Prologue

People are not born equal. That's the hard truth I learned at age four. It all began in Keikei City in China with the news that a bioluminescent baby was born! After that, "exceptional" individuals began popping up worldwide. The cause was unclear. Time passed, and the "exceptional" became the norm. Fantasy became a reality! Currently, 80% of the world's population is comprised of superhumans with unique abilities. The world is in chaos! And a profession that everyone once only dreamed about entered the spotlight!

Along with the exceptional abilities came an explosion in the crime rate. While nations struggled to overhaul their legal systems, brave individuals took up the mantle of heroes straight out of comic books. Protecting people from evildoers! With public support, some quickly acquired the right to serve as heroes in an official capacity. Depending on their performance, they can earn government pay, fame, and glory!

"Enough Kacchan! You already made him cry… Stop it! I won't let you hurt him!" I stared at my brother from across the playground. He was standing in front of a small kid, crying in the sand. His hands were clenched so tight I could almost see his knuckles turning white from my position. His knees were shaking, and he looked like he might start to cry as he stared down three bigger kids.

"So Deku, the quirkless wonder, thinks he can play hero, huh?" The spiky blonde-haired boy in the middle said, slamming his fist into his open hand, letting sparks fly off. I could see the look on my brother's face as the two other boys near the blonde activated their quirks as well. The fatter of the two opened his massive dragon wings while the other let his fingers start growing, intimidating the poor boys.

I knew what they were about to do, and there was nothing that I could do to stop them. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me to help my brother. I screamed at them to stop and reached my hand out, trying to get them to look at me. At this time, I called fire to myself for the first time. Kacchan's explosions flew out of his hand and started to move in my direction. It stopped before it could touch my hand. I stared down at the flame that was sparking and dancing. Kacchan looked from his hand and then to me with utter confusion. His red eyes met mine, and a scowl crossed his face.

"You two handle Deku; I've got the other nerd." I saw Kacchan stalking toward me, explosions coming off his hands. I closed my eyes and put my hands up to cover my face. At this time, the sparking fire shot back towards Kacchan, hitting him on the shoulder. He looked down at the small hole in his shirt with annoyance. I could continue to see him stalking toward me through my fingers.

No. 1 Izuka and Natsuki Midorya: Origin

I awoke in a cold sweat in my room ten years older. My strawberry blonde hair was everywhere, and my bed was a disaster zone. The blankets were piled on the floor where they had been kicked, and my sheets were soaked. What had I been dreaming about? I remember Izuku and Kacchan from my dream, but other than that, it was a blur. I shook my head and threw my legs over the bed. I looked at my phone and saw it was 4:30 in the morning. Well, no matter what dream I had, there was no way I could fall back asleep.

I stood up and walked out into the dark hallway to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and put my hair up in a ponytail. I started back down the hall and stopped at my brother's door, which was slightly open. He was lying on his stomach in his bed, one leg out from the covers. His green hair covered his eyes, and his mouth was open as he slept. I smiled as I watched my brother sleep without a care in the world it felt like.

Unlike me, Izuku was quirkless. He was among the 20% of the world's population that had failed to evolve and develop a quirk. Most days, I wanted nothing more than to give him my quirk and help his dream of being a hero become a reality. What Izuku lacked in having a quirk, he made up for in endless enthusiasm. He constantly ran to where he would hear that the latest villain attack was taking place just to watch and study the heroes that came to stop the villains. He had notebooks filled with all the information he had gathered on superheroes.

I returned to my room and slipped on black shorts, a yellow tee, and running shoes. I grabbed my headphones and headed for the front door. Once outside, I turned to my left and headed toward the stairs. While still in a decent area, it was not the wealthiest part of town. Three apartment buildings were side by side, surrounded by residential housing and duplexes. The complexes were nothing really to look at. All three were gray with the numbers 1,2 or 3 on the side.

My mother, brother, and myself lived in the second apartment complex on the 4th floor. Plenty of other kids who went to school with us also lived in or around the complexes, and many times, we would play together in the park as kids. It was hard to think that most of the kids would be going to different high schools in a year. I plugged my headphones in and started to walk down the stairs, using the porch lights to guide me.

As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I started to jog lightly, focusing on breathing. I felt my feet pound against the pavement as the song "Burn" began to play. I focused on the music and started on my usual route. The street lights guided me as I continued, beginning to pick up the pace.

As I rounded the corner, the park from my childhood sprawled out before me. I could see the jungle gym, the swings, and the sandbox in the low light of early morning. I continued around the outside of the park, following the path of light from the lamps. I looked up every once in a while to check my surroundings. As I continued down the road, I saw the houses become slightly more extensive, getting farther away from the city.

As I passed by the play area in the park, I looked to my right and saw the familiar tan house with several rounded green roofs and a balcony. This was the house in which the Bakugo family lived with their son Katsuki, or as my brother and I called him, Kacchan. There was a light on in the living room, but it looked like no one was up at this time. As kids, it was his house we would go to to get a drink or if we fell and scraped a knee.

I continued my run, taking a break several times to catch my breath. As I rounded the corner to my block, I saw the sun rising between the apartment complexes. The pinks, yellows, and oranges were breathtaking. It looked like the sky was on fire. Off to the west were some dark clouds that looked like a storm might be rolling in. I took a second to stare at the sky with wonder before continuing home. I ran up the stairs and could hear the clang of pots and pans, meaning my mom was up and starting breakfast. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Natsuki, welcome home. Please take your shoes off and go and get ready for breakfast." My mom didn't look over at me with those words, just knowing that I would walk to my room without removing my shoes. My mom's and I's relationship has always been alright as far as I knew, but I felt that she was always harder on me than Izuku. I sometimes think this may be because I got a quirk, and he didn't.

I had inherited a combination of my parents' quirks and could manipulate fire. This has come in handy in some situations, such as when Kacchan would pick on Izuku and try to light him on fire with his explosion quirk. However, when I did this, it usually made Kacchan turn his attention toward me. He didn't like that someone could steal his "thunder ." However, I didn't want to use my quirk if I could avoid it. Even though I knew Izuku didn't mind, I felt that using my quirk may upset him.

"Yes, Mom," I said, taking off my shoes and setting them by the front door. I walked back down the hall and glanced into Izuku's room. I noticed he was still sleeping, but it looked like he was starting to stir slightly. I hurried to my room, grabbed a towel, and ran into the bathroom before Izuku could wake up and hog the shower. I started the water and hopped in, washing my body and hair. I stopped at my shoulders as there were some old burn scars. I found it funny that I was not immune to burns, even with a fire quirk. I learned this the hard way. I remember Kacchan coming up to me after I had stolen his fire for the first time and putting his hand on me with a smile. I felt the sting and didn't initially realize what was happening. I looked down and saw the strap to my tank top was on fire.

I shook my head to get the memory out and finished my shower. I dried my hair the best I could with a towel and dried myself off. I walked to my room and quickly changed into my school clothes, a black sailor shirt and a skirt. I tied the white ribbon around my neck, ensuring I lifted the flap in the back and placed the ribbon under. Sitting down on my bed, I pulled on my white knee-high socks. I opened the door to my room and saw Izuku sitting at the table eating. He looked over at me and smiled.

"Good morning, Nat. Are you ready for the math test today?" He asked. I smiled and nodded my head.

"Yes, and this time I swear I will get a higher score than you!" I stuck my tongue out at him playfully. He laughed and took another bite of his food.

"As if. You know that you and math just don't add up." Izuku teased with his mouth full. I sat down, and my mom came over with two bowls, placing one in front of me. She smiled and brushed my hair out of my face.

"Stop it, you two, and eat, or else you will be late for school." Izuku started to shovel his food into his mouth, and once he was done, he got up to get ready. I looked over at my mom, who looked back at me with bright green eyes. "Why don't you let me do your hair for school?"

"Mom, I've told you. I'm fifteen now, and every other girl wears their hair down like this. Even some of the heroes wear their hair down." I said, shaking my head. There was a slight curl to my hair, unlike my mother's, which made it hard to manage some days.

"I know. I just worry that you will use your quirk and light yourself on fire. I do worry about you too, you know." She smiled, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. I know that my quirk scared her at times. Without my father around to teach me, she didn't know how to help. She had tried to see if I could move objects without flame before, but it always led to frustration. I quickly grabbed part of my hair and tied it behind my head.

"There, Mom, it's up." She smiled again and leaned in to hug me.

"Thank you, Natsuki." I closed my eyes and hugged her back. I heard Izuku coming out of his room so we could leave for school. "Please watch your brother, and don't let anyone hurt him." She whispered, letting go of me. Izuku had a habit of finding all the villain fights and going to watch them, so he was able to take notes on the heroes and their quirks.

"Nat, are you ready to go?" Izuku was halfway out the door with his yellow backpack on and his notebook in hand, just in case. I walked over to the door, slipped on my purple running shoes, and grabbed my yellow and purple backpack.

"Bye, Mom." I waved at my mom before shutting the door and following Izuku down the stairs. "Izzy, wait for me." Izuku was already running ahead toward the train station. I followed Izzy as he ran excitedly, looking around to ensure he wasn't missing any action. At this moment, both of us heard the bellowing of something huge coming from the direction of the train station.

"GET AWAY!" As we rounded the corner, I saw a giant rat-like creature coming out of the train station's roof. So much for taking the train, I thought as I saw Izuku running into the crowd.

"Izzy, wait!" People started crowding in the street, making it harder to get to Izuku. His enthusiasm carried him effortlessly through the crowd. At the same time, people knocked into me, trying to get the best shot of the action. I continued to make my way towards Izuku without making much progress. I heard the cracking of metal before I saw it. A piece of the track came crashing down. I held my breath, feeling the temperature inside me rise.

Not here. I can't panic here. I was desperately trying to see Izuku. I felt the air rush past me, and before I knew it, a pro stood underneath the falling track, holding it up to protect the civilians underneath.

"It's Kamui Woods! The popular young superstar." I knew that voice. I turned toward it, trying to see through the crowd. I saw the villain throwing rubble and trying to hit the wooden pro hero.

"Lacquered chain prison!" The wooden pro yelled as his arms stretched, rushing toward the villain to imprison him in wood.

"CANYON CANNON!" A giant lady yelled, leaping over the train tracks to kick the villain. The villain flew to the ground unconscious from the blow to the head. The crowd started to move, cameras ready to get a picture of the giant lady.

The heroes had restrained the villain and were posing in front of the cameras. I saw this new hero with her long blonde hair and skin-tight suit. How on earth did they get it to stretch like that? I shook my head, ignoring the question, and continued to listen for my brother. I heard muttering coming off to my left. That could only be one person.

"Gigantification, huh? It's a common and quite powerful quirk, but could the threat of public property limit its use? Well…. Depends on whether or not she can manipulate her size at will…" I finally caught sight of Izuku through the dissipating crowd. His nose was buried in his notebook. Next to him, a man with appendages on his head looked over at him.

"Taking notes?! I guess you wanna be a hero yourself. Good Luck!" Izuku looked up with a massive smile on his face.

"Thanks! I'll try!" I shook my head and walked over to him, taking deep breaths. I could feel my body temperature was higher than usual, and I wanted to escape the crowd so I wouldn't panic. Izuku looked at me.

"Oh… Nat, sorry I got lost in the action. Have you ever seen a hero like her before? I mean, she could cause a huge problem with collateral damage, but her quirk is pretty awesome, don't you think." He continued to take notes on the new hero but started to follow me as I walked toward the school. We would be late since we could no longer take the train.

Middle School Building

We finally made it to school with several seconds to spare. I watched Izzy walk into his homeroom and started walking to mine. As I turned, I felt my shoulder run into something solid. I looked up and saw Bakugo looking down at me, glaring with his red eyes.

"Watch where you're going, huh Sparkler!" He yelled while walking past me with his two friends. His friends snickered as they passed as well. To be honest, I preferred this nickname over others that he had called me in the past, but I didn't want him to know that. I glared as he walked past. Once he was out of sight, I continued to my classroom.

Today, we had to take our aptitude tests to see what job we may be suited for if the hero track was not for us. I sat at my desk and looked at the questions.

Select one that best fits you.

a. Risk-taking

b. Cautious

c. Stable

d. Original

e. Generous

I frowned as I read the rest of the questions. All were similar to the first one. How was this supposed to help tell me what I should do? I continued to answer the questions the best I could. As I continued, I felt the wall start to rumble behind me. I looked up and back at the wall. I wasn't the only one who felt the shaking, as several other students had also raised their heads. I heard another explosion and rolled my eyes as it dawned on me what was happening. Bakugo was losing his cool over something. After several seconds, everything seemed to have died down and was back to normal.

Meanwhile in Musutafu

"Thief! Someone stop him!" A man yelled, coming out of his shop. Down the road was a villain made of some sort of sludge. He ran around and through obstacles. Money was falling out of him like a pinata. Bystanders stood back, watching the villain take off with the shopkeepers' money.

"Catch me if you can!" The villain yelled, running down the street. Bystanders watched as the sludge villain ran past them.

"Someone is bound to show up."

"This guy must have been inspired by the chaos this morning. Lots of people out there just can't control their quirks, I guess."

"There's no end to them."

While talking to each other, no one had noticed the skeletal-looking guy coming out of the store holding a grocery bag. He didn't look like much with his sunken eyes and blonde hair hanging in his face. What the people didn't see was that this man's body started to smoke. His body became taller, and his muscles bulged out.

"Yes, there is." The man said with a deep booming voice. Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at the man behind them. The man had a massive smile while taking a stance to fight this villain. "Why do you ask? Cuz I am here."

Middle School Building

The bell rang for the end of the day. I quickly grabbed my bag and walked to the door, heading for Izuku's classroom. I looked in to see if Izzy was still there and saw him sitting at his desk with Kaachan and his band of idiots standing around him. I saw Kaachan grab Izuku's hero notes and wave them around so his friends could see them.

"What's that, Katsuki?" Creepy finger kid asked, moving his head to try and see what was written on the front.

"" For my future"? Seriously?!" The kid looked over at his friends, laughing. "This guy, Midoriya…."

"C-Come on. Give it back!" I could see the sweat starting to bead on Izuku's head. I looked over at Bakugo just in time to see the tiny spark beginning to come from his palm. Before I knew what I was doing, I had stepped forward and put my hand out. I saw his explosion fly over and stop in my hand before he could burn Izuku's journal. Surprisedly, he looked at his hands, not knowing I was standing at the door. I held his explosion in my hand, letting it sit above my palm, ensuring it didn't touch my skin.

Bakugo looked around the room, trying to figure out what had happened to his quirk. His eyes narrowed when he saw me standing in the doorway. I grabbed a water bottle from a nearby desk and doused the flames. I smirked at him, knowing I had stopped him from burning Izuku's notebook.

"Hmph," Bakugo growled, walking toward the open window. "Of course, you just happen to be here, Sparkler." In one motion, he threw the journal out of the window into the courtyard below. I saw Izuku's eyes widen as he watched his journal fall over the window rail. The journal made a plunk as it landed in a koi pond below.

"The best heroes out there, well…" Bakugo turned around, smiling toward Izuku, "They showed signs of greatness even as students. I'll be the first and ONLY hero from this crappy public middle school to win the honor of becoming a student at UA High." He said, looking between Izuku and myself. "In other words…" Bakugo placed his hand on Izuku's shoulder. I could see the smoke starting to come off of his hand. I tried to pull any flame toward me, but nothing was there. He was trying to intimidate Izuku. "Don't you dare get into UA, nerd!" He said with a sadistic grin on his face.

He let go of Izuku's shoulder and walked toward the door. He stopped in front of me. I looked up to glare at him. "That means you too, Sparkler!" I continued to glare, refusing to give him the satisfaction of being the first to look away.

"Jeez….Typical. C'Mon say something…" One of Bakugo's friends said, looking at Izuku and then at the stare-down between Bakugo and me.

"He can't say anything. He's so lame. Even as a third year. He still can't face reality." Bakugo said with ice in his voice. He stared at me for several seconds before running into me as he walked out the door. I turned to face him, hands clenched with my fingernails cutting into my palms. I didn't notice that the creeps that hang out with Bakugo had come up behind me on their way to the door. Bakugo stopped and smiled, looking over his shoulder at Izuku. "You wanna be a hero so bad? I've got a time-saving idea for you. If you think you'll have a quirk in your next life, take a swan dive off the roof!"

I leaped out toward Bakugo, trying to punch him. His henchman held me back as I kicked, trying to reach him. I heard Izuku turn behind me with a low growl at the insult. That was a low blow even for Bakugo. Bakugo became slightly interested in Izuku's movements, waiting to see what he would do.

"Yeah? What?" He threatened, holding his hand up and letting sparks off his fingers. I continued to kick and claw, trying to get at Bakugo. I could feel the heat inside of me rising as I stared at him, trying to mentally burn him to the ground. How dare he say that to Izuku, to anyone! Izuku had done nothing but be his friend and look up to him, and this is how he repays him. I felt the tears stinging my eyes.

Before I knew it, the two boys had dropped me on the ground as Bakugo turned and walked out of the room. In a fit of rage, I scrambled to my feet to run after him. I was going to make him take back what he said. I burst into the hall behind them. Both of the henchmen turned at the noise, but Bakugo kept walking. I looked back at Izzy to see if he would come and help and paused when I saw him still standing in the classroom, shaking. I dropped my shoulders, promising myself that I would confront Bakugo later. I took a deep breath and returned to Izuku, pulling him into a hug.

"Izzy, don't listen to what he says. He is threatened because he knows you have a chance to be a hero." I said, letting go of Izuku and smiling at him. "He is just an idiot. If you had jumped, then he could be charged with bullying you into suicide. He just doesn't think before he speaks."

Izuku smiled weakly, looking at me. I saw his mouth open slightly as he looked at my face. "Nat… Your eyes.. They look like they are orange.." He said, surprised. I looked back at him with equal surprise. What did he mean my eyes were orange? My eyes are blue; maybe he was shocked by what Bakugo said. I laughed and brushed it off. Izuku shook his head and looked back at me, studying my eyes. "Nevermind. Must have been a trick of the light or something."

"Come on Izuku, let's go home," I said, walking with him toward the door. We walked outside and into the courtyard. Walking down the path, I noticed something in a koi pond on my right. I looked closer and saw that it was Izuku's notebook. I walked over to the pond and bent over, reaching toward the book floating in the water with a fish nibbling the corner. I picked it up out of the water, shaking it off. Even if I couldn't fix everything for Izuku, maybe I could give him hope. I looked down at the book in my hand and remembered when Izuku had first started writing about heroes. It began with an old clip. There was this big disaster a while back. But in the aftermath, a particular hero made his debut.

"Again?! Kids, I think you're responsible for tens of thousands of this video's views," my mom said as Izuku and I pulled her toward our old computer. She held both of our hands as we led her. Izuku had an action figure of newly emerging hero All Might in his hand as he pulled Mom into the chair, bouncing on the balls of his feet. I stood beside him, excited as well.

My mom typed on the keyboard, and we saw the thumbnail pull up as my mom stood. She picked Izuku up and set him on the chair. He started to rock back and forth violently, waiting for it to start. I climbed beside him, pushing him over to share the chair.

"It's a little too scary for mommy to watch." My mom hit the play button, causing the biggest grin to spread on Izuku's face. I felt my smile widen as well. The video itself was shaking as a black-haired boy came into view. Tears were streaming down his face as the cameraman recorded the scene. In the background, you could see a bus overturned with several badly damaged buildings. As the video continued, a laugh could be heard as a figure came over the bus.

"Are you seeing this?! He's already saved a hundred people! Wow!" The kid exclaimed. The camera zoomed in to get a better shot of the hero. "And it's only been ten minutes so far! Wow! And he is smiling." On his back, he carried at least seven people, a cat, and one person under each arm.

"Fear not! Why, you ask? Cuz I am here!" All Might says, his smile never leaving his face. He is covered in blood and sweat, and yet he is still smiling. I looked over at Izuku as his smile widened. He looked back at me with determination in his eyes.

"He's so Cooooooool! Right, Nat?! When I get my quirk, I wanna be just like him! You can be my sidekick, Nat, and we can save the world!" Izuku said, standing up on the chair.

"I'm not going to be your sidekick! You are going to be mine." I said, sticking my tongue out and teasing him. He jumped off the chair, and we played hero and villain. This was one of our favorite pretend games to play. We would take turns playing the hero and acting out as they defeated the villain.

Thinking about this made me smile. It wasn't too long after that moment that my quirk appeared. Who would have guessed that our whole world would be turned upside down just several months later at a routine doctor's appointment. Looking back at that day, I remembered my sadness and guilt.

"I'm afraid there's no hope for him." The doctor's words shocked my mother as she reached out to comfort Izuku. I looked over at my brother, who still had a smile, but his eyes looked distant.

"No! There must be some mistake. The other kindergarteners, his sister, have all started showing signs, but…" My mom trailed off. I could see the tears gathering in her eyes as she struggled to hold them back. I looked at her, confused. Why did she look like she was going to cry? This didn't change anything. I looked back to Izuku and saw the All Might action figure slip out of his hand and fall to the ground.

"Pardon my asking, Ma'am, but you're a fourth generation, yes? As far as quirks, I mean." The doctor asked, looking at my mother. There didn't seem to be any sympathy behind his glasses as he spoke.

"Yes, of course. I can pull small objects towards me. And my husband can breathe fire. Natsuki has a combination of the two and can pull fire towards her." My mom explained, moving her hand to levitate the action figure toward her.

"By the age of four, a child should manifest either one of his parents' quirks or, like in Nasuki's case, a composite of the two." He took pictures from a yellow folder and put them on a screen. He flipped a switch, and the screen lit up, showing what looked to be feet on the pictures. "However, early quirk research discovered one important finding. It has to do with the presence or absence of the extra joint in the pinky toe. If you look here at Natsuki's x-ray of her foot, you can see that there is only one joint in the pinky toe. However, if you look at Izuku's X-ray, he has two joints. Humans have no need for parts they don't use, you see. And those without the joint represent the next stage of evolution. It's becoming quite rare nowadays, but it would seem that why Natsuki did inherit a quirk, that Izuku possesses no quirk at all."

After getting this news, we went home. Izuku had watched the video of All Might over and over. He didn't even bother to turn the light on, allowing the screen to illuminate the room. I followed my mom into the room, wanting to play with my brother. My mom timidly walked up behind Izuku to see what he was doing. She saw the same video and turned to step out of the room, not wanting to disturb him. She saw me standing by the door, looking longingly at Izuku. I looked at my mother, who had tears falling down her cheek.

"Mom," Izuku said, surprising my mom. She stopped and tilted her head back to look at him. I took a step into the room behind her. "No matter what kind of trouble you're in, he'll save you with a smile. A super cool hero like that." Izuku turned his head while pointing at the screen. Even with the smile on his face, I could see the tears in his eyes. He was trying to hold them in but was not succeeding. "That's what I want to be."

My mom lost her composure and ran over to Izuku, wrapping him and the chair in a hug. Tears were openly streaming down both Izuku's and my mom's faces. I walked over to them and tried to wrap my arms around my mom and Izuku.

"I'm sorry, Izuku. I'm sorry!" My mom repeated. I looked at her, surprised. That is not what he needed to hear.

I walked back over to Izuku and handed him his notebook. He smiled halfheartedly at me and started to walk in the direction of home. We walked in silence for a while. Izuku continued to try to keep the smile on his face. We came to a split in the path, one that led toward home and another led towards a dark tunnel. I started down the path that led to our house. It didn't take long before I noticed that Izuku was not following.

"Izuku, are you coming?" I asked, turning around to look at him. He was trying so hard to smile that it had twisted into a grimace.

"Do you remember Mom telling me that she was sorry?" I nodded my head back at him. "That was when I decided. I decided not to care what anyone said! To keep my chin up and keep moving forward." I smiled weakly back at him as he kept the forced grimace on his face. I took a step closer and pulled him into a hug. Izuku wrapped his arms around me, hugging me back.

"Izzy, I know that one day you will be the greatest hero ever." Izuku took a step back and smiled at me with a genuine smile.

"Thanks, Nat!" Izuku put his hand behind his head. "If you don't mind, I just need a little time to think."

"Oh, of course! I'll just head home and tell Mom you'll be home later." This was the perfect time for me to track down Bakugo and give him a piece of my mind without having Izzy worry.

"Thanks again. I'll see you later." Izuku waved and started to walk off toward the tunnel. I could hear the absurd laugh he made as he marched ahead. I shook my head and turned around, walking toward the city. I would bet that Bakugo and his band of misfits were in the arcade.

I walked at a quick pace, thinking of what I was going to say to him when I caught up. I still couldn't believe that for someone so smart, he was so stupid. I never understood what happened between Izuku and Bakugo. One day, they were friends; the next, they weren't. Was it really due to Izuku not having a quirk, or had something else happened?

I walked down the sidewalk, thinking of what to say. His words repeated repeatedly in my head: If you think you'll have a quirk in your next life, go take a swan dive off the roof. I could feel the anger boiling inside me as I continued walking. I started to turn down the street to head toward the arcade when I heard a small explosion coming from the alley I just passed.

I stopped and walked back, peeking around the corner down the alleyway. I saw three boys. One had long shoulder-length blonde hair and was using his stretched-out fingers to steal a cigarette from the kid beside him with short black hair. The third was facing away from me, but I knew that spiky blonde hair.

"Thought I told you to stop smoking! Get caught, and it will go on my record too!" Bakugo yelled at his friends. I balled my hands, took a deep breath, and walked down the alley.

"Hey asshole, got a minute," I yelled, getting the boy's attention. Bakugo turned to face me, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"Get lost, Sparkler." He went to walk past me, and without thinking, I put my hands on his shoulders and pushed him back at his friends. I saw the look of surprise in his eyes, followed by a menacing smirk. "Oh, you wanna fight, do ya! Well, bring it on, Natsuki! I'll wipe the ground with you."

My eyes widened as I saw his hands starting to spark. He lunged at me, and I quickly flicked my hand, sending his explosion into a nearby pile of garbage. "So much for talking." I thought as Bakugo went to hit me with a right hook. I quickly ducked, knowing this was always his first move in a fight.

I was so preoccupied I didn't see his friends staring with mouths wide at something behind me. When I stood back up, I felt Bakugo grab me and start to pull. He had a hold of my upper arm with a tight grip. I began to hit his arm, trying to get him to let me go.

"Let me save you, dammit!" I stopped, surprised by his words. Save me? He just said that he was going to wipe the floor with me! I looked at Bakugo, trying to see his ploy, but he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at something directly behind me. It was then that I felt something wrap around my ankle and pull.

Meanwhile with Izuku

I walked toward the tunnel, laughing and putting on a show. I was trying to stay positive but also wanted to show Nat I was okay. The truth is that Bakugo was right. There was no way that I was able to compete with him. My chances of getting into UA and achieving my dream of becoming a hero were slim. I took another step and stopped clenching my fist in anger. Why was I born without a quirk? Why did it have to be me?

I was so lost in thought that I didn't hear the slime dripping behind me or the deep panting. "A medium-sized body to hide in."

I felt my blood run cold as I looked over my shoulder to see what was behind me. I couldn't see a person or anything living. All that was there was a mass of sludge. Before I could even move, the sludge had moved toward me, encompassing me and covering my nose and mouth. This wasn't just sludge. This was a villain.

I fought against the sludge, desperately pulling it from my mouth. Nat wasn't that far away. If I could just yell for help, she would come back. I felt my tears start to well in my eyes as I continued to fight. It didn't matter that I used all my strength as the sludge stayed firmly over my nose and mouth.

"Don't worry, I'm just hijacking your body. Calm down. There is no use in trying to pull me off. I'm made of fluid, so it won't work." The sludge said, readjusting his position to cover more of my body. "It'll only hurt for about 45 seconds, and then it will all be over."

I continued to kick and fight but could feel my body starting to weaken, and my attempts to escape were becoming more futile. "I'm saved. You're a real hero, kid; I never thought HE would appear in this town." I attempted to scream, hoping that if I could scream loud enough, Nat would come back and help. I could feel the panic starting to rise in me as I began to fade. I was dying. I wanted nothing more than for someone to come and save me, but I feared that help was not coming.

"Fear not kid," I heard a metal manhole cover falling to the ground. I felt the slime turn to look over his shoulder. Everything seemed to move slower as I felt weaker in the sludge's grasp. "I am here! TEXAS SMASH!"

Suddenly, I could take a breath as the sludge was forced away from me. The wind pressure felt like it was blowing my skin away from my skull. As the wind died down, I looked to my left to see where the wind had come from and saw something I had never expected.

"All….Might…." I said as I fell to the ground. I felt my eyes closing as the world disappeared around me.

Natsuki

I felt the thing wrapped around my ankle and tug, pulling me off my feet. I reached out, trying to grab ahold of anything. I felt Bakugo's arm and grabbed it, holding on with all my might. I felt Bakugo grab me too, preventing me from getting pulled by the villain behind me. I looked up into his red eyes and saw the look of determination on his face.

I landed on the ground and felt the wind leave my lungs. The thing kept tugging on my ankle and pulled me back as Bakugo held onto me. I felt my body start to leave the ground as I was drawn in two separate directions. I could see the muscles beginning to bulge in Bakugo's arm. His feet were starting to slide across the ground as I was being pulled backward. I looked over my shoulder at what was holding onto my ankle. There was a brown sludge substance wrapped around my ankle. I followed the line of sludge to see what it was attached to.

Standing behind me with a huge smile was a brown sludge form with eyes floating around in the substance and teeth forming a mouth-like shape. I gasped, feeling my grip on Bakugo loosen slightly.

"Dammit, Natsuki! You need to hold on." Bakugo yelled, pulling back. I could feel him starting to sweat as he struggled to keep me from being pulled into the sludge. "I have an idea, but you'll have to trust me."

I nodded, knowing that I didn't have many options at this point. Bakugo moved his right hand toward his left arm, transferring my grip completely to his left side. I held on to his arm as I briefly felt us sliding toward the sludge. I felt the heat in Bakugo's right hand before the explosion formed. He quickly raised his arm and shot an explosion at the sludge.

Once it hit the sludge, I felt the grip on my leg disappear. Bakugo wasn't prepared for the sudden disappearance of resistance and started falling backward. I landed on top of him as we hit the ground and sighed in relief.

"Get off me!" Bakugo yelled, pushing me to the side. He stood up, brushing the dirt off of him. I stood up and stared at him.

"Th...Thank you…" I didn't know what else to say. I stared at him, and he just shrugged.

"I didn't do it for you, Sparkler, so don't start thinking I care. I thought it would look good when I applied for UA." Bakugo smirked, putting his hands in his pockets.

I rolled my eyes and went to pick up the books that had fallen out of my backpack. As I bent down to pick up my textbook, I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye. I stood up and looked toward the alleyway entrance. I saw Bakugo walking toward the entrance, but behind him, sludge pieces appeared to be building up to form a shape. Before I could yell to warn Bakugo, the villain had reformed and closed the gap between them.

"I like a body with some firepower." The sludge villain said as he quickly came up behind Bakugo.

"Huh?" Bakugo questioned, turning to look back, but it was too late.

Izuku

"Hey… Hey, kid." I heard a voice calling from far away. I willed myself to return to the present and felt a light slap across my face. I stirred, trying to get my eyes to open. What had just happened? Was I still dreaming? I cracked my eyes open, trying to look at my surroundings. I wasn't in my bed but in a dimly lit tunnel.

"THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE OK!" I looked toward the sight of the voice and saw one of my posters of All Might, but what was it doing in a tunnel? Memories started flooding back to me as I remembered parting ways with Nat and entering the tunnel. A villain attacked me! I was dying and was saved by All Might!

"What?!" I shot into a sitting position, scooting backward, looking at All Might. I couldn't believe it! My all-time favorite hero was here in front of me. My mind raced with all the questions that I wanted to ask him.

"Apologies for getting you caught up in my villain hunt. Mistakes like that aren't my style, but this city is strange. Besides, I'm off camera!" I stared at All Might's smile. It was even more prominent in person! He started to laugh and grabbed a bottle out of his pocket. "However, my success is all here, thanks to you! I've contained the villain." He held up his right hand, showing the bottle. I saw two distinct eyeballs floating around in a sludge substance when I looked closer.

I stared at All Might, forgetting everything that was around me. I never noticed how much he looked like an American Tourist. I guess that is to be expected, as he studied heroism in America. My thoughts continued to race as my brain processed that my all-time favorite hero was standing before me. I started to look around on the ground frantically and through my stuff.

"Oh… A, uh, an autograph! Where's my….Ah, my notebook." I found the slightly damp notebook that Nat had fished out of the pond not long ago. I went to open the notebook and, with surprise, saw the words ALL MIGHT sprawled across two pages. "He already did it! Wow! Thank you so much! What a treasure! It will be a family heirloom!"

I bowed over and over to thank him for his kindness. I didn't notice that All Might was walking away from me. When I stopped bowing, I saw All Might's back. Behind him, he was holding up a thumbs-up.

"Now, I must bring this fellow to the authorities! You can catch me again on TV! A pro battles not only enemies but also time." All Might put the bottle back in his pants pocket. He started to stretch out his legs.

"Um! Wait... Is that it? I.." I took several steps towards All Might. "Hold on! I still… I need to ask you…"

"Until next time." With a sudden burst of speed, All Might appeared to have jumped into the air. "Thanks for your continued support!"

I didn't know what I was thinking, but I grabbed All Might's leg before I could stop myself and flew through the air. I could feel the wind whipping past my face as we flew. It was hard to keep my eyes open, but I didn't want to close them and miss anything. I could feel the air leaving my lungs as I yelled, but I was unable to hear my screams. I felt All Might's body weight shift as he looked back to see what slowed him down.

"Hey now!" All Might put his hand on my head and started to push. "Let go! I love my fans, but this is a little much!"

"If I… Let go now… I'll.. I'll die!" I managed to yell.

"Oh…. That's a good point." The pressure on my head disappeared as All Might thought about it and decided that it would be for the best not to shove me off of him at this height.

"I… Need to….ask you so… many things….you…Gah." I felt a bug fly into my mouth.

"Okay, just do me a favor and close your eyes and mouth." I nodded my head, spitting the bug out of my mouth. Even though I wanted to ask him all my questions, I knew it would be hard to ask them while flying through the air. He grabbed onto my backpack to keep me from falling. I gripped All Might's leg and heard him cough lightly.

Several minutes later, we were landing on the roof of a nearby building. I felt like my world was spinning as I stood, trying to get my balance. Despite being absolutely terrifying, I was now alone with my all-time favorite hero. All the questions I wanted to ask him ran through my mind, but one question drowned out all the others.

"Of all the…! Not a very smart move. Bang on the door for a while, and someone will let you in. Now, I have to go, I have no time! See you on the flip side!" All Might started to walk toward the edge of the building. Waving nonchalantly behind him as he walked. Even though he still had a smile on his face, I could feel his irritation. It didn't matter. I needed to know.

"Wait, please, just one second…." I screamed, standing up and taking a step toward him.

"No, I will not wait! I don't have any time!" All Might had reached the edge of the building and was getting ready to jump off it. It was now or never. If I didn't ask now, I would never be able to ask him again. I looked down at my feet and blurted out the one question I needed answered.

"Even without a quirk, can I still be a hero?" I heard All Might stop with my question but didn't answer. I glanced up and saw that he was standing at the edge of the building but still facing away from me. I shouted the question again. I needed to know. "Can someone without a quirk… become a hero like you?!"

"Without a quirk?" All Might's questions rang in my mind.

"Because I don't have a quirk. Maybe it's not the only reason, but I've always been picked on. Maybe that is why I think that saving people is just about the coolest thing someone can do. The way you save people with your fearless smile! I want to be the strongest hero, just like y…" I looked up at where All Might had been, but now there was just a skeleton of a man standing there. His blonde hair hung in front of his face, and his clothes looked about three sizes too big. "WHAAAT?! You're all shriveled up? Were you a… a fake? An imposter! You're so thin!"

The All Might imposter just stared at me with a blank expression on his face. His sunken blue eyes bored into me. With a bunch of blood pouring out of his mouth, he said, "I am All Might!"

"No way!" I shouted in disbelief. There was no way that this skeleton creature in front of me was All Might. He must have some sort of shapeshifting quirk that allows him to look like other people. He must be copying All Might. That was all that made sense, except how he had the same power of All Might. My mind was racing with explanations for what I was seeing.

"You know how people hold in the gut at the pool to try and look buff? I'm like that." The skeleton man continued

"No Way!" It was the only thing that I could think of to say. As I started to look more at this person, I noticed that he was wearing the same clothes that All Might had been wearing. They must have been able to fit the All Might form as they were too big for the man in front of me. The more I looked, his hair was even similar, but it looked like it was falling. He sat down on the ground.

"A fearless smile, huh? You've seen the real me, kid. But don't write about it on the internet, okay?" He sighed, grabbed the corner of his shirt, and lifted it, exposing a wound on his stomach. I gasped and recoiled at the sight of the wound. It was a massive bruise-like spot on the left side of his chest. The wound appeared to be caving in. "Five years ago, an enemy did this to me. My respiratory system was nearly destroyed, and my stomach had to be removed. I've wasted away because of the after-effects of those surgeries. I can only do hero work for about three hours a day now. The rest of the time, this is what I look like."

"No way… Five years ago? So does that mean it was the fight with Toxic Chainsaw?" I asked, thinking back to All Might's major fights around five years ago.

"Wow, you know your stuff kid, but no. The punk may have landed some hits, but he couldn't bring me down. This was never made public. That is, I ask that it never be made public." He let his shirt drop and hung his head. The smile generally associated with All Might was nowhere to be seen. "A symbol of peace who saves people with a smile. People have to believe that I am never afraid, but honestly, I smile to stave off the overwhelming pressure and fear I feel. A pro should always be willing to risk their life; even then, some villains cannot be beaten without power. Without a quirk, can one become a hero? Honestly, I don't think so."

This was not the answer that I was expecting. It hit me like a ton of bricks, and I felt like I had been punched in the chest. I could feel the tears starting to well up in my eyes. I did everything in my power to hold back the tears. I couldn't believe that all these years, I had allowed myself to dream and hope for something that would never be possible. I could hear All Might Standing up, but I could not see him through the tears clouding my vision.

"If you desire to help people, becoming a police officer is always an option." He started to walk toward the roof access door. "Those villain custody officers are often mocked, but that too is admirable work." I could hear the door open. "It's not wrong to dream. However, you need to be realistic, kid."

I heard the door slam behind All Might. I let a few tears drop down my face, knowing that no one was with me. It was not what I thought that he would say. It's not what I needed to hear. I wiped the tears out of my eyes. Deep down, I knew that this had always been the answer. How could I be a hero? I was so lost in thought that I didn't hear the explosions from off in the distance.

Natsuki

Before I could even react, the sludge had engulfed Bakugo. It was wrapping itself around every part of his body it could reach. Bakugo struggled as the sludge covered his nose and mouth. His eyes shone with anger as he tried to break free. I looked around for anything to help but couldn't see anything in the alley. I swallowed the panic that I was feeling and took a deep breath. What could hurt a villain made of sludge?

I stared at Bakugo struggling to break free. I could see the sweat bead on his forehead as he fought. It was then that an explosion came flying at me. Without thinking about it, I stopped the flames before they reached me and sent them back toward the sludge. It hit a small portion of the sludge but didn't damage it. Some of the sludge flew off, and I noticed it appeared to have dried up. HEAT! That was it! Bakugo figured it out and sent flames toward me, knowing I could return it.

Bakugo started to release explosions, trying to break free from the sludge. I grabbed some of the flame and flung it back at the sludge villain, doing my best to keep the fire away from Bakugo. I knocked pieces off the sludge, but it seemed to regenerate. As Bakugo continued to let off explosions, I kept throwing fire at it.

I could hear the pros on the other side of the villain talking as they tried to strategize the best way to get Bakugo out of the sludge. I wasn't sure that they had realized that I was here yet. I could see Kamui Woods swinging overhead and using his branches to get people out of the buildings. At the same time, Backdraft attempted to subdue the fire in the surrounding buildings. I could see heroes running toward the villain only to get sent back by the explosions.

I felt a sting on my shoulder as I fell to the ground. I looked up and saw Bakugo was starting to appear more panicked. His explosions did not seem as controlled as they did just moments ago. I jumped to my feet and focused on keeping the explosions away from the crowds of people. I could hear the heroes encouraging Bakugo to hold on, but I could tell that he was starting to lose the fight.

I continued to grab fire, heading toward the crowd, and redirected it at the sludge villain, hoping it would let go of Bakugo. I heard a guttural yell on the other side of the sludge and noticed Death Arms running at the villain. The villain turned to face the noise as well. Death Arms jumped into the air and came down, punching the villain. His arm slid easily into the sludge with no resistance. The sludge punched Death Arms in the stomach, sending him into a nearby garage door.

"Stay back, or I'll snap its neck!" The villain roared. Another punch came flying at a group of pros. He missed, and I saw the sludge recoiling back into his body. I grabbed some of the fire and sent it flying toward where the villain's face should be. I watched as the fire hit the villain in the eye, causing its grasp on Bakugo to loosen. I heard Bakugo's breath and felt myself take a deep breath. I didn't even realize that I had been holding my breath.

"YOU PICKED THE WRONG GUY TO MESS WITH!" Bakugo screamed, "I'M GOING TO SEND YOU BACK TO WHATEVER SEWER YOU CRAWLED OUT OF! NOW LET ME GO!"

His explosions started to pick up now that he was able to get oxygen into his lungs. As the fire rushed toward me, I forced it back toward the villain. This was it. I just need to keep the fire close to the villain. I felt my feet slipping in the dirt as the wind from the explosions rushed at me. I grit my teeth and tried to focus on keeping the fire away from my body. As the wind died down, I could hear myself panting, followed by an evil laugh.

The villain had expanded to twice its normal size. I looked and couldn't see Bakugo anymore. I felt my knees give, and I fell to the ground. The air around me was thick with smoke as I tried to take a deep breath in. After all that, I wasn't able to save him. He had risked himself to save me, and I couldn't save him. I felt tears starting to come to my eyes. The fire was creeping closer to me as I kneeled on the ground. I had failed.

With the last explosion, most of the alleyway was now covered in flames. The heroes would not be able to save him or me now. I felt the panic wash over me. I was unable to think of any other ideas. I just wished that I could just see Izuku one more time and hear his voice. It was almost like I could hear him screaming in my mind. As I let out a strangled sob, I heard a commotion coming from the other side of the villain.

I looked up and saw a green-haired kid running toward the villain at full speed. Not just any green-haired kid. IZUKU! I gasped as I saw him running toward the flames. Before I knew what I was doing, I had jumped back onto my feet and moved the fire away from Izuku to ensure he didn't get burned. I watched him throw his backpack at the sludge villain and managed to hit him in the eye. What was he doing? Didn't he hear the heroes yelling at him to stop? I shook my head and concentrated on keeping the flames away from him as he came up on the villain.

He started to scratch at the villain, and I could hear Bakugo take a breath once his mouth was free. I looked back at the sludge, wondering how my brother could pull off freeing Bakugo, and noticed that the sludge was building above the villain's head. It was forming a giant hand.

"IZUKU WATCH OUT!" I screamed. Izuku, startled by my voice, stopped and looked toward me for a second. It happened in slow motion as I watched the sludge hand start coming down atop him. I saw the heroes start to rush toward Izuku. I felt myself step toward him as the hand came down on top of Izuku, causing a huge dust cloud.

I couldn't see through the smoke and could only hear my heart. There was no way any of the heroes could make it to him. That villain had killed my brother. I felt the grief and panic from before returning. I tried to take a breath and inhaled nothing but smoke. I tried to see through the cloud, hoping someone could save Izuku, but my mind knew better. There was no way that he would be able to survive that. Kachaan was still in the sludge with no help in sight. The one thing that I was able to control was also going to be the thing that killed me. I laughed maniacally at the irony of it all.

I thought of my mom. Who was going to tell her that both of her children had died? Would Dad come home from his "extended work trip" to comfort her? I knew that he wouldn't. He wouldn't even come back to help me with this useless quirk. I felt the tears falling down my face as I pictured my family. I could have stopped Izuku if I had stayed with him instead of focusing on revenge.

On the other side of the sludge, I heard voices. One almost sounded like Izuku, but I knew that it was impossible. I heard the words right before a massive gust of wind hit me. "DETROIT SMASH!"

I was blown off my feet as I flew backward through the air. For a moment, it felt like I was flying. I felt my back slam into something hard, and whatever air was left in my lungs was forced out. I felt a giant hand grab me, and then the wind disappeared. No, it wasn't gone. I could still feel it, but the pressure had lessened. I felt the world going dark around me. Was I dying?

I took a deep breath for the first time in a while and coughed as I felt my side ignite in pain. If this is death, it is nothing like what they talk about in books and movies. I felt someone touch my face and pry my eyes open. I tried to swat them away, but my arms were no longer listening to my body. I looked past him and saw a giant lady kneeling above the group of people, protecting them from the wind.

The wind appeared to have died down as the giant's hair was no longer blown backward. The man who had come over to check on me seemed to be yelling orders at people around us, but I couldn't hear him. I felt the panic starting to rise again. It wasn't just him that I couldn't hear. It was everyone around me. The only thing that I could hear was ringing. I tried to sit up and take a deep breath but was pushed back.

I looked back at the man with wide eyes. He smiled and took a notepad out of his suitcase. He wrote down that he was a doctor and asked me my name.

"Natsuki Midoriya," I answered back. I laid back down on the ground, thinking of the past several minutes before shooting up. IZUKU AND KACCHAN! "My brother, where is my brother!"

I stood up on my feet with the doctor right behind me. He had grabbed my arm, trying to get me to lie down while we waited for the ambulance to arrive, but I didn't care about that. I walked down the alleyway that was just a few minutes ago engulfed in flames. It's a good thing that it started raining. But wasn't the sky clear? I shrugged it off and focused on finding the one person I needed.

I looked at the other end of the alley and saw a kid with spiky blonde hair being escorted in the opposite direction. KACHAAN! I looked around him and saw the messy green hair I had been searching for!

"Izuku!" I screamed, running toward him. He turned once he heard my voice. I could see him say something but wasn't able to understand what. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tight. I felt him wrap his arms around me. He was alive! They both were! I felt the joy and relief wash over me. I pulled back and smiled at Izuku before feeling the exhaustion for the first time. My eyes started to close as I felt the world fall around me.

Later That Same Day

Afterward, the heroes collected the villain's scattered body and handed him over to the police. The heroes scolded Izuku for being reckless and running into danger. Kacchan, on the other hand, was praised by the heroes for saving me and staying strong even with the odds. The doctor had caught up to me and forced me over to the medic station to look me over.

Slowly, my hearing started to return, but it was still faint. The doctor stated that the sudden change in wind pressure had ruptured my ear drums, but he said that my hearing should be fine. Besides that, he told me that I had a broken rib and several minor burns.

"You know, for someone with a quirk that controls fire, it's weird that you are not fire-resistant." The doctor said as he cleaned my burns and dressed them. Due to the smoke inhalation, the doctor forced me to wear an oxygen mask.

Backdraft had also come to talk to me while I was stuck using the oxygen mask. It was a difficult conversation as I was still struggling to hear everything. Still, he was very understanding and patient with me.

"You're Natsuki, correct?" I nodded my head. "My name is BackDraft. I wanted to personally thank you for your help with the fire today. Young Bakugo told me that you were helping to keep the fire concentrated around the villain and trying to minimize the damage."

"Thank you, sir. I don't know if I did much, though. I was just trying to keep everyone safe." I replied.

"You did a great job, Natsuki! Tell me, what is your quirk exactly? I have been curious about this and trying to figure it out." I looked away and smiled, embarrassed by all the praise that he was giving me.

"I can control fire to an extent. I can control small amounts of flame and redirect them. However, I have to use my hands to direct the flames, and they can still burn me." I answered.

"Interesting; if you ever think of becoming a hero, you should consider becoming a rescue hero. I bet if you kept training, you would not only be able to control more fire but extinguish it as well." The hero provided me with his business card and left to oversee the cleanup of the scene.

After an hour or so, the doctor was convinced that I was well enough to go home. He gave Izuku instructions on what to look for and to tell our mom what had happened. He stated that he would call to check on us later. I got up from the cot and looked around for my bag. I must have dropped it when I went to confront Bakugo. Izuku saw me looking around and sighed. He informed me that my bag had been burnt along with almost everything in it. He held up a burnt square that was once my phone.

I sighed and reached out to grab it. My mom was going to kill me. Izuku handed it to me, and I stared down at the burnt piece of plastic in my hand. There was hardly anything recognizable about it. I threw it in the trash can as we left the medic tent. Izuku looked at me, and I just shrugged my shoulders. I wasn't sure what else it was good for.

We started walking toward home in silence. I was so tired I didn't know what to say. I kept walking and didn't notice that Izuku had stopped. He was looking down at the ground and appeared to be contemplating something. I looked to my side where he had been and noticed he was gone. I quickly looked back to see him.

"What's wrong Izzy?" I questioned.

"It's nothing…" He answered, but I knew that it wasn't nothing. I stared at him and crossed my arms. He looked at me and smirked, moving his hand behind his head. "Well, I was just wondering how you ended up on the other side of that villain anyway? I was thinking about it, and I can't see how you had made it past Mt. Lady and all the other heroes there."

It was my turn to smirk as I realized that there was a lot that I hadn't told him. As we continued to walk, I told him everything that had happened in the alley before he showed up. I told him how Bakugo had saved me from being pulled into the sludge and how he had hit it with an explosion.

"That explains all the fire," Izuku said as we walked. His look still said something was bothering him, but I didn't want to push it. We were so deep in conversation and our thoughts that we didn't hear footsteps coming up behind us.

"Hey Deku.. Sparkler." Both Izuku and I turned towards the voice. Bakugo was standing several feet away. His fists were clenched, and he appeared to be shaking. I didn't know that anything could upset him like this. Suddenly, he looked up with anger in his eyes. "I never asked either of you to save me! As if you guys could! Don't you dare pity me! You're just a quirkless loser and a fire magnet. Neither of you would even cut it as a rent-a-cop! I didn't need you! You didn't help me! I don't owe either of you anything!" Bakugo turned around and kicked a trash can.

It took everything in me not to laugh at his outburst. I looked over at Izzy, who had a half-hearted smile.

"What a tough guy!" I laughed. Who knew that Bakugo would get so angry over someone caring about his life?

"He is right, though.." I looked over at Izzy, concerned. "I couldn't do anything. I couldn't change anything. But still… I had to try. I guess now I just need to focus on a more realistic future."

Where did this come from? I stared at Izuku with worry. Ever since he was little, he had wanted to be a hero, and now he was just going to give up that dream just like that. I wish that I could give him my quirk. He would know how to handle it and would never be afraid of hurting anyone with it. We turned and started to walk in the direction of our house again. I wasn't sure what the right thing to say was. Before I knew what was happening, a blur appeared in front of us.

"I AM HERE!" All Might came down from down a side street, stopping right in front of us. Both Izuku and myself let out a scream of surprise.

"All Might! Why are you here?" I asked.

"Yeah, you were surrounded by reporters!" Izuku said.

"Shaking them off is nothing to me! If I may, I have come to have a private word with young Midorya!" I looked over at Izuku, and he nodded back at me. I couldn't believe that All Might wanted to talk to Izuku! Thinking about it, he probably just wanted to tell him off himself since he did have to save him.

"Fine… I'll meet you at home Izzy." I hugged him and turned to look at my brother's hero. "Please go easy on him." I stared at All Might, not letting his huge form intimidate me.

"Don't get attacked by a sludge villain on your way home!" Izuku joked. I smirked and started to walk home. I had no intention of going home. I turned the corner as I heard All Might laughing and quickly ran through the backyard, returning to where All Might and Izuku were. I pulled myself over several walls. I came to the yard on the corner and crouched behind the white-washed wall. I listened, straining my hurt ears to hear what was being said. The voice I was hearing did not sound like All Might's voice, however.

"Kid, I came here to thank you. I also came to revise what I had said earlier." What did he mean earlier? Who was Izuku talking to? I stood up and risked a peak over the wall. I couldn't see Izuku, but I could hear his breathing. Standing in front of Izuku was a skeleton of a man wearing a baggy white shirt and gray cargo pants. His clothes looked similar to All Might's but were too big for this stranger. His blond hair appeared to be hanging down in front of his face. "If you hadn't told me about your life. If you hadn't run into the fight, I would have been a worthless bystander watching from the crowd. So thanks."

"That's… No, I mean. It was all my fault from the start! I got in your way and wasted your energy. I also wasted your time asking that even though I am quirkless ..."

"Exactly! Of all the people at the scene, it was only you, timid and quirkless, who acted! It inspired me to act too!" I moved closer to the street, trying to get a look at Izuku. I could see part of his body and that he was visibly starting to shake at this stranger's words. "There are stories about every hero, how they became great. But most have one thing in common. Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think. Almost like they were moving on their own."

I could hear Izuku crying and saw him hold his chest as he fell to his knees. I wanted to jump the stupid wall and hug him, but I didn't want to let the stranger know that I had been listening to him the entire time. I sat on the ground and put my fist in my mouth to keep myself from yelling out for Izuku.

"Today, I believe that is what happened to you." What was this guy talking about? He wasn't even at the fight, so how could he know what had happened with Izuku? I looked back and saw the stranger's blonde hair blowing with the wind, making it stand up. When the wind would blow just right, this man almost looked exactly like… It hit me like a ton of bricks.

I sat back down on the ground, trying to process my thoughts. The person standing in front of my brother was the number 1 hero. All Might didn't disappear. He had somehow transformed into this skeleton.

"Young man. I believe that you too can become a hero!"

—-

End of Chapter 1

Welcome everyone to the first chapter of hopefully many more! I'm Sam, and I recently found myself on an anime kick. As a youngster, I could never truly watch anime because it seemed too dramatic for me. However, my husband showed me MHA, and it completely changed my views. After watching the anime, I also bought a good chunk of the manga, wanting more. One night, I thought about what life would be like for Izuku if he had a sister, so Natsuki was born.

When trying to name my character, I researched a lot of traditional Japanese names. I had several that I was thinking about, but none fit perfectly. Before giving up, I looked up one more site of names and found Natsuki. At first, I worried it was too close to Bakugo, but I soon realized he rarely gets called Katsuki. The other thing I loved is that Natsuki means "summer moon." As far as I know, it never specifies what time Izuku was born, but in the manga, it does say that his birthday is July 15th. So why couldn't they both be born under a summer moon?

Early in the story, or even in the concept development, I had decided that I didn't want Nat to be the exact same as Izuku. I wanted her to be more rebellious and daring. She still does have her anxieties, as most teenagers tend to, but she hides them with her spirit. I wanted her to be a balance between Bakugo and Izuku. Those three have been together all their lives, so it makes sense for her to have traits from both.

As you can guess, I have had to research the differences between American and Japanese lives. I tried very hard to describe things as they would be in Japan. I watched the anime and read the manga repeatedly to get all the details right. That being said, I am not Japanese and have never been to Japan. What I know about Japan is from my newfound addiction to anime and research. If there is something that feels not authentic to Japanese culture or the show, please let me know, and I will look more into it. However, this is my brainchild, and I won't change it if I believe it fits the story better being written a certain way.

The same thing goes for how the characters act and speak. For this chapter, I used a lot of dialogue from the manga and show, but there are several areas where I got to let the creativity flow. It is a balancing act of trying not to change too much but also making it my own, and I believe it came out quite nicely.

I will do my best to upload chapters every few weeks, but the next few may not be as long. This chapter covered the show's first two episodes and the enormous first chapter in the book. Please give me some grace, however, as I am a nurse with two jobs and a mother of 3, 4 if you count my husband! I will stop droning on and edit, publish, and write the next chapter!