Chapter 10 - His Imperfect Friend

After the rampant day at the USJ and in searching for Yuki, the two friends headed straight for Izuku's home, as the two burst into the warm confines of the apartment as both were wrapped in a tight hug by Inko that they both happily reciprocated while recounting the day in their own perspectives versus what the news reports gave out. She was worried but thankful both were left with only minor injuries, although Yuki had to be careful not to strain her legs and more given her runaway, something she hid well under the mask.

Without realizing it herself, Yuki had encountered a problem, a big one. While SIVA worked overtime in repairs internal injuries, it meant Yuki could only apply fixes to her costume... which was still on her... her clothes back at the school. So she stood there, looking from her badass costume to Izuku and his mom, face burning against the mask.

'I... hehe... may have a small issue' Her note was followed by her motioning to her costume and lack of bag, both stared for a second before Izuku turned away, blushing furiously while Inko put a finger to her cheek in an expressive hum

"The school would be closed now... oh!" She blinked, while Izuku and Yuki shared a glance. "Izuku's old clothes might just fit her perfectly!" Before either could attest she put on a face that screamed what both recognized as the indomitable 'No disagreement' face. Without complaint Inko took off and left both in the living room, Yuki running a hand over her now covered hair

'She really doesn't need to, but... are you okay with this?' Yuki's question was met with Izuku's smile as he nodded politely

"Of course, I doubt you'd want to be wearing your Hero Costume all day and night?" While true she still didn't feel comfortable given it was his stuff and that felt like a disregard of privacy. "Really, I don't mind, I just want you to be happy, like always, you're... well, alot like you when you are." He closed his eyes, deflating. "That didn't make much sense..."

To his surprise her finger flicked his nose, eyes curved while Izuku shifted in his seat, as if on que, Inko returned to drag Yuki away, leaving him to think about the day, more importantly, Kovik. He never made any threats or even cared for the League of Villains plans at all, so they were temporary partners. But what confused him to the point of muttering was why go after Yuki? For SIVA? To test that blue virus on her? Did he know the same things he and All Might knew of her power? So many questions piled up that in no time at all they had returned.

"I'll have to ask Yuki about it sometime, maybe when it's just me, her, and All Might..."

"I'll go get dinner started, it will be a few hours, and Yuki, don't worry yourself, both of you have had a frightful day so relax until dinner is ready, okay?" Inko was probably the sweetest woman Yuki has ever met, almost scaring her how similar she was to her Guardian, Akame. A shiver ran down her back at the thought of two overly kindhearted people colliding within the same universal plane of reality

Izuku sighed softly, turning around on the sofa to face Yuki, yet before a single word could escape his lips, he felt his jaw hang low with unblinking eyes at the sight of his best friend. Yuki stood adjusting her fingerless gloves as though to distract herself. She wore an old pair of black gym shorts with a white shirt nearly covering them, atop that was also his old, pale blue button-up jacket, although she left it unbuttoned. Of course, she wore her mask still with anxious eyes flickering around the apartment, while she had removed the black fabric that would normally conceal her hair.

"Woah...! Gah, stop staring!" Izuku looked away, noting her eyes had locked to his own, after biting his lip he raised a shaken smile, hands nearly falling off his wrists. "Y-You look g-great, uh, Yuki!"

Her eyes were curved again while striking a pose with a peace sign over her left eye, mimicking All Might as Izuku laughed, Yuki's muted one joining in as she struggled to maintain her pose. With a sly grin under her mask, she bound over the back of the sofa, landing with her legs crossed while kicking up the remote between them as she caught it between her middle and index fingers, eyes half-verticle rectangular circles as her head leaned closer to Izuku, knowing fully well he was staring.

'What? Do I look cute?' She pressed the note to his face, seeing his cheeks slowly dip back into the red while he threw his arms in the air, eyes wide and white

"No! Well yes! B-But what I mean, is, um, y-you, uh, um... look c-cute I-I mean!" He sputtered, seeing her blink before she ruffled the top of his head playfully. He couldn't stop himself from smiling, thankful Yuki was acting much like her old self again. Today had taught him alot about her, and himself. He had to push himself to reach her, to be able to stand beside her in a fight, even if he broke his body time-and-time again. "I know I've thought about it alot, but I will protect her."

*Bzzt-Bzzt-Bzzt*

The unfamiliar song and vibration pulled Izuku away from his computer, seeing the phone charging beside him to be none other than Yuki's, but she was busy having a shower so there's no way she'd know, but the caller ID, was her mom! Izuku felt worry run over him given that she probably had no idea Yuki was staying at his place, so after hitting himself on the head he gingerly picked up the phone and answered it before it went to voicemail. "Or however she thought that one out." "H-hello...?"

~Oh? I didn't know you had a male voice, Yuki?~ The sweet-sounding voice on the other end mused. ~Very suspicious...~

Izuku scratched his cheek sheepishly. "No, sorry, Yuki is busy and couldn't answer so I did it for her, M-Miss, although now that I think of it she can't really answer so to speak... ah, no wait! I didn't mean it like that-"

~Haha, don't apologize, Midoriya! Yuki's quite used to it by now, but you're such a sweetheart for thinking of her!~ Her voice immediately calmed him down. ~Normally she'd make some key sounds with her fingers or objects as responses, something she came up with herself. Although, she did warn me of your kind, yet nervous nature, you definitely are alot like her~

Izuku sat up perfectly at that. She talked about him? "Like what - erk!" "Why did I say that out loud!?" "No! Sorry, forget I said anything!"

Again, she laughed warmly. ~Oh yeah, so much like her when I teased her about you~ That made Izuku's face burn brighter, so to put both his hands against his face to try and subdue his embarrassment he put the phone on speaker. ~Jokes and my great humor aside, when I first heard she had an actual friend I nearly spat my tea over my computer! I never thought I'd see the day! And that look of horror on her face, hahaha, my God, it was priceless! You'd swear I was going to take you away from her~

That didn't make him laugh though, looking down at the phone solemnly. "She didn't have anyone else?" "What All Might said back then..."

A few minutes after the strange girl left, Izuku rushed over to All Might with a million questions, he was shocked to have met someone else that knew of his secret, and of how casually she spoke to him too. There was also the giddy feeling he had swell inside his chest at reading the last note she gave to him, a smile and number at the bottom. He had an actual friend! A real one that wouldn't use him like some torture doll or butt of a joke. Her actions toward him were so genuine, kind even.

All Might vomited blood again, causing Izuku to scream in horror. "Ahahaha you're acting weird again, kid!" All Might rubbed his mouth then put his hands on his hips. "I'm surprised she tracked me down so quickly, I swear she has a sixth sense when I'm hiding something from her, ugh."

Izuku blinked, looking back at the now vacant stairs. "Who is she, All Might - ah, if you don't mind me asking!?"

For once, All Might wasn't smiling, looking off toward the ocean with a fixed expression of sorrow. "Yuki Azuru, she's the adopted daughter of a good friend of mine, and is a girl I saved a few years ago from an accident I also did my hardest to keep under wraps, for her sake only."

Izuku's eyes bulged at that golden slip of information. "Another incident no-one knows about!?" He froze at All Might's look and shakily bowed his head. "Sorry, continue!"

That got a chuckle from the Pro. "Yeah, she too doesn't like bringing it up, I can't say I blame her too. But, that girl is special to a number of people that do know her, and what caught me by surprise was you, Young Midoriya." He blinked, unable to understand that as he pointed to himself

"Me?" All Might nodded, pointing to Izuku's chest

"She's got people to rely on but no one of her age. No one to talk to, laugh, and spend the day doing things kids her age should be doing," That made Izuku feel something... relateable, akin to a solid understanding and pity. "When I saw her here talking to you I was happy for her, for you both... she openly trusted you without a second thought on the subject," All Might place a firm hand on Izuku's shoulder, and he felt the wave of ease pass from All Might to himself. "Your kind heart, that's what gave her a person to trust, even if she might not realize it yet, so thank you once again, Young Midoriya."

Yuki's mom sighed softly. ~She was always afraid, after an incident before she ended up in my care, about trusting others, she was so scared that she barely came near me for months. The girl you've seen is a far cry from the girl she once was, but that old self is there, still raw as of what All Might told me late this afternoon~ Izuku felt ashamed by that, and of realizing how obvious Yuki's problems were, he was her friend and didn't see it until it all boiled over

"I'm-" She snorted once, cutting him off

~She hates that as much as me, don't apologize for something out of your control, I'll admit, I was disheartened with myself for not noticing back then, maybe those first few months would have been easier, but I digress~ She let out a longwinded breath then chuckled. ~Izuku Midoriya. Don't worry about how I feel about you two, the woes of parental figures shouldn't weigh on kids like you who should be laughing and enjoying moments together as friends, okay?~

Slowly, Izuku found the courage to nod, smiling a little more. "I understand, Miss-" Again she laughed and made him feel mortified

~Haha, you're too sweet! I'm Akame Azuru, but call me by either with the 'Miss' and we'll be grand!~ Again, without her knowledge, he nodded with respect

"Right, I understand, Miss Azuru, I promise to look out for Yuki no matter what." This time, she didn't laugh or make a chuckle, just a soft hum of satisfaction or relief, Izuku couldn't decipher which

~Thanks, Midoriya, look after my little flower when I can't~ Just before he could say goodbye she made a low, mischievous chuckle. He didn't like that. He. Did Not. Like That. ~Pass my love onto her too! A big hug, a kiss, whatever you two feel like doing!~ She hung up almost immediately, while Izuku blacked out from the fume of steam rising from his face, falling back off the chair with a 'crash', body twitching as he murmured incoherently

Once again, his lack of awareness and embarrassment did not go alone, as Yuki peeked her head into his room, towel still wrapped around her head while her face practically glowed cherry red while sprinting back to the bathroom. She had wished she ignored SIVA's alert to grab her phone, she really wished she did.

"Stupid-Stupid-Stupid-Stupid-Stupid-Stupid-Stupid-Stupid-Stupid-" This went on in her head on a loop for an hour but the cackling laugh of her mom never faded

In the time spent knowing Yuki, she had borrowed his jacket on multiple occasions, sometimes just to sit in at Yuki's home when her mom was always out on afternoon patrols, Izuku felt as though he was dreaming, each time made him face burn while he tried to steady his heartbeat, something about seeing his tactile, mute friend wearing his jacket enraptured his eyes, of course, she also lent him her own jackets at times too, though he doubted she felt the same sort of feelings he did.

He had fallen asleep long ago, but now he was awake with his eyes shut tightly, having felt the need to awaken from a pleasant dream for something he couldn't quite put his finger on, so after thinking to himself he finally decided to open his eyes.

Groggily, Izuku sat up with a groan, popping a few joints as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, noting it was still dark out, but the light from the moon broke through the blinds, a pair of glowing eyes staring out curiously. He wasn't quite as awake as he'd like to be but his dry lips still moved on autopilot. "Yuki, you're awake?"

Her body bobbed, head bent his way with a blink, her gaze didn't linger as Izuku switched on his nightstand light, and immediately saw a note between her fingers. Slowly, he picked it from her and read it in the light, with each word he felt his eyes widen as he read the short line over and over again.

'Izuku... Thank you... for being my hero,' It wasn't much, there was nothing else written on the back, just her clear, slightly slanted writing that she passed to him. His chest tightened at the words, a swell of pride and gratitude in his heart. He'd be lying to himself if he said he didn't still blame himself for not protecting her

"I should really be the one to thank you, Yuki," Izuku smiled, seeing her gaze pull away from the window, himself scooting closer to look at her directly. He didn't realize that he had started to speak without thinking. "You're amazing, just like All Might, Kacchan is too, and Kirishima, Iida, Ochaco, every one of them... I'm going to prove I'm not useless, that I can be a hero someday, that 'Deku' will be the name of the world's greatest hero."

While he rambled, Yuki had put a hand to her heart, trying to calm it down while her right reached for the edge of her mask, tugging it a little as the faceplate came loose. Izuku had finally made eye contact with her, and his expression changed completely, much to her embarrassment, but there wasn't any way to undo her choice now. She wanted this, clear and simple.

Izuku stared back into her eyes, his cheeks turning red as he felt his mouth stutter, even going so far as to rub his eyes. Staring back at him was the same, sweet smile as before, light blue locks falling to the sides of her face as the messy bangs fell between her eyes or just above them. Both orbs were the same color as her radiant hair, an anxious blush spread across her cheeks while she averted her gaze. But he couldn't help but stare back with awe at the beautiful girl who hid under a mask all this time.

The most notable trait was the long scar that ran down her right eye, starting from under her bangs right down to her cheek, alongside one that the mask's shadow hid, around her throat was another, roughened scar, it was hard to notice it until now, but it filled in another piece of Yuki's mystery.

He himself hadn't realized that his hand moved to rest against her cheek again, hesitating at feeling her face twitch away for a moment as her eyes continued to look down, but she shot quick glances each time. After a few seconds, he retracted his hand, face on fire while spouting off apologize. "Why did I do that? I-I know she let me before, but this, she's probably really nervous about taking off her mask..." "Sorry! I don't know what came over me! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable!"

Her hand reached out, cupping his own cheek in return while finally lifting a smile again, in her other hand, she silently giggled at Izuku's face turning boiling red, ears and neck too. "Was he always this cute?". Yuki found her forehead softly pressed against his own, closing her eyes for a moment while she remembered what she wrote

'The world can know of the name, Deku, all they want, the world's greatest hero, but... promise me you'll still be Izuku to me?'

Izuku took in a deep breath, pulling Yuki away for a moment before he wrapped his shaky arms around her tightly, surprising her before her own eyes grew heavy against his chest, having found a better pillow to sleep against, while Izuku shut his tightly in ensuring he didn't lose his miraculous amount of confidence.

Yuki adjusted her head to sit against his neck, hiding her face with a small smile while her arms reciprocated his actions. "You're the greatest friend I could have ever met, but right now..." Without realizing it, both shared the same thought that night.

"I'll be selfish and pretend we're more."

To Be Continued In Season 2...

[BONUS: Hero Profile]

| | Student of Class 1-A: Yuki Azuru | |

See you at the finish line!

Age - 16 Years Old

Hair Color - Sky Blue, tint of white

Eye Color - Light Blue (With Mask) Sky Blue (Without Mask) Scarlet (When Quirk Activated)

Height - 160 Centimeters

Blood Type - A

Birthday - December 12th

/ / Quirk - SIVA \ \

(Formerly Quirkless)

While technically Quirkless, Yuki's body flows with a nanotech called SIVA, that thinks of its own accord and aids in keeping Yuki alive and in becoming a Pro Hero. Her body can be amplified with different levels of SIVA, each five-gap percentage either increasing her overall abilities or granting her an array of powers, with each level she becomes more and more cybernetically augmented, something she must learn to control for fear of losing herself and SIVA in a blind directive to consume everything she touches.

Personality -

Yuki, despite being mute, is rather outgoing to most people due to her great relationship with All Might, her Guardian, and Izuku Midoriya. She can be teasing, tactile, and sweet, but also sly and assy with those that either bother her, or provide a form of irritation for her, so Kacchan, or as she refers to him as 'Dumb-Dumb'.

However, when she suffers from fear, stress, or depression from her mistakes or failures toward those she cares deeply for she can be far more restrictive and would shut off her emotions to others, making her far easier to embarrass or hurt emotionally. This is common when her past is brought up as she kind find certain topics raw but she'll only ever speak of them with those she truly can trust.

Taking her mask off or away from her deliberately without her consent will result in her having a panic attack or very well put her in such an enraged state she'll lash out at just about anyone. Do Not Take The Mask, Ever.

Theme Song -

Also, here's her theme song, I found the English lyrics and thought it suited Yuki thinking of both herself, her past and future. The chorus definitely fits how she's learning to essentially 'pray for herself' as in to have faith. I dunno, just how I interpreted it, either way, love this song. My First Story - REVIVER.

To Be Continued...

I'm dying from cuteness after writing that last part, also, face reveal, yay! You all really seem to like this but the next season will take some time to write so I'll promise not to keep you waiting too long. I really hope you enjoyed, appreciate the support as always, seeya in the next chapter, Plus Ultra!

Next Chapter: Pressure in Perfection

Now back in class, 1-A must prepare for the UA Sports Festival to prove themselves to the world and show off their skills as heroes. But this lifetime opportunity will pitch everyone against each other, and in order to prevail, Izuku must learn to control One For All.