Chapter 2

"Toshi, has any of the students caught your eye yet?" A voice calls out from behind the skinny, tall man with blonde hair. Rather, the source of the voice is from way beneath him.

"Sensei. This year's students are exceptional, proven to be the next generation of heroes. However… I have not really felt a connection with any of them." The man says. Principal Nezu smiles, his short hands behind his back. "Toshi, there is no need for rush. You must take your time in finding a suitable candidate to be the next heir of the symbol of hope." Toshinori nods, baggy white shirt handing off his shoulders. "I know, sensei. Somehow… It doesn't seem right to give my quirk to these already exceptional students with their own quirks." He said, shaking his head. He did not forget the time when his old teacher, Shimura Nana gave him One for All. He was young and powerless – quirkless, and he too hoped to one day yield power. At his core, he did not know if it seemed fair to give already powerful quirk holders One for All just for the sake of becoming the next of symbol of hope.

Toshinori felt that there had to be more meaning behind choosing his heir. This power was dangerous and led to a fate of one day facing All for One, something he hoped would never come now that the villain was kept at a maximum secret facility. Still, he was running out of time. With the injuries he sustained with the last fight, he knew he would not last long…

And evil would not wait.

"I met All Might today. Just like the dreams I used to have as a kid, he's exactly every part of the symbol of hope I envisioned." Bakugo says, leaning against the white wall of the almost empty room. "Strong, powerful, never gives up. Everything a hero should be." He says despite the silence of the room, the only sound being the beeping of the machine next to the bed. Oddly, those characteristics of a hero were exactly what Bakugo had. "After all these years of looking up to him, I thought I'd grown out of that kid who idolized him, you know?" The machine only beeps, the body on the bed never responding.

"Looks like no matter how much time passes… I'm still stuck in the past, huh?" Bakugo says, head lowered as he stares at his own sweaty palms. "He would have been excited to meet him. Even more excited than me." He says, slightly smiling at the thought. "Would have stumbled over his words and stutter like an annoying fanboy." The steady beating of the machine rings in his head. Bakugo doesn't turn to look at the unconscious body on the bed, he has stared at it too many times in the past five years.

"I'm finally at the starting point of my goal." Bakugo says, hands clenched at his side. He lowers his head and closes his eyes. "Soon, I'll get my license and I can finally bring him back. I'll finally be a full-fledged hero and bring that puny ass of his back." Bakugo growls beneath his shaking hands. "For all the pain he's put me through… these five years…." Bakugo opens his eyes. "I'll bring him back and make him kneel for forgiveness in front you, Aunt Inko." Bakugo says, getting up from his chair to the door.

The machine only beeps, no signs of life nor death. Bakugo doesn't look back – he has always only focused on his future, his goals, his aspiration. The past cannot hold him back no matter how painful and deep it has hurt him. He is as strong-willed as his mother, born and raised to be a fighter; the past mistakes he made nor the consequences he has suffered cannot hold his potential as a hero back; it only drives him stronger.

"Then I'll beg for his too."

"Ah, Monoma-kun. I didn't know you were the type to bring their own bentos!" Uraraka asks. After their last battle practice, Uraraka had no way of defeating Iida nor to get close to the nuclear weapon. In the end, it was a battle to be lost from the start. However…. "HAHA! Are you the type of people that don't have the luxury of bringing their own bentos?!" Monoma says, mocking with a sarcastic smile. "Ah, I just thought Monoma-kun seemed like the rich spoiled brat type and buys friends by paying for their cafeteria lunches." Uraraka says, earning a shocked gasp and loud screams from both Tsuyu and Iida.

"Ochako-chan… I can't tell if you're a demon or an innocent sheep." Tsuyu says, shaking her head. Monoma flinches, a face of devastation as he crumbles to the floor from the words spoken by Uraraka. "It was humiliating enough I almost died by the hands of a tyrant, now I'm being humiliated by a girl." Monoma whispers. Uraraka raises an eyebrow and stares at the body of Monoma on the ground.

"Out of the way, extras!" Bakugo yells, glaring at the group of classmates in his way. Uraraka makes a path for Bakugo and Iida frowns. "Bakugo! Where is your tie?! It's been a month since school started and you still do not follow proper school attire code!" Iida yells, hands shaking up and down like an emergency exit sign.

"Iida-kun…. You shouldn't tell Bakugo what to do." Uraraka whispers, sweat on her forehead. She witnessed first hand just how talented the explosive boy was and that he was no empty threat. Although he was aggressive and violent, Uraraka had to admit he was worthy of the number one spot in the first years at U.A.

"AGHHHH!" Monoma yells, blonde hair standing up as he screams girlishly, a hand pointing at Bakugo. Everyone turns to look at him like he grew two heads. "Y-you… brought your own bento?!" Monoma laughs, a hand wrapped around his stomach as he laughs loudly, sending echoes throughout the classroom. Monoma may be scared to death of Bakugo Katsuki after their previous fight, but that won't stop him from being an asshole either. Bakugo's eyebrow turns into an arch and his eye twitches. "YOU WANNA FIGHT, PRETTY BOY?!" Bakugo growls and Monoma flinches in fear, back slammed against a corner of the wall but he continues to laugh. It amazes everyone just how mentally unstable Monoma is.

"Bakugo-kun… doesn't seem like the type to bring a bento either. He seems like the one student which runs to the cafeteria the moment the bell rings and then run over everyone to buy Yakisoba bread." Uraraka says. Tsuyu accidentally laughs out loud and Bakugo twitches, hands exploding into dust as he sprints for the two girls. Before Uraraka and Tsuyu can even react, their bodies directly in front of the sliding door; Bakugo sprints with a hop as an explosion sets off, his hand so close to touching Uraraka's shaking face but then-

"YOO GUYS! Who wants yakisoba bread?!" Kirishima yells, sliding the door open the exact moment Bakugo crossed the door and his face was met with the door instead. Everyone goes silent and doesn't dare to move a muscle. Bakugo falls to the floor, face against the dirty floor as his body twitched. "What's Bakugo doing on the floor?" Kirishima asked. Kaminari pokes a head behind the red-head and raises an eyebrow. Uraraka and Tsuyu take the chance to step back from the trio, hoping to escape death. "Shitty hair…!" Bakugo growls, his entire body going livid as he sprints and hops towards him with an explosion in his palms.

Kirishima's instinct kicks in and his body hardens, his arms are shields to effectively block the explosions. "Uhmm.. Bakugo?" Bakugo doesn't flinch at the use of his quirk. He doesn't care and growls, sending another explosion. "K-Kirishima!" Kaminari yells, realizing Kirishima is sent towards a wall, denting it in the process. "Bakugo! Stop!" Iida yells. The whole class freezes, the air of laughter no more. They stare at the spiky blond in the middle of the commotion, smoke arising from his sweaty palms. Bakugo turns his head to realize his own destruction and clicks his tongue, walking away without a second word.

"Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

Bakugo's voice is hard and harsh, a mixture of hurt and anger. He has never used this tone before, never had to – everyone in class looks up to him because of his amazing quirk. He has always been the genius, the prodigy, the best. No one is his rival nor his equal. To be on the top is a lonely path but he accepts his position as ruler unlike no other – even at the age of ten.

"It's him. Bakugo… Bakugo's a villain." The words come out from a girl in his class – he doesn't remember her but from that day onwards, Bakugo would never forget her face. "What are you talking about?!" Bakugo growls, small hands at the age of ten sprint forward and explode; the girl backed to a wall and instantly cries at the sight of violence. "Bakugo… he really is a villain." Another says. Bakugo sweats, turning to look back at the crowd. All of his so-called friends stare at him with an expression of fear and anger, so different from the admiration he always knew. "You wanna fight?!" Bakugo growls at the one boy he knows truly. It's his friend with the bat-like wings quirk. He was one of his lackies, a loud, obnoxious and obese kid who was all bark at no bite. In this situation, he obviously only stands behind the crowd to be the villain.

"Midoriya-kun is dead because of you!" A girl yells, tears in her eyes. The words do not process in Bakugo's head. The name feels distant, the word 'dead' does not make sense. "What…" He only manages to whisper. He cannot comprehend the words when associated with the weakling of an eyesore Deku. He was just a pebble in his way, someone who was in no position to protect others and act like a hero; and yet he always did.

"Midoriya is not dead. The teachers just said he was missing." Another yell. Bakugo's eyes widen in shock. There was no way something like that would happen, no way – he just saw Deku yesterday. Yesterday, Deku was whining going on and on about something stupid like….

Wanting to borrow his power.

It hits Bakugo like thunder that the way Deku was weird, weirder than usual. He didn't fight back; didn't even last longer than usual with his attacks; instead, he just laid there on the ground – devastation on his face. "Midoriya is missing because of you guys, isn't it?! You're all bullies!" The girl from before yells, tears running down her face. Bakugo clicks his tongue in anger. "The hell you guys talking about?! I saw Deku yesterday! He is not dead!" Bakugo yells.

"Bakugo's telling the truth." A boy says, a head of red hair. Bakugo turns to look at him, somehow feeling that there was more to this boy. "I saw Bakugo and Midoriya yesterday, at the park." He replies. "See?! I told you. Deku is not dead and that weakling will never die no matter how many times I try." Bakugo replies. The boy flinches and clenches his fists. "No matter how many times you try?! Does that mean you've been seriously trying to kill him all this time?!" The red-haired boy yelled. Bakugo scowls, squinting his eyes at him until he remembered…

….This was the boy Deku stood up for in their last fight.

"You…" Bakugo says. "I saw Bakugo hit Midoriya again. It's not the first time and yesterday could have been the last – Midoriya is missing because of you, Bakugo!" The red-haired boy yells, a ferocity in his voice. Bakugo growls. "The shit you talking about?! You're just a weakling who couldn't protect himself?!" Bakugo yells. The boy trembles, hands shaking but his eyes look at Bakugo with a sense of hostility. "You're right I'm just a weakling… Midoriya is an even more of a weakling than me too, but he stood up for me. He is not a bully like you, Bakugo. Midoriya may be quirkless but he is more of a hero than you ever will be!" The boy shouts, tears in his eyes.

The entire class goes silent and still, the words ring in the air like thunder after a rainstorm. Bakugo's eyes widened, his fists shaking. There was no way Bakugo was a villain, he was powerful, strong and deserved to be on the top like All Might. He was always told of his potential to be a hero… so how…

How could a quirkless Deku be more of a hero than him?

Bakugo clenches his fists and clicked his tongue. "I'm always more of a hero than any of you weaklings! Get it, I'll always be on the top!" Bakugo yells, palms cracking with force. The girls in the crowd squirm and cry. "Was it fun? Does it satisfy you, Bakugo? To bully those with power and are below you?" The red-haired boy asks. Bakugo trembles and flinches. "You and your friends always bullied Midoriya. Was it fun? To see him fight and lose for standing up against you?!" The boy yells again, tears in his eyes.

Bakugo doesn't reply. His hands are shaking, eyes stinging. He did not even comprehend the consequences of his actions. He did not ever think it through as to why he choose to hit Deku. To Bakugo, he was always superior and at the top. He was amazing; thus no one should ever have to worry nor protect him. But whenever he was in trouble…

"Kacchan, are you okay?"

…. Deku was always the only one to worry about him. It pissed off Bakugo. It made him angry that Deku thought he needed protecting. A child so young could not understand the kindness and compassion of his friend, but rather choose to fight with brute force against him. Bakugo always felt that a quirkless Deku was looking down on him, looking down at his superiority. He was threatened by Deku's existence even when he was quirkless… oh, the irony.

"What's going on here? Children… the police are here." A teacher says, raising an eyebrow as she walks into the classroom. Two male officers walk in, dressed in their standard uniform. Bakugo's eyes widened and he doesn't move from his spot. "As your teachers have told you, Midoriya Izuku has been reported missing. We're going to need information to find him so if anyone of you…" The officer starts.

"It's him!" The red-haired boy yells, pointing at Bakugo. Everyone turns to him, a face of sweat on Bakugo's forehead. "I saw Bakugo hit Midoriya yesterday at the park. Now Midoriya is missing!" The boy yells. Bakugo gulps and looks at the officers. "No… I-I didn't do anything!" Bakugo shouts. "This is an important investigation, boy. You cannot make allegations that are not true." The officer replies, raising an eyebrow.

"No, it is! Bakugo always bullies Midoriya! I saw him hit Midoriya yesterday too! He's a villain, officer!" The boy replies. Bakugo's world goes hazy as he is judged and stared upon by others as if he were really the villain. "Is that true?" The officer asks. Bakugo struggles to answer, his hands shaking. "No! I-I… I did hit him! But I have nothing to do with why he went missing!" Bakugo shouts, trying to smile. The officers look at him with worried expressions.

"If that is true, boy. It means you are the last person to see Midoriya Izuku alive. We're going to need to bring you back to the station for further questioning." The officer says. "A case of bullying? I thought they said this was villain related?" The other officer says, whispering low into his colleague's ear. "Bullying can lead to terrible decisions when we're kids, Tsukauchi. Either way, we're going to have to bring this kid in even if he has nothing to do with the disappearance of Midoriya Izuku."

Bakugo trembles, legs shaking for the first time. His heart clenches and his head clouds. He has nothing to do with this… so why… why was he being blamed for it? "No, if this is about hitting Deku then you can't just bring me in! They.. they fought Deku too!" Bakugo says, pointing towards his two friends, the quirk of bat-like wings and the wiggly long hands in the corner. The two gasp and look stunned by Bakugo.

"Right, guys? We're-" Before Bakugo could finish his sentence, the boy with long wiggly hands shouts. "How could you, Bakugo?! You were the one who bullied Midoriya and now you want to pin the blame on us?" Bakugo doesn't move, stunned. "Y-Yeah! How could you? We're your friends! Just because we didn't stop you from hitting Midoriya now you're trying to drag us into this mess?" The bat-like wings quirk user says.

Bakugo's world stops at that exact moment. It is a large shock for a ten-year-old who believed he was the supreme leader of the world, who thought he was the best, who thought his vast number of friends always admired him – that the foundation of his very world crumbled to pieces. Bakugo's red eyes widen, tears streaming down his face. The very friends he had all these years turned on him the moment things turned bad. The victims of his bullying ganging up on him for his mistakes. Just how naïve…. Had he been?

That was the reality Bakugo learned about society at the young age of ten.

Bakugo clenches his fists, steam surrounds his palms. He lowers his head and a tear drops to the floor. Bakugo has always been a fighter, someone who does not cry or allow himself vulnerability even when wronged. He is someone who accepts challenges and always rises to it – even now when a ten-year-old is betrayed by everything he has ever believed in. "Oi you bastards. Don't act like you're all innocent and good." Bakugo says, arms cracking with an explosion. Everyone turns to look at him, the two officers on high alert.

And his first, and last setback.

"Both of you seemed to be the having the time of your lives when you joined in to beat up Deku, didn't you?!" He yelled, explosions releasing as Bakugo sprints forward to the two. The two boys are panicking, eyes tearing up as they see an explosion – too fast to even react as Bakugo's hand encircle around one of their necks and the other pins to the arms of the next. "STOP!" The officer yells but Bakugo doesn't register the voices. He doesn't care about the consequences now, he only feels rage.

"I had nothing to do with Deku's disappearance!" Bakugo yells, releasing another explosion as it blows up in the face of one of his former friends. "I admitted I bullied him, but don't you dare act like you had nothing to do with it!" Bakugo growls, a strong fist pummelling through the fat boy's cheek. "Useless quirks like yours can't even protect yourself?! Yet you were laughing when it hit Deku huh?" Bakugo yells again, another fist meets flesh. "You're just a weakling who isn't strong enough to fight so you bully those beneath you to make you feel strong!" Bakugo yells, rage filled words ring in the air as he pounces, a fist in the air stopped by an officer in time.

"That's enough, boy. Bring him in!"

Bakugo remembers that events of that day like it just yesterday. The memories are still fresh and linger in his mind. It is the day the foundation of his world collapsed. The day everything changed. Ever since that day, Bakugo has only been feared, misunderstood and treated as a villain. His friends betrayed him, and he no longer sees the need to play a game of friendship. There is no need for people who only hang out with him to manipulate him, then to only betray when things are not ideal. Bakugo has learned the hard way how karma works – that the things he did to others will always come back to him. How he treated others in the past, bullied those without power, hurt those who disobeyed him – it comes back to him with full interest. Ever since that day, Bakugo has been a loner, separating from crowds and others in school. Five years have passed and Bakugo will never allow himself to be vulnerable every again.

"Yo, Bakugo!" A voice says, a hand waving in the air. Bakugo turns, hands tucked inside his pockets. It's the weird, enthusiastic, red-haired kid in his class. "Huh?!" Bakugo yells, eyes twitching. "Why did you run off? I wanted to apologize for hitting you with the door. It was an accident man." He says and Bakugo furrows his eyebrows, not comprehending what he just heard. "Har?!" Bakugo growled, raising an eyebrow. "Awh man, don't be mad! Here! I brought you Yakisoba bread!" Kirishima says, holding a bag of food.

Bakugo narrows his eyes at the red-haired boy. "Are you an idiot?" Bakugo asks, eyes blinking at the weird human in front of him. He expected a fight, maybe a few curse words that told him he was a shitty and arrogant person but then he… he was offering him food. "Here! I got Yakisoba extra meat, extra spicy… oh and mayonnaise." Kirishima says, fishing his hands into the bag. Kirishima raises an eyebrow at Bakugo. "Why you don't like yakisoba? Uh… maybe I should have asked what you liked to eat first…" Kirishima hesitantly says, a hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Something burns in Bakugo and he snatches the bag from Kirishima's hands. "I WANT THE EXTRA SPICY YAKISOBA BREAD!" Bakugo growls, tearing at the plastic bag as he stared at the slightly sorry look of Kirishima. "Eh, you're so manly, Bakugo!"

Even the loneliest of souls cannot resist the temptation of food.

"How is our mole doing inside U.A.?" Tomura asks, stirring through a glass of dark purple liquid. Kurogiri cleans a bottle as he turns towards the white-haired boy. "He's blending in extremely well. No one will ever suspect him." Kurogiri replies. A smile creeped onto Tomura's face. "As expected of our recruit. Trained and fed since the age of twelve to prepare him for this day. All for One would be pleased if he was here now."

"Soon, we will free All for One from the jail those Heroes keep him." A voice says, gloved hands against the wooden table. "Our mole is our greatest asset. He is trained in deceit and deception. The fool he plays is the best blade to turn against those heroes who believe they are all good." The boy with black and green hair smiles, a finger running through the jagged scar on his forehead. "When the opportunity arises, we will crumble those heroes for good." Kurogiri replies.

"Those heroes are just the mini-bosses before our big boss All might shows up. And when he does…" Tomura smirks, eyes filled with excitement for despair.

"We will end the reign of heroes." Izuku says, red eyes flashing.

I know everyone is impatient with the pacing but I promise i'm trying to build character development! Especially Bakugo's. I wanted to shed some light towards his childhood and why he is who he is. One thing that struck close to home was that Bakugo was an evil, disgusting human but he changed, he choose to change. Humans do not have to stay broken if they try hard enough, and Bakugo to me choose to change to redeem himself and to make up for what he did to Deku - both in the canon and in this AU.