The world can be cruel. It can be callous and unfair. The kindest of people can be dealt the worst of hands, while the actions of the cruel can be rewarded with power and prestige they never deserved. It is random. It is chaotic. But one truth remains the same. Not everyone is created equal.

That was a lesson forced onto a young Midoriya Izuku.

It happened one day at a park near his home. He trembled in terror as tears escaped from him. In spite of that however, he stood his ground. Some would be amazed at how little his looks would change as he grew from a child to a teenager, even if it mostly came down to his hair. A dark shade of green, inherited from his mother, bushy and disheveled despite her best attempts to try and tame it. Behind him, curled up and sobbing, was another child. The two had fallen victim to a small group of other children.

"Stop it! Leave us alone! Haven't you already hurt her enough!" Izuku cried out, his body shaking as he forced himself to stand. The children before him began laughing at him, as though they were mocking him for helping his friend. There were three in total. The one directly before him was a small boy with short brown hair, who smiled maliciously at him. Flanking him were two others, one a rather large child with hair so short he seemed to be bald, another rather thin with long brown hair. The two continued to laugh as the lead child began to sneer at the young Izuku.

"What's the matter Deku? You gonna try and play hero or something?" The child smashed his fist into his open palm, a cold burst of air bursting forth from it, covering his fist in frost. Beside him, the other two revealed their own abilities, with the chubby one spawning wings from his back before floating above the ground, and the long haired one began to extend his fingers outward to abnormal lengths. Both kids began to smirk as Izuku's trembling worsened. "There's not a chance in hell you could even do anything. A quirkless little loser like you would never cut it as a hero."

"S-so what!" Izuku declared defiantly as he continued to shake, raising his fists into the best fighting stance he could make, hoping beyond hope that he would be able to protect his friend. "You've already made her cry! If you're gonna act like villains, then-then I'll stop you!"

Despite his best efforts, Izuku was quick to join his friend on the ground, curled up and sobbing as the trio of bullies began to beat the two of them. His determination could only get him so far against such overwhelming force, and before long, both children were bruised and bloody.

It had been ten years since that day.

Midoriya Izuku was all but alone now. What few friends he once had were now gone, either having moved away, or they had simply stopped talking to him altogether. By that point, the only people he had in his life were his parents, and even that didn't last long, as his father had to move to America for his job, the best opportunity he had to support his family. The entire time after, the burden of being part of a rapidly shrinking population of people, those without quirks, weighed on his mind every single day.

Many would question why he did nothing about it. Why he didn't try as hard as he could to become the best he could be without a quirk to rely on. Why he simply seemed to stand around and wish for something it seemed he would unlikely attain. But here, in a world where the most extraordinary people had quirks that allowed them to do these extraordinary things, and very little attention given to those without said abilities, it shouldn't be all that surprising when one would grow up with the belief that having a quirk to be a hero. Few people would even be willing to help a quirkless child even try and enter such a field, terrified that he would be hurt by people with powerful quirks of their own.

It wasn't like he cut an intimidating figure either. He was short for his age, standing at 160 centimeters (5'3") as opposed to the rest of the guys in his year, who averaged out at 170 centimeters (5' 6"). It certainly didn't help that he tended to keep his head down low and his shoulders slumped, making him look shorter than he actually is. All that combined with his rather plain appearance was not exactly a look many people would look to whenever they thought of the word 'Hero'.

Times were rough for him, and had been for a long while. However, after a strange series of events, he began to find his way towards his dream. To become a hero. And not just any kind of hero.

The World's Greatest Hero.

He never could have dreamed that it would happen the way it did.


Izuku found it strange, just how much his life could change in only a few months. It seemed like only yesterday that he was considered a nobody, or a 'Deku' as many of his tormentors preferred calling him. Deku, a unique way one could read his name, essentially calling him a puppet without arms or legs. Useless.

It had been the word used to describe him for years now, ever since he was diagnosed as quirkless at the young age of 4. One of a steadily shrinking few born without special powers known throughout the world as quirks. Ever since then, his life had felt like it was in a constant downward spiral, with the few friends he had once had now long gone, leaving him almost completely alone, standing out amongst his peers in the worst of ways.

The bright spots in his life were few and far between, but the most constant one was his mother. She had stuck by his side, regardless of his quirkless state, even if he felt he didn't deserve it at times. She had made sure to stand up for him whenever she could, even if she made mistakes here and there. He would never hold those against her though, no matter what happened. His father was a less constant bright spot, but the man made sure to contact his family whenever he could, be it through a simple phone call, or the occasional visit when his job allowed him, even if Izuku wished for there to be more.

The third biggest constant was, of course, the multitude of heroes that occupied the world. The people who used their incredible quirks to help people in need, no matter what, even taking down the most ruthless of villains who used their own quirks to cause chaos and mayhem. He may not have had a quirk like them, but he looked up to them regardless. Outside of his family, they were his most favorite things in the world.

One hero stood above all others though, especially for him. The Number One hero in his home country. The man known worldwide as the Symbol Of Peace. All Might. The man who brought hope and justice with him wherever he went. The man who kept a smile on his face even when things seemed grim. And no matter how bad things could get, no matter how dire the situation, he always managed to find a way to save everyone even as he beat the villains. He was the hero that Izuku idolized above all others, to the point of knowing as much about him as he could, from his favorite foods to even his favorite tree.

For as long as he could remember, Izuku wanted to be just like him, to be a hero others looked up to, and bring that same feeling of hope wherever he went. A hero who could save people with a smile on his face, letting them know that everything would be okay.

The unfortunate reality though, was that he simply couldn't. In a world of superpowered people, those who had none were more likely to get hurt, or even killed. Not once, since the dawn of quirks, had there ever been a record of a quirkless hero.

Then, one day, something new happened. He had gotten to meet his hero, even being saved by him! But he had to ask, even if he knew the truth already, could someone be a hero, even if they didn't have a quirk?

His heart had never felt so broken as when All Might spoke the words he dreaded to hear.

"Can you be a hero? I'm sorry. Not without a quirk."

The injury All Might had shown him before had already been a nail in the coffin containing his dream, but those words may as well have placed them in the ground. Even as the injured hero tried to let him know that there were other opportunities for him regardless, about how he could still help others even without a quirk, those words may as well have killed him.

The words continued ringing through his head as he made his way home, until he came across the same villain All Might had saved him from. He had somehow escaped, Izuku certain that it was his fault. The words of All Might echoed through his head again, and he had decided to leave, knowing that he wouldn't be able to do a thing. Until he noticed something. The villain that had nearly killed him less than a half hour ago had escaped. And now, he had someone else in his clutches.

It was someone Izuku knew. A young man named Okamoto Yukiharu.

He wasn't particularly fond of him. How could he be? Yukiharu had been his main tormentor for years, ever since they were children. Barely a day would go by without him reminding Izuku of his quirkless state, before using his own quirk against him in some way. His quirk, Frozen Touch, emitted frost from his body. Izuku theorized that, with enough practice, he could potentially freeze someone's entire body, or even use it as some form of ranged attack.

At that point though, his quirk didn't seem to be helping him. He was panicking, his frost not even slowing the villain, a man made of sludge, down in the slightest.

Izuku had caught his eyes as he thrashed about. He could read them as easily as a book. He needed help. There were no thoughts running through his mind at that point and no hesitation in his action. His body had simply moved on its own, determined to save him, no matter what.

In the end, All Might had managed to save them both, as Izuku had no plan outside of try and free him from the villain. As it turned out, Izuku's action had ended up inspiring his hero into action, and because of that, the injured pro hero had pushed himself beyond his limits to save the two, remembering that a real hero will always choose to save someone.

The words he spoke next were ones Izuku had needed to hear for years. The last time he had asked such a simple question before, "Can I be a hero?", the only real response was one he got from his mother, who had broken down before hugging him, apologizing to him as though it was her fault, like she felt responsible for what should have been the deathblow to his dream. The day had finally come where he heard the words he had been desperate for for so long.

"Young man, you can become a hero."

Ever since that day, All Might had taken to getting him in shape. Making his body strong enough not only to get into the most famous hero school in the country, UA, but for another reason that took him by surprise. All Might had chosen him to also receive his own powerful quirk.

One For All.

It was a quirk that had been passed down from person to person, a sacred torch that burned brighter and brighter as the years passed. And now, All Might wanted him to have it. And all he had to do was clean up a beach that had been ravaged by wasteful dumping over the course of years, possibly over a decade.

It was a challenge Izuku was ready to face, no matter what. It had been roughly three months since he began, and he had noticed that he was slowly changing. His body, which had once been incredibly thin lacking even a hint of muscle, was now larger. He even had actual muscles now, and they were noticeable. It was a difficult process, one All Might had made sure to watch over so that Izuku wouldn't hurt himself, but he kept at it. He would become worthy of All Might's power, then make his way into U.A.. Where the best and brightest aspiring young heroes went. He would fight through the hardships to show the world what he could do. He would show them that he could be a hero.

Then came the day when life as he knew it came to an end.


'Let's see, I've definitely made some steady progress on the easternmost sector of Takoba, and if I push myself enough tonight, it should be clear by sunset.'

"...-doriya?"

'And if I've calculated the northeastern piles correctly, I should have them done within two weeks if I push myself enough."

"...Midoriya?"

'I know All Might told me not to overdo it, but I can't afford to keep staying behind everyone else. They've had years to get used to having their quirks by now. Though he's probably right now that I think about it.' "ThedetrimentaleffecfsofpushingmyselftoofarwoulddefinitelysetmebackmorethanutwouldhelpbutIstillneedtopushmyselfashardasIcanifI'mgoingto…" he muttered, completely oblivious to everything around him.

"MR MIDORIYA!"

At least until the loud voice of his teacher brought him back to Earth. "Um, yes?"

"School has been over for at least twenty minutes Mr Midoriya," he deadpanned. Moving his gaze to the clock, Izuku could see that his teacher was right, and, with a slightly red face, began gathering up his books and notes before leaving the room. This wasn't the first time he had done something like this, though it had gotten a bit more frequent since he began his training with All Might. At least he didn't tune his teacher out so much that the school had to call his mom to come and get him.

Again.

As he placed his belongings in his locker, he was so focused on the training session to come that he almost failed to hear the person approaching him.

"Um, ex-excuse me! Mi-midoriya?"

The stuttering feminine voice startled him, making turn around in a flash. Before him was a girl who seemed unable to look at him without turning her head bashfully. She looked to be roughly his age, standing just taller than him at 164 centimeters (5'4"), and had long silky looking black hair along with violet colored eyes. Combined with her bashful state, she was undeniably cute in Izuku's eyes, easily the most beautiful girl he had seen at school.

"YES!" He squeaked out, his face burning red immediately afterward. His ability to talk to girls began and ended with his mother, otherwise he would tend to make himself look like a fool. It didn't help that so few seemed to want to speak with him in the first place. "Um, y-yes? Who are you?"

She began fidgeting in place, her face matching his own in hue now as she began speaking again. "I'm…um…my name is Amano Yuuma, and I…I…I've been wanting to ask you something, if that's okay," she stuttered out. Izuku was confused, but before he could even think of a response, the girl, Yuuma, took a deep breath before asking her next question. "Would…would you like to go on a date with me?"

Everything around him seemed to come to a screeching halt at that moment in time. Even the inherent students stopped in place as soon as they heard her utter those words. Someone had just asked him out? Of all people? It seemed like a bad joke.

'Is this…is this really happening? Did a girl just ask me out? A girl just asked me out?! Okay, calm down and think, you have other things you need to focus on right now. You have training to complete, UA won't wait for you if you get too distracted. Just say no, and say it gently.'

"SURETHATSOUNDSNICE!"

'Damn it mouth.'

"R-really? You will?" Yuuma asked, a look of delight slowly blooming across her face. Izuku couldn't stop himself from noticing how it made her look more stunning to him. "I can't wait! I can't wait! How about tomorrow? Can we meet near Wookie's?" She asked excitedly, her eyes seeming to sparkle with joy.

'Justsaynojustsaynojustsayno'

"SURETHATSOUNDSNICE!"

'Mouth, why?'

"That's great! I'll see you tomorrow then!" She said as she began moving away, an obvious spring in her step that almost made it look like she was skipping.

Izuku was still processing what had just happened as the students around him broke out of their own stupor, each of them having their own thoughts.

"Did that chick seriously just ask Midoriya out of all people?"

"Is she okay in the head? I mean seriously, how desperate do you have to be to want to ask him out?"

"Do any of you actually know that girl?"

"Nope, never seen her before. Think she's from the year below us?"

"Wonder what Okamoto would say if he were here?"

"Damn it all! Why couldn't it have been me?!"

The group of students began to disperse, leaving Izuku near completely alone with his thoughts, with only a few left behind as they readied themselves to leave.

"A…date…? With…with me?" Was this real? This was the first anyone around his age had ever said anything about wanting to even be around him, let alone date him. He was beginning to wonder if he had hallucinated what just happened if he hadn't finally overheard someone passing by him.

"I can't believe someone was desperate enough to ask Midoriya out of all people," the girl said, nearly spitting out his name when she said. "Seriously, what's wrong with her?"

"No clue," her friend responded, neither girl caring at all that they were saying all of this within earshot of him. "I didn't even know who she was until she said her name. Maybe she normally keeps to herself?" The two turned a corner and vanished from sight.

"Pretty sure Okamoto would be pissed about this," he heard another student say as he passed by, heading for the door.

"Definitely. Freakin Midoriya of all people getting a date before him? Pretty sure he'd lose his cool from how steamed he'd be."

Some time after the Sludge Villain incident, Yukiharu had been taken out of school by his parents. No one in school had actually seen him since then, with everyone speculating that they had moved away. They noted how odd it seemed, as he had shown just as much interest in going to U.A. as the rest of them had. Even Izuku was curious as to what happened with him. Even with how much the other boy had tormented him over the years, he hoped he was alright.

He couldn't find it in himself to disagree with what they said about him either. The idea of someone being interested in him of all people seemed as far fetched as it could get. The fact that no one else seemed to have seen her before today was also odd, but there were many students in his year he had never interacted with at all, so it was certainly possible that he had simply overlooked her. And now, this random person had asked him out on a date.

A date? A DATE!?

"I HAVE A DATE!?" Izuku nearly screamed into the open air, only a few students left to be shocked at his exclamation. "Somebody asked me out on a date! An actual date! One of those things you take someone to an amusement park on! Sharing food! Holdinghands!Ican'tbelievethisisecenhappeningrightnowIwonderwjatIshouldtellAllMig…"

'MOUTH STOP MOVING AND MAKING NOISES!'

He managed to slap his mouth shut before he finished his stream of words. Taking a brief look around, he was relieved that he was alone again, most people tended to leave him on his own whenever he went on one of his 'mutterstorms'. His face red, he finished putting everything unneeded in his locker before making his way back to Takoba Beach, nearly bumping into someone else as he left the school.

As he made his way to the beach, his mind continued racing. 'I don't get it. This is so weird. So sudden. What do I do? What's mom gonna say? What's All Might gonna say? Was that whole thing just some kind of joke? Is this a prank? I've been pranked before but someone tricking me to go on a date is new.'

"Ijustdon'tknowwhatIshoulddoorwhatIshoulddoaboutitmaybeIshouldaskmomorAllMightIdon'treallyknowforsure…" He hadn't even noticed that he had begun muttering his thoughts out loud again. He was so lost in his own head that he didn't even notice the people in front of him until he collided right into them. He fell backward before landing on his behind, while the person he had crashed into didn't even stumble.

"I'm sorry. Are you alright?" They asked, extending their hand down to help him up. Whoever they were, they sounded like a young woman.

"I'm sorry, I'm okay. I wasn't paying at…tention…" Izuku froze as he looked up at them. Or rather, her. She was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen before. The most noticeable thing about her was her hair, an intense fiery red that contrasted with her snow white skin. Her cyan eyes seemed to pierce into his very soul, as though she saw something about him that she had found interesting. That wasn't the most shocking thing about her. She was currently wearing a UA high-school uniform, one he couldn't help but notice clinging to her figure well. As much as tried not to stare, her figure looked to be one most women would kill for, with possibly the largest bust he had ever seen. She was also noticeably taller than him, even if not by a whole lot, as she stood at 170 centimeters (5'7"). He kept staring, his mouth wide open as he took her outstretched hand, the unknown young woman smiling at him the entire time.

"It's alright, though I would caution you to keep aware of your surroundings. You never know when something like this could happen," she said before walking away, another girl following after her that Izuku hadn't even noticed at first. He didn't get a good look at her, having moved as quickly as he could to get away, his face as red as her hair.

'I can't believe that happened! That was so embarrassing!'

Hoping he would never see them again, not wanting to make an even bigger fool of himself, he finished making his way to Takoba Beach, the piles of trash that once decorated it having steadily decreased over the last two months. As he stepped onto the beach, one thought raced through his mind.

'I wonder what All Might will have to say about this?'


"You got yourself a date? Not bad, Young Midoriya. Didn't know you had it in you."

That was not the response Izuku was expecting.

"I, well, um…," he stuttered out as he hauled up a larger piece of trash. "I don't really know if I should though," he admitted.

"Why's that?" All Might asked, genuinely curious. One would find him hard to recognize though, as he currently looked almost nothing like the hulking hero. His body seemed to be bone thin, and his eyes looked to be sunken so far into his head they seemed to only truly exist in a black void. Even the blood that would erupt from his coughs would throw one off. This man, known by his real name as Yagi Toshinori, was still All Might however. The man who seemed capable of moving mountains as easily as one took a breath, extinguish flames with a clap of his hands, and could even change the weather itself by punching the air. His current appearance was mainly due to the injury he had gotten from a particularly fierce foe, though he never mentioned who it was to Izuku, simply telling him that the villain had been taken care of.

"I mean," Izuku paused, wondering exactly what he should say. "Shouldn't I keep myself focused on my training? I kind of thought you'd be saying something like that."

"Nonsense," the pro waved his concerns off. "You're still a young man with his entire life ahead of him. There's nothing wrong with someone wanting to spend time with you like that, so long as it's consensual between the both of you at least."

That was another thing about him that Izuku found himself admiring more and more. The whole time he had known him, Toshinori had made sure to talk with him as he trained, encouraged him, even complimented him as he made his way through the beach. They were words of comfort he never thought he'd hear from anyone outside of his parents again. And now, despite the rather strict training regiment he had put the boy on, he showed no issue with him being asked out on a date.

"I know you want to be the best hero you can be, Young Midoriya, but you shouldn't do that at the expense of a life outside of that. Trust me," he said, looking somewhat mournful at his words.

"Did, did you ever date anyone All Might?" Izuku asked, his curiosity piqued. "I read something not too long ago about something between you and Ryukyu, but I haven't ever put a whole lot of thought to it," Iuku said, pausing briefly to ask his question before continuing his work.

Toshinori answered with a chuckle. "Where'd you hear that? One of those trashy gossip columns that like to pretend they're actually news?" He laughed for a bit longer, a small amount of blood escaping his mouth while he did so, before continuing. "There's never been anything between me and her. I've only met her once or twice before anyway. Besides, she's too young to be seen with someone like me, and the romance ship sailed for me long ago."

"What do you mean?"

"I focused too much on my desire to be a hero. I never put any thought into finding someone to spend my life with, having a family, any of that. I thought it would be nothing more than a distraction, especially with what I wanted to do," he explained, looking saddened as memories rushed through his mind. "You don't have to repeat my mistakes, if you want to go on this date of yours, I wouldn't even try to stop you. You're free to live your own life, you know."

"All Might," Izuku stared at the man in awe. He didn't think that he would hear such a thing from him, placing more importance than he should have on his training. Maybe All Might was right. Maybe he should give this a shot. "I…I'll do it," Izuku said, feeling certain. "I want to give this a shot."

Toshinori smiled at him. "Good to hear. Probably shouldn't expect any dating advice from me though. You would definitely be out of luck with that," he said with another chuckle. "We'll have to do a slight modification to your schedule though. We've already set aside a day for you to rest, so we'll just move that to tomorrow for now. We should be able to make up for it in no time," he said with a smile. "And if this becomes serious? Well then, we'll have to make a few more changes. I will make sure you can accomplish your goal, but for now? This shouldn't be a problem young man," he finished, his arms crossed as he nodded at him.

"Thank you," Izuku said, fighting back tears. He didn't think his respect for the man could grow more, but here it was.

He finished the day's training grinning as hard as he could. All Might was right. He needed to live just as much as he needed to prepare himself. And no matter how hard it seemed, he would face it.

Now he just had to worry about what his mom would say about all this.


"OH! MY BABY!" Inko Midoriya cried out as she gripped her son tightly.

It was more or less what he was expecting.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! YOU GOT A DATE! YOU'RE GROWING UP! I CAN'T BELIEVE MY BABY BOY HAS GROWN SO FAST!" She continued to cry as she kept her iron-like grip on her son. Midoriya Inko was a short woman, the same height as her own son actually, and had become slightly pudgy as Izuku grew up. Worry lines streaked across her face due to the years of stress on naturally endures as a parent. Izuku didn't care about any of that. She was his mother, and to him, he was still that same wonderful, beautiful person who stuck by him for all these years. No matter how rough life seemed to get, no matter how much he felt like giving in, she was always there. His light in the darkness.

Though if she continued squeezing him like that, she may very soon just become his darkness.

"Mom! Too tight!" Izuku squeaked out.

"IT ALMOST FEELS TOO SOON! FIRST YOU HAVE YOUR FIRST DATE, NEXT THING I KNOW YOU'LL BE GETTING MARRIED AND I'LL BE EXPECTING MY FIRST GRANDCHILD! MY BABY!" She cried out, gripping her son tighter. The sheer amount of tears gushing from her eyes would have been enough for a busted pipe to turn green with envy.

As he began to turn blue, Izuku managed to free his arms before reaching for his mother's face, cupping her cheeks in his palms. "Mom! It's okay! It's just you and me here. Just you and me." These words seemed to finally break through to her, as she took a deep breath before calming down. She cupped her son's cheeks the same way as she smiled at him.

"That's right. Just you and me." Izuku smiled back at her, the two staying like that for a short while before finally separating, both still smiling widely at each other. "Thanks Izuku," Inko said warmly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright Mom, no need to worry," he told her, knowing exactly what to say. This was far from the first time she had gotten over emotional, and he was certain it wouldn't be the last. He didn't care. She was still his mother, and he loved her regardless.

"I'm sorry, it's just," she took another breath before sitting down at the table. "It's hard to believe this is happening. My baby is going on his first date," she said excitedly, even as her eyes began to water again. "It only feels like yesterday that I was holding you in my arms."

"You were just doing that," he responded with a smile.

"You know what I mean," she snarked back at him, before a slightly mischievous smirk overtook her face. "So…"

"...so?"

"Who is she? What's she like? Does she get good grades?" Inko began asking, her curiosity about her son's date getting the better of her. The two talked well into the evening, discussing different ideas for his date. It was a night well spent between mother and son, with the aspect of his upcoming date exciting the both of them.


Izuku found himself waiting outside Wookie's the following day. It wasn't a school day, so the two would have the entire day to themselves. He made sure to dress himself casually, a simple t-shirt and black slacks along with his favorite pair of red shoes. It was enough to make Izuku's nerves flare up again.

As he talked to his mom the previous night, he had brought up how he didn't really know her that well, but still wanted to try and give this whole thing a shot. Inko looked worried for him, but decided to trust him with this. Though she was quick to hand out some advice.

"If what she said is true, and she's been wanting to ask you out for a while, then that should mean she likes you already. Remember to just be yourself, and don't try too hard to impress her. Also, make sure you have your phone with you at all times, just in case. And remember to be sure to stick to well lit areas! I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

He definitely understood her concern with that last bit. For roughly the last month, there had been a series of attacks on different houses in the area, each of them leading to the owner's death. The police hadn't revealed much, but did say they were certain that it was the work of a single person. A serial killer. Heroes had been popping in lately to try and catch them wherever they could, but nothing had come of it yet, even though the killings had slowed down since then.

All Might had made sure to keep an eye on him because of this whenever his training was done, wanting to be sure that he was safe. He definitely appreciated it, the idea of a serial killer loose in his hometown was enough to make him shiver.

Now though, he had to wait for his date to arrive. Date. His date. He still found it hard to believe. Such an incredibly pretty girl had come up out of nowhere and asked him out. The thought of it being nothing more than a cruel prank tool over his mind again as he began to pace back and forth, occasionally looking at his phone to check the time.

'She's late. Is everything alright? Did she get held up? Is this really a date? Am I being pranked? Did I stupidly walk into something that's gonna blow up in my face? Should I call mom? All Might? The police?' He shook his head, hoping to clear his thoughts. 'Calm down Izuku. You don't know that! Just be patient! Wait. Wait. Wait? What'll she be wearing? Did I underdress? Overdress? Would she be in some kind of fancy dress?' "WhatifwegotosomekindoffancyrestaurauntamIunderdresseddidshesetupareservationshouldIhavegitrenherflowersIknowmomsaidthey'renotabsolutelyneccassaryforafirstdatebut…OW!"

Izuku had once again gotten so lost in his head that he didn't notice where he was going, leading him head first into a lamppost. He really hoped no one saw that.

"Are you okay?"

Damn his luck.

He turned to see a young woman with brown hair dressed in a rather short red dress that had a white trim on the bottom, a yellow bow at the top, and what looked like decorative dark wings not only on her shoulders, but they also seemed to come from the back as well. If he didn't know better, he'd say she was trying to look like a vampire. She also had a stack of flyers in her hand for some reason. "I'm-I'm okay. I'm fine. Thank you though." He couldn't stop his embarrassed blush if he tried.

The woman smiled at him before handing him a flyer. "Here! Take this for good luck!" She said, speaking with a rather chipper tone of voice that didn't match her attire, before walking away happily.

"Huh?" He stared down at the flyer, feeling puzzled. It had an odd symbol on it, looking rather occult. It looked similar to a pentagram. Above it, the words 'Your wishes granted!' were printed at the top.

"Midoriya!"

Slightly startled, he turned to face whomever had called to him. It was her. His date. His DATE. Yuuma. He could feel his jaw beginning to drop as he watched her run over to him. She had decided to dress casually for their date, wearing a simple pair of slacks as well as a plain pink shirt. Despite this, she still radiated a sense of beauty that Izuku couldn't ignore. He unknowingly stuffed the flyer into his pocket, forgetting about it entirely as she reached him. "Sorry I'm late. I couldn't really decide what to wear," she said slightly bashfully.

"IT'SFINE!" He blurted out, feeling like an idiot as soon as he said it, his face becoming more red than it was before. She seemed to find this amusing though, letting out a small giggle.

"Shall we then?"

Izuku didn't trust himself to speak anymore, letting her lead the way into the shopping center. The very thought of this incredibly pretty girl was sending his mind into freefall, and he only hoped he wouldn't keep making a fool of himself.

As the day shifted into the afternoon though, Izuku could say, without a doubt, that this had been one of the best days of his life. She never seemed to get bothered by how nervous he would get, gently asking him to speak his mind whenever he would start to get tongue-tied. While he didn't talk as much as he felt he should have, she seemed to listen to his words, even smiling when they would turn into gibberish. They went through the entire mall, trying out as much as it offered, from trying on different clothes (Yuuma having a good laugh when Izuku decided to deliberately walk out in a gaudy outfit), listening to music(They both had different tastes, with Izuku having more a pop/rock mindset with Yuuma enjoying pure pop), hitting the arcade(Yuuma dominating him in just about everything they played outside of 'Hero Fighter:Ultimate'), to simple window shopping, gazing at products they knew they couldn't afford. The two seemed to be having a good time, with Izuku even becoming less nervous as the day went on, his nervous stammering lessened as the two talked more.

'Is this some sort of dream? I never thought it would ever go this well.' Izuku thought to himself as he watched Yuuma play a VR game. 'I've pinched myself several times when she wasn't looking, so it feels like reality, but…is it really?'

Izuku saw Yuuma take off the VR helmet, her joyous smile at beating the high score felt infectious, as he couldn't stop himself from smiling back.

'If this is a dream, I don't mind not waking up for a while.'

The two decided to make for the food court, both becoming hungry as the date progressed, before Yuuma stopped in front of a shop, her eye having caught something that interested her. It was a silver bracelet, decorated with small charms. Some of the charms had animals in them. Yuuma's eyes seemed to light up as she stared at the bracelet. "This is so cute!" She made to enter the store before catching the price. It was surprisingly expensive at 15000 yen. "Oh." The wind had clearly left her sails as she began walking away.

Izuku stared at the bracelet, wondering what he should do. He had the extra cash on him, his mother gave him an allowance after all, but he had hoped to use that extra money to buy a new All Might statue that had just come out. But his date's sulking face made him reconsider. He was quick to tell her that he would get it for her, much to her shock. As soon as it had been placed around her wrist, that shock had faded, and she smiled at him. It was different from the smiles she had given him before though. He didn't know why, but this one felt more genuine. He had little time to think on it though, as she then embraced him, turning his face red as his mind attempted to reboot.

After arriving at the food court and getting their respective meals, the two had started discussing other matters. It didn't take long for them to begin talking about quirks, much to Izuku's barely hidden glee.

"Well, um…you p-probably already know that I'm quirkless already, it's not exactly a secret, but what about you? What can you do Amano?"

"Nothing too special," she said as she took a sip of her juice. "I can form little constructs of light, even manipulate them to a degree, but not all that well." To show him, she made a small light orb appear in front of him, then quickly formed into a near perfect sphere. "I can't really do much with it, though it makes a good light source whenever I want to read," she sighed out, sounding slightly embarrassed about it.

"I think it's cool," Izuku said, taking her by surprise, his excitement upon seeing a new quirk apparent "What else can you do with it? Does it always start off as a blob? Can you do more with it outside a sphere? Can you shape it however your mind sees fit? Like as a cube?" He almost forgot to breathe as he began to ask her question after question. He couldn't help himself. Quirks were one of his passions, and he loved to learn about them.

"I've…never really tried before…" Yuuma admitted, looking slightly put off by his questioning. She still decided to try something, concentrating briefly on the sphere before it formed into a new shape. It formed into a cube, and Yuuma gained a look of amazement. Before long, she had begun shifting it more and more, from a pyramid, to a small animal, and even into a knife, each construct barely larger than her pinky finger. "I…I didn't know I could do stuff like this! This is amazing!"

"Holy whoa! That is amazing!" Izuku felt positively giddy at this point. He only wished he'd had his notebook with him. "Just imagine! You could support people who can't defend themselves! Shine a light for people lost in the dark! I think you could make a pretty cool hero with your quirk!"

Izuku felt regretful when he noticed her looking at him oddly, her face quick to turn away from him as she began to blush. He thought he had heard her whispering something as well, but he couldn't make it all out. Only hearing the last bit.

"...said that to me."

He wondered what she meant. Did people make fun of her for her quirk? Why would they do that? Her quirk was amazing. He wanted to say something else, but he was stopped as Yuuma faced him again, her face tinted red, but with that same smile she had given him when he had got her that bracelet.

"Th-thank you, Midoriya."

Izuku smiled back, even as his own face began turning red. He was happy that he hadn't accidentally said something rude to her and ruined her day. "No problem." The two finished their meals quickly after that, both still slightly red in the face, until only a single bit of food remained. A crepe that Izuku had gotten for the two of them. Thinking quickly, Izuku split the crepe in two, offering half to Yuuma.

"That's so sweet," she said, the delight on her face as clear as the red on Izuku's. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem." He smiled back.


Time felt as though it had passed far too quickly, as the sun was beginning to set. Izuku had honestly lost all track of time as the day went on. The two had decided to finish their date by walking through a nearby park. The setting was perfect, especially with the setting sun shining its rays of light through the trees around them, blanketing them in a brilliant orange glow.

Yuuma seemed like she was unable to stop smiling, especially after she decided to link her hand with his, much to his surprise. 'Okay. Just take it easy. She's just holding your hand. Holding your hand. Holding hand. AGIRLISHOLDINGMYHAND!'

The nerves on his face were as clear as the sunlight around them, and Yuuma looked like she was holding back laughter as they arrived at a nearby fountain. They were the only ones there, with everyone else having cleared out before they had arrived. "You know? I had a really good time today Midoriya," she told him, the smile on her face nearly as radiant as the fading sunlight.

"Um…I…I d-did too, A-Amano," he replied, inwardly cursing himself for stuttering again. "Th-thank you, for…for asking me out."

"You don't need to thank me at all," she said, having let go of his hand, much to his dismay. "Now, um…can I…ask you something?"

"Huh? Like what?"

"Just…just a favor."

"A…favor?" 'A favor? What could she mean? Could she mean a...a…A KISS!? KISS?! HERE?! NOW?!'

"It's a simple one."

"Um…o-okay." 'HOLY WHOA! IS SHE REALLY GONNA KI-KI-KI…'

"Would you die for me?"

Izuku could only blink in confusion. What did she just say? "Wha-URK!" A sudden and striking pain from his chest. He had felt something like this earlier, as his heart went erratic, but this was different, lower.

When he looked down, he saw a sharp ray of light piercing through his chest. And it was being held by Yuuma.

As swiftly as it had appeared, the light vanished, leaving a gaping hole in his chest, the blood from his grievous wound trickling out at an alarming rate. The quick loss of blood caused him to begin losing balance, nearly collapsing on himself right then and there.

"It's a shame," Yuuma said as she backed away from him, her form beginning to shift. She looked older now, older than him, and her voice began to deepen slightly as she grew. Finally, a pair of jet-black wings erupted from her back, the moonlight that had begun to light the area shimmering off of each individual feather. "You were far nicer than I expected you to be, it's too bad this had to happen." Her voice began to fade as the pain in Izuku's chest grew, he had already fallen to his knees from the agony he was feeling.

'What's going on? What happened to Yuuma? Why did she stab me? What's with those wings? I thought her quirk was to make blobs of light.' His mind raced as he tried to piece together his current situation, but he could find nothing to explain it.

"If anything, it should at least be quick." Her tone had become unclear to him, not able to tell if she was serious or mocking. "If you're wondering why this happened the way it did, then blame Him for giving that to you. You were simply too big a risk."

She began stepping away before turning to see him one final time, Izuku having collapsed completely as the blood continued to drain from his wound. "My real name is Raynare. You should at least know that before your end." Her wings had begun to flutter, lifting her into the air as she gazed at his near lifeless form before finally leaving, stray black feathers being the only sign of her ever being there at all.

Tears fell from his eyes as he lay there dying, the pain almost too great for him to bear, too much for him to even try and reach for his phone. 'Mom…All Might…I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I wasn't good enough.' The world around him had become nothing more than a blur of colors, leaving him unable to make out a single leaf from the ground it lay upon. 'I just…I wish I could have become a hero. So that I wouldn't have let you both down.' The blood began pooling around him, reaching his line of sight before becoming all that he could see.

'Red?' His mind flashed back to the day before. That girl. Her hair. 'Why? Why am I thinking about that now?' The strength to even think left him as his eyes closed, oblivion ready to take him into its embrace.


THE MORNING IS HERE! THE MORNING IS HERE! THE MORNING IS HERE! THE MORNING IS HERE! THE-

The sound of his alarm jolted Izuku awake before he silenced it. He'd had that dream again. A nightmare.

His date with Amano Yuuma that ended with him being skewered by that ray of light, and then…nothing.

It had been over a week since then, with the current month beginning to wane. He'd brush his nightmares aside if he hadn't noticed strange things happening since then.

First was how badly the sunlight was affecting him. He felt tired during the daytime, more so than usual, and it was beginning to affect his work. Both his mom and All Might were quick to notice, but he couldn't explain it to either of them. Even taking a trip to the doctor told them nothing.

Secondly was how much better he felt once night fell. As soon as the sun would set, he felt better, like he had gotten a full night's rest.

Third was how he seemed to have gotten stronger somehow. Despite how lethargic he felt in the sun's light, he still managed to make it through his training with All Might, doing better than he had before. More trash had been cleared in a single day than what would usually take an entire week. He couldn't explain it, being every bit as confused as the pro. What All Might had guessed to be him progressing faster than expected was quashed as the days passed, leaving the man stumped.

Finally, no one seemed to remember who Yuuma was. Izuku had taken a gamble and asked one of his classmates, just wanting to know if everything had been a dream.

"What the hell are you talking about Deku? What kind of girl would ask YOU out of all people?"

It was the answer he expected.

The fact that even his mom didn't remember had hit him the hardest. All the work she had put into helping him, and she didn't remember at all. It was just a regular day as far as she knew. She even asked him after he had woken up the day after when he had gotten back, as she hadn't seen him come home. He couldn't answer. He had no idea.

What was strangest though, was that All Might did remember. He asked about his date, and that was enough to let Izuku know that he hadn't gone crazy. The two had talked, with the pro promising to try and investigate things, both wondering if it would explain everything that has been happening to him. It took less than two days, but he gave news that shocked and unnerved Izuku.

There had never been a student named Amano Yuuma at Aldera Junior High.

He couldn't accept that. He knew what had happened. All Might remembering was all the proof he needed. That night had happened, down to him being impaled. But he couldn't even prove that. There was nothing to show that he had been injured. No scar, not even a blemish. It was as though he hadn't been attacked at all.

And then there was what she had said. The reason she had targeted him. Whatever that was. And someone had given it to him? He had no clue, and sadly, neither did All Might. The hero had promised to do what he could whenever the two weren't training, knowing full well that Izuku wouldn't lie about something like this.

Otherwise, life had simply continued, as though nothing had happened at all. Izuku kept up his regular routine of getting up, enduring school, heading to the beach, and then enduring his training before heading back home. Almost everything had felt Iike it had before, but he still couldn't get it out of his head, no matter how hard he tried.


He was eating lunch by himself again, but for once he didn't mind. He needed time to gather his thoughts, to hopefully put together just what had happened that night.

'That wasn't a dream. I'm certain. I've never had a dream feel so real before, and every time I wake up, I feel those phantom pains around where she hit me. Is that what All Might feels? He said he'd lost his stomach after all. Wait! Stop that! Focus! You need to find out what happened. The first step is figuring out what happened to Amano.'

Unfortunately, no matter how much he tried, there were simply more questions than there were answers. Izuku stopped eating and grabbed his bag, pulling out a notebook. If one were to ask him, these were his prized possessions, more so than his collection of All Might memorabilia. 13 entire volumes that consisted of his analyses of many different heroes and quirks. And now there was another one, all to try and sort this whole thing out.

He had managed to fill it with his various thoughts and questions, though it came out far more jumbled and less focused than what was in his hero books. That's how little it all made sense to him. 'She told me that her quirk can make light, and that she can manipulate it to an extent, so where did those wings come from? How did she grow like that? Does she have more than one quirk? Is that even possible? She said she couldn't manipulate her light that well, and when she did, all she formed were small objects. So where did that spear come from? And how did I survive? Did I survive? Is this connected to how I've been feeling for the past week? None of this makes any sense!'

The ringing of the bell broke him out of his frustrated thoughts. Another day was almost over, with still nothing solved.

Even as the rest of the day passed, he felt anxious. His usual enthusiasm to make it to Takoba Beach was all but gone. Maybe the daylight was affecting him more than he thought.

A sudden commotion caught his attention as he tried leaving the building. One look was enough to explain why. With golden blonde hair reaching to her shoulders along with her piercing blue eyes, Kiba Yumi was acknowledged throughout the school as the prettiest girl around, earning herself the nickname 'Aldera's Princess'. She was fawned over by both boys and several girls for her looks and charms, the sight of her alone enough to elicit dream-filled sighs from most of the student body, while the rest bristled with envy. Impressively, she stood at 172 centimeters(5'8"), putting her above most of the teachers in height.

Her moniker was given well, as she was quite kind and courteous to anyone who crossed her path, with no one ever once hearing speak Ill of anybody. Even those who actively didn't like her were quick to admit that they were envious of her. She seemed far too perfect to be real. Even whenever she was asked out, both boys and girls had asked her multiple times, she had always turned them down, always being as polite and kind as possible when she did so. It made some even more determined to ask her.

Not Izuku though. He had never even entertained the idea. She was way out of his league, and he didn't need another reason for people to make fun of him.

Strangely, she didn't seem to have any actual friends in the school. She hung out with a few people while she was there, but she rarely stuck around to talk with them when school was over, usually being the first to leave as soon as the final bell rang, with no one sure as to why.

The two of them had met, even if only briefly. The few times they had done so were simply because they had passed by each other in the hall. Polite as she was, Yumi was always quick to wave at people who passed by, even him, which Izuku had responded to in kind, albeit slightly bashfully. The two were on opposite ends of the popularity spectrum, so it had always felt odd.

Something had been different over the past week however. Yumi tended to have a smile on her face at all times, but it seemed to brighten somewhat whenever she looked at Izuku. He wasn't sure why she had started looking at him like that, it almost seemed like she was excited about something Izuku didn't know about.

He expected the day to be no different than normal as he made his way to the doors, only stopping briefly to change out his shoes. From red to red, as usual. They were his favorites after all. As he did so, Yumi passed by him, the usual pep in her step, before something odd happened.

She spoke to him.

"Hope you have a pleasant evening Midoriya."

Izuku had been completely taken aback by that. Yumi rarely spoke to anyone outside of small talk, and had never even said a word to him before now. He wasn't the only one weirded out by this though.

"What was that?"

"Did-did our Princess just wish Midoriya of all people a good evening!?"

"Why him? What's so special about him?"

"You know, She's been looking at him lately. Do you think that…maybe…?"

"Midoriya? With Yumi? Nope. Not possible."

"Damn it! Why wasn't it me!?"

Izuku wisely made his leave, hoping to escape everyone's notice. He was every bit as confused as the others though. Just another question that he didn't know the answer to.


While he still had no clue about where his newfound strength came from, he couldn't help but enjoy it just a little. It had definitely helped with his cleanup effort as well. What would have once taken an entire week he had now found himself able to do in almost a single day, surprising both trainer and trainee.

As the sun began to set, Izuku felt himself become more and more invigorated. With the daylight that had previously been sapping away at his new strength now gone, he felt like he could work even harder now, at least he would if the day's work hadn't already been completed. Still, he felt a sense of both pride and accomplishment at it. If he kept this pace up, he could be done weeks ahead of schedule, possibly even months!

"It's hard to argue with the results, young Midoriya," Toshinori said as he gazed at the remaining trash in his truck. "Still, this new strength of yours worries me."

"Same," Izuku agreed, wiping away the light layer of sweat that had begun to build up. Even after all this time, they still had no answers. Toshinori had even discreetly taken Izuku to a doctor he trusted to see if he had somehow developed a quirk. The results came back negative. They were stuck at square one.

"Getting a bit late," Toshinori said as he climbed into his truck. "You really sure you'll be fine on your own from here? It's not like giving you a lift home would be too much work." Toshinori was worried, and why wouldn't he be? Between the strange things happening to his pupil and the fact that there was still a killer on the loose, he felt uneasy at the thought of Izuku going home on his own.

"I should be fine," Izuku said, instantly regretting his words the moment they escaped his lips. "I mean, you already told me that you still have time to do one of your patrols tonight, right?" While the deflated pro nodded in response, he still looked unconvinced. "Knowing you'll be out there is enough to put me at ease. Even then, I'll be sticking to well lit areas, and I'll have my phone with me the whole time." Those lessons had been drilled into him at a young age by his parents, both wanting to make sure their only child knew how to stay safe. Even with Heroes regularly patrolling, anything could still happen after all, and he had made certain to keep those lessons memorized.

Despite his words, Toshinori still looked unconvinced, letting out a long sigh. "If you're really sure. Just be sure to text me as soon as you get back home alright? Don't want any other bad thing to happen to you." He couldn't stop himself from growing rather fond of the kid over the last few months, and feeling concern for him almost felt like second nature.

"I will. I promise." Izuku made sure to smile as Toshinori started his truck. He still could hardly believe that he had All Might's number. ALL MIGHT'S NUMBER! That easily scored highly as one of the best moments of his life by far! Even if he couldn't save the contact name as All Might, he cherished it greatly like the fanboy he was.

As Izuku jogged back home, Toshinori made sure to follow him for part of the way, still concerned for him, which Izuku appreciated. As they neared his neighborhood, entering one of the more well lit areas of the city, Toshinori left, waving to the kid as he did so, which Izuku returned enthusiastically. After that, Izuku was alone with his thoughts.

'It still feels hard to believe this,' he thought. The cool night air felt great as he jogged through the city. 'All Might's training me, ME of all people to inherit his quirk.' Even after these last few months, it had felt like some sort of dream. Adding onto everything that had happened since, including his 'date' and the odd new strength of his, his life was starting to feel like some sort of comic book.

Even now, he felt amazement at his new abilities. Even after the intense training he had gone through today, he barely felt winded. He honestly felt like he might be able to jog across the entirety of Mustufau without getting tired.

An odd chill suddenly began creeping up his spine, bringing him to a stop. His head began darting around, every sense that he had was screaming at him. Something was wrong. He felt like he had eyes trained on him. It was enough to make his body start trembling. He scanned the environment around him, hoping to find whatever it was that was making him feel off. To his surprise, even with the lights illuminating the area, he could see clearly, as though it was still daytime. It was how he was ultimately able to spot what was bothering him.

Staring at him, partially hidden behind a tree, was a large man, standing tall at 183 centimeters(6'0"). He had short black hair covered by a black fedora, and while Izuku did everything he could not to stare into his eyes, he could feel the disgust emanating from those blue orbs. His pale gray long coat covered his white dress shirt and black pants. With his black boots and white ascot combined with the rest of his attire, Izuku was reminded of old anime characters his dad had talked about before. Ruthless hunters who went after their prey without mercy.

And right now, Izuku felt like he was prey.

"What unfortunate luck," the man said as he stepped out from behind the tree, the hostility radiating off him like crazy, nearly sending Izuku into a panic. "Bumping into something like you in a place like this."

As he stepped forward, Izuku felt himself retreating. This man scared him, down to his core, and he had no idea why. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to do one thing.

Run.

"In a city full of heroes, it's hard to believe that one of your kind would find its way here." The man stepped closer, Izuku continuing to back away slowly as the man began to sneer. "Pathetic. Now tell me, where's your master? As weak as you are, they can't be far. Tell me."

Izuku had already begun to run before the man had even finished talking, not even daring to look back. He ran faster than he even thought was possible, but for every second that passed by, he feared that it wouldn't be enough.

He ran past streets, both familiar and strange, hoping that he would find a way to lose that man. Hoping that he wouldn't suffer the fate those eyes promised him. That scorn, that pure disgust, Izuku had seen it before. He had been looked at that way by several of his classmates, Yukiharu being the worst of all, but even he didn't match the hatred that Kan held.

He wanted to kill him. He was certain.

The more he ran, the more his fear took over. He could barely think as he dashed through the city for what felt like hours before finally coming to a stop. Catching his breath, he saw something familiar about where he had stopped. The trees around him, that fountain, they were the same ones in his nightmares. As he stood there, panting and gasping for air, he wondered if he had succeeded, hoping beyond hope that he had escaped.

"Did I *gasp* did I lose him?"

"Afraid not."

If he could jump out of his skin at that moment, he would have. Before him, barely 5 meters away was that man. But now, he looked different. The shivers of fear that shook him down to his core had turned into pure terror.

Extending from the man's back were a pair of black wings. Just like hers.

'Those…those wings! Does he…does he know her? Is that why he's after me?'

The man stepped forward again, lurching toward Izuku like he was the angel of death. "You led me on a bit of a chase, but you had no hope of escape. Monsters like you have no hope of escaping me."

As he continued stepping forward, his head moved around, as though he was looking for something. "So, there seems to be no sign of your master, nor any of your kin. No one trying to hide their presence, not even one of their arcane circles." His eyes circled back to Izuku, a manic grin filled with diabolical glee forming on his face. "Guess that makes you nothing more than a stray."

'Monster? Stray? Master? Arcane circle? Kin? What is this guy talking about!?'

The man continued lurching forward as Izuku kept stepping back, his manic glee never leaving, like he was enjoying every second of Izuku's terror. He then held his arm up, before a bright blue light began to shine in his palm. Before Izuku's very eyes, another image from his nightmares was formed.

In that man's hand was a spear made out of light. Just like hers.

"Looks like that means killing you won't be an issue!"

Instinct took over once more, and despite how tired he felt, Izuku turned to run.

Only to stop almost immediately. A familiar pain coursing through his body.

As he looked down, he saw it. The spear that the man was holding had been thrust through his chest.

The pain he remembered before was nothing compared to what he was feeling now. He fell to his knees near instantly from the sheer agony he felt, trying to clutch at the spear embedded in him. The instant his hands touched it, the same sensation he felt in his gut spread to his hands. They were burning.

"Light. It's nothing less than pure poison for you." The man approached him from behind before kicking him on the back, making him fall to the ground. "Part of me was hoping it would be swift. Guess you got lucky when you turned to run, that or you may actually be tougher than I thought. Shame either way. I do hate making my prey suffer." The light spear vanished from Izuku's chest, blood beginning to pour from his wound like it had before. "I'll be sure to finish it this time," the man said, another spear in his hand as he raised it above his head, before swiftly bringing it down, aiming for Izuku's heart. Izuku shut his eyes tightly, dreading the end.

The air between the two suddenly exploded.

When Izuku opened his eyes back up, the man was clutching his hand, or what little remained of it. Most of his fingers had been blown off, pieces of bone sticking through his mangled hand as his blood dripped down to the ground.

"That will be your only warning. Step away from him now."

That voice. It sounded strangely familiar.

The man jumped away from the still downed Izuku, glaring at his attacker. "Crimson hair. You must be part of the House of Gremory." His voice was laced with both pain and venom, seething at his attacker.

"You're right." A figure appeared above Izuku, allowing him a glimpse of his savior. He recognized her. It was that same girl he had run into the other week. It was hard to forget hair like hers. "Rias Gremory. A pleasure to meet you, Fallen one." He now had a name to place to her face. "I will show no mercy if you try to attack him again."

"So, this creature belongs to you then," the man spat out. She had called him a Fallen one, but what did that mean? "I never would have guessed that this city was your territory."

"He does, and it is," she said, folding her arms across her chest. She stared daggers at the man, but she kept a serene looking smile the entire time. "Now leave immediately, unless you desire for me to end your life here and now for the crime of harming my precious servant."

'Wait. Is she really going to kill him? And what is she talking about? Servant?' Izuku thought, his gaze never wavering from her form.

"Fine," he spat out. He took to the sky, as he had seen Yuuma do, facing Rias all the while. "I suppose I should apologize for this little misunderstanding, heir of the House of Gremory, but you would be wise not to let your servants run loose like this. There are others like me who would strike him down in an instant."

"I appreciate the advice, but this entire city is under my watch," she told him, her smile having dropped into a scowl. "If I catch a hint of you or yours skulking about, they will know of my wrath."

"I shall keep that in mind then." The man flew higher into the air, but did not take his eyes away from the two as he ascended. "I am known as Dohnaseek. It would be best for us not to cross paths again," he shouted down before finally flying away, the feathers from his wings floating down to the ground.

By now, Izuku could barely keep up with anything that was happening, the pain becoming too great for him to handle. Even if he was able to ignore the burning hole in his torso, he still had no clue what was going on. Who was that man, that Dohnaseek? Why did he have the same wings and powers that Yuuma had? Was she one of these 'Fallen ones' as well? And who was Rias Gremory? Was she referring to him as her servant? Why? What was going on?

"You're hurt." He could barely keep his eyes open now, but he could still see Rias kneeling down to his prone form, a look of concern on her face. "Tell me, where-" Izuku had already slipped into unconsciousness as soon as she spoke to him. He wasn't sure what she was about to say, nor was he sure he would ever know.


Everything was silent. All around was nothing more than darkness, and yet he could still see clearly, his arm outstretched before him as clear as day. He seemed to just float there, unable to move as eternity passed around him.

A voice then began to break through. It felt both ancient and powerful, like it was beyond anything that he could ever know. And yet, it sounded so familiar, like it was one he had known all his life.

'Can you finally hear me? After all this time? Interesting…'


THE MORNING IS HERE! THE MORNING IS HERE! THE MORNING IS HERE! THE MORNING IS HERE! THE-

The blaring of his alarm woke him near instantly. As his eyes began their usual routine of adjusting to the morning light, his mind wandered back to what he had just been dreaming of. 'No. That wasn't a dream,' he thought to himself. 'It felt way too real to be a dream.' He won every forget the feeling of that spear of light embedding itself in his torso. The pain was far too great for it not to have been real. Things were different now though. That girl. Rias Gremory. Who was she? 'What's going on? Am I going crazy?' He hoped he would be able to find some kind of answer, even though he was almost certain he would only find dead ends. He lifted his sheet up to get out of bed, before noticing something peculiar. Something that was very out of the norm for him.

"Where are my clothes?"

He wasn't one to sleep naked. What was going on now? He was certain he hadn't done anything last night to end up without any clothes so why was he…?

"...zzz…zzz…"

…there was someone in his bed.

Izuku froze completely the instant he saw them. Or rather, her. It was that same girl he saw in his dream. The one who had saved him from that weird guy. Rias Gremory.

And she was sleeping in his bed. And apparently had been doing so right beside him.

And worst of all? She was every bit as naked as he was.

He was unable to take his eyes off her. The way her crimson hair spread around the pillow, how the sheets seemed to contour to every curve on her body, the way her skin looked so perfect, without a single blemish in sight.

Izuku could only think of a single word to describe her in that moment.

"Beautiful."

The instant he spoke, reality hit him like a speeding truck. There was a girl in his bed. And she was naked! He could see her! Almost every bit of her! The only thing covered up was her lower half, but he knew that the slightest effort could change that! He could feel the blood leak from his nose as he stared at her, his own lower half rising as he took in the view of her bare breasts, each one looking to be as big as his own head!

'G-G-G-GIRL! GIRL! PRETTY GIRL! NAKED! PRETTY NAKED GIRL! ON MY BED! NEXT TO ME! SHE WAS SLEEPING NEXT TO ME! BOTH OF US! NAKED! TOGETHER! OH GOD! WHAT'S GOING -' "AGH!"

A sharp pain rang throughout his skull, cracking through it luke a whip, sending him tumbling out of bed, taking the sheet with him.

"Izuku? Was that you? Did something happen?"

Hearing his mother's voice causes him to freeze up. The thought of her finding hik naked in his room so early on the morning was bad enough, but if she saw a girl in here, a NAKED girl, he didn't know how she would react.

"...mm. Is it morning already?"

The girl was also now waking up! This could not be any worse for him! Even then, he couldn't look away as he watched her eyes slowly flutter open, even as she began to rub the sleep from them.

"Izuku? Why aren't you answering me? I'm coming in right now!"

The instant the door flew open, Rias had sat up on the bed and decided to stretch her arms up. With the sheet no longer covering her, her fully exposed naked glory was in full view of both Izuku and his mother. Both simply stared in shock.

"Good morning," she said, her smile beaming. She said this as if two people catching sight of her like this didn't bother her in the slightest.

Izuku didn't know his mother could make the face she was making now. Her eyes had opened so wide they were bulgng outward, and her mouth was so wide open from shock that he feared it might fall off. He wasn't much better at the moment though, probably worse given how his nakedness was also in full view, and his body was quick to tell the world just what it thought of Rias' naked form.

"I-I-I-I-I…" his mom stuttered out, her mind rebooting at the sight before her. "I'MGONNAGOFINISHMAKINGBREAKFAST!" She shrieked out before slamming the door behind her. Izuku could only stare openly at the now shut door.

"Your mother seems lively," Rias said, now sitting up at the edge of his bed. As she stared down at him, she noticed his shocked face. "Is something wrong?"

"I-I-I-I…y-yo-you…," Izuku tried stuttering out, his eyes still glued to her chest. "B-b-b-b-b-b…," he near whispered, slowly raising his hand to point at her chest.

"Oh, is that all? It's no problem," she said, completely uncaring about it. "You can look at them if you like."

"Huh? Wha-what?" Blood was no longer slowly dripping from his nose now, it had become a small stream. He had to wipe it away, lest he start to bleed out. "Wait! Ho-hold on!" He said. It seems like he was trying to tackle a different subject, despite his eyes never once straying from the sight in front of him. "What's going on? How did we get to my room? How did you fight off the wing guy? Who was he? What was he? And how do you know my name?"

"Easy now, one question at a time," she laughed. It wasn't mocking though, she sounded like she was genuinely amused by his questions, or at least with how quickly he blurted them out. "You'll learn the whole truth soon enough, but I'll give you the short answers first. That man was an enemy of mine, a Fallen Angel. I was able to fight him off with my magic, the same magic that got us both here. As for knowing your name, I made sure to do my homework."

"M-magic? Fallen Angel? Homework?" Just what-what was she talking about? He was so confused. None of what she was saying made any sense to him.

"Of course," she said as she extended her arm down to him, ready to help him up. "After all, I should know as much about you as I can. You're my newest servant after all."

"S-servant?" He wasn't sure he liked where this was going.

"I should have said that better. My apologies," she said, her smile never once leaving her face as she spoke. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Rias Gremory, and I am a Devil. And from here on out, I am also your Master."


So, what fresh hell is this? Simply put, I've been wanting to get back into writing for the longest time. I dipped my toes into the fanfiction pool long ago, but I overestimated my abilities, leading to poor storytelling, and leaving everything unfinished.

I've remained an avid reader, but I haven't had the courage to try my hand for the longest time. Then something odd happened. As I was reading Hero Academia DxD, I was struck by inspiration. Ever since then, I've been trying to hone my craft, trying to essentially do my own version of their story. After nearly an entire year, and multiple practice chapters as I eased myself into it, here it is.

I'll admit though, I'm still quite anxious about it. Hell, I was hesitant to even post this chapter for a while. If you all would be kind enough to let me know how I'm doing, it would be very much appreciated.

If you enjoy this, I'll warn you now not to expect frequent updates. Life keeps us all busy, so I'll do what I can on my spare time.

Until then, I hope you all enjoy this inaugural chapter, and I'll see you next time. Be good, be kind.