Chapter 1 - Junko Mutsuki: Origin

At the entrance to the prestigious school of U.A. High, a lone teenage girl stood waiting outside. The sun was just beginning to rise, the dawning light cascading over the girl's well-defined physique. Her long, chartreuse-coloured ponytail began to flutter in the wind as she opened her cyan eyes; taking it all in.

"I'm here, Dad. Mom..." She began, a single tear sliding down her ivory skin and falling off her smiling face. "This is it. This is where I start... My hero academia."

Twelve Months Earlier

It was early April in the year 20XX, the spring season had just begun, with the cherry blossoms already in full bloom. As the wind scattered the pink petals among the city, a 14-year old girl wearing a junior high uniform could be seen running through the streets; her long, unrestrained hair flowing in the breeze behind her.

'I'm late! I'm late! Oh, I'm super late! Just my luck that I decide to sleep through my alarm again! Ugh, my teacher's gonna totally chew me out for this, I'm sure!' She thought to herself, a worried expression etched on her face as she imagines the lecture she's gonna get from her homeroom teacher.

Just as she's nearing a nearby corner, a bulldog man riding a bike appears from behind it. Her eyes widen as she realises that, at the speed she's going at, there'd be no time to stop before she crashes into him. Nevertheless, she dawns on a determined look and continues running. The bulldog's face contorts into a panicked expression as he notices her steadily approaching. However, right before she could collide into him, a red, flame-like energy enveloped both of her legs. In an instant, she then leapt high into air, back-flipping over the shocked cyclist before landing gracefully on the other side of him. Sweat dripped down her face as she started to pant heavily. The bulldog's face was still in shock, but he managed to break out of it, instead, putting on an angry expression.

"What the hell, kid! Watch where you're going! What you did was cool and all, but you could have gotten yourself hurt doing it, ya hear me?!" He barked out furiously, large amounts of saliva dripping from his muzzle.

She immediately turned to him sheepishly and gave an apologetic bow, "I'm sorry, sir! It won't happen again, I promise!"

He gave a little gruff before pedalling away on his bicycle. The girl gave a heavy sigh before she heard her phone give a notification beep. She pulled it out from her pocket and looked at the message. It was from her best friend.

'Where are you? You late again? You better hurry, I think the teacher's mad at you.'

"Oh, crap!" She muttered to herself before placing her phone back in her pocket and booking it in the direction of the school.

Meanwhile, at Korusanto Junior High, a boy with a plum-coloured, bowl-cut hairstyle was sitting quietly at his desk. He was looking at his phone, at the message he had sent to his childhood friend. He sighed before placing it into his pocket. His homeroom teacher was currently discussing about the career aptitude tests she had just handed out to the class, despite the fact the majority of the students were planning on going towards the hero track after graduation.

The boy sighed before deciding to look out the window. It was then that he saw his childhood friend frantically sprinting through the school gate and into the building.

"Junko," he muttered, exasperatedly.

"Something you want to discuss with the rest of the class, Mr Soya?" The teacher asked, staring at him with her three imposing eyes.

"Uh... Nope! N-nothing to discuss here, ma'am!" He stammered out awkwardly.

"Hmm," was all she uttered before resuming her lecture.

Soya breathed out a sigh of relief. Not long after, a pair of footsteps could be heard speeding down the hallways towards the classroom before...

"I AM HERE!" A flushed Junko Mutsuki announced, as she panted heavily.

The class stared at her in confusion, whilst an embarrassed Soya facepalmed himself. As for the teacher, she was furious.

"You're late again, Ms Mutsuki," she stated, her tone emotionless and cold.

Mutsuki rubbed at the back of her neck bashfully before nonchalantly stating, "Hehe, yeah, my bad. I may have slept through my alarm again."

If looks could kill, Mutsuki would be dead on the spot.

...

The teacher had given Mutsuki detention, of which, she had to spend both her lunch break and some time after school to write a 1,000 word essay on why she shouldn't be late to class. She also was given a harsh lecture from her teacher, something she had already foreseen. By the time she was exiting the school building, she was already feeling dejected. That was until she saw her best friend, Soya, waiting patiently by the school gate. Instantly noticing her, the boy proceeded to wave out to her. A smile warmed its way to her lips as she waved back, and then jogged her way over to him.

"... And then she said that I need to 'take things more seriously', like I'm not already doing that, ya know?" Mutsuki ranted as the two of them were making their way back home together, the day still bright and sunny.

She then placed both her arms behind her head before declaring, "I'm pretty sure she has it out for me or something."

"I don't know, Junko. Sounds like she was giving some good, genuine advice to you," Soya replied.

Mutsuki glared at him for a moment, then leapt onto the nearby rails before proudly proclaiming, "I'm a straight A student! I eat healthily and exercise nearly everyday! I've also been training both my body and my quirk ever since I was ten! So tell me, how is that not taking things seriously enough?!"

Soya assumed a thinking pose before bluntly stating, "Well... you arrive late almost everyday of school. You often rush into things without thinking about them properly. You brush off nearly any and all serious topics that are thrown at you. And if that's not enough, you tend to take what people say at face value."

To Mutsuki, all those statements felt like a dozen arrows piercing her chest.

Soya, immediately noticing this, quickly stuttered out, "A-ah! S-sorry, was that too honest?"

"Nope, you're good. I just didn't expect to hear those things all at once from you. Regardless, all those are unsubstantial things, ya know?"

"Okaay, then what about all those recommendations to U.A. that you turned down?"

There was a brief pause before Mutsuki hopped off the rails and answered solemnly, "That... has nothing to do with it, Hibiki. And I suggest you drop it."

Soya was surprised by this. Usually, Mutsuki's not one to hide things, especially from those close to her. Something's not right.

"B-but why? Those recommendations pretty much guarantee your entry into U.A.. Why would you wanna turn that down? Anyone in your shoes would absolutely take up that offer to-"

"Because I want to get into U.A. through my own merits and I don't wanna be seen as anymore 'special' than anyone else, got it!" She exclaimed, hiding her face from him. Soya, on the other hand, flinched from her sudden outburst; a concerned look etched onto his face. She sighed before she continued, "Because of the fact that both my parents are pro heroes, and the fact that people think I'm 'gifted' with some amazing quirk, they naturally assume that I have a straight shot towards becoming a hero. That I don't need to work hard at all for it. And that, honestly, pisses me off. Because, of course I need to work hard for it. Like I said before, I've been training both my quirk and my body ever since I was ten years old! But no, people just wanna undermine all that by telling me, 'you were just born to be a hero'..." Tears began to spill from her eyes but she immediately wiped them away. "If I take on those recommendations, it'd be like proving them right. Proving that I'm some 'special' prodigy or whatever. When, in actuality, I'm just a normal teenager like everyone else."

Soya began to feel guilt well up within his chest, "I-I'm sorry, Junko. I had no idea this was how you felt about it."

Mutsuki turned to him, now with a smile plastered on her face, "It's okay. I should've talked to you sooner about all this. After all, we're friends right?"

He nodded eagerly at that.

"And besides, I also wanna compete against you properly during the entrance exams, tehe," she added, grinning cheekily as they continued to walk onwards side by side.

Soya however, scratched the back of his head nervously before replying, "Yeah, about that..."

...

"WHAT?! You still haven't told your parents that you're planning on going to U.A.?!" Mutsuki exclaimed, visibly pulling at her wild hair.

"Sshh! Keep your voice down," he replies, scanning the area as if his parents are somehow spying on him; which is highly unlikely.

"Look, I haven't told them yet because: one, it's not guaranteed that I'll even get into U.A.. Two, my parents never listen to what I have to say. And three, if they did, they would make sure to stop me from even trying to attempt it."

"Why are your parents even like this?"

Now it was his turn to sigh, "You already know what my parents are like. As for why they're the way they are, I don't exactly know. They've always been rather controlling over me ever since I was a little kid. They don't even allow me to use my quirk at all."

"Then you should stand up to them, Hibiki! Tell them it's your life and you get to decide what to do with it!"

"Heh, easy for you to say," he muttered, slightly annoyed.

"What was that?"

"Oh, uh, n-nothing!"

"Look, all I'm saying is that you've got great potential to become a hero. And I don't just mean that because of your quirk. Besides it's been both of our dreams ever since we were kids. Heck, I don't even know a single person who doesn't wanna be a hero."

Despite Mutsuki's optimism, it was hard for Soya to feel the same way. Maybe because he's just a pessimistic person by nature, but he doesn't expect his parents to change their minds. Not even if he tried with all his heart.

By the time the two had parted ways, the sun had just begun to set. Along the way, they also got to witness the number one hero, All Might, take down a sludge villain. Right after some dumb kid rushed in and nearly got himself killed trying to save his friend. Soya had even jokingly remarked that it sounded like something that Mutsuki would've done if he was the one captured by the villain. She couldn't exactly disagree with him on that one.

She soon made it back to her two story house, and as she opened the gate, a border collie began bounding its way towards her. She had no time to register before the dog leapt on top of her and began enthusiastically licking her face.

"Oh, yuck! Kuri, stop! I miss you too, okay! Now get off!" She exclaimed, smiling all the while as she gently started to shove the canine off her. Once he was off, she stood up; wiping the dog drool from her face. Kuri, meanwhile, was on his back, exposing his belly. Mutsuki rolled her eyes before crouching down and giving his stomach some scratches.

After about a minute or so, she then asked him, "Is Dad home?"

Kuri immediately got back up on all fours and gave an excited bark as a response.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes."

With that, she made her way inside the house, with Kuri following close behind, She then announced that she was home, but no one answered. She shrugged, before taking her shoes off. Once she reached the living room however, she saw her father asleep on one of the chairs; still in his hero costume.

"Another long day, huh, Dad?" She said, giving a sad smile. Kuri let out a depressed whine next to her. "It's alright, Kuri. He just needs some proper rest, that's all."

Mutsuki quickly examined her father. Junpei Mutsuki was a tall man, standing at 6'2", sporting a bit of a stubble and had a well-defined muscular physique. He had short, spiky, purple hair and a pair of cyan-blue eyes, which his daughter inherited. His hero costume was a skin-tight suit with dark blue surrounding his legs, stomach, and arms, and light green covering his shoes, waist, chest, and gloves, with a white outline dividing the two colours. On his chest was the peace sign symbol, and his cape was a bright yellow, with his mask, that was only covering his eyes, being a deep shade of purple.

She proceeded to then lift her father up, carrying him over her shoulders. This wasn't the first time she's had to do this, not only that, but she's been building up her physical strength for a few years now. Mutsuki then walked towards her father's room and placed him gently onto his bed. She then got him changed out of his costume and into some clean clothes before placing him under the covers; all the while he slept soundly. As he continued to snore, Mutsuki bent down, brushing parts of her hair behind her ear and kissed his forehead.

"Don't worry, Dad. Once I become a hero, you won't have to work so hard anymore," she whispered, exiting out of the room as quick as she could.

Unbeknown to her however, her father was secretly listening and a smile quickly appeared on his face.

Meanwhile, Mutsuki was now kneeling before a small shrine within one of the smaller rooms. It was decorated with flowers, specifically Japanese lotus flowers. Within the middle, was a small picture frame. The photo that it held was that of Mutsuki's mother. Kazuko Mutsuki resembled much of her daughter, only with bright, golden eyes that she couldn't help but compare to a fox.

Tears began to well up in Mutsuki's eyes as she's brought back to the painful memory of what happened to her.

She was six-years old and was attending the new year's festival with both her parents. The two had finally got some time off from hero work and were eager to spend it with their daughter. All three of them were dressed in traditional kimono dresses as they walked through the large crowd of people. It wasn't long before Mutsuki's father went off to go find a stall where they could all go eat together.

"Hold onto my hand, Junko," the gentle voice of her mother instructed. Mutsuki then proceeded to take a firm grasp of her mother's hand. "The fireworks will be starting soon. Let's go watch them, okay?"

"What about Daddy?" Mutsuki asked innocently, her voice sounding small.

"He'll find us, don't worry. Now let's go," She said reassuringly before taking her daughter someplace where they could get a better view.

The two quickly found themselves in an open courtyard, surrounded by dozens of people. Mutsuki looked towards her mother, whom gave a soft, warm smile. She immediately smiled back. A minute later, a firework had shot off into the sky with a surrounding bang. Following it, dozens of other fireworks exploded in the night sky. The lights and flashes shimmered and danced as countless colours dotted the sky. Mutsuki's eyes were wide with delight. On the very last firework, which gave an echoing bang that sounded like it was close, Mutsuki giggled and said to her mother, "That was amazing! Right, Mo-"

Her smile instantly left her face as her eyes widened in fear of the horror she was witnessing. Blood splattered from the open wound in her mother's forehead, her eyes blank and lifeless. She then fell onto the pavement in front of her, her body gone limp and her hand still clasping onto her daughter's. All Mutsuki could was stare at her mother's unconscious body. It wasn't long, however, before she began to hear someone screaming. She had no idea who it was but they sounded like they'd be around her age. The scream continued, echoing through the night. She soon realised that the scream was coming from her.

"I'm sorry," Mutsuki repeated, tears trickling down her face as she hugged her body tightly.

CHARACTER INFO:

Name: Junko Mutsuki (睦月純子)

Birthday: June 14

Age: 15 (By the start of the U.A. Entrance Exam.)

Gender: Female

Height: 175 cm (5'9")

Hair Colour: Chartreuse

Eye Colour: Cyan

Blood Type: O

Quirk: Aura Force (Will be explained next chapter.)

Birthplace: Near Shizuoka Prefecture

Family: Junpei Mutsuki/Father, Kazuko Mutsuki/Mother (Deceased), Kuri/Pet dog

Likes: Baseball, heroes, and any food with wasabi in it

Appearance: She has an ivory-toned skin complexion, and her body is well-defined but not overtly muscular. Her hair is quite long, nearly covering her entire back, and is somewhat messy. Her wavy bangs also cover parts of her forehead. She has large round eyes and a few faint freckles dotting her cheeks. When dressing in civilian clothes, she likes to wear something that is loose and comfortable. A casual outfit she would wear would be a sleeveless hoodie, some loose track paints, and a pair of running shoes.