "... Deku, did something else happen to you?" She heard him gulp nervously, even if he tried to hide it.

"U-Um… Kaachan, w-will you promise not to get angry?" And that pretty much cemented it in her mind: He was doing something over there with round face, something that he knew she'd blow them both to bits over.

"... Yes." She growled, "I promise not to get angry- Unless you tell me that you're going into an agency together or some shit, that's supposed to be our thing, dammit!"

"What?! B-But I never agreed to-! Look, Kaachan, we couldn't be in an agency together… I-I," He took a second to sniffle miserably, his voice shaking slightly now. "I didn't get a single point… I'm sorry."

Izuku sighed miserably as Katsumi went silent, bracing himself for her yelling, or saying she was disappointed, or anything, but she just went silent. He only imagined she wanted to, or was trying to come up with the right thing she wanted to say, but there was nothing. "L-Look, Recovery Girl is back, I'll meet you at the gate later, goodbye, Kaachan." He stayed on the line for a few moments longer to the sound of silence, before finally hanging up.

Roughly twenty minutes later, Ochako and Izuku both finally arrived at the front gate together. To the side, Katsumi was reclining against the wall, visibly slumping and more defeated than Izuku had ever seen her. "H-Hey, Kaachan."

She sighed and turned to them only slightly in response, barely even acknowledging Ochako. "Hey, Deku."

Clearing his throat, Izuku looked down, ashamed. "Kaachan, I'm really-" "Don't worry about it." He shot his head up at Katsumi, whose face suggested she was just neutral to this.

"If we can't be heroes… You can still work with me, or something, right?" She asked with a small sigh, turning to look up at the sky. "You keep those hero notebooks… They could be useful if I ever fight someone I can't get a read on, so… So don't stress about it, okay?" She said, clearly as downcast as he was.

"Well, sure, but Kaachan, it's not just about us being heroes together. I wanted to be a hero too, like All Might, who always saved the day with a smile… I'm sorry if it sounds greedy, but I wanted to be a hero for myself, too." Suddenly, Ochako hugged his arm from behind, causing him to look back in surprise as she smiled cheerfully.

"That's not greedy at all… This would be a really crappy world if wanting to help people was considered wrong, you know. Besides, they should let you in anyway! You destroyed that 0-Pointer just to help me out, an academy that trains any real heroes should recruit those who go out of their way to help others!"

"Wait, DESTROYED it!?" Katsumi demanded, slack-jawed and stunned by this information.

Ochako giggled and nodded. "Mhm! He jumped up and socked that thing square in the face, just trashed it!" She said, patting him proudly. "If i'm being honest… I think that cemented things, for me."

Drawn out of her curiosity for just a moment, Katsumi turned to Ochako as Izuku tilted his head slightly. "Cemented things? The hell does that mean?!"

"Um, yeah, Uraraka, what's that supposed to mean?" To which Ochako giggled again, her cheeks getting even redder.

"You took on that thing for me when no one else would even come back to help me out… You're sweet, smart, and attentive, cute and… B-Built." She said, looking down at the arm she was attached so tightly to, "Deku, I think that… I think that I'm in love with you."

Izuku gasped as Katsumi began to tremble, staring wide-eyed at the scene before her. 'N-No…' She thought, a chill piercing through her. 'Th-this isn't right…'

Izuku's hand went to Ochako's shoulder as she looked up hopefully. He smiled so softly, it was like an angel's. "Ochako… You've been nothing but sweet and kind to me, even when you didn't have to. You're a great girl…"

'NO! Th-this isn't supposed to happen!' Katsumi began to pant slightly, her chest heavy and cold. 'Th-The agency! We w-were supposed to-!'

"Ochako, I love you-"

"NO!"

Izuku and Ochako jumped suddenly as Katsumi roared, then turned to her, only to be left stunned at the sight. Katsumi was crying, her teeth gritting and her eyes wild, she left the wall and was crouched slightly like she was going to fight, but if her trembling was anything to go by, it was either that or her collapsing.

"N-NO! You're not, y-you can't!" She screamed, stomping forward once as her anger visibly dropped and was replaced with strife. "He's MINE! G-Girls never l-liked him before! Th-This isn't right!" Her hands came around her head and squeezed. "W-We're supposed to- But y-you can't! Y-You can't take him from m-me!" She accused, and at that moment Izuku closed the distance, hugging Katsumi close to his chest with his head on hers. "H-He's… Supposed t-to be… Mine …"

'Men tend to fall in love over time, and even when they meet their soulmates they probably won't know it, while Women tend to fall in love at first sight…' Izuku's eyes widened as the Buddha of Love's voice echoed in his mind, and he subconsciously held Katsumi tighter. Suddenly, he realized that since they were children when they met, far before the God Of Love came into his life, she had already fell for him... And he failed to notice this entire time.

"I'm… I'm a fool, aren't I?" He asked, while Katsumi sniffled. "I can't believe I was so blind to how you felt, Kaachan."

He stroked her upper back slowly as his friend bawled, but slowly calmed down. "Hey, Kaachan, Ochako. I think we all need to talk… There's this cafè down the road, my treat." Katsumi nodded after a moment, while Ochako agreed, suddenly very downcast.

The walk was long and almost torturously awkward, and even when they made it to the humble cafè and placed their orders they were silent, until Ochako spoke up right before Izuku did.

"L-Look, I don't wanna come between the two of you… It's silly to think I'd stand a chance against a girl Deku's known for his entire life. I-I think I should just go, and save you guys the trouble."

Katsumi scoffed and rested her head in her hands. "Please… Sweet, cute, and as big of a hero nerd as he is? You're like, the perfect girl for him-" She said miserably before Izuku spoke up.

"Both of you, enough." He demanded suddenly, irking both of them into surprise from the sudden and very un-Deku-like assertiveness. "You're both incredible and selling yourselves short, which is shocking for you, Kaachan… Honestly, I think if someone talked about you two the way you talk about yourselves? I'd beat them into the dirt."

Katsumi and Ochako both blushed slightly, before nodding in understanding.

Izuku sighed deeply. "Okay… Girls, I have something to ask of both of you. Would you guys like to try… Polyamory?"

"Excuse me?" Katsumi asked immediately.

"H-Hear me out!" He begged, suddenly bowing his head. "Both of you deserve everything. Kaachan, you've been my friend since forever, you're strong, smart, and have the confidence I could only dream of having- Ochako, you're the sweetest, most caring person I've had the actual blessing of meeting, you're the kind of person everyone wants by their side." His confession made them both blush and turn to each other before going back to him.

"Anyway, all of this to say: I want to make you two happy… Even if I have to die for it, you don't deserve to be sad or in pain for even a second of your lives. If I can't do that for both of you, I'd happily pay it back with my life."

Both were silent, before Katsumi crossed her arms and spoke up again. "Do you think you can really do that? If we get into U.A without you, what then? And if you did get in, could you even handle all of that, and keep your promise?"

Izuku's answer came without hesitation or doubt: "Absolutely," The blunt, rudeness, and confidence of his answer, in contrast to his typically reserved and nervous nature spoke volumes. "But there's something else too:" He looked between them both. "I want you two to be girlfriends, too."

Both were taken aback, blushing deeper as they looked at each other. Ochako was shocked, but far from looking appalled, while Katsumi looked like she was having an internal conflict.

"If you two can't get along with each other, then how could we go on dates or hang out together and keep you two happy?" After a moment, Katsumi sighed and looked away and down at the table.

"W-Well… I guess it could be worse." She admitted, while Ochako just rubbed her cheeks slightly with embarrassment.

"Th-that doesn't sound so bad…" She answered as well, before giggling. "Wow… You must really really love Deku if you're willing to-"

"W-Who said love!?" Katsumi suddenly barked, her face even redder and Izuku deadpanned.

"Kaachan, you were sobbing at the idea that-" Katsumi interrupted him by grabbing him by the collar and pulling him in.

"S-Shut up, dammit!"

"Aw… I love you too, Kaachan." He answered, before receiving his reply in the form of a slap that rocked him back into his seat with a small grunt, but a content smile.

"Er… You know, Deku. You never finished saying that thing, at the gate…"

"I love you, Uraraka. I love you girls more than I love myself." He answered, again, without hesitation. Ochako giggled and moved closer to him as Katsumi sputtered.

"Oh yeah!? Prove it by keeping your damn promise! If you don't, I'll kill you myself!" She ordered\threatened, scootching closer to him as well, as if saying that she refused to be outdone by Ochako, who wasn't even competing.

"A-Actually," Ochako intervened, "I think you should love yourself too, there's plenty to love, right, Bakugo?"

Katsumi turned away slightly while blushing as Izuku chuckled, and hugged both girls by their backs. "Of course, I will, Kaachan… And I swear I will, Ochako."

Katsumi huffed and pressed her head against his side, making him blush and actually clam up a little at the sudden contact. Although by the look of her it seemed like she was just as bashful about it, for the first time in her life. "... I'll believe it when I see it."

Ochako put her head against his side as well, which made him blush even harder just as she did. "I have faith in you, Deku."

98/100 To go...