*Authors Note*

Subtle changes have been made to anyone that read the original, but the grammer and structure has been improved as with the other chapters.

As we go through life, we form relationships with others. These connections are often described as threads of fate, linking people together in various ways, such as parents to children, friends to friends, and lovers to spouses. These threads can be strong, drawing people back to each other.

Sometimes, small interactions create an invisible pattern in our lives. Some call it the red thread, a tapestry woven by living life. These threads are barely noticeable, from a passing comment to a shared conversation or even a simple hello or good morning. However, they weave an invisible pattern in people's lives - an invisible tapestry we create as we move through this world.

-Nisho and Adam-

Nisho and Adam were born in Tokyo, 5 minutes apart to Lady Jirocho. As twins often are, they were bound to each other when they were born but rarely was the bond this strong, this intense. They would cry and scream non-stop. Even their mother's embrace would barely calm the children. It wasn't until an attendant put them next to each other in the crib that they suddenly quieted down. They couldn't bear to be apart; the other had to be nearby when one would nurse. This annoyed Lady Jirocho as they would have to be separated at one point as one was promised to be given to another house.

Her family once had much power in the provinces, but it had waxed and waned over the long years since quirks had first manifested. Now the noble house was in debt to the Yaoyorozu clan. One of the twins was promised payment of the blood debt that her grandfather had incurred. Her honor and circumstance demanded that she pay the dept. She would keep Nisho and pass Adam to the family to free the Jirocho clan.

This was an old dept; the Yaoyorozu clan had saved her grandfather and grandmother. Their grandchild was promised to be given to Yaoyorozu as their child's guard. When word had reached the head of the Jirocho clan, the current lady of house Yaoyorozu was with child; the order to fulfill the dept was given.

Lady Ana Jirocho was unhappy; she had always known this time would come. The boy's father had been her friend; he was American with a somewhat serviceable quirk. After he impregnated her, her mother sent him away; he tried to get her to leave with him, speaking words of love. But she was a Lady and had a duty to perform. He left expecting her to follow, though she never did. She was not a total monster but showed her love to Nisho as he would be hers. She distanced herself from Adam, knowing that one day she would soon have to give him up.

The boys did as children were apt to do; they began to grow. Once they could, they would sleep holding hands, babbling with each other, and giggling in their unique language. They would toddle around, and when one learned to roll over, the other soon did, crawl the other followed; walking was the same. Then it happened, Nisho got sick when he was 3, and there was no cure.

The Jirocho clan did all they could, summoning the best quirk doctors. The cancer would not bend it would not be beaten back. It had come to claim the child, and claim the child it would. Adam never left his twin the entire time. Ana prayed to old and new gods to have the disease take Adam instead. Little did she know that Adam was doing the same, calling to whatever higher power to spare his brother. The thread held the two boys close. Death came for Nisho, it would take him, and then his brother would follow. Their bond was so tight that one could not live without the other.

Nisho pleaded with Death; it had been long since Death had beheld such an intense bond. He would grant Nisho's request by binding him to his brother. A part of Nisho would live on in Adam, sustaining the bond, allowing the thread to float free till it could attach to another.

Nisho Jirocho passed holding his brother's hands, whispering feverishly to each other. When Nisho passed, Adam shut down; his emotions were muted, his eyes listless; while he had lived, his broken thread left him broken. Ana Jirocho buried her child, wishing she had buried the other; she completely shut Adam out that day. What did it matter? He would be gone soon. Her burden would be over, the debt fulfilled. Maybe she was a monster after all.

-Momo Yaoyorozu-

Momo Yaoyorozu was born September 23rd at 8 am. She came into the world calmly. The labor was short for her mother, Ikuko. Her father, Kazuo, was by his wife's side. Their daughter was a little over 6 pounds and had a healthy cry.

She was loved. Kazuo and Ikuko were ecstatic over the birth. The child was lavished upon minutes after birth. The Yaoyorozu clan had risen to prominence during the time of quirks. They had discovered rare minerals and rich avenues of production. The family was wealthy, incapable of spending enough in several lifetimes. Kazuo ran the company well, leading them into technological advances and lucrative support items for the hero industry.

To say that Momo was loved is an understatement. Her parents were delighted over every accomplishment, from crawling to sitting to standing. She was read stories by her mother and had the finest food, the best of the best.

When she turned 4, it got even better. Her quirk manifested; she looked at a book, felt her tummy hurt, and popped a wooden block out. It took some time, but she was looking at a book with wood's molecular structure. The quirk doctors lavished praise on such a wonderful and helpful quirk. Kazuo and Ikuko knew their daughter was a genius and special this just went to prove it more.

Momo was a happy child. She loved to play with the maids and her parents when she could. He loved the picture books as most children learned to read at 6; she had started at 4. She couldn't read many words, but what she could read would earn her praise from her parents and those around her.

It was on her 5th birthday that her mom had her woken up early by the maids. There had been talk all week about some ceremony. She even had a unique dress and words to memorize. She was happy her mom had been home more, and Ikuko had started going into the office again.

After much preparation, Momo was happily dressed in her own little red ball gown. She twirled and twirled in the mirror, loving the way it moved. She made sure not to get dirty, but it was hard. Her maids brought her to the top of the stairs where her parents were waiting. They took her hands and walked down the stairs with her. Her daddy was wearing a lovely suit, and her mommy was dressed in a lavish dress; they were both in black.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw a stern woman in black kimono with red flowers kneeling on the floor; next to her was a sad-looking boy. He was in a black suit with a red tie; she noticed it was the same color as her dress. Standing behind them was an older woman in an extravagant gown and two stern-looking men. There was also an old man standing off the side that she didn't recognize.

Her parents lead her to stand across from the kneeling couple. Quietly some temple priests entered at that time, beginning a strange chant. They spread an unknown red salt around her, her parents, and the kneeling pair. The chanting engrossed Momo; the kneeling woman produced a knife as the chanting died down.

"With this, the blood debt is paid. The Jirocho clan has fulfilled their dept to the Yaoyorozu Clan. With this offering, let the debt be lifted. Will the debt holders accept our offering as laid out long ago by our ancestors and free us from this debt?" the woman's voice rang out clear and crisp.

"The Yaoyorozu Clan accepts this offering from the Jirocho clan. Let your blood dept be lifted and considered paid." her father responded, matching the woman's tenor.

The woman made a small cut on her finger and spilled it upon the red salt. It glowed softly, her father did the same, and the glow was brighter. Momo was in awe; she looked at the boy; his face had not changed. The woman gestured to the little boy; he stood and walked over to kneel before Momo.

"I, Adam of the Jirocho Clan, now give my life to you, Momo Yaoyorozu, to do with as you see fit." He knelt, extending his hand to her. His words were well practiced and rehearsed.

"I, Momo Yaoyorozu, accept you as my shadow." She said her mom had made her recite those words so many times. As she finished, she took his hand.

The red salt burst into light. When it faded, the salt was pure white. Momo thought she had heard a small bell chime. When she looked at the boy again for the first time, she could see the faintest light in his eyes where there was none before. Death smiled as the thread danced out, gently attaching between the two.

The old woman spoke. "The Jirocho clan has repaid their blood dept to the Yaoyorozu Clan." She motioned to the old man off to the side. "This is Yoshi; he shall be the child's teacher; though he is long in years, his mind is still sharp."

Her father spoke again. "The debt is paid; we accept the child's teacher into our home. May the Jirocho clan know prosperity and peace."

The kneeling woman stood she was staring at the boy coldly. She stood and left, following the old woman out of the house.

She heard her mother. "Was this really necessary, Kazuo?"

"Yes, dear, it was. My grandfather's quirk made it impossible for people to break contracts without drastic and tragic consequences. If they had failed to fulfill their end, it would mean doom, same for us if we had refused their offering of the agreed upon payment."

"His mother was so cold to him. She didn't say a word," she said, looking at the sad little boy.

"Would you be able to say bye to Momo?" he countered. "What would you say to her as you walked out of her life forever?"

"I could never say bye to her, not forever," she said, her heart ready to break at the very thought.

"Imagine how hard it was for her to give birth and raise a child knowing that she had to give him away," he said, looking at Momo and her Shadow. "I had heard that she had given birth to twins, but the older one passed due to cancer."

"I cannot even imagine what pain that woman has been through," Ikuko said, taking his hand in hers. Momo reached down while the parents talked and took the boy's hand.

"Hi, Adam, my name is Momo. Do you like picture books?" she said shyly.

The boy looked at her hand and then to her face. "Do you, Momo?"

"Yes," she responded, offering a smile.

"Then yes," he said, no smile, but his eyes seemed not so listless. The thread reached out further, lightly wrapping around the two children's hands. It was thin, but it was there; a bond, once broken, began to heal.

-Momo and Her Shadow-

Momo had never had a playmate her age before. He was a strange boy; he didn't smile a lot. And he seemed to like whatever she did. It was neat. He always followed her around, except in the bath. He would come to wake her up in the morning and sit with her while she looked at her books or when she would read before bed.

Adam did as he was told. His mother had last said to follow the girl and do whatever she wanted. His teacher told him to do so as well. His new "masters?" were kind to him. They let him sit with them and Momo when they ate food. They would ask him what he liked. They even gave him a toy for himself; he was sad when Momo asked to play with it, he thought it was gone forever, but when she returned it, he was unsure how to react.

He was inexperienced with such niceness; while never physically abused in his old house, he was never welcome. With Momo, she made him feel wanted, she was kind, and she would play with him, sharing her toys. He followed her around like he was supposed to and did whatever she said.

Momo decided that she didn't like that the boy was always sad. She did everything she could to make him smile, and he would sometimes. After a while, he did so more often. When Momo would get annoyed and try to send him away, he wouldn't do it, and when she wanted to know why he would say. "I am your shadow."

He would get embarrassed when her mother would hug him and congratulate him when he accomplished something. He flinched at first, but soon he would accept and be flustered. Her father was also kind, rewarding her shadow when he accomplished things. Momo asked her mom why he flinched away from her hugs. "Adam has had a hard life. He is no longer with his mom, so it's our job to ensure he gets all the love he needs to be big and strong." After that, Momo would hug him as well; she liked hugging him; it seemed magical always to make her feel warm.

So that's how it went when the tutors came in; they would teach them both. Whatever Momo studied, so did her Shadow; when Momo studied flower arranging, he was there; Music, Dance, or Art, he was right by her side. She would wake up early sometimes and find him studying with Yoshi. She liked Yoshi. He was kind and gentle to her.

-That Day in the Park-

They went on a trip with her parents when they were 9. While her parents were in a meeting, they were visiting a park, she and her shadow were having a great time. She would be a princess, and her shadow would have to come to save her from the imaginary dragons attempting to take her away.

They came across a green-haired boy crying by a river. There was a green-haired girl that looked like a frog with him; Momo quickly figured out that was her quirk. The boy had been beaten up by his "Friends."

That didn't sound like any friends she knew of from her stories. She made a few band-aids for him, which seemed to cheer him up. He started to ask all kinds of questions; it was like he almost forgot about being hurt. She answered all she could; Adam told the boy to slow down. He asked Adam what his quirk was, and Adam said to him that he could absorb Kinetic energy. The boy started mumbling again before they got him to stop.

They started giggling. The girl's name was Tsuyu Asui, but she told them to call her Tsu. His name as Izuku Midoriya. When Momo asked him what his quirk was, he got sad; he told them he was quirkless. He seemed to flinch inward, waiting for them to do something.

Tsu and Adam placed their hands on his shoulders and said, "So?" The boy seemed shocked. They weren't going to yell at him for being quirkless. Momo laughed and asked why they would for something he couldn't control. The boy told them he wanted to be a hero, and they all looked at him again and saw him braced. When they told him, "You can do it if you work hard." the boy started crying again. After they calmed him down, they asked him and Tsu if they wanted to play. And as kids are prone to do, they played the afternoon away earlier troubles now forgotten.

Izuku was sad when Momo and Adam had to leave. He was even sadder when he found out that they didn't live around there, that they were visiting. But Tsu did, and she promised Izuku they could be friends. The boy was so happy. They exchanged house numbers and promised to call.

Before they left, Adam pulled Izuku aside and talked briefly. When they separated, they gave each other a fist bump. Momo asked Adam what that was about as they left in the car. "I told him that if he wants to be a quirkless hero, he better start training now." They fell asleep on the car ride home. Her head was on his shoulder.

Amazingly the kids kept their promise; they would call and talk to each other. Every time Adam would talk to Izuku, they would speak of being heroes and end the call by saying fist bump. Momo thought that was funny.

The bond between Momo and her shadow is growing daily as bonds formed with their new friends across the distance, the threads weaving between them all.

-Momo and Adam-

Momo and her shadow kept growing. It was at ten years old that the strangest thing happened. Momo wanted to do ballet, but when she asked her shadow if he wanted to, he said no. He had never said no to her before. She was kind of mad about that. When she talked to her mom about it, her mom told her he had the right to say no to things like Ballet if he didn't want to. Momo thought hard about this. Though she didn't like that he wouldn't be by her side, she could understand that if he didn't want to do something, he shouldn't have to.

So, her shadow did not do ballet with her. He did continue Music with her, though, which she liked. When he asked if he could do Art instead of dance, she laughed and told him of course. He liked art and seemed to possess a natural talent for it. Even when Momo stopped doing art, he continued.

Her shadow would wake up early and train very hard with Yoshi. Yoshi would teach him how to fight and keep Momo safe. When Momo asked why he told her, "If she was a princess, then he was her knight. It was his job to learn how to keep her safe." Life continued.

They got older, and things changed a little bit. Well, quite a bit. This thing called puberty happened. Her father made her start taking self-defense lessons. They learned that Izuku had changed schools to escape his bully, and by accident, he now went to the same school as Tsu.

Things would get awkward between Momo and her shadow sometimes. Momo didn't understand it, and neither did her shadow. Sometimes she would catch him staring at her, and other times she would find herself staring at him. He wouldn't sit with her in bed anymore when she read till she fell asleep. That bothered her; it was a good part of her day.

So, she would ask him, and he would say no, that she had to order him to do so. So that was what she did; he would comply until he started doing it on his own again. She could feel him sometimes like an itch in the back of her head. He always knew when she was hungry, tired, or annoyed. She could tell when he was lonely. She would seek him out and make him sit with her, and she knew that made him feel better. They keep finding a reason to be alone together; they sit leaning against each other. Her parents would see this and node before leaving them be.

At 14, they were enrolled in Prosperity Academy, a prestigious prep school. At first, it was difficult for them; they never really had to navigate around others their age. The attention Momo got from the boys seemed to annoy her shadow. Momo enjoyed it less. The way these boys looked at her made her skin crawl.

Puberty had been generous to Momo. She was easily the most developed girl in school. She was taller than her shadow, which she liked to tease him about. Whenever an older boy (which it was most of the time) would try and corner her, her shadow would be there to save her. Whenever Momo was being friendly with a boy, his heart ached.

During the second year, something happened; her Shadow started getting taller. He had always been in good shape but started getting more muscles. Momo decided that she liked this; what she didn't like was when the other girls also started to like it. It made Momo heartache, and she didn't like it; she was confused about how it made her feel.

A cute boy asked Momo out that year, and she said yes. It didn't last very long, only two dates before Momo broke it off. She didn't know, but her shadow was there on the dates watching. It was his job, and he was not very happy about it. His chest hurt the entire time. He silently cheered every time that stupid guy tried to get closer, and Momo would rebuff his advance.

Momo saw her shadow go behind the gym one day with a girl, and she followed. The girl confessed to her shadow; it bothered Momo. After all, he was her shadow. And now, someone was trying to take him away. When he rebuffed her gently but firmly caused this wave of relief to wash over her. She didn't understand it; she had a feeling, however. In her secret books, she read about this kind of thing. She needed to test it. If her novels were right about anything, this had to be it.

First, she watched him work out shirtless. In conclusion, She liked that.

Second, she bought a bikini for the next time they went swimming. She watched him blush and struggle to keep his eyes off of her. Conclusion; She liked that.

Third, she made him snuggle her while she took a nap; he was the big spoon, and she took the role of the little spoon. Conclusion; she really enjoyed that.

Fourth, she imagined him doing any of that with someone else. Conclusion; She didn't like that.

Fifth, for her final test, she was practicing her audition for the school play. She was thinking of trying out for Juliet. She had asked him to run lines with her, and he agreed. The actual test was the kissing scene. He blustered, flustered, and flat-out refused till she told him that she would have to find someone else to practice it with.

He stopped and immediately said no. The thought hurt him so badly. He knew he was in love with her. He had known, but he was her shadow. What would her parents say? They were so good to him. He would probably never be able to kiss her for real, but this he could have, just for him. One day he would have to watch her marry another and start a life where he was nothing but her shadow. But this moment, he could take that and hold onto it forever, something to warm the long nights in the distance.

Momo stood there, her heart racing, staring at him. This was the final test. "Well, are you going to kiss me or not." She said.

"Yes, I will; just give me a moment." He replied, doing his best to maintain his composure.

"Well, I don't have all night. Look, if you don't…."

She was cut off as he kissed her. She heard that bell again. It was soft, but soon the kiss deepened. There was electricity in the air. She wrapped her arms around his neck; he slid his around her waist and moaned into her mouth. She didn't know what came over her; she would blame those damn novels. But she extended her tongue, grazing his lips. He came out and touched hers; then, it was no longer electricity; it was full a full-on storm. It was clumsy, but they made up for what they lacked in experience in passion. They broke apart, taking deep breaths.

"Momo, I love you. I know I shouldn't, I'm your shadow, but I do. I love you." He said, staring into her eyes. "Please forgive me."

"I love you too, Adam." She said quietly, whispered like a prayer.

"Wah…" he was cut off this time when they broke apart for air. "But what about your parents."

"I don't care. We can run away like Romeo and Juliet." She replied, grabbing at his shirt, with almost desperation.

"You know they die in the end, right." He said, his arms trembling as he held her.

"As long as I die holding you, I don't care." She said, resting her head on his shoulder. Their lips clashed again. It was stopped this time by someone clearing their throat. The two teens turned and saw her parents standing in the doorway.

-Ikuko & Kazuo-

A blind man could have seen what was going on. Their daughter would brighten when he entered the room and vice versa. They way they would sit shoulder to shoulder reading or watching a movie. Not to mention when they found them cuddling while napping a few times. This was years in the making; her parents saw this coming.

They liked Adam; he was sweet, strong, and devoted to their daughter. They had thought about nipping this in the bud; they had even been approached about a quirk marriage between Momo and Endeavors' youngest son. But they said no.

They knew it would crush Momo, their daughter was the love of their lives, and they wanted her to marry for love. They would tear down mountains for her, beat up All-Might himself. Nothing in this world mattered more than Momo's happiness as far as they were concerned. And if that happiness was Adam, then so be it.

-Momo and Adam-

Momo sat kneeling next to Adam on the floor. "Please, Mr. & Mrs. Yaoyorozu. I am so sorry. I know I have betrayed you, but I love Momo. I have been in love with her for a while now. If you grant us your blessing, I will do any task to prove my worthiness. You already know I would lay down my life for her." He said, his head pressed to the floor.

"Mom, Dad, I love him. Please give me this, and I will do anything. Give anything." She added, assuming a similar pose.

"Anything you say?" her father asked.

"Yes, anything." They said in unison.

"What if we ask you not to be heroes?" her mother said. Knowing how this was their greatest desire.

They closed their eyes; they wanted to be heroes. They wanted to help make the world better. They held each other's hands. For the other, they would sacrifice their dream.

"Yes." They spoke.

"Then Adam, you have one task if you want my blessing," Her father said. Adam looked at the man, ready to do anything. "Love her till the end of your days and always try to make her happy."

Momo started to cry. She leaped up and ran to her parent's embrace. Adam whipped the tears from his eyes. "I promise, sir, with all my heart."

Her mother just held her daughter. "All we want is for you to be happy, Momo. If he makes you happy, that's all that matters to us."

"He does, Mom, he does."

The thread was now strong and braided solid like steel; from deep inside Adam, the fragment Nisho smiled. His brother would be ok now; his twin would survive and live. Quietly Nisho left a final gift for Adam as he felt himself slip away.

-Katsuki and Izuku-

All it takes is a chance meeting for the threads of fate if it was really up to chance at all.

Izuku was born quirkless in a world where over 80% of the population had a quirk; he did not. He had wanted to be a hero with his best friend, Kaachan. When Kaachan received his quirk of explosion, things changed. When the diagnosis came in, things really changed.

Kaachan or Katsuki Bakugo had never treated Izuku as an equal. When Izuku would say they could be heroes, Katsuki would always say Izuku could be his sidekick. Izuku always seemed weak, which annoyed Katsuki; he never knew why. When his quirk manifested, he knew it was a sign. A symbol of his destiny, he would be the best ever.

Everyone told him so; he liked it when everyone said so. Izuku never did though he said Katsuki's quirk was great and powerful, but he kept saying that when his quirk came, it would be awesome too, and then they could be great together. This made Katsuki mad. Why couldn't Izuku understand that he would be great and that Izuku was just worthless?

He would make him understand. Katsuki could read before anyone else when he saw Izuku writing his name. He knew it was his name, but he noticed it looked like Deku, meaning useless. So, he said something. Everyone laughed and started calling Izuku Deku; surely this would teach him.

But it didn't. All it did was make this Deku, this pebble whine. Then there was the incident at the creek. He had slipped and fell in the water. This Deku had the nerve. The fucking nerve of Deku to ask him if he needed help. HIM KATSUKI BAKUGO, THE FUTURE GREATEST HERO EVER. THIS STUPID PEBBLE IN HIS WAY, THIS USELESS DEKU. FINE, IF HE DIDN'T GET THE HINT, HE WOULD BEAT IT INTO HIM. EVERY DAMN DAY THIS PIECE OF SHIT KNEW HIS PLACE. HE WOULD CRUSH THIS PEBBLE.

This is where it got horrible. This damn pebble wouldn't learn his place. No matter what Katsuki said or what he did, this piece of shit never learned. Every day he kept returning, trying to hold on to his coattails so he could get carried onto greatness. He made sure everyone ignored the pebble. He made sure the pebble would know his place. But was this fucking pebble dumb? Of course, it was; after all, it was a pebble. The beatings commenced. He would do it then he started having the other useless extras do it.

At least they had quirks that made them better than Deku. No one questioned it. No one stopped him. See, he was doing what was right. Everyone knew it except Deku. He would blow Deku up at every opportunity, isolate and beat him. Every day he felt like he had proved his point, but then Deku would show the fuck back up.

Deku was the obstacle that he had to overcome. He had to prove his point to this smegma eater. He was going to be the greatest and greatest never fail. So, every day for five years, he pounded on this pebble, and every day he came back, they were at the stream again. This time he would make sure the pebble didn't come back.

-Izuku-

Why didn't anyone believe in him? He was a person. He had the right to dream of becoming a hero, right? Why was Kaachan like this? He just wanted to be a hero and play with his friend. They were friends. But why did Kaachan drive away the others or make them pick on him? He didn't understand.

He knew his mom loved him, but even she couldn't tell him he could be a hero. His dad had just up and vanished. Kaachan was there daily, driving the point home; he tried to keep his head down after a while. But somehow, he would mess it up. Do better on a test, sneeze, breath too hard, and dare to try and talk to someone. He didn't get it. He couldn't do anything right; he couldn't play right; he couldn't just exist correctly. He really was a Deku. Then one day, they asked him if he wanted to play. This was his chance. He just needed to do this right then; he wouldn't be Deku anymore.

He didn't know that he would have to give up everything for things to change. He fought back against Skin, but he couldn't do anything. He fought back before he gave up. If this was what everyone wanted, then it was right.

WAIT. THIS ISN'T WHAT HE WANTED. HE WANTED TO BE A HERO. HE WANTED TO LIVE. HE DIDN'T WANT TO SURRENDER EVERYTHING. Suddenly Skin wasn't holding him down anymore. Instead, someone was pulling him up. It was a girl; she had a frog quirk. He coughed and heard, "Are you all right, Kero?"

"Of course, we were just playing," he said, hoping the water running down his face would hide the tears.

"That's not what it looked like to me." She said, her voice strangely calm.

"No, they just play rough, that's all." His go-to lie.

"You lie a lot." She said quickly.

"N-N-No, I don't," He lied.

"Everything you have said is a lie. I DON'T LIKE LIARS." The sudden rise in her voice made him flinch. He tried to lie again, but he just couldn't.

"I just wanted to prove that I wasn't a Deku." He said, no way of hiding his tears now.

"Why would you be useless? I don't understand." She said.

"Because I can't do anything right, I can take a test, right, apparently I eat too loud, oh and sometimes I breathe too loud…" he said, throwing his hands up in the air.

"I find all that hard to believe. Kero." She said, looking him over to see if there were any wounds.

"No, my friend Kaachan tells me so, and so does everyone else." He said, defeated.

"I don't have much experience with friends, but that doesn't sound like a friend to me." She said, leading him out of the water to sit on the bank.

"But if that isn't how it's supposed to be, I don't know how it is supposed to be." He said, crying. He was so confused; he really was a Deku that he couldn't figure out anything right. Then he heard a new voice. "Are you ok?" standing over him and the frog girl was a girl and boy with black hair. She had black eyes, and his were blue.

-Izuku-

The nice girl Yaz... Momo, I mean, made me some band-aids. It was nice. And she just made them out of nowhere. They didn't laugh when I started asking about quirks. They didn't laugh at me when I told them I was quirk less. They said I can be a hero if I work hard. No one has ever said that. No one has ever believed in me before.

Is this what it is like to play? I wasn't even the villain; I got to be the knight with Asai… I mean Tsu. We fought the evil villain and saved the princess. Then we got saved by the brave heroines. We played tag; that was hard I was able to tag Momo. It was really funny. She stood there and said, "TO ME, MY SHADOW." Adam suddenly was standing in front of her; then she tagged him; it was pretty funny.

The girls are nice but Adam. He talks to me about being a hero.

It was a lot of fun to play. I know what it is supposed to be now. Not what Kaachan would do to me. I wonder why he seems to hate me so. Sadly, Momo and Adam don't live here. But Tsu does; she tells me we are friends and can play again. I have three phone numbers. And. And. TWO ARE GIRLS.

Adam pulls me aside and tells me I need to train my body. He tells me that he trains every day, body and mind. That if I want to be a true hero, I need to get started. He also says I should tell my mom what happened. I'm scared. He tells me, "Part of being a hero is doing things that scare us." He wants me to call him so we can talk about it. He makes me promise. "Fist Bump."

I walk to the train station so Tsu can go home. She makes me promise to call her every day. She doesn't have many friends either. She sometimes makes frog sounds when she talks; she asks me if I think it's weird. "No, I don't," I tell her. "That's just her." She gave me a quick hug, and I almost exploded.

As I head home, I think about everything. Mom comes home and asks about my day. I think about what my friends said. I think really hard. I tell her. It's tough. I mean really tough. I pour it all out.

How I am a Deku? And no matter what I try or do, I cannot do anything right. How I want to be a hero, and no one ever believed in me until today. That three people told me I could be a hero. I know now that what Kaachan did was wrong. Tsu saved me, and Momo and Adam showed me how things should be. I DON'T WANT TO BE A DEKU ANYMORE. Our tears may have flooded the complex.

Sometimes all it takes is simple acts of kindness for the tapestry to begin to weave a new pattern. A single act of kindness can change the world. Turn strangers into friends, inspire the greatest hero the world had ever seen.

-Tsu-

I met a boy by the river today. Well, in fact, I meet one with my feet. The one I introduced my feet to was holding another under the water. I thought for a second that the underwater one had a water-breathing quirk of some type, but the way he was thrashing, he did not.

Some guy who looked like he had stuck his finger in an electrical socket yelled something at me, but I ignored him and pulled the other boy free. He had green hair like me. Kero.

He doesn't have any friends and doesn't know how friends are supposed to treat each other. He also cries easily. But how he acted seemed like he had been alone most of his life. Then Momo and Adam showed up; it turned into a pretty good day.

I made some new friends. I called Habuko Mongoose, my only other friend, and told her about my day; she could have been a part of it, but she had to go and get sick by playing in the rain. That would teach her. It sucked that Izuku went to a different school; she had only been to that area because her mom had taken her little brother to get his shots. They could play on weekends. That would be nice. Ribbit.

-Izuku-

He didn't go the school the rest of the week; his mom had called and told them he was sick. She was also scheduling an appointment to talk to the principal. It was a long night for him and his mom. His mom fretted and cried over him; most of the night. She even apologized for not supporting his dreams. She promised to give him all the support he needed so he wouldn't have to be alone anymore. She would still worry about him; that is what mothers do.

The next three days were some of the nicest he could remember. He talked on the phone to Tsu, Momo, and Adam. He and his mom went looking for a dojo, which took most of the day until they found one to take him to. They also offered weight training.

Izuku had been scared to go to a gym; once, Kaachan found him looking at a flier and told him he would murder him if he ever went. Adam said," That proved that if Izuku tried, he would be better than Bakugo even if Izuku didn't have a quirk."

That made Izuku smile, and Tsu and Momo were happy for him, too, that he would start training to be a hero. He started his training on Friday; he would train every day after school and have to work out on his own Saturday with Sunday to rest. Little did he know that when he signed up, he was signing up to walk into Hell and that the devil was a little orange-red head girl with teal eyes.

She was relentless. Her name was Itsuka Kendo. The worst part as she tortured her young apprentice was that she did it with a smile. Her words had no such honey, however. Friday night, he had a nightmare of Itsuka making him work out while beating him with a whip. The dream was filled with a dungeon, thunder, and lightning. Saturday, he had to run 3 miles, do 50 sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, crunches, and 10-minute wall sits. Izuku Midoriya died that night. He was resurrected Monday by his evil alarm clock to go to school.

Monday was rather interesting. He rode to school with his mother, who met with the principal. Izuku made his way to class and did his best to keep his head down. Of course, that didn't fly, as Kaachan and Skin wanted to know where the stupid frog was so they could teach her a lesson.

Izuku would always try to help anyone who was the target of Kaachan and his crew. But now he was threatening his friend. His new friend. She might not want to hang out with him once she realized how much a Deku he was; that was future Izuku's problem. She had stepped in and SAVED HIM. She told him he could be a hero.

"Leave her out of this, Kaachan." He said defiantly.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY? ARE YOU TRYING TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO DEKU?" Kaachan roared.

"Y. Yes. She is my friend, and I will not let you hurt her." He said, his fist clenched at his side.

Skin laughed. "Aww, some girl gives you 2 minutes; and you think she is your friend. AWWW." He then made kissing noises that drew some laughs from others in the room.

"ONCE SHE FINDS OUT YOU'RE A QUIRKLESS PIECE OF SHIT, I'M SURE YOU WILL BE ALL ALONE AGAIN." Kaachan taunted.

"She knows I'm quirkless and says I can still be a hero." He said defiantly.

"THEN SHE IS A STUPID AS YOU ARE USELESS."

Then it happened. He snapped. He stood up and just punched Bakugo in the face. "SHUT UP. YOU DON'T EVER GET TO TALK ABOUT HER." He jumped on him and kept hitting. Now I want to tell you that he defeated his bully, but Bakugo raised his hand, causing an explosion, rolled Izuku onto his back, and started swinging and swearing. Weaving a tapestry of profanity that some say can still be seen hanging over the school to this day.

-Inko Midoriya-

Inko was very surprised, and honestly, considering if she used her quirk to pull this stupid man's tie to slam him into the table, exactly how much trouble she would be in. Everything was her son's fault; Bakugo had a spotless record. Inko could smell the bullshit.

They were covering for him; Bakugo had a powerful quirk, and with such a quirk, he would not doubly become a mighty hero. The school didn't want to jeopardize that, and when he became famous, there would inevitably be documentaries. They would all talk about the schools he went to and interview the teachers and staff, that would talk about how they saw greatness and were happy to have a small part in his rise.

She knew then that she needed to get her son out of this place. She was about to start yelling when a phone call to the principal interrupted their meeting. "Your son is apparently causing trouble." The man said.

-Izuku-

Well, this is familiar. Here I am with Bakugo beating me again. This situation had played out hundreds of times. There were a few differences this time; Izuku had actually hit Bakugo. But when things advanced to this stage, Izuku would lie there and take it. His mind drifted as he thought of Momo, Adam, Kendo, and the Tsu. Bakugo couldn't get to Momo and Adam but could get to Tsu.

He knew he would prove a point, but Izuku wouldn't allow it. He wouldn't let Bakugo drive away his friend. He couldn't say he knew what real friendship was yet. But he knew that whatever was going on between Bakugo and him was not friendship. Inside Izuku, a small fire started. A fire that would one day grow so bright that it would drive the boy to be the greatest hero the world had ever seen. That was for the future; today, it was enough for Izuku to do the one thing he had never done. He fought back.

It wasn't graceful, to say the least. But a knee to the balls is rather effective. Bakugo groaned and rolled off of Izuku. Izuku climbed on top of his downed opponent and started swinging with everything in his being. Words flew out of Izuku's mouth, incoherent profanity; tears poured down his face, and he couldn't hear or see anything else. He just let it flood out.

"YOU STUPID ASSHOLE, WHY DO YOU LOOK DOWN ON EVERYONE? YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AN ASSHOLE. WHY COULDN'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE? WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST LET ME DREAM? WHY, WHY, WHY YOU BASTARD, WHY, I JUST WANTED TO BE FRIENDS, I NEVER EVEN WANTED TO BE THE NUMBER ONE LIKE YOU, I JUST WANTED TO BE A HERO, I JUST WANTED NOT TO BE ALONE, I JUST WANTED TO LIVE, I HATE YOU, IHATEYOU."

It was all blurring until he felt a warm hand touch his face; as his vision snapped back, he was looking into the warm green eyes of his mother. She had tears in her eyes and whispered, "It is ok, Izuku, it's ok now, come on, let's go home."

He collapsed into her arms, and she lifted him off the ground and escorted him out of the shocked classroom. He was sobbing against her, and she just comforted him. "It is ok, Izuku; it's ok now."

A thread was shredded to almost nothing that day. Yet another thread was attached.

A girl with purple hair and earphone jacks coming from her ears. She had never bullied Izuku, never said anything to him, kind or otherwise. She had just stood back out of the way. If they were messing with Izuku, then they would leave her alone. She had witnessed so much done to the boy and said nothing. She knew it was wrong, but she was afraid to say something. If she said something, they would turn on her. She had been afraid to do what was right.

Maybe Izuku wouldn't have been alone if she had said something. It wouldn't happen again. She hated how she felt; she would never let that happen again. She would be quiet no more. Maybe it was because she never wanted to feel this way again. But it was a start. Everything starts somewhere.