This was supposed to be a one shot. Most stories end with a kiss but I thought it would be an interesting challenge to start with a kiss and work backwards. Sometimes it's too much too soon and people break apart. Sometimes they come back to each other. Hope you enjoy the angst and my SI.

Ryuji Kaji profile:
16 years old
6'0"
185 lbs
Blue eyes and dark brown hair that's kept in a bun.

I'll start by saying that introducing new characters and giving them MC syndrome for a short time is very on brand for this manga. I only gave Kaji this much exposure in order to establish his character cuz we already know the existing cast. I could have had Shinso get his wish and steal a seat from a 1A class member after the Sports Festival, but I really wanted a 4th wall breaker to cut through the nonsense that's apparent in the show.

He is definitely not the MC, more like Mr. Contrarian. Nobody in the fandom seems to care about Shoji and I figured 1A had enough utility to cover for the loss of his abilities, so I had Kaji replace him. It's only been a little over a month IIRC since the Festival so nobody in the class really knows him, but he's been around during Hero Killer and the forest lodge trip, so is slowly building a comradery. But this aint about him, really, he's just a foil.


"Saving lives is the greatest ambition a hero can have!" Tenya Iida tirelessly kept pace with Deku and Uraraka as they sprinted to the urban area of the rescue test, which told them the plan was similar to the last exam; Stick together to accomplish their goals.

"It must be frustrating having to limit your speed so we can keep up, Iida!" said class 1A's newest student who transferred from Ketsubutsu Academy after doing well in the Sports Festival.

"We stand a better chance if we work as a unit, Kaji!" Iida reassured him.

"But you're giving up an advantage you have over everyone here that could save civilians! Why not go ahead of us and do recon and then swing back?" he counter-argued.

Iida's expression straightened even further. Kaji had only been with them for a month, and despite his dark past, he was emerging as a practical strategist with a voice of reason that was sometimes as palpable as Deku's and his own.

"Alright!" he said hastily, and in a flash he disappeared, knocking everyone off balance for a moment as he activated his ultimate move.

Before they approached the first of the artfully destroyed buildings, Bakugo predictably broke away from the main group, luring Kirishima and Kaminari with him against the protest of everyone including Bakugo. Soon afterwards, Deku and his squad saw a trail of dirt and then Iida sliding in front of them to a stop while holding a child with fake blood smeared down the sides of his head.

"He is responsive but has suffered a head wound, and his grandfather is trapped by debris! Follow me!"

They chased Iida as he ran at a barely followable speed until they arrived at an eerie scene. All they could hear was a desperate soul crying out for help from inside the rubble of a completely demolished apartment complex.

"This looks bad! Where is he?" Deku said in terror.

"THIS LOOKS BAD? THAT'S POINTS OFF YOUR SCORE!" the child-actor criticized.

He continued to berate Deku about what it means to be a hero. Particularly from the perspective of a helpless civilian. He told him a hero is supposed to make everyone feel safe, and Deku immediately thought of his overplayed video of All-Might carrying more than ten civilians on his back with a heroic smile.

Although he felt ashamed at his initial response, he still thought this paid actor was offered extra to belittle him.

Deku looked away towards Uraraka as he continued to be scolded, and she looked at him with worry. He smiled at her but she shifted her gaze away from his piercing eyes to the ground and held her forearm. The two friends swirled in their own thoughts.

'Why is she looking away? She just kissed me a moment ago! Wait a sec, was the kiss that bad? SWEET VESTIGES I didn't even move my lips!'

Uraraka's growing feelings along with the child actor's rambling bothered her enough to jump to his defense.

"He's doing his best and I'm sure he's sorry he made you feel unprotected! But you're safe in our hands! Right, Deku?" she refocused and smiled at Deku, and he smiled back.

'She's right, but so is he. I've got to get it together! I still have so much to learn. I have to focus on everything I've taught myself!'

"Hey, it's fine!" Deku put his hands on his knees and spoke awkwardly to the "distressed" kid.

"My grandpa!" he whined back.

"Don't worry, we'll definitely save him!" Deku said with bravado before turning to his fellow students.

"I can carry him to the first aid station myself, the rest of you go on without me!"

"Wait, wait. I know you got a savior complex or whatever but, why don't you let Iida take him. We have to be efficient with our time, yeah? Bet he makes it back before we even find another victim." Kaji suggested in a relaxed tone with his arms crossed.

"You overestimate my skills, but that is sound judgement. I will return right away!" Iida responded positively.

Deku dropped down to one knee so that he was eye level with the small boy.

"It'll be alright." He said with a wide smile.

Iida activated his Recipro again to bolt away with the HUC member as Deku addressed his squad.

"Let's keep up the pace, everyone!"

"Let's do this!" Mineta said excitedly, and the remaining future heroes joined in his rallying cry.

Iida returned a moment after the group found the boy's "grandpa" stuck under a significant amount of debris. Sero, Uraraka, Deku, Kaji, and Sato were following Yaoyorozu's plan to carefully remove the debris using their quirks, with Uraraka at the helm.

Deku kneeled at the entrance to the canopy that hovered precariously, but felt safe as Sero appeared to hold it together with ease using his tape. Deku caught every weightless chunk of stone that Uraraka hurled at him, sending it towards Kaji who passed it towards Satou. She started to increase her pace, and Deku just smiled at her as he waited for the next offering.

'She's so beautiful.'

She stole a glance at Deku and his affectionate look flustered her and her body refocused on her task, but her mind was still distracted.

'This buzz in my chest. What am I doing? I have to push these emotions down!'

'Deku is giving his all to reach his goal, and my stupid feelings could distract him from that or hold him back. Hold myself back.'

She swallowed once and hastened her pace in an attempt to suppress her desire.

Deku saw her face sadden and got lost in his inner monologue as well.

'I still can't make sense of it. She was so forward when she kissed me, but now she's acting weird. And it doesn't seem like anyone else in the class knows what happened. How is that even-'

His thought process halted as a cement block as large as himself closed in on his face. He closed his eyes and lifted his hands up defensively, and opened them after not feeling contact. In front of him was Kaji rising from a crouching position, holding the debris with both hands.

"Distracted much?" he said teasingly over his shoulder. He then turned and tossed the weightless mass over Deku's head like a javelin.


Present Mic Hero Introduction


"RYUJI KAJI"

"His quirk: Adrenalin."

"The more his body produces, the more short burst power output his muscles have. Up to two and a half times the force of a human of similar size! He's gotta be careful though, too much of the hormone causes him to become frenzied!"


"Sorry! I was thinking about our next plan." Deku bluffed.

"What should we do? Most of us are just standing here!" Mineta shouted.

"Staying as one unit helped us in the last test but I think Kacchan was right to split up. I think now's the time to break into groups and look for survivors." Deku said decidedly. Those that weren't intimately involved with this rescue followed his lead.

Asui took Todoroki and Sato to the river, while Ojiro, Koda, Tokoyami, and Ashido sprinted towards the mountain area.

"I can hear voices in three different directions." Jiro crouched on one knee with her earlobes inserted into the ground, deciding to scout ahead while Uraraka and Deku got closer to the boy's grandpa.

"The furthest one is 40 meters that way. Closest one is around that pile of crap over there." she continued casually and pointed in different directions.

"You can sense vocal vibrations that far away?" Yaoyorozu complimented her as she pulled several flair guns out of her chest and handed two of them towards Iida.

"Use these if you need help!"

Iida approached her and accepted the offer.

"If they're not in critical condition, shoot a green flair and move on until you find someone needing immediate aid." Yaoyorozu said callously.

"So you're saying. I should abandon those who are not under dire circumstance?" Iida responded with skepticism.

"Just for the moment, we'll be right behind you." she assured him. "We need you to tag the areas that are in most need first."

"I like this plan, and your speed is the only thing that makes it work!" Kaji said to Iida, reaffirmed Yaoyorozu's idea.

"Shoot the red flair if you find a priority target that you can't save by yourself. That will lead us." she said dismissively.

Iida squinted his eyes and considered what she said.

"Although it is against my nature, I understand and trust the merits of your plan!"

"After you give us a target you can probably circle back and grab the low risk civs if you have the energy. This is your moment to shine, Ingenium!" Kaji said with enthusiasm, clenching his fists together.

"I'm sure it's what Tensei would do." Iida was stoic in his reply.

"We're getting close to freeing this one, so come back as soon as you can!" Deku said as he redirected another pitch from Uraraka, who was still furiously lobbing cinder blocks at Deku in an attempt to dig up the victim while simultaneously burying her emotions.

"I'm going with you, I can help!" Mineta yelled as he jumped down from the higher ledge and ran to the towering speedster. Iida picked him up and activated his ultimate move once again, disappearing in a flash and causing his classmates to close their eyes for a moment as the strong wind from his quirk billowed into their faces.


Uraraka soon freed the old actor and was prepared to remove him safely.

"I got you, I'm going to use my quirk so don't be startled!" Uraraka said comfortingly as she suspended the man in space and moved him towards safety.

"His left leg is injured, Sero!"

"I'm on it!" Sero quickly wrapped his knee with several layers of tape while he floated in mid air.

A red flair suddenly shot up near the first location Jiro pointed to, and about 10 seconds later, Iida slid to a stop in front of everyone, kicking up dust.

"I left Mineta at the site. Please sir, allow me to take you to safety!" Iida approached the old actor with his arms out, and chose to run at a leisurely 45 mph towards the first aid station while the rest of the team headed towards the flair marker.

'This is actually working!' Deku screamed in his head.

They repeated this process for a handful of victims and Deku was proud of everyone's teamwork and how they made their own unique contributions. In particular he was impressed by Iida and Uraraka's ability to sustain their quirks.

'My team mates are so incredible. But I feel useless! My quirk isn't very effective in excavating buried victims. All I can do is short ranged escorts if there isn't a target that I can safely smash without injuring anyone. Maybe I can use my cowling ability to cover more ground and do more recon.'

"Deku, what should we do?" Hagakure was in the same mindset. She wanted to do something but everyone else seemed better equipped for this kind of rescue effort.

"Hagakure I need your photokinesis under here!" Kaji yelled from 20 feet away as he cleared rubble to create a path to a voice coming from a collapsed room of a building. He couldn't see the civilian and didn't want to move any more supports without having eyes on them.

'How the hell do these actors get under the rubble? We saw them destroy this area right in front of us!'

Hagakure rushed to him and crouched near the entrance to the small and dark crevice where the cries for help were coming from. She lit up the area, causing Kaji to squint.

"I'll hold the structure! Get in there!" Sero yelled as he shot a sustained stream of ribbons out above them.

"Follow me, Hagakure!" Kaji said with purpose.

She stayed in her crawling position and followed him with her hand out.

"Give me another one!" Kaji begged as the darkness enveloped them and he stopped moving the obstacles in their way.

Hagakure took a deep breath and produced a moderate burst of light this time so she didn't blind him. What she revealed was a window that was caved in and blocked by a steel support beam.

"Help! Help my wife!" they heard the voice of a middle aged man cry out.

"I'll lift the beam so you can squeeze through, okay?" Kaji said calmly but deliberately.

"Okay! Don't drop it!" Hagakure responded as he widened his stance and lifted the beam with a grunt.

"Go go!" he grunted again. She touched his shoulder as she passed him to let him know where she was and maneuvered her way in.

"We're the rescue team, you're safe now!" she said assuredly before she actually spotted anyone.

"You can drop it, Kaji!" she yelled.

Despite Sero holding much of the area overhead, he lowered the beam as gently as possible. He didn't want a cave in right now. He was sure that falling debris was the one part of the exam that couldn't be controlled, and he actually regretted charging into this situation.

"What's going on, Hagakure? Can you carry both of them?" he huffed and wiped his brow.

"This woman is badly injured! Heavy trauma to the head and unconscious!" she said with genuine concern verging on panic. It was difficult for Kaji to take the actors seriously up to this point, but ever since he entered this demolished building it started feeling authentic. He became acutely aware of the inherent risk they all seemed to be taking.

'UA couldn't possibly predict every outcome with this test. They don't even have any officials on the field. Even with Recovery Girl as a safeguard, they usually always have a coach nearby as another safety measure. Maybe they just want us to think there's no one here to protect us?'

He couldn't make up his mind so he chose to assume the worst; that they could die here if they're not careful.

"Do you need me there?" he answered back. Hearing the alarm in Hagakure's voice stimulated the passive characteristic of his quirk.

"No, I-got them!" she shouted unconvincingly with a break in her voice. She sounded like she was pushing her physical limit in some way.

"Then get over here! I'm ready!"

"Do it!" she said exhaustedly.

Kaji's slow-twitch muscle fibers converted to fast-twitch excitation, with most of it concentrated on his pelvic and arm muscles. He growled as he lifted the beam high enough for Hagakure and her escorts to exit through the opening.

After the "husband" performed the last hurdle, Kaji dropped the beam carefully and carried Hagakure's burden while she lead the way with periodic flashes of light.

"Good job, you guys!" Sero said approvingly as they crawled out of the wreckage. He released his support tape and the building crumbled down over their man-made exit. Iida had just returned from delivering another damsel in distress that Uraraka and Deku had meticulously retrieved, and everyone grouped up.

"Nice moves, Hagakure. Wish we could actually see them." Kaji said sarcastically, making her laugh.

"I'll take the woman who's in critical con-" Iida began to say but was interrupted by a distant explosion powerful enough to shake the entire field of play. They all turned towards the smoke pouring out of a hole in the wall at the other end of the arena, dangerously near the first aid station.

"A villain has completed another large scale attack" a tired voice rang out over the stadium speakers.

"Everyone! This is part of the exam!" Deku shouted. "We have to rescue civilians and defend against these villains at the same time! I can use my quirk to reach them in time. The rest of you keep looking for survivors!"

"Iida and I can follow you, Deku, but that explosion was huge! They're gonna need more help than just us. We should carry someone with as backup! Mineta with Iida again and...Uraraka with Deku." Kaji suggested decisively.

"Ehh, why me? Isn't like Sero better suited or whatever for-"

"Cuz you can use your quirks together to B-line it to the first aid station. You can do that, right? Let's GO!" the intensity of his voice increased and they could tell his quirk was entering a heightened stage, which reminded Deku of Bakugo every time it happened.

Deku and Uraraka looked at each other apprehensively, but moved closer to one another.

"We've wasted enough time, I'm out of here!" Kaji was pumping himself up and also trying to motivate his new friends.

"Anyone down for a bumpy ride and a huge fight?" he held his hand out to anyone who was as daring as Mineta and Uraraka.

"I think, I do!" Hagakure's voice could be heard after an initial silence.

"WHAT?" Mineta squealed.

"Hagakure!" Uraraka gasped.

"Anyone ELSE?" Kaji anxiously chuckled.

"You said we didn't have time." Hagakure responded with conviction as she became the lone classmate to approach Kaji.

"I'm not comfortable with this." he whispered as her gloves got closer. If her eyes were visible, he knew he would not be able to look at them.

"Would you say that if this was real? What if an injured civilian doesn't have any clothes on?" she pressed but also giggled as she finished.

"But, it's...you." he said timidly.

"Should I hop on your back, or?" Hagakure ignored his comment, and he huffed out of his nose begrudgingly before followed her lead.

"That would be ideal, yes, but no you'd um fly off from the drag or the inertia once we stop. I'll have to uhh carry you like how Iida's got Mineta right now. You know, kinda like a baby." Kaji spoke fast and shot Mineta a teasing look and started chuckling, trying to deflect the awkwardness with humor.

"You makin fun of my small size again!?" Mineta complained.

"There there." Iida patted his back to hammer the joke home, and Mineta made a disappointed face before Iida took off with him in an instant.

Hagakure laughed in embarrassment for Mineta, but also for herself. Kaji saw her grey knee-highs stand next to him, and noticed her signature gloves fidgeting together.

"You ready?" she asked him.

"Yeah, sure. Are you?" he swallowed his spit and held his arm out just behind her, and she moved closer, allowing him to wrap his arm around her and hold her to his side. He bent low and used his quirk to spring himself forward after Iida.

Just like he said, the wind drag was stronger than Hagakure expected, and caused her to immediately wrap her arm around his neck and her right leg around his midsection. She then pulled herself into a squared position against his torso to make them more streamlined.

She gripped him tightly with all of her limbs and he was able to let go of her and freely pump his arms to gather more speed.

Deku watched them take off and looked at Uraraka with newfound certainty.

"You can jump on my back. With your quirk, you shouldn't fly off. Just, it's important to use it when I say." his voice was elegantly low.

"Okay, Deku." she responded just as softly.

He kneeled down until he felt her weight drop onto his back. She slid her arms over his shoulders and crossed her arm over his neck, flattening five of her fingertips on her own shoulder while placing the other five under his breast.

Their classmates were preparing to move the two civilians and continue their search but watched in awe as Deku and Uraraka rocketed in a low and straight line that defied gravity.

"They're practically flying right now!" Yaoyorozu said excitedly as she and Jiro were loading the injured woman onto a rudimentary stretcher she created from the lipids in her body.

Some students resumed the search while others began their pursuit, and got to witness Deku and Uraraka make Kaji and Hagakure appear slow by quickly overtaking them despite their head start and respectable pace of 45 mph.

"THAT'S MY BOY! LOOK AT THEM GO!" Kaji yelled through the adrenalin powering up his body. Hagakure tried to steal a glance but Deku and Uraraka had already passed by.

They were within two hundred meters of the first aid site and Kaji could make out more details of the assault. Only Shindo, his former classmate, stood against the intimidating force. As they got to within 50 yards, he saw Gang Orca lead the charge and knock Sindo to the ground with ultra-sonic waves just as Deku and Iida arrived with Uraraka and Mineta.

Gang Orca was bearing down on Shindo just as a river of ice surged in from behind him. It was a calculated flank by Todoroki that caused Gang Orca to turn and use his ultra-sonic waves again but this time defensively.

"Get Shindo out of here, Iida!" Kaji pleaded as he skidded to a halt behind them.

Iida nodded and kneeled over the shaken rival student before jettisoning them both away from the chaos.

Inasa Yoarashi then descended into the area near Todoroki and started arguing with him. Whatever feud they had, it caused their combined air and fire attacks to nullify each other, which made them argue further while Deku, Uraraka, Mineta, Hagakure, and Kaji prepared for the main assault. Which fortunately appeared stunned from the absurdity of the two student's failed attack and juvenile dispute.

Just as Deku began counting his eggs, the five of them saw a bright flash to their right and another cancellation between Todoroki and Yoarashi's quirks, except this time the wind split half of Shoto's powerful quirk towards them.

Deku immediately grabbed Uraraka who was closest to him, and power jumped away from the flames. Hagakure and Mineta on either side of Kaji and he instinctively grabbed Mineta and threw him in the same direction Deku fled.

Then in one swift motion he dove into a headstand directly in front of Hagakure and turned his hips and legs 90 degrees clockwise. He roughly pushed Hagakure to the ground with his foot just as the flames engulfed him and he used his augmented strength to push with his arms and whip his legs counterclockwise. He tucked his arms in and entered a rapid spin on top of his head, rotating his legs like the blades of a helicopter.

The river of fire turned into a hurricane, with Kaji and Hagakure in the eye of it.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING?!" he heard Deku scream at Todoroki and Yoarashi after they put innocence in danger with their baseless drama.

The flames subsided and Kaji slowed his momentum until he could plant his feet and stand up. He immediately noticed his clothes were scorched and his shirt was still smoking. He started patting his body while looking for Hagakure, but all he found was her blackened boots and gloves lying on the scorched earth.

"HAGAKURE?!" he dropped onto his knees and felt nothing and started moving his hands around a broader area around him in search of her body.

Suddenly he became aware of a strong heat on his back as the embers on his shirt received enough oxygen from Yoarashi's quirk to reignite. He then immediately felt strong slaps on his back.

"Take it off!" he heard Hagakure's voice say. He gripped his shirt around the bottom, twisting it off and throwing it to the ground.

He ignored the 2nd degree burns and tried to focus on his surroundings, and what he saw was a lot of smoke, and not much else.

"Hey!"

*THWAP*

Kaji felt a strike on his left shoulder, and an oozing clay-like sensation enveloping around the area.

"Like my submit gun? Good luck trying to move once that hardens up." he heard a cocky voice cutting through the dissipating smoke.

"YOU SON OF A"

*THWAP*

*THWAP*

He felt the same contact on his right shoulder and his knee, and began to immediately feel restrained.

"FFFFFUUUUCK" he lost control of reason and his filter and defiantly stood tall, ready to soldier through the hinderance and literally break through it with a frontal assault. He heard several more shots and denied that he was about to fail the test.

Instead of another high velocity round, he felt a pair of hands on his chest, followed by something heavy jump into his arms. The added mass and force combined with the weight of the submission rounds caused him to fall onto his back.

He heard more weapon discharges and a whizzing sound overhead but he couldn't see or sense anything other than the hardening feeling on his shoulders and knee, and Hagakure's skin on his chest and shoulders.

"Hagakure?" Kaji asked again. He knew it must be her but was concerned about how much she was hurt. If she was burned half as bad as he was he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

"It's me. I'm fine!" he heard her say. She then displayed a surprising amount of strength by ripping off the hardening clay from his shoulders one by one. The shooting ceased and the smoke cleared from the previous accident, and Kaji felt rejuvenated.

"Can you use Warp Refraction? Like NOW?" Kaji pleaded hysterically.

"Yes!" Hagakure was straddling him and raised up from his chest. He then saw a light appear above him, which increased in brightness exponentially until he had to close his eyes. He heard a pop followed by gasps and cries of anguish from what sounded like dozens of terrorists who were closing in on them.

He opened his eyes and naturally expected to see someone above. He felt their weight on top of him, but all he saw was an open sky. It was as if a phantom was pinning him down.

"Now's our chance, let me see that hand-to-hand you mentioned!" Kaji said encouragingly as he reached out and carefully found her waist. He meticulously moved her off of him and tried not to think of how bizarre it was that she was both invisible and exposed.

"Okay. Don't blink!" she said whimsically, making him laugh.

Hearing her play along caused his adrenalin to peak as he stood up and got into an offensive stance. He counted the number of targets and then picked one that had the highest number of equally blind comrades in close proximity.

"RAAAHHH" he screamed as he launched and twisted once in mid air to gain enough centrifugal force to strike his first target to the ground with a roundhouse kick to his shoulder. He dropped into an awkward crouch as his opponent fell and then sprang himself at the next closest target.

He repeated the same maneuver as before but instead of kicking, he planted his feet on his chest, compressing into a ball before propelling his body laterally towards another actor that was adjacent to him. The force of the launch knocked the villain violently to the ground, and Kaji turned himself into a corkscrew with his arms pinned to his sides, spearing the next one with his head.

He wanted to land on all fours but his momentum caused him to stumble and roll. He heard more weapon discharges and their impact on the ground near him so he continued rolling until he could quickly rise back into an offensive stance. He looked around and there were more than a dozen targets to choose from.

He growled frustratingly at the lopsided odds, but then a pillar of flame shot up 20 feet away from him, quickly turning into an enormous cyclone of fire that acted like a prison for Gang Orca.

Kaji clenched his teeth and tried to ignore the fire tornado, eyeing up all the immediate threats while they became distracted by the new development. Just as he picked someone to engage, he saw their head twist to the side and their body drop. His closest ally turned to see what happened and his chin abruptly shot upwards and he too crumpled to the ground.

''HELL YEAH!" he screamed out loud, ecstatic that his team mate was rising to the challenge.

He searched for another opponent and lunged high towards them, raising his legs up and landing the back of his knees onto the paid actor's shoulders, gripping him tightly with his legs as he fell and pulling his opponent into an impromptu somersault and slamming him onto his back.

Kaji got in a 3 point stance and sprinted to the next closest "enemy", but once again his target was stolen, this time by Deku. As usual he exercised his unique power/speed combination to overwhelm his foe, soaring in and punching him back 5 feet with barely any added force from his quirk.

He then performed a leaping kick at a third terrorist which knocked him down before he could aim his gun while Uraraka dropped herself into the fray using her quirk. She landed on top of the next closest enemy, and showed an astounding flair for grappling as she brought her opponent down and then used her quirk to pick him up and throw his body into the lap of the next closest opponent.

She screamed "Release!" and sprinted forward as the man's weight fell on top of his fellow actor, and kneeled down to put both her hands on the two men's collar bones.

"SUBMIT!" she commanded.

'Damn!' Kaji was inspired by his classmates, and really wanted to body check someone in response, but couldn't help but take a moment to revel in the combat efficiency of his new team.

*THWAP*

He felt a familiar impact on the back of his thigh, and did a 180. He growled and rushed the would-be terrorist and dodged a 2nd shot before shoving him to the ground and pinning him down by his face.

"Is that IT?!" he howled.

Suddenly Gang Orca used his quirk to subjugate Todoroki and Yoarashi's last ditch effort to contain him. The pillar of flame vanished and Kaji saw this as a new test. He let go of his terrified victim and stood up to face the #10 pro hero.

"FACE ME, ORCA!" he screamed as Gang Orca ignored his challenge and approached Todoroki's prostrate body, which made Kaji furious.

Suddenly Deku appeared next to him with his fists up, followed by Uraraka. He looked at them and then noticed in his peripherals that the rest of his classmates along with the other members of Shiketsu High were joining the fight to take on the fake terrorist army.

The sight was glorious for the prospective heroes, but even with power inhibitors on his arms, Gang Orca was a threat that none of them seemed to have any answer for, and he wasn't taking it easy on the young students.

As he reached for Todoroki, Deku reacted by jumping high in the air towards him and utilizing his new ultimate move; Full Cowl. A variation of All-Might's signature punch, but using his legs instead.

He aimed behind Gang Orca's neck, but ended up striking his forearm as he quickly reacted to the imposing new threat.

*HOOOOOONK*

"Uhh, yeah, so at this point all of the HUC members have been rescued from the disaster zone. It may seem a bit anti-climactic, but with this the provisional licensing exam has officially been completed. After we tally the scores we will announce the results here in the arena. Those who are injured report to the infirmary. The rest of you are free to change clothes and wait wherever you like."

The smoke cleared and in an instant, the arena went from a warzone to near silence. Soon everyone began talking and celebrating the events that transpired.

"You could really use treatment and a change, Kaji!" Hagakure's voice cut through, and more people turned their attention to the shirtless 1st year with burns on his back and tatters covering his lower body. Some of the students closed in to make sure he was okay and check out his condition while someone else whistled.

"It's nothin, uhh, you okay?" he talked through the murmur around him and looked in the general area where her voice came from. He then felt someone's fingertips touch his right shoulder and slide down his side, around his burns. He turned as the tickling sensation traveled across his lower back and then lift off his skin as they seemed to pass by.

"Kaji, your back looks so gross!" Uraraka informed him, who was feeling sick enough as it is.

"Uh yeah, it feels great." Kaji replied sarcastically. "How are you guys doing?" his face had a permanent wince but he knew it wouldn't last long, so he directed the topic away from him.

"You good, man?" Kirishima's supportive voice cut through the noise as he joined their circle.

"I'm fine. Short work for Recovery Girl. But I wanna see the results first!"

"That was clever, using your ultimate move to block the firewall like that." Deku congratulated Kaji.

"Woulda been better if I actually got out of the way with my partner like you did." Kaji chuckled.

"But you protected two people. Don't take that for granted." Deku said sincerely.

"Yeah I'm fine too, thanks." Mineta said, holding his rear with one hand.

"Sorry about that, Mineta."

"It's cool. So tell me. How do they feel?" Mineta said deviously as he leaned in close.

"I said I'm good. Wait, what?...Oh, shut up, dude." Kaji rolled his eyes before chuckling once out of his nose.

"Wait a minute, has anyone seen Hagakure?" Uraraka asked.

"Is that a serious question?" Kaji laughed.

"You know what I mean! You were with her!" Uraraka said with growing worry.

"I'm here! Just had to get my gear. How's your back, Kaji?" Hagakure said casually.

"It's uhh fine, thanks." he wished they would show the results so he could get to the infirmary and end this line of questioning.

Uraraka looked at Deku from the side, but he was focused on Kaji. She moved closer until she was next to him and he finally returned the eye contact.

'Ochako you dummy.'

She was regretting her decision to kiss him, as well as pretending it never happened. She wanted to hold his hand but decided to just briefly rub his shoulder before pushing it.

She dropped her hand back down and looked away from Deku sadly as he didn't respond to her playfulness. Instead he gazed ahead at the giant screen that was pending the results of the exam. She decided to distract herself by watching with him.

They both suddenly felt hands on their shoulders and saw Iida lower his head in between theirs, gazing at the screen in anticipation.

"You two definitely passed!" he said positively.

"We all deserve a license after that!" Ashido said excitedly.

"Especially you, Rep!" Deku said energetically, and patted him on the shoulder appreciatively.

Todoroki soon joined them but appeared even less euphoric than usual.

"Anyway, the names of those who passed are listed here in alphabetical order."

Everyone's eyes turned to the flat screen as they searched for their names, and discovered that the students of Class 1A passed except for Todoroki and Bakugo. Notably, Yoarashi also failed the test, likely due to his reckless quarrel with Shoto.

Mineta and Kaminari took the opportunity to gloat in front of Bakugo and Todoroki, and although they were being light hearted, it was clear to the rest of the class that it struck a nerve in the two aspiring heroes. Failure didn't come easy to them, and so the rest of them offered positive reinforcement, particularly with regards to the special course they could both take to earn their provisional license.

With the exam over and their wounds healed, they loaded onto the bus and prepared for the long journey back to Heights Alliance. Uraraka was feeling tired and slightly sick after sustaining her quirk for so long, and many others felt similarly and were already nesting into their travel pillows before the engine even started. She looked down the center of the bus to see her seat next to Asui was taken by Kaji.

He was deep in conversation with her but made eye contact with Uraraka as she came into view, and subtly pointed his head forward with just his nose. She slowed her pace and followed his direction, but then froze as she remembered where he was originally assigned. Right beside her. Next to Deku.

She slowly craned her neck to the right until he came into view. Deku was busy staring at his own portrait on his provisional license id, and Uraraka looked back to Kaji with a scared look.

He glanced back at her and flashed his eyes wide before nodding his head toward Midoriya and the empty seat next to him once again. The bus engine roared to life and Uraraka nervously sat down next to Deku, who casually turned his head expecting to see Kaji and flipping his expression when he saw someone else entirely.

"Kaji err stole my seat." Uraraka said anxiously, wringing her hands together in her lap.

Deku gulped and twisted around to try to make eye contact with Kaji, but he was fully invested in a light hearted conversation with Asui and didn't look his way.

He turned back around and glanced at her before smiling weakly and staring back at his license.

Uraraka looked at her hands, and decided to talk about the thing he seemed to be enamored with.

"You deserve it, Deku!" she turned her head to see him with a serious expression and taking a picture of his license with his phone.

"Uhh."

"I need to show this to my mom and All-Might as soon as possible!"

"Really?" she giggled.

"This license means, how do I put this. It means I've matured and gotten stronger. And it makes me so happy!"

"Are you crying?" Uraraka asked. He still surprised her sometimes with his sentimental outbursts of emotion.

"Yeah well, you know, this is a lot. So many people have helped me get to this point, and a lot of them went through so much trouble to do so." he stole a glance at Uraraka and saw her penetrating gaze and had to look back down at his lap.

"I get it." she smiled supportively.

"You helped me get to this point." he said in barely more than a whisper, which made Uraraka's heart skip a beat.

He fumbled his license in his hands, and she smiled before reaching over and grabbing his wrist and then his palm. He looked at her with glossy eyes and she squeezed his hand before letting go and laying her forearm on the divider between their seats.

Uraraka felt like Deku gave her an opening in the conversation to talk about what they mean to each other. She swore she wouldn't distract him from his goal, but not vocalizing her feelings to him was eating away at her. And hearing those words made her want to go back on her promise.

"You helped get me here, too!" she said in a jovial manner.

"Thanks, Uraraka." Deku smiled back and scrunched down in his chair, staring out of the window.

'I wish he said this when we were alone.' she thought to herself, hating how casually she had to speak on the crowded bus. She didn't want to just speak her thoughts, she wanted to express them from the heart with no filter. She searched for something to say, but the longer the silence dragged on, the more disheartened she felt.

His eyes were starting to droop tiredly as his head remained turned towards the window.

'Moment gone.' she scolded herself and pressed her lips together in frustration.

"Take a deep breath. Through your nose. You are in control of your emotions." Kaji's suggestion replayed in her head.


2 weeks ago

While class 1A was training for this exam and developing their ultimate moves, Uraraka and Kaji met on the side walk on their way to Gym Gamma AKA Training Kitchen Land.

"Can I walk with you?" Uraraka asked as a mere formality before hopping in line with his stride. The new student was easy-going despite his adrenalin quirk and enjoyed the company of his new UA classmates, even though he typically walked alone.

"Sure. I wish we could train outside. This is perfect." he tilted his head up and closed his eyes to focus on the sounds of the morning birds singing for a mate.

"You like being by yourself don't you?" she asked without judgement, and he nodded his head subtly.

"Yeah but, not always. Me and Tokoyami share a similar weakness with our quirks. There's a chance we could lose control of our power. Isolation is a bit of a cornerstone for us. That reckless potential has made us both strive for...balance, since joining the hero course."

"Since your dad." Uraraka said forwardly but sympathetically.

Kaji clenched his lips together awkwardly. News of his juvenile murder case had been common knowledge for several months, but he still wasn't used to the attention he got from it.

"Yeah." he said in the same tone as her.

"Do you regret it?" she asked genuinely.

"No. He put his hands on my mom." he looked at her with sorrowed eyes and smiled weakly before continuing.

"I'd do it again." his smile neutralized. He saw the worry on her face and tried to ease her mind while returning the conversation to center.

"Ahem, you're good people though."

"What do you mean?"

"Like, everyone at UA. But mostly you and your clique. Deku, Iida, Todoroki. I like you guys." he smiled again and he looked up as an oriental turtle dove flew between the two rows of trees that lined the sidewalk.

"Did you not have friends at Ketsubutsu Academy?"

"Ms. Joke was. She helped me with my quirk without even realizing it. I miss her." He said contentedly as he reminisced over some of his favorite one liners.

"Nobody else?" Uraraka started to feel sad for him. He scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Look it's nothin against the school, like I respect Shindo and some of the others. Just..some students seemed to care more about drama and infighting than our studies. And then it got in the way of our training. That kind of pushed me here." he said almost forebodingly.

"Hate to burst your bubble but there's plen-ty of drama here at UA." she said matter-of-factly.

"Anything about you?" he bared his teeth in a grin and chuckled a few times.

"YES, as a matter of fact!" she raised her voice and pointed her dangerous forefinger up at his face, making him flinch.

"Okay, let's hear it." he chuckled again and stared ahead to look for more birds. Something about him being the new kid and not really belonging to any specific friendship circle seemed to make him the ideal ear for many of Class 1A's personal and social issues. He was happy to offer advice when it was needed, but his classmates were often so vague with their problems that he usually couldn't respond with anything more than generic peptalk.

Luckily for them he was observant.

"The other night I was um bothered by something, and my best friend Mina told ALL the girls in the room that the reason was because I was in love. Then she drops IIDA and DEKU'S names, just because I hang out with them!"

"Seriously?" Kaji laughed.

"Yeah now I gotta worry every time I hang out with a guy that someone's judging me? If she sees us walking together right now am I gonna get teased for it later? Can girls and guys not just be friends?" she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"That's a...heavy topic, Uraraka. Of course you can be friends with guys but, you have to accept that people will see it as, you know like, a breach of decorum. But I say to hell with traditionalism. You should be able to love and be friends with whoever accepts you."

Uraraka looked at Kaji graciously but then her expression turned to grief and she looked at the ground with her hands in her hoodie warmers.

"I don't know anything about that. Love, I mean." she said softly but eagerly.

"I don't either. But I know you picked Midoriya's hero name."

Uraraka snapped her head towards him in surprise, and he kept talking.

"Iida told me. But personally I saw you be the first one to team up with him in the cavalry battle when everyone else including Iida turned him away because he had a 10 million point target on his head."

"No, that's not. You got it all wrong." She chuckled bashfully, and then a vulnerable expression crossed her face.

"Deku's just a really good friend to me." she said in a soft tone again, looking back down and fidgeting her fingers together inside her hoodie.

"Then keep being that to him, and tell Ashido what you told me. Don't let her ruin your friendship with Deku."

Uraraka remained silent, and looked to the side away from Kaji, who sighed in response.

"What are you thinkin?"

"Could you...promise to keep this between us?" she turned her head and looked him dead in the eyes with furrowed brows.

"Okay, I promise." he said with careless honesty.

She stared at him a bit longer, squinting while she read the sincerity on his face. She looked ahead and her eyebrows scrunched even more as she thought of a way to put it.

"Umm"

"Take a deep breath. Through your nose. You are in control of your emotions." he said calmly after seeing her awkward face.

"Yeah, right."

"DO it" he pressed.

She followed his advice.

"Feel better?"

She didn't answer, and they walked in silence for a moment.

"I like Deku as...more than a friend." Uraraka finally admitted, and felt a weight off her chest as she revealed her deepest secret. She held her hand against her chest and over her heart, and sighed with her mouth open.

"Duh" Kaji said in a bored tone.

"What?"

"I knew that way before you told me this story."

"You can't, though! I never said anything."

"You don't need to say anything." He waved his hand over his face and then whispered mysteriously.

"The eyes never lie."

Uraraka felt exposed, and didn't immediately answer.

"I see the way you look at him, sorry. I can't help it I got shifty eyes."

"Is that part of your quirk?" she teased, trying to shield her embarrassment.

"Yeah let's go with that excuse." They both laughed as they met Todoroki and Kirishima at the main doors ahead of schedule.


Uraraka closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose, and when she opened them she saw Deku with his eyes shut, propping his chin up with his hand.

She turned to get a glimpse at Kaji down the center of the bus and he looked at her and winked before returning his attention to what Asui was saying.

Uraraka settled back in her seat and was happy just to be sitting next to Deku. Soon the lack of conversation caused her exhaustion to take over and she leaned her head back before falling asleep.


As the bus rolled into the lot of Heights Alliance, many of the students began waking their peers. Deku and Uraraka were still sleeping even as the bus pulled up to the front entrance, and Kaji got up and walked down the isle until he was next to them.

Ashido excitedly followed him until she got close to Kaji and put her hand on his shoulder, and they both joyously watched them cuddle. Uraraka had her head rested against Deku's shoulder, and his cheek was leaning on her head. Kaji and Mina smiled at each other and he nodded to her while making a flicking motion with his thumb and forefinger towards Deku, and Ashido grinned wider before following his direction, reaching forward and flicking Deku on his forehead to wake him instead of Uraraka.

He opened his eyes and realized who was sleeping against him and his stomach rose into his throat. Kaji and Ashido watched in amusement and suppressed their laughter to the best of their abilities as Deku nervously tapped Uraraka's opposite shoulder until she woke up, and her reaction was similar to Deku's as her eyes flashed wide.

Kaji covered his mouth but Mina shamelessly laughed out loud, and Kaji immediately grabbed Ashido's arm and dragged her away and she courteously allowed him lead her towards the exit with the other students while still giggling.

A moment of silence fell between Uraraka and Deku as they gathered their senses and their belongings.

"Sorry for uhh sleeping on you" Uraraka said anxiously.

"It's okay. I don't know why Iida complained that one time. You didn't disturb me at all." he said approvingly as he stretched his arms out, referencing the time the class went on a long inner-city trip that required a lot of foot travel and the two of them had laid their tired heads against his shoulders on a subway between destinations.

"It's a shame, too. He's the perfect travel pillow!" she said loud enough for Iida to hear.

"Bring actual travel pillows if you plan to rest between stops!" they heard Iida's strict voice behind them.

Deku and Uraraka laughed together at his expense, and the three friends exited the bus with new licenses and fresh confidence.


I wanted to write an Izuocha story while keeping it as canon as possible. But to do so I would have to make characters like Mina and Iida and Aoyama way more assertive, which didn't sit right with me. The most that anyone does is tease Uraraka. Even Ashido doesn't PUSH the romance even after she's figured out it's Deku she has a crush on. So to keep that spirit alive and have fun at the same time, I created a self insert that's hopefully more interesting that Mezo Shoji.

Also for fun I decided to make Hagakure a more prominent character because her quirk is interesting yet her entire character is almost completely ignored in the show.

More about Kaji's quirk:

It's based on the crazy strength chimpanzees have over humans per pound. The science of it makes chimps sound like super heroes. His quirk doesn't scale with his ligaments or bones so to prevent injury from higher output attacks he had a shock absorbing leather hero suit tailored to absorb the impact of his blows, and a specialized helmet to mitigate the vertigo from his ultimate move. He also received martial arts training at an early age after discovering the full nature of his quirk.

His quirk and side effects are similar to Sugar Rush, but instead of sugar it's adrenalin, and in addition to the after effects you listed (which some also apply to Sato) he has the added risk that the drop in his cognitive functions goes so far that he makes dumb decisions. Adrenalin contributes to testosterone but still he only has as much of it as Bakugo does when faced with a challenge. If Bakugo had his quirk he'd probably lose control of it and end up in Juvenile Prison, but Kaji is allowed to go to school due to the self defense verdict in his murder case after showing bruises on him and his mom, and the sufficient control he has over his quirk because he's actually peaceful and has a strong connection to his humanity. That's what I'm going with, anyway.

Negatives while in use: Risk of making impulsive decisions because the adrenaline is overwhelming his fight or flight instinct, incapable of determining the severeness of a injury taken or the inability to notice that a injury was taken at all. Unable to determine if he's doing something that's straining his body to the point where he's tearing his own muscles. An increase chance of a heart attack, stroke, or even bursting of the heart due to over increase of blood flow.

After effects of using the quirk when it's turned off, is high blood pressure, anxiety, feeling of dizziness, light-headedness, weight loss, and vision change. And long term effect for the rest of his life is increase risk of a heart attacks or strokes, and cause heart palpitations, high blood pressure, anxiety."