From The Ashes

by Byrdman53

Growing up Izuku Midoriya always wanted to be a hero. He was already off to a great start when his quirk manifested. His parents' quirks combined and he was able to completely control fire. He called his quirk Pyrokinesis. He was on his way home from playing with some of the neighborhood kids when he saw his house turned to rubble. NOTE: I DO NOT OWN THE COVER ART

1. It's Not Red, It's Orange

~ "Say what you want, Deku, but you'll never be a better hero than me."

"You'll see, Kacchan, one day I'll be the greatest hero ever."

Two boys ran around the local park dreaming of the future. For these two this was a daily conversation, the constant back and forth of who would be the best fueled the flames of their dreams.

"Katsuki, Izuku, you two say goodbye. It's time to go."

"But, mom…"

"No buts, Katsuki. Izuku's dad just got back from a business trip."

"Fine… I'll see you later, Deku."

"Bye, Kacchan. Bye, Auntie Mitsuki."

"Get home safe, Izuku- and tell your parents hi for us."

The summer sun was beating down as he made his way home. The boy was so excited- his dad had been gone for a few weeks on a trip, showcasing his newest discovery about quirks. He was so excited that he didn't realize something wasn't right. As he turned into his driveway he stopped and looked at the ruins of what used to be his house.

"Izuku baby, stay back, it's dangerous!"

"Mom, dad!"

"Everything will be alright Izuku, just remember that your mother and I love you."

The house he had lived in had been reduced to ruble. His parents were trapped underneath, the happy life he had came to a stop. As he stared in disbelief he noticed three people standing behind it. He couldn't make out any of their faces, all he could see was a pair of piercing gold eyes. Their eyes locked onto each other, then the air around the boy began to heat up. ~

Sitting alone in a dark room a boy sits up while gasping for air. A cold sweat runs down his back as he tries to calm his breathing. Slowly he gets out of bed and makes his way to the bathroom. As the lights come on he's met by a face he knows all too well. Emerald eyes, dark green hair, and freckles with a diamond pattern on each cheek. These features belong to Izuku Midoriya.

He let out a deep sigh before washing his face. "That was the third time this month I've had that dream."

Once he finished in the bathroom he made his way into the living room. Sitting on a shelf was a picture of him with his parents before the accident. He softly smiled at it as he picked it up.

"It's hard to believe it's already been eight years. A lot has changed since then, but I'm sure you both know that already. I'm staying busy working at a motorcycle shop, It's actually run by the guy that saved me that day. I recently started living on my own, the boss set me up with a penthouse. The view overlooks Tokyo and is amazing at night. I wish you guys could see it."

After setting the picture down, he made his way into the kitchen to make breakfast. The clock on the stove showed it was a little before seven, he had an hour till he needed to be at work. His dream had woken him up earlier than he had wanted, but he saw no point in hoping for a few more minutes of sleep. As the kitchen was filled with the sounds of cooking, a phone started to ring. Midoriya's eyes narrowed on the name before answering.

"What do you want, Giran?"

"Morning kiddo, sorry about calling so early."

"Yeah, yeah, so do you have any other leads yet?

"Someone seems to be in a bad mood, did you not sleep well?"

"Enough, do you have any leads or not?"

"Shesh I was just trying to make small talk, but yeah I might have something. There's this new group that's starting to form and they need some muscle. It's nothing concrete, but I've heard that the mastermind behind them has ears everywhere. If you get in good with them he should be able to find who you're looking for."

Midoriya took a deep breath as he stared at the photo on the shelf. The open flames on the stove grew larger.

"Are you sure about this? The last lead you gave me was a dead end."

"Like I said, it's nothing concrete but I think it's worth a shot. If you like I could introduce you to them tonight."

Midoriya sighed and the flames receded back to their usual size.

"Yeah, I'll meet you at the usual place."

"Great, I knew I could count on you, Phoenix."

"I told not to use that name over the phone."

"Yeah, yeah, my bad. Well I have some more calls to make so I'll see you later tonight."

The call went silent and Midoriya put his phone away. He sighed again as he looked down at his breakfast that was now burnt.

"I really need to watch my emotions while I cook."

After discarding his burnt food,Midoriya proceeded to get ready for the day. He turned the TV on to listen to the news as he got changed. Hero news was always popular in the morning, everyone wanted to know what happened the night before and to see if their trains would be delayed. It was a ritual for most, but for Midoriya it was work. Every morning he watched for two things: anybody that had golden eyes and information on the "villain" Phoenix.

The reasons were simple enough: a person with golden eyes had killed his parents and ruined his happy life. He watched the news religiously after that, hoping to find any information on who was responsible, and in eight years nothing had come up.

When nothing came up after six years, he took on the name Phoenix to find the person himself. It sounded crazy having a thirteen year old boy going out on his own, but he was more than prepared. The people who took him in made sure he knew how to fight; on top of that they had plenty of connections to get him started.

Even though the country considered him to be a villain, he considered himself more of a vigilante. His agenda was simple: find the person who killed his parents and bring them to justice. That being said, his version of justice wasn't what most people would consider right. He had no intention of handing the person responsible over to the police, he was going to take care of them with his own hands.

"Phoenix seems to have claimed another victim last night. A body was found in a back alley and the wounds inflicted match with all previous victims."

Midoriya's head popped up as he heard his name on the TV. He shook his head as he continued getting ready as the man continued.

"This time his victim was a drug peddler who sold quirk enhancing drugs."

"It's been two years and we still have little to no leads on who Phoenix is, but is it really such a bad thing? In the two years he's been around his only targets have been drug dealers, thugs, and other villains. Is it really fair to call him a villain as well?"

"Villains are unpredictable, sure he hasn't targeted any civilians or hero's but that doesn't mean he won't eventually. Besides, anyone who kills anyone in cold blood deserves to be labeled as a villain."

Midoriya turned off the TV having had enough of the news for the day. Anytime he struck,the same debate would always happen the next morning. The host of the show would give the report of what happened and then their co-host would say something defending him. The two would go back and forth until commercial break.

Midoriya looked at the clock, it was half past seven, he needed to leave for work now. Grabbing his bag and a protein bar he made his way to his job.

"Itsuka you need to know this isn't your run of the mill mechanic we're going to, so you need to be extra careful of how you act."

"Jeez dad you make it sound like it's run by a bunch of gangsters."

A father and daughter made their way through the streets of Tokyo. The former was an older man with short, dark brown hair. The skin on his knuckles was thick, showing that he had been in plenty of fights. His daughter walked alongside him with a smile- her long, orange hair swung back and forth with each step.

"Saying that wouldn't be too far off the mark."

She looked up at her father suspiciously. "If that's the case, why do you always use them?"

Her father laughed to himself while leading the way. "They do great work, besides, the owner is an old friend of mine."

She scoffed at her dad. "From back in your delinquent days?"

"Hey we may have been rough around the edges, but they were all great guys."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, dad. I still don't understand how mom fell for someone who used to always cause problems."

"You know, Itsuka, you become more and more like your mother each and every day."

The two of them continued down the street bantering back and forth. To onlookers it may have looked like they were arguing, but in reality this was one of their ways of bonding.

Before long, the two of them reached their destination. The building itself was nothing special, it looked like your run of the mill motorcycle shop. The only things that caught her eye was it seemed like there was a track behind the shop, and the name.

"Mikey's… that's a weird name."

Her father turned to her and spoke in a serious tone. "Listen, Itsuka, don't touch anything while inside. These guys are very particular about their things."

She raised an eye at her dad. "I thought you said they were great guys."

"They are…"

Her father sighed before opening the door. A wave of cold air hit them in the face accompanied by the smell of leather and exhaust. Itsuka couldn't help but smile, the smell of leather was one of her favorites. But her smile quickly faded when she heard screaming coming inside.

"If you don't know what you want then get out! I'm busy and don't have time to fucking play twenty questions! Once you figure out what you want, come back, and then I'll see what I can do!"

Itsuka looked on in surprise as a man ran out nearly in tears. The man standing behind the counter was rather tall, bald, and had a dragon tattoo on the side of his head. His eyes locked onto Itsuka and she felt a chill go down her spine. His eyes looked as if he was ready to kill someone and she now understood why her dad was worried. When she finally managed to look away she saw her dad smiling casually.

"Hey Draken, it's been awhile."

The man behind the counter instantly broke into a wide smile. The murderous look from before was nowhere to be found. "Hey Itsuo, it's about time you showed up. I see you're still calling me by that old name, I thought I said to start calling me Ken."

Itsuka's dad made his way to the counter smiling. "Old habits die hard, besides it fits you."

"Please the only reason it suits me is because of this tattoo."

"Hey, if it fits, it fits."

That man behind the counter laughed with my dad before turning towards me. "Who's the kid? You do know this isn't a daycare?"

Itsuka's jaw dropped at his words, she had never been referred to as a kid in such a way before. 'Who the hell does this guy think he's talking to? I'm no Kid, I'm gonna be taking the UA entrance exam this year!'

Itsuka opened her mouth to speak, but her father cut her off before she could get a word in.

"This is my daughter Itsuka. Ken, you held her as a baby, did you seriously forget that?"

Ken shrugged casually. "Still doesn't change the fact this isn't a daycare."

Itsuka's dad raised an eye. "Isn't that kid you took in still hanging around here?"

Ken smirked as he locked eyes with Itsuo. "That kid is legit. Also he works here and isn't just hanging out."

Itsuo leaned in, giving a cocky smirk. "Well Itsuka isn't here to watch, when she turns sixteen she's getting her own bike. I brought her to introduce her to the person I trust most when it comes to bikes."

Ken looked over Itsuka again. "Is that true?"

Itsuka nodded confidently. "Yes sir."

"Do you have an idea of what you want?"

Itsuka smiled confidently. "A Honda Shadow Phantom with an all black trim."

Ken raised an eye. "Do you want any sissy bars with that?"

Itsuka scoffed. "Hell no, if I wanted to lean back and relax I wouldn't get a motorcycle."

Ken's expression turned serious. "What if it was for the passenger?"

"If they don't like it, then they can walk because there's no way I'm riding bitch on my own bike."

Ken smiled as he turned to Itsuka's dad. "Little Red knows what she likes, I like that."

Itsuka's eyebrow furrowed. "It's not red, it's orange!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. So you're gonna get her that for her birthday?"

"Are you kidding me Ken she can't drive that at sixteen. That's going to be her high school graduation present. She's getting a Rebel 300 for her birthday."

Ken shook his head. "I don't see the issue, the kid has had a Vulcan 900 classic for almost a year now."

"Ken, do you know how illegal that is? He's Itsuka's age, so he shouldn't even have a bike yet!"

"Relax Itsuo, he's been driving bikes since I took him in. Either way it's not like we were any better at his age. Besides, as long as he doesn't get caught there's no issues."

Itsuo sighed as he held his head. "You can do whatever you want with him, but I'm not putting Itsuka at risk. She's going for UA's hero course and I don't want to take any risks."

Ken shrugged. "Your kid. Do what you want. Just make sure you come to me when you buy or need work."

"Will do, and speaking of work, you said my bike was ready."

Ken smirked again. "Yeah, I'll bring it around."

Ken walked into the back room, leaving Itsuka and her father by themselves. Itsuo looked away while nervously scratching his cheek, hoping to avoid his daughter's glare.

"So you used to drive illegally, but you won't buy me the bike I want at sixteen?"

"Itsuka I'm looking out for you here. I was a good for nothing punk, it wasn't until college that I started to turn everything around. You have a bright future ahead of you, and I don't want to put that at risk."

Itsuka's face turned red as she pouted. "It's still not fair… but thanks for looking out for me."

Itsuo couldn't help but smile. His daughter might have had his stubbornness, but she was a softie at heart. As Itsuo continued to dote on his daughter, the back door opened causing them to freeze.

"Hey old man."

Izuku Midoriya walked through the door to find two people looking at him with a surprised expression. Midoriya looked just as surprised but quickly relaxed as he recognized one of the people looking at him.

"Oh, hey, Mr. Kendo. Have you seen the old man?"

Itsuo relaxed as well. "Ken's bringing my bike around, did you need him for something?"

"Eh not really, but I'll just wait for him to come around."

While her dad and this boy were talking, Itsuka just looked dumbfounded. 'Is this the kid they were talking about? I mean he looks like he's the same age as me. It's so not fair that he has a cool bike already.'

While Itsuka was lost in her own thoughts Midoriya gave her an odd look before turning to her father. "Who is she and why is she staring at me like that?"

Itsuo laughed before nuding Itsuka. "This is my daughter, Itsuka."

Itsuka shook her head after she stopped zoning out. "Oh sorry, I'm Itsuka Kendo, it's nice to meet you."

Midoriya gave her a smile. "Izuku Midoriya."

As their introductions finished, one of the garage doors opened up, revealing Ken standing next to Itsuo's bike. When Ken saw Midoriya talking with Itsuo and Itsuka, he smiled.

"Perfect timing kid. You're gonna be Little Red's mechanic soon."

"It's not red, it's orange!"

"Cool."

"Ken, are you serious?"

Ken nodded. "Hell yeah, he's been working on bikes since he was nine. He knows his way around them, hell he's been helping me with yours for the past two years now."

Itsuo's jaw dropped. "Seriously!? You trained him well."

"Someone has to take over the shop someday."

The two adults carried on leaving the children to awkwardly wait in silence. After a few minutes, Midoriya cleared his throat, gaining their attention.

"Old man, I'm gonna hit the track for a bit, then I'm gonna head out to meet up with some people."

"Alright, just make sure to fill the tank up when you're done."

Again, Itsuka looked dumbfounded. This boy that seemed to be her age was going to meet up with some people, and his parents didn't even bat an eye. It was crazy, sure her parents allowed her to go out with her friends, but they always asked who and what time she would be back.

Ken noticed Itsuka's expression and got an idea. "Hey kid, why don't you show her the track? Itsuo and I have some paperwork to handle."

Midoriya shrugged and motioned for Itsuka to follow. "Alright, let's go."

Itsuka nodded and happily followed; even though she didn't know Midoriya at all, she was glad to be able to see the track. Midoriya could see the excitement on her face and he could only shake his head.

"Is this your first time seeing a track?"

Kendo shook her head. "Not really, I've been to them before to watch test drives, but I've never been on one before."

Midoriya raised an eye in confusion. "What makes you think you're going on one now?"

Kendo looked at Midoriya in confusion. "Didn't he tell you to show me the track?"

"Yeah, he said show you it, not take you on it."

"Oh come on, I don't know if I'll ever get this chance again."

"I don't know if you're crazy or what, but we've known each other for all of five minutes. I have no idea why you think it's a good idea to want to ride with me."

Kendo looked at Midoriya a little disappointed. "I figured that you'd have confidence in your driving since you've been doing it for so long."

Midoriya sighed as they walked onto the track. "Fine, I'll take you on one lap, that's all though."

Kendo was beaming as she raised a fist in the air. "Hell yeah!"

Midoriya laughed at her reaction. "Alright wait here while I get everything set up."

Smiling, she gave him a salute as he walked away. "Roger that."

As Midoriya went off to get everything ready, Kendo smiled as she looked at the track. 'Oh my God this is going to be so much fun, I can't believe this is happening…. Oh my God I can't believe this is happening. I'm about to ride on a track with a guy I just met. Why didn't I think this through? I barely know his name and now I'm going to have to hold onto him. No wonder he thinks I might be crazy.'

She was so busy dealing with her inner panic that she didn't hear Midoriya walk up. Midoriya could see that she wasn't paying attention so he decided to have a little fun. He rolled the bike up next to her then revered the engine. The sudden sound caused Kendo to jump.

"Jesus Christ, why would you do that?"

Midoriya casually shrugged. "It seemed like it would be funny."

Kendo crossed her arms and glared at him. "Well it wasn't."

"I thought it was."

"It wasn't."

"Kendo, as much fun as it would be to debate what is and isn't funny with you, we don't exactly have all day. Let's go ahead and get this lap in."

She looked away nervously as she fiddled with her hair. "Yeah… about that. I think you might be right, we just met so maybe this isn't the best idea."

Midoriya shrugged again before tossing her a helmet. "Suit yourself."

After Kendo caught the helmet Midoriya took off down the track. She could only watch as he hit every turn with ease. Even though she had just said that she didn't think it was such a good idea, she already regretted it after seeing how he handled the bike.

'Maybe if I wave him down, he'll let me ride with him.'

As Midoriya came around the final turn Kendo gathered her courage and put her hand in the air to get his attention. Moments after her hand went up she noticed him start to slow down, she smiled excitedly seeing that he was coming to a stop.

When Midoriya came to a stop he turned off the bike and took his helmet off, confusing her.

"Is everything alright?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I just had a call come in that I have to take."

Kendo looked down, slightly dejected. "Oh.."

Midoriya's face scrunched up as he read the name displayed on his phone. "What do you want, Kai?"

"I need you to come in, I have an important job for you."

"Not happening, today's my off day and besides I already have plans for tonight."

"That little side hobby of yours can wait."

"Gramps said I could come and go as I pleased. I'm not tied to anything."

"That mark you carry says otherwise. Also, Pops isn't doing too hot right now, so I'm incharge till he gets better."

Midoriya's eyes widened causing Itsuka to briefly give him a look of concern.

"What happened?"

"I'll explain when you get here."

The line went dead. Midoriya's face twisted into a scowl as he tightly gripped his phone. He had been hoping the people he'd meet tonight would help him find whoever had killed his parents, but now that was getting put on hold.

"Dammit."

Kendo looked at him concerned and slowly reached out her hand before quickly retracting it. "Is everything alright?"

He took a deep breath before giving a casual smile. "Yeah, but it looks like my plans changed, so I have to go."

"Oh, that sucks."

His tone turned serious as he stared at his phone. "You have no idea."

Kendo looked at him curiously. His demeanor changed rapidly and it confused her. Midoriya felt her confused gaze and laughed which only caused her to be even more confused.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh I was just laughing about how you were so excited about riding on the track, but then got nervous the moment you realized it was actually happening. Then once you missed your chance, you thought to wave me down hoping you could ride."

Kendo gave him an annoyed look. "How exactly is that funny?"

"It's not, the funny part is that now I have to go before you even get a chance to ride the track."

Kendo pouted at him while crossing her arms. "I'd say that's more annoying than funny."

Midoriya laughed again. "I can't disagree with that, I'd be pissed if I was in your shoes."

Kendo stopped pouting and shrugged as she stared off down the track. "Maybe, but I didn't come expecting this. If anything, I should be grateful you offered me a chance."

Midoriya smiled as he watched her stare down the track. A breeze blew her long, orange hair- captivating him momentarily. He looked down at his phone, checking the time before smirking.

"Fuck it, I have time for one more lap."

Kendo looked at him surprised. "I thought you said you had to go?"

"Even if I showered here and left right away, I wouldn't be able to catch the next train."

Kendo's face began to light up. "So what you're saying is…"

Midoriya nodded. "Hop on, Little Red."

Kendo glared at Midoriya. "It's orange, not red. Also we're the same height so how am I little to you?"

Midoriya put on his helmet and started the bike up again. "You hoping on or what?"

Kendo set her questions to the side and quickly put on her helmet before getting on the bike. Once she sat down, she carefully put her hands on his shoulders. Midoriya turned his head to look at her in disbelief, sadly because of the helmets they couldn't make out each other's expressions.

"I don't bite that much, now hold on or else you're gonna fall off."

Kendo nodded before carefully wrapping her arms around his chest. Itsuka was used to being in close proximity to guys thanks to her years of martial arts, but riding on the back of a bike with a guy she just met was different. She was grateful that her helmet was hiding the slight pink tint her cheeks were sporting.

Midoriya on the other hand had driven people around before, but the two soft mounds that were pressing into his back were something new. As much as he wanted to enjoy this new sensation he knew he needed to focus on the road.

As he revved the engine he could feel Kendo's arms start to tighten around him more and her helmet press against his neck. He smirked under his helmet before taking off. Once they started speeding down the straight away her grip tightened even more, something felt off so he glanced down quickly.

'Are her hands bigger than before?'

Midoriya quickly focused back on the road as he leaned into the turns. After the first few turns he noticed that Kendo had started to relax. The pressure of her helmet disappeared, and the occasional excited scream could be faintly heard over the engine.

The lap Kendo was promised ended quicker than she had hoped for, but she was still all smiles from the rush. She couldn't stay still as Midoriya was putting the bike and helmets up. As he started walking back, she practically ran up to him.

"Oh my God, that was so much fun! Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem, but I do have a question for you."

Kendo cocked her head to the side. "What's up?"

Midoriya causally pointed to her hands. "Did your hands get bigger?"

Kendos eyes widened as she hid her hands behind her back momentarily before showing them off again. "I have no clue what you're talking about? They've always been this size."

"Yeah nice try, I'm guessing it has something to do with your quirk."

Kendo sighed. "If you already knew, why did you ask?"

"I didn't want to be rude."

Kendo raised an eye at him. "Hmm, if you say so."

"So, what exactly is your quirk if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's nothing special really, It's called Big Fist." She held out her hands and expanded them momentarily before shrinking them back to their original size. "I can make my hands larger."

"I bet you have one hell of a bitch slap."

"Call my hair red again and you'll see just how good it is."

"Noted."

Kendo smirked as she crossed her arms. "So what's your quirk?"

Her question caught Midoriya off guard. "What?"

"Come on, I told you mine, I want to know yours."

"Oh, alright. It's Pyrokinesis, I can make and control fire."

"Oh wow, that sounds really strong."

Midoriya shrugged. "Whether a quirk is strong or not all depends on how you use it."

Kendo smiled at Midoriya. "You know I really like how you think."

Midoriya shrugged again before handing her a piece of paper as he walked by. "I like to keep an open mind about things."

Kendo looked at the paper, confused, before opening it up and finding a number written on it. She glanced between the paper and Midoriya a few times before crossing her arms again.

"Look Midoriya, you seem like a cool guy, but I'm not interested."

Midoriya looked at her confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You gave me your number, weren't you trying to ask me out?"

"I wasn't planning on it?"

Kendo looked at him shocked and slightly offended. "Then why did you give me your number?"

"The old man said I was gonna be your mechanic, I figured it couldn't hurt if we had some form of relationship. I mean wouldn't you feel more comfortable having someone you know and trust working on your bike rather than some stranger?"

Kendo looked at the number still skeptical. "Yeah… I guess that makes sense."

Midoriya and Kendo made their way back inside to find Ken and Itsuo finishing up some paperwork. As they walked up, Ken gave them a surprised look.

"I thought you said you were gonna spend some time on the track?"

"I got called into Osaka, apparently somethings up with gramps."

Ken looked at Midoriya slightly annoyed. "I guess you won't be in tomorrow."

"No clue, it depends on what Kai wants."

Ken grumbled to himself. "Spoiled brat."

"Tell me about it."

Midoriya went into the back leaving Itsuka, Itsuo, and Ken. Itsuka and Itsuo looked confused at what they were talking about. Itsuka turned to Ken hoping to get some answers.

"Is he gonna be alright, that's pretty far from here?"

Ken looked away from her as he started to go through some papers. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. He knows how to handle himself."

"But-"

"Itsuka, drop it."

Itsuka wanted to protest, but the look her dad was giving her told her not to ask anymore questions. It annoyed her, but she knew she shouldn't continue. She clenched the paper in her hands as she stared at the back door.

'Why do you have to go all the way to Osaka?'

A/N:

Hello everyone and welcome to the start of my new story. I hope you all are excited because this one is going to be fun. There are a few things that I want to get out of the way early on. First, I don't know jack shit about motorcycles, so everything I mention about them is from google searches. If any of you do know about them please feel free to educate me if the things I said don't make sense. Second, There will be a few characters overlapping from my previous story Traumatized. They won't hold any significant value, they're more just space fillers that I got attached to. Third, I do hope to upload a chapter every Sunday (American Sunday), I already have a handful of chapters done so there won't be any missed posts for a little bit. Finally, I plan on being more interactive with the comments this time around. If I see a lot of the same question or confusion about something I'll bring it up in the next chapter as well as reply to comments more. Well that's all for now, I hope to see you all next week.