To say Izuku was a tad excited, would be like saying the ocean is just a bit deep. As soon as his mother left and he got his Gi on, he bounded in place like a rabbit, eager to start his first lesson and first step into heroism. He drops to the floor and does a single push up, and then it dawns on him. His young, five-year-old self was full with boundless, childish energy yes, but as completed his third one, he realized just how much he'd have to do.

"Okay!" Ken said loudly. "How's everyone doing today!?"

Sakura's energy was off the charts while Izuku's started to slow down.

"I'm good, Sensei!" Sakura says, not even slowing down her reps.

"I'm good too, Sensei!" Izuku shouts, trying to match the girl, but his comes out a bit strained.

"Good!" Ken continued. "Since we have a new warrior here today, why don't you introduce yourself to the rest of the class?"

Completely ignoring Izuku's pained groan, Sakura got to her feet and bowed deeply. "My name is Sakura Kasugano and I like training and fightin'! I want to be a great warrior when I grow up, just like Ryu!" She announced with a frankly blinding smile.

Ken loudly cleared his throat.

"And you too, Ken-sensei!"

"That's the spirit!" Ken said, matching the girl's energy while Ryu simply nodded, having already gotten used to Ken's antics. Ken gave a thumbs up that somehow sparkled before dramatically gesturing to Izuku, who had a smile on his face that was falling with every push. "You! Currently fighting for your life! What's your name!?"

Izuku shakily stands up and wheezes, but his smile doesn't fall. "Izuku - Izuku Midoriya! I like - whew - heroes and I want to be one when I get older! Like All Might!"

"Both good goals, children! I'm your instructor for today, Ken Masters!" Ken flexed his large arms before chopping the air strong and fast enough to create a loud snap. "Now, normally I'd run you through the basics of Shotokan while you two warm up, but Sakura here is a bit further ahead." There's a pause in his speech that Izuku doesn't notice. "So, I'm just gonna start it like a man!"

Ryu pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why wouldn't you just start with the basics?"

"Because Gouken-sensei didn't?" Ken said, genuinely curious. "Don't you remember? He literally had us fight the first time I saw you."

Ryu blinked. "No, I do remember that. But I was hoping you wouldn't have a five year old fight a seven year old when one is clearly more skilled than the other." Ryu gave Ken an exasperated look so fierce, that it was a miracle Ken didn't turn to dust right there.

"Heavens no, Ryu!" Ken waved his hands wildly before taking on an insulted expression. "What do you take me for, an animal?"

The man in the white Gi let out a sigh of relief, " Yes. But also, thank God. For a second there-.."

"I was gonna have them fight me!" Ken suddenly said, his bright smile coming back.

Sakura cheered and Izuku gasped before his arms gave out on him and he fell face first into the canvas.

Silence.

"Ken, can I see you outside, please?"

Shortly after the haze of battle ended, (read: Ryu and Ken coming to blows for a second time), Ryu managed to take over the class for their first official day. Completely ignoring the purple bruise on his cheek and the small burnt parts of his gi, he stood before the kids.

"Okay, now that that's over, we can begin in earnest. You can stop doing the push ups now. It was just a test."

Sakura bounds to her feet and takes several deep breaths before regaining her ease. Izuku gasps and pants like a dog but nods nonetheless.

"I won't bore you with something you already know, Sakura. Can you dash in the back and get some bottles of water while I give Midoriya-kun a heads up?" The girl excitedly nods before sprinting in the other direction. Ryu watches her leave for a bit before turning back to Izuku, who's eyes were wide and locked on the girl's back.

"How - how!?"

Ryu cleared his throat to get the boy's attention. "Ask her when she gets back. I'm sure she'd tell you. But anyway, for starters, Shotokan is a well-rounded, beginner-friendly style. It's simple really. But one of the teachings is beauty in simplicity. One of the most basic teachings of the Shotokan style is knowing the difference between light, medium and heavy strikes." He waited for Izuku to absorb the information before continuing. "It's really as simple as it sounds. A light attack, in this case a punch," he demonstrated with a snappy jab. "Is supposed to be used as a poking tool in a fight. It's supposed to be quick and light so don't expect it to be particularly damaging." He explained before looking down at the boy with his wide, doe-like eyes.

"After that," he continued, "is medium, your main method of attack in most fights. It's basically going to be the thing you rely on the most because it offers a good mixture of speed and power without compromising too much on either." He jabbed again, this time with enough force that Izuku felt his hair blow back a bit even though he was roughly fifteen feet away. " Heavy strikes are usually used as combo-enders. They're really slow but the most powerful of any action you'll take." This time, when he jabbed, it was much slower than before and he grunted with exertion. The force of the punch was enough to completely blow Izuku off his feet and flat on his backside. The green-haired child looked at him with wide eyes. "You won't be using them often, so my recommendation is only go for it when you have a clear shot at landing it. Anything else leaves you open to getting punished for over-committing."

"Got all that?" Izuku nodded, quickly getting to his feet just as Sakura returned with several bottles of water… and a few gallons for herself.

"Anyway," Ryu said, taking the kit and regaining their attention. "Let's start with the basics. Midoriya, make a fist."

Izuku does, but it's shaky and his thumbs are tucked under his fingers. Ryu shakes his head then walks over to the boy and adjusts it to make a proper fist. "Like this. Tucking your thumbs will do more damage to you than your opponent." The child absorbs the information like a sponge in water and Ryu returns to the center of the room. "Punch."

As Ryu expects, Midoriya's punch is sloppy and it's clear that he's never really fought before. Sakura commented on it before he could.

"Oh wow, you punch like you're my mom!" She points out. Ryu groans and also makes a mental note to teach Sakura some tact.

"Sakura." He says sharply. "Midoriya's a beginner, so you can't expect for him to be on the level of others."

Sakura smiles sheepishly and nods then apologizes, to which Izuku had to suppress a squeal again. No one had ever apologized to him before!

"Let's try again. From the top. Begin."

And begin, they did and by the time the day had ended, Izuku was sore, tired, beaten and bruised, but happier than he had been in a very long time. Ryu-sensei was a fair teacher, clear and concise, while Ken-sensei was a bit more energetic, choosing to visually demonstrate more of his teachings. When his mom picked him up, she was worried at how dead his arms seemed, but he waved off her concerns. This was his first step toward being a hero, after all. A little bit of soreness wouldn't stop him.

And so his routine continued for the next three years. He would get up, do his morning stretches, eat a healthy breakfast that his sensei had recommended and take off for his morning jog before school.

They were adamant to not let him near any of the weights as they said it would've stunted his growth, and he didn't argue. Or at least, he would've tried to argue if not for going against Sakura. Sure, ever since they met, they became instant friends. Sakura was to him, not just the big sister he never had, but also something of inspiration. She didn't look down on him being quirkless like Kacchan did. She even threatened to beat him up! She was a symbol; a symbol of victory and he always wanted to be like her. Even as time went on, and she showed up to the dojo less due to school and her parents moving, his view of her didn't change.

Even in fights where either Sensei had restricted them to only light or medium strikes, Sakura still hit like an absolute bus. Her quirk didn't provide her with many assets in straight fights, but he figured out that she really didn't need it. One time, he mis-spaced his heavy high kick and Sakura punished him severely with a light sweeping kick that took Izuku off his feet and a heavy Shoryuken, which she literally got a running start for, to Izuku's unguarded chin. There were several lessons learned that day. First being something Ryu-sensei had told him before, never simply throw out heavy strikes unless you're sure they're going to connect. And the second being that it was possible to literally punch someone vertically off their feet.

Then, at the beginning of the fourth year, something happened.

Without so much as a word of warning, Ryu and Ken closed the dojo. They had mentioned something last week about something interesting happening in Hawaii, but never made mention of leaving Japan. It came as a surprise when Inko attempted to drop her 8 year old son off at his dojo, only to see the place abandoned.

Izuku walks up and presses his face against the glass, and sure enough, the lights are out.

Inko follows up, walking and also pressing her face against the glass.

"Huh, strange."

Inko takes out her phone and presses the screen a few times, dialing the number Ken gave her.

'...international rates may apply. Do you -'

"Well, I guess there's no training for today, Izuku."

"Awww."

"Well, maybe we can make a day out of it?" Inko offers. Izuku changed slightly when Hisashi went to the States to work for some support company - Ultratech, if memory serves well - turning into a more quiet boy, speaking to her less about stuff at school. She hopes he accepts before the distance between them gets too great.

Izuku chews on it for a second. Then an idea pops into his head.

"Yeah, we can. I have a fun thing we can do today!"

Inko resists a squeal. "I'm all yours for today, Izu!"

"Are - are you sure about this, Izuku?" Inko asks with wide eyes.

They're back home, standing in the living room with several action figures and eating utensils floating around her like planets orbiting a star.

Izuku eagerly stretches on the other side of the room with a wide smile. His gi is on and he takes a few seconds to tie his headband on before giving a thumbs up. "Yeah, mom! Just throw them on my signal!"

"But - but, what if you get hurt?"

"I'll just try better next time!"

"Next time!?"

"Ready!"

Ten days passed since then, and finally, Ryu and Ken returned.

It was without fanfare when they returned, giving the green-haired mother a short, but concise text as their whereabouts and a short apology for the sudden departure. Inko appreciates the courtesy, but there's a small part of her that's a bit upset that the closeness with her son will be interrupted. 'It's for the best.'

The ten days have shown her a side of Izuku she's only heard of through her husband and she honestly didn't know existed. The drive. Their small training sessions gave her glimpses, however small, of the true depths of Izuku's will to be a hero. It was equal parts scary and inspiring. 'Maybe I didn't know him as well as I thought.'

When Izuku arrives at the dojo that day, he notices a strange atmosphere. Ken meets him at the door, a wide smile noticeably absent from his face. "Hey, kiddo. So, uh. You're getting a new training partner today."

Izuku was excited, but kept it relatively contained due to the weird tone Ken-sensei spoke with.

"Oh…! Who are they? Will they be here soon?"

Ken awkwardly clears his throat. "They're already here. And… will continue to be here for a while. So, hmm. Be mindful of that, will ya? The kid isn't… -" The man sighs. "The kid is a bit rough. But he means well. So just bear with him for a bit, okay? He's not bad, he just - he hasn't had the best life."

As Izuku absorbs the information, his excitement fades and is replaced with worry and a bit of confusion. Who was this kid? He's rough? Is he "Sakura" rough or "Kacchan" rough? He - he hasn't had the best life…?

Then a question comes out of Izuku's mouth before he can stop himself from asking. "Is he quirkless?"

Ken raises a brow at that and takes a moment to answer. "No. No, he isn't."

Ryu walks out before any more words can be exchanged with the new student in tow. He's narrowly bigger than Izuku himself with smooth, tan skin, medium-length, messy black hair and the brightest, most vibrant golden eyes Izuku had ever seen.

"Midoriya, this is your new partner. Introduce yourself, kid." Ryu says, giving the kid a nod of acknowledgement.

The child doesn't say anything at first. He continues to level a blank, almost faraway gaze into Izuku's eyes that unnerves Izuku in ways he didn't think possible. Then he blinks.

"...G - Ryoya Harushi."

"I - I see. I'm Izuku Midoriya! Do you like he -"

Ryu clears his throat and cuts Izuku off. "I think we should start sooner rather than later. Harushi here already knows…" Ryu then pauses and his eyes widened minutely in realization. "You know the basics of the style already, right?"

Ryoya tilts his head and then nods, making Ryu and Ken grimace.

"I see… Well, that's good, at least. We don't have to go through the usual beginner lessons. We can continue on intermediate. Midoriya, with me. Harushi, go with Ken. We'll swap after a few hours."

Today was rough. Having ten days off knocked him out of rhythm more than he thought. Either that, or Ryu-sensei and Ken-sensei were going just a bit harder than normal. Regardless, Izuku was spent. He was laying spread eagle on the floor in a small puddle of his own sweat, panting like a dog before something cold dropped next his chest.

"Here."

Upon looking up, it's that tan boy, Harushi holding a bottle of water while gesturing to Izuku's right.

"T - thanks."

"Hm."

There was an awkward silence after that as Ryoya simply stood there, staring at nothing while Izuku drank his water. And then, 'pssst!' Both boys turned at the same time to see Ken and Ryu not so subtly peaking around the corner.

'Say you're welcome, Harushi!' Ken whisper shouts.

"You're welcome, Harushi." Ryoya says plainly. There's a groan and a smack as one of the two men facepalm.

Izuku laughs nervously at Ryoya's innocent and honest confusion before getting to his feet. Upon closer inspection, the boy didn't seem nearly as tired as Izuku was. He was sweating, yes, but it was nothing more than a thin sheen on his forehead and a slightly darkened collar and not the partially damp Izuku was.

"You're not… tired?"

"Hm? No, I am."

"But - but you seem fine."

"I am not."

"But - how?"

"Didn't train as hard."

"Huh!?"

"Watching you two try to have a conversation is painful." Ken says dramatically as he approaches them both. "That should be all for today, Midoriya. You're free to go. Harushi, come with me."

Izuku watches them go until Ryu puts a hand on his shoulder.

"So -"

"He seems sad." Izuku says suddenly and with slumped shoulders.

Ryu grunts in acknowledgement. "He's had it rough, but he seems to be holding on."

Izuku nods, but his heart isn't in it. Ryoya had that look in his eye, one that he barely noticed, but focused in on when he did. It wasn't sadness, so much as a melancholic acceptance. It's the same look Izuku sported when he looked in the mirror on some days; a look on accepting your situation, but trying to make the best of it anyway. He didn't know what that situation was, but hopefully, he'd learn soon. To try to help. He might not have been quirkless, if Ken-sensei was to be believed, but he was just like him; A kid just trying to make do.

Some time passed since then, and while Ryoya was still far from what you'd call friendly, he and Izuku developed something of an understanding. The boy, as Izuku quickly learned, wasn't much of a talker, but when he did speak, he did so in ways that made him seem a bit older than the 9 year old should be.

He's usually impassive about most things, generally grunting or giving one word responses to Izuku's long-winded muttering sessions, but there were two things that got a reaction out of him. Firstly, to Izuku's surprise, it was the topic of heroics. In this society, even mentioning the term to most kids their age would elicit some form of passionate reaction, usually positive. He was entirely unprepared for how negative Harushi's reaction was to heroes. He didn't really express much emotion (Izuku believed the boy simply didn't know how to), but what he did show was worrying.

Secondly, Harushi seemed to be particularly energetic when it came to the finer arts; singing, cooking, and painting. Whenever the topic of Izuku's notebooks came up, specifically the drawings in them, Ryoya's eyes would get a bit brighter, and he'd talk more. Any conversation about a song or singing usually got him to be even brighter, and when Izuku broached the topic of cooking, that was the first time he could say, with confidence, that he'd describe Harushi as chatty.

He spoke of his quirk rarely, and used it even less, mostly due to Ryu and Ken's instruction and his own admission of difficulty, but when he did call upon Visionary, Izuku was gifted with quite the sight.

Ryoya's eyes would shift dramatically. What were once bright, brilliant golden eyes shifted into a light, pale blue with blue pupils and with what appear to be overlapping, white and golden flower patterns. Ryoya has never truly described what his quirk did in full, but from what Izuku could gather, it was nothing short of an immensely powerful quirk, even with the high skill ceiling. Those moments, however few and far between they were, gave Izuku a sense of challenge that he didn't think he'd ever fully get from anyone else. A challenge that seemed insurmountable, but he knew wasn't.

A week later, Izuku and Inko arrive at the Shotokan dojo with the green-haired child excited for his mother to meet his new friend. It takes the form of more clumsy movements, a tighter, less at-ease gait and overall more sweat on his palms that would give Katsuki a conniption. But Inko can feel the happiness her son bounces with.

"He's super cool, mom! He's a bit awkward at times, and he doesn't really know how to be a 'friend', but he's trying!"

"That's nice, honey." Inko coos. "I'm glad you have another friend here. I know that Kasugano girl isn't always around."

"She said she was going to visit today too! I can't wait for those two to meet!"

And meet they did, apparently. Because as soon as the door to the dojo slid open, they were greeted with the sight of Harushi being judo flipped on the hard, unforgiving floor.

"Uh…"

"What?"

"There!" The girl chirps while throwing another punch. "I win again, Haru-san!" Ryoya grunts and growls, but the girl only giggles when he flails in her direction, trying and failing to get her off of him.

"Sakura." Ryu says, entering the room with a light sigh. "We have guests."

Sakura pauses her assault and tilts her head in confusion before taking note of the green haired family. Then her eyes light up and she smiles. "Hello, Midoriya!" She says with a polite wave. "Hi, Midoriya-san! Long time no see!"

"Hello, dear." Inko says happily. "I see you haven't lost your charm. Is that your friend, Izuku?"

"Yeah!"

Sakura audibly gasps. "Haru-san is your friend already!? I'm jealous! He's so mean to me!"

Ryoya growls. "Get off of me!" He jerks his entire body just enough that Sakura, in her distracted state, does buck once before falling off to the side, hitting the floor with a light thud.

"See?!"

Ryu sighs and Ryoya continues to glare daggers at Sakura. "Sakura, please. Next time, at least wait until a conversation starts before you body slam someone."

"I did!" Sakura defends. "I was being nice and he just stared at me like I had dirt on my face!"

"You are very bright!" Ryoya argues. "I was trying to figure out what to say!"

Ryu looks to Inko for some kind of support here and the green-haired woman covers her mouth to suppress a giggle. Ryu clearly has no idea what he's doing and it shows as the two kids go back and forth.

"Settle down, you two." Inko says soothingly. "Sakura-chan, did you stop to consider Harushi's feelings?" When Sakura tilts her head in confusion, Inko crouches down to the girl's height. "Did Harushi want to fight you?"

"Well, I asked and he just shook his head."

"So why did you flip him anyway?"

"Because Ryu-sensei told me that we have to be ready and willing to make the first move as fighters."

Ryu, ever the warrior, freezes when Inko looks at him.

"He did, did he?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, that's not how you do it, young lady. If you ask someone to fight and they say no, typically that means they would rather not get body slammed."

"But - but -"

"No buts, missy. Will you apologize to Harushi?"

Sakura slumps her shoulders and nods. "Sorry, Haru-san."

"It's… fine…?" Ryoya says, confused. He looks to Ryu, but the man is trying so hard to avoid Inko's gaze, that he has turned around completely.

"It is?" Sakura asks hopefully.

"Yeah… I don't mind?"

Sakura squeals and tackles the boy in a hug, and Inko laughs at the pleading and resigned look on his face.

Sakura, nor Inko stay for today's lesson, and almost immediately after they leave, their sensei starts to speak.

"Are you both ready for class today? Good. Because we have an announcement before we get started." Ryu started, gently poking at the white square on his cheek. "You both have been doing really well this past week. Midoriya, you've been here a long time and have got a pretty decent handle on how to fight like a Shotokan and are constantly improving at a rapid rate. Harushi, you've continued to impress since you've started here. Keep it up. If there's one thing to critique about each of you, Midoriya, you could be a bit more forward in spars. You stay back too much and don't attack enough. Harushi, it's the opposite for you. You are too wild, you need to learn when to slow down. You still seem a bit hesitant to use your quirk. We'll work on that."

After Ryu finished his brief review, he gestured to his blond rival. Ken wasted little time.

"We've enrolled you both in a tournament coming up next week!"

Izuku's jaw dropped. Ryoya, the much more reserved of the two, felt his eyes widen.

Ken put his hands up to silence the impending questions. "Before you get all riled up, we've had this planned out a few days ago. Not only are we confident that you both would be completely fine in an actual tournament setting, but you both were starting to develop bad habits only fighting each other. It's only logical to fight other people." Ken explained, beaming brightly the whole time.

"Next Saturday, to be exact." Ryu continued. "It's hosted by our friend Chun-Li to help raise money for the local at-risk youth and community improvement. But the winner still gets a pretty nice medal and a small cash prize."

As the two young boys listened, Ken started to wiggle his thick, black eyebrows. "Also, Ryu has had the hots for Chun for a while now! He's mostly going so he can see her again - oof!"

And just like that, another fight broke out.

Izuku, having grown somewhat jaded to random brawls between his sensei, pays them no heed as the information sinks in. Then he starts to hyperventilate. "A tour - a tournament!? But I'm not ready! It's only been three months and - and I don't think I can do it! What if I mess up? What if someone there beats me?" He takes a breath then pauses. "I can't let my mother watch me lose!"

"Midoriya." Ryoya says calmly.

"Yeah?"

WHAM!

Izuku grunts as Ryoya jabs him in the chest, not hard enough to actually hurt too badly, but more than enough to cause him to fall over. "Ow! Why?!"

"You told me to do something whenever you started muttering." Comes a lazy, casual reply.

"Yeah, something like shaking me! Your punches hurt!" Izuku complains.

"Oh."

Having just remembered Ryoya's… lack of social etiquette, Izuku just sighs. "Just… nervous is all."

"Why? It's just a tournament." Ryoya responds innocently.

"I've uh… never fought in front of people before."

"I am aware. But I don't think it's anything bad. It's just like fighting in front of Ryu and Ken-sensei, just more. Aren't you always going on about heroes? Don't they fight in front of people?"

Izuku can only frown at Ryoya's words. He always seems to find a way to bring heroes up to make Izuku's fears seem insignificant. "I guess…"

The tanned boy hums, then turns away. "It'll be fine. I'm sure we'll do great."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Oh, I'm not." Ryoya admits with a shrug. "I'm sure of you and your skills, though." With that, Ryoya leaves and Izuku is left to his thoughts.

A/N: There's chapter two done. You won't be seeing super big changes until the ending of chapter 4 I think, but from there? It's basically all brand new. Thanks for bearing with me and enjoying.

C: Thank you, glad you enjoyed.

Hypernova5.0: Glad to be back, and there he is. Ryo's back!

Nightspirit152: I'm glad you enjoyed Sakura, she's always a joy to write. Like here. And yeah, here's Ryoya again. His Satsui story vs Izuku's Power of Nothingness is a bit too much fun for me to let go. :D Glad you enjoyed.