Chapter 5, this one's important!

Katsuki Bakugo: Origin

Katsuki Bakugo was furious.

This wasn't particularly shocking; he was often angry, whether it be at his teachers, or his parents, or his so called "friends." But this was different.

This was Deku.

"How dare that nerd deny me! ME!" he ranted, stomping home from the park.

He had been following for a while now, watching him and this creepy looking guy fight at the same time, every day. It was pissing him off!

'What the hell is he doing, learning to fight? Doesn't he know he's Quirkless? Bottom of the fucking barrel?'

At first, he tried to ignore it; 'What Deku does ain't my fucking concern; he wants to waste his time frolicking in the park, be my guest.'

Eventually, curiosity got the better of him, and he confronted his former friend, demanding answers; he was denied, promptly shooed away by whoever Izuku was spending time with.

'Where the fuck does he get off, denying me? Doesn't he know who I am? Who he is?"

The way Katsuki saw it, there were two types of people in the world; the weak, and the strong; the haves, and the have nots; the deserving, and the undeserving.

Those with powerful Quirks, and those without them.

He knew his place in the world. Knew Deku's too.

Izuku was an enigma; he didn't just have a weak Quirk, he was Quirkless, an entirely different monster in his world view. To be Quirkless was to be useless, subhuman, not even worth the air you breathed; they could never hope to be a match for those with Quirks, so they didn't even try.

Except Deku

'Damn nerd is getting uppity again, like he has been for years, like he had been in the for-'

He stopped himself; 'No. I'm not going there again.'

It pissed him off to no end, seeing Izuku get stronger, taller, faster… what was the point of it all? He would never have a Quirk; he was living a fantasy.

What angered him off even more was all the people giving him attention, feeding into his illusions; that attention was supposed to go to him, damnit! He was the one with the amazing Quirk. He was the one deserving of all the attention!

He was the one who was gonna be a top hero! Not that freak!

Katsuki arrived home and shut himself in his room, ignoring the cries of "brat" from his mother. Taking a deep breath, he laid down on his bed; what was he worrying about?

'Those with weak Quirks are insects beneath my boot, but Deku? He's a pebble on the side of the road,' he reasoned, 'not worth the time to crush.'

He chalked up what happened today as a moment of weakness; one that would never happen again.

That's what he told himself. Whether he believed it or not was a different story.

VVV

Katsuki managed to delude himself that Deku wasn't worth his time, so he went back to what he had been doing before confronting him in the park; ignoring him.

This was easier said than done; more often than not the one thought that would run through Katsuki's head would be 'I wish I could just blow that smug smirk right of his damn face!"

Izuku rarely smirked; if he did, it wouldn't be at Katsuki.

Despite that, he did it; for the next three years after the park incident, he once again treated Izuku as if he hadn't existed; some days were easier than others.

This was not one of those days.

It started off with a minor annoyance; Izuku had stood to give a presentation.

'Damn nerd. When did he get so tall!'

Katsuki hated the fact that he needed to look up at Izuku to get a good look at him; since when do heroes have to look up at the Quirkless?!

What's worse, he was speaking with such confidence! What happened to his stutter? His trembling?

'Must've grew a spine because he's put on a few pounds…' Even Katsuki had to admit, Izuku was in impeccable shape, better than he was.

'Not that it means shit. Muscles ain't gonna save you from an explosion!' he argued.

Of course, it couldn't stop there; not only did he receive a standing ovation, he was getting congratulated from his peers!

"That was such a good presentation, Midoriya!" one his classmates, Kojiro Takahashi told him.

Kojiro was a small boy, standing at 4'11" and of normal weight. His Quirk, Head Swivel, was self-explanatory; he could spin his head three-hundred-and-sixty-five degrees, a novelty Quirk at best. Despite that, he had that same sickening optimism Izuku enjoyed.

It infuriated Katsuki.

"Thank you, Takahashi! Yours was great too! I had no idea there was so much trash in the…" Katsuki tuned them out at that point.

He gritted his teeth; 'Where did those two get off being so damn happy! It's like they don't even know their circumstances!' he ranted in his head.

He glared at the two, contempt in his eyes; 'Deku might not be worth my time, but owl boy… I can put him in his place!'

The thought calmed Katsuki considerably; 'Yea, I'll remind him just how useless his Quirk is, how worthless he is!'

With a wicked grin, he patiently waited for the school day to end; when it did, there would be hell to pay!

VVV

Kojiro walked the courtyard of Aldera Junior High; the day had just ended, and he wanted to enjoy some alone time before heading home.

"Man, what a nice day…" he said aloud, and it was; he had gotten high marks on his presentation, had avoided he normal tormenters, and even had a pleasant conversation with Izuku Midoriya.

Kojiro knew what Izuku was, and he knew how people treated him, but he didn't care much; they treated him the same way, so why should he? Izuku was one of the few people who was civil with him.

Kojiro glanced at his watch; he had been out here for nearly a half hour! 'Time to head home.'

"Hey, owl boy!"

Kojiro cringed; there was only one person who called him that, and it was someone he did not want to see right now.

He turned around; "H-hey Bakugo… Shouldn't you be heading home about now?"

Katsuki glared at him; "You trying to tell me what to do, loser?"

"N-no, of course not!" Kojiro stuttered.

"Good," Katsuki began approaching him, "Couldn't help but notice, you were getting a little chummy with Deku."

'Deku? Wh- Oh, right, that's what he calls Midoriya.'

"I-I was just being polite, really Bakugo," he explained.

"Yea well," Katsuki inched closer, "you should know better than to be 'polite' with a Quirkless nobody like him!"

Kojiro tried to run, but it was no use; Katsuki was much faster than him.

Katsuki held him by his shirt collar, fist raised, "I think it's time someone taught you your place!"

Kojiro closed his eyes, panicking; "S-Someone? HELP ME!"

VVV

Izuku walked his way home, contemplating the day; 'Man, everyone's presentations were so good, especially Takahashi's!'

Takahashi was one the few people who didn't ignore or were outright hostile to Izuku; while he didn't spend enough time with him (or anyone else, for that matter) to call him a friend, he held him in higher regard than he did most people.

His thoughts continued; 'Even Kacchan's presentation was interesting, even if he couldn't stop glaring at me.'

Katsuki didn't know, but Izuku was well aware of all the dirty looks he got from him on a near daily basis; 'It's like he's not even trying to hide it!' he thought, 'It's always so obvious!'

Ever since he demanded to know what he was doing in the park with Shota, Izuku had been expecting a confrontation every day, only for it to not happen; 'Had he forgotten?' Izuku asked himself, 'No. That's not like Kacchan."

Izuku shook his head; 'I can't be worried about what other people are doing; I need to focus if I'm gonna get into UA!'

It had taken a lot of thinking to decide on which high school he wanted to go to; there were so many options, all of them good, but none like UA. Being the school that Beat Jeanist, Endeavor, and even All Might attended? It was a no brainer!

Of course, he also knew it wouldn't be easy; no Quirkless student had ever been accepted into a hero program, and even UA only recently began accepting applications from said individuals.

'Probably just a PR stunt but… I'd never forgive myself if I didn't try!"

Izuku reached into his pocket for his phone, only to find nothing there; 'What the?' he quickly checked his other pockets, 'Oh no, I must've dropped it back at school!'

Quickly, he spun on his heel and made a dash back to Aldera; 'hopefully no one grabbed it!'

VVV

It wasn't long until Izuku made it back to school; he had left his phone on his desk, how silly!

'Luckily no one took it,' Izuku thought; he certainly wouldn't put it past some people.

As he left, he decided to take a shortcut through the courtyard; 'I'm running behind because of this detour, I'll have to hurry home!'

Just as he was about to exit the courtyard, he caught something in the corner of his eye; turning his head, he saw two people talking.

'Takahashi? Kacchan? Those two don't normally talk…' Izuku thought, unconsciously moving towards the two.

He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could see Kojiro trembling; 'This can't be good… I better get a teacher over here, and fast!'

Izuku turned to leave, only to be stopped dead by a sudden shout; "HELP ME!"

His eyes went wide, and for a moment, he hesitated; last time he heard that, he was nearly killed, he can't fight, he can't…

'NO! This isn't like then, I'm different, better! I can do this!'

Katsuki had been tormenting people long enough.

He dashed as fast as he could towards them.

VVV

Katsuki growled; "Cry all you want, ain't no one here to help you, owl bo-"

He never got the chance to finish his taunting, as he felt firm hands grab him by the shoulders and throw him to the side, hitting the ground.

"WHAT THE HELL, WHO-" he looked up, blood boiling, "DEKU!"

"Run, Takahashi! Get out of here!"

Kojiro didn't need to be told twice, quickly scampering away from the two.

Katsuki had risen from the ground, "What the fuck do you think you're doing, Deku?!" he demanded, fists clenched.

"I'm stopping you, Kacchan; this isn't right!" Izuku stated, "Bullying people, beating them up… That isn't what a hero would do!"

Katsuki felt the heat rising in his palms; "What the FUCK do YOU, a Quirkless NOBODY, know about being a hero?!" he questioned, glaring at him.

Izuku met his glare; in another time, he would be a trembling, stuttering mess under the intensity of Katsuki's eyes, but not now; he stood, resolute, and spoke; "Clearly more than you."

That did it.

"AHHH!" Katsuki raged, charging Izuku; explosions were already popping from his palms.

Izuku prepared himself; 'Kacchan's furious… he won't be thinking straight, but he'll be tenacious; I'll have to be careful.'

'Let's see how you handles THIS, Deku!" Katsuki thought, winding up a right hook.

Izuku saw it from a mile away; 'Can he really be so obvious with his moves?' he thought; as Katsuki threw his punch, Izuku dodged, grappling his right arm, and performing a shoulder throw.

'Just like Aizawa taught me!'

'What? Did he predict my move before I did it?'

Katsuki recovered quickly; 'Alright, Deku, you wanna fight, I'LL FIGHT!"

He rushed again, charging an explosion in his hand; 'So he's gonna use his Quirk? I can handle this!'

Katsuki outstretched his palm towards Izuku's face; he was ready, skillfully directing his hand to the side.

What Izuku was not ready for, however, was the ear-bleedingly loud explosion in his ear.

"AH!" he yelled, bringing his hand to his ear; 'That was louder than I thought it would be!'

'He's stunned! Time to strike!' Katsuki let rip an explosion into Izuku's chest, knocking him to the ground.

"HA! How did that feel, Deku?" he taunted.

'Damn, his Quirk really is strong!' Izuku thought, quickly getting to his feet, 'I need to go on the offensive!'

Izuku lunged forward quickly; 'No time to dodge, gotta block!' Katsuki thought, raising his arms.

Instead of the expected punch, Izuku delivered a kick to his stomach; 'Damnit, he tricked me!'

Izuku went to capitalize, only to be stopped by a wild explosion; 'That was a desperate move, that means I'm beating him!'

Izuku had intervened to save someone, but if he was honest with himself, he was enjoying this; Katsuki had frustrated him for years now, it was time to let him know.

'Fucking Deku… when did he get so strong!' Katsuki thought, 'I'll have to go all out!'

Katsuki charged again, palms pointed downward. 'What is he doing?' Izuku wondered, entering a stance; 'Whatever it is, I'll be ready for it!'

Suddenly, Katsuki let out an explosion from both his hands, launching himself into the air; 'I only just learned this move, but he won't be predicting this!'

To his credit, he was right; 'That's impressive, what a unique way to utilize his Quirk!' Izuku , he made an observation, 'he lacks control in the air; he must have just learned this move, which means…'

Katsuki prepared to bring his fist down; 'I've got you now, Deku!'

Rather than dodge or block, Izuku quickly performed a high kick; 'Wait, NO!' Katsuki panicked as Izuku's foot met his chin.

'…that he doesn't know how to defend himself midair yet!'

Katsuki collapsed to the ground; Izuku, wasting no time, quickly put him in a hold, ensuring both palms were faced away from him.

Try as he might, Katsuki could not break free; 'No… how is this possible… how did he…'

"What on Earth do you two think you're doing!"

Izuku quickly got off of Katsuki, and both looked to see their teacher there, Kojiro behind her.

"Both of you, get to the principal's office, NOW!

VVV

When all was said and done, both were suspended from school; Izuku three days and Katsuki, due to testimony from Kojiro, five days. Both were also required to write a written apology to one another.

When Izuku returned home, he was met by a frantic Inko; "Izuku Midoriya, where have you been! I've been calling you for the last hour!"

Izuku cringed and checked his phone; indeed, his mother had called him over thirty times before he got home.

"I'm sorry mom," he apologized, "I got… caught up in something."

Inko sighed; she couldn't stay mad at her son, no matter how hard she wished she could!

"It's alright baby… how was school today?"

Izuku laughed nervously; "Yea, about that…" he reached into his bag, handing her a piece of paper.

Inko took the paper, eyeing it suspiciously; her eyes went wide; "A suspension?! For fighting?! Izuku Midoriya what happened? You're better than this!"

"I had to!" Izuku retorted, "Kacchan was cornering a student, if I hadn't stepped in, he would've been hurt!"

"But did you have to FIGHT him? C'mon Izuku, what would Aizawa think?"

Izuku began to argue, but paused; DID he have to fight? He was much faster than Katsuki, he could have easily ran when Kojiro got away.

Izuku looked down; 'Mom's right… that fight only happened because I wanted it to…

Aizawa would be so disappointed.'

"You're right mom," he gave a bow, "I'm sorry…"

Inko looked at her son; "Well you better be; you won't be leaving this apartment during your suspension," she cautioned.

"I understand…" he relented.

Inko approached her son, giving him a hug; "I'm glad you're ok, Izuku…"

He returned her affection; "You're not mad?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm very mad," she corrected, "But you're my son, and I love you. You made a mistake, even if it was for the right reasons. I expect you to do better next time," she warned.

Izuku nodded, "Yes, ma'am!"

"Good," Inko smiled, "Now sit down, dinner's almost ready!"

VVV

It was now the last day of Izuku's suspension, and he was getting stir crazy; being cooped in this long made him realize just how much time he spent outside.

'At least it'll all be over tomorrow,' Izuku thought, 'That reminds me… I have to write Kacchan's apology letter.'

Izuku had been putting it off; 'What am I supposed to write, sorry I was born Quirkless and that infuriates you for some reason?'

Izuku sighed; if the worst comes to the worst, he can throw together something satisfactory, no matter how untrue.

"Excuse me mom, can I go to my room?" he asked, just finishing dinner.

"Just put your dishes in the sink for me dear," Inko requested, which he did.

After retreating to his room, Izuku sat at his desk, pen in hand. 'Alright,' he thought, 'time to get to work.'

VVV

Inko had just finished the dishes when she heard a knock at the door; 'who could that be? It's a little late for visitors…'

She went to answer the door, only for the sight before her to send her into shock.

At her door was Katsuki Bakugo; she hadn't seen the boy in years, even missing him when she spent time with Mitsuki.

"Katsuki… its been so long." Inko greeted; she was acutely aware that he was who Izuku fought with and was on edge because of that.

"Hi, Mrs. Midoriya…" he started, hands in his pockets.

'Is he nervous' Inko thought.

"Is De-" he stopped himself, "Is… Izuku here?"

'Why did it sound like that was hard for him?'

"Yes, he's in his room… Can I ask why you're here, Katsuki?" Inko was sure Mitsuki would have called her if she sent him…

"Can…" his shoulders slumped, "Can I talk to him?"

Inko stared at the boy; she was well aware that the two hadn't been on the best terms, even before the fight.

'Then again, they haven't spoken in years… Maybe this is just what they need…'

Inko let him inside; "Do you remember where it is?" she asked; there was a time when Katsuki was over all the time, after all.

"Yea, I got it." Katsuki said, making his way for Izuku.

'Let's hope something good comes out of this…' Inko thought.

VVV

Izuku was still at his desk when he heard his door open, then close; he turned, "Do you need something mo-"

His words dried in his mouth; "K-Kacchan? What're you doi-"

"Shut up." Katsuki said through gritted teeth; oddly enough, it was missing the usual anger.

Izuku complied; for a while the two stared at one another, saying nothing. It was Katsuki that finally broke the silence.

"How did you do it?" he asked.

Izuku was confused; "H-how did I do what?" he asked, 'damnit, I'm stuttering again.'

Katsuki glared at him; "Don't act dumb with me, Deku. How did you… How did you beat me?"

Izuku sighed; 'So that's what this is about.'

"Kacchan, I've been training everyday for the last seven years, its not that hard to-"

"And you think I haven't!" Katsuki interrupted, raising his voice, "I've been training with my Quirk every chance I get since I got it; I thought I was unbeatable, and you… You… Your Quirkless ass beat me!"

Izuku was getting frustrated now; though, if Katsuki was willing to talk, he wanted some answers of his own.

"Why do you put so much value in people's Quirks?" he asked.

"Why the hell shouldn't I? Everyone else does."

Izuku was confused; "That's not true, Kacchan-"

Katsuki grunted; "Like hell it isn't. Ever since I got my Quirk its never 'Wow Katsuki you're so smart' or 'Wow Bakugo, you're so brave,' its always 'Wow Kacchan, you have such an amazing Quirk!'"

Katsuki froze, realizing what he had just said; Izuku did too. Katsuki leaned back against the wall, sitting on the ground.

"Do you really think that, Kacchan?" Izuku finally asked.

"I know it. And if I'm only as good as my Quirk… then I have to make sure everyone knows I've got the best."

Realization dawned on Izuku; 'So that's why he bullies everyone with a weaker Quirk than him…'

Katsuki continued; "When we were kids, out in the forest… you overpowered me, pushed me off that bridge… that was bad enough" he paused, "But then you had the nerve to come down and try to help me? You? You were Quirkless… You were beneath me, I didn't need your…"

He stopped. 'No wonder he was so mad that day, if that's how he saw things, and so young too…'

"And now," Katsuki said, "You did it again. You beat me, I went all out and…" Katsuki was blinking back tears now, "If I can't beat someone who's Quirkless, what am I worth…"

Silence shrouded the room once again, neither boy being able to look the other in the eye.

Izuku's brain was going a mile a minute; 'If what Kacchan is saying is true… then everyone was reinforcing his behavior… even me… can I really blame him if that's truly how he saw the world? How he saw himself.

Izuku looked at Katsuki; he was sulking, clearly upset.

'He's being so open, its only fair I do the same.'

Izuku looked to Katsuki; "Y'know… even after all these years, all the pain you put me through… I still look up to you."

Katsuki locked eyes with Izuku, "I know, I know, I have such a great-"

"Not because of your Quirk." Izuku interrupted, "I mean, don't get me wrong, you do have an incredible power but… its your confidence, your drive…"

Katsuki stared, wide-eyed; "No matter what, even when the odds are stacked against you, you still never give up, never surrender… I wanted to be like you for the longest time… Even now, when I think of victory, I think of you, Kacchan."

Katsuki didn't respond, only stared at Izuku, as if deciding what to do with that information. Eventually, he spoke; "You still trying to be a hero?"

Izuku didn't hesitate; "Yes. Everyday of my life."

"Heh… I can tell… Its no easy feat, beating me head on…"

Izuku laughed; "Yea, tell me about it… your explosions are really strong!"

"You're damn right they are!" he boasted.

Izuku smiled; that was the Katsuki he remembered, confident, but not an asshole about it.

There was just one more thing he needed to know.

"Why did you avoid me all those years?"

Katsuki sighed; "Everyime I saw you, I was reminded of one thing; that damn day in the forest. I hated it. I begged my mom to transfer me just to get away from you, but the old hag wouldn't do it... The next best thing was pretending you didn't exist."

Izuku nodded; "That makes sense, I suppose."

There was another pause; "You decide what high school you're going for?" Katsuki asked.

"UA. Same as you?" Izuku replied.

"Yea."

Katsuki rose off the ground and met Izuku's eyes; without a word, he opened the door and left, closing it behind him.

'Well, that… could've been worse? Maybe… maybe things can go back to the way they were…'

Izuku looked down at the still blank piece of paper; 'I know what to write.'

He got to work.

VVV

Inko watched Katsuki leave without a word, but he looked different than before…

She could've sworn she saw a smile on his face.

VVV

When Katsuki had returned to school, there was already talk of the fight he and Izuku had.

"Did you hear? Midoriya beat BAKUGO in a fight!" one student said.

"What? No way! He's Quirkless!" another replied

"No, its true! He got his ass kicked!"

"Maybe he's not as strong as we thought…"

"Or maybe Midoriya does have a Quirk?…"

Surprisingly, Katsuki didn't blow up on these students; in fact, he didn't speak all day, refusing to acknowledge anyone.

Izuku noticed that Kojiro was no where to be found; when he asked about it, he was informed that his mother had transferred him to another school, something about an "inexcusable tolerance for bullying at Aldera Junior High."

All things considered, he couldn't blame her.

At the end of the day, before going home, both he and Izuku were summoned to the principal's office, to exchange their apologies.

"Go on then," the principal instructed, "Hand 'em over to each other, I don't have all day."

Katsuki got his first; he tore open the envelope, unfolding the paper within; he read it to himself:

Kacchan,

I'm sorry.

You're so much more than your Quirk.

Izuku

It was short and to the point, not that he could complain. Quickly, Katsuki handed Izuku his envelope. Izuku read the contents:

Izuku,

I'm sorry for everything.

You can be a hero.

Katsuki

And really, that was all that needed to be said.

"Are you both satisfied?" the principal asked; the two boys nodded.

"Good, then get out and go home," he commanded, shooing them out the door.

Izuku was the first to leave; he heard a cough behind him.

"Hey Dek- Izuku," Katsuki corrected himself.

"Yes, Kacchan?"

"You wanna… Walk home together?" he asked hesitantly.

Izuku's smile couldn't have been wider.

And that is a wrap!

This was probably my favorite chapter to write so far, and the one I've been looking forward to getting your feedback on; I hope you like where I took Katsuki's character and motivations.

Hope the fight scene was good as well, I'm still never sure of that kind of thing.

In regard to the OC, Kojiro, don't expect him to appear again; generally speaking, I don't really like OCs in fanfiction, they almost ALWAYS feel out of place to me. Not to denigrate other people's work, its just not my cup of tea; his main function was to serve as a catalyze for the fight, which he did.

I've been having trouble the last few updates with FF not pushing my story to the front page and not being able to see recent reviews; I THINK this is due to me posting more than one chapter a day. If I'm right, then I'll stop doing that, if I'm wrong, I would really appreciate someone telling me how I can fix this.

Now, the reviews!

TheGreatBubbaJ: Thank you for all the reviews! I also wonder why Momo hasn't done that… Seems like it'd be pretty effective! In regards to your Quirk guess, another interesting idea, but not quite where I'm taking it ;)

The Kenzy: More great guesses for the Quirk! Don't worry, it'll all make sense soon…ish. Thank you for the kind words, they mean a lot!

Tiguylerobot: Dadzawa indeed!

AnimeA55Kicker: Hope it wasn't too sweet! Don't worry, we'll get to some angst (and more sweetness) soon enough!

That about covers it; as always thank you so much for reading! Be sure to follow, favorite, and review if you enjoyed it, they really help!

Next Chapter: We hit the beginning of the manga!