A story of best friends...and maybe more than just best friends. Enjoy!

A/N: This story takes place in an alternative universe. Characters may or may not act like their canon personality and quirks may or may not be used in this story. Discretion is advised.

A tapping sound at his window awoken him. He sat up and stretched his wayward arms as he saw the reflection of the sun bounced on his dresser mirror. The tapping continued, but he didn't fret. Because the only person who does this at seven o'clock in the morning was nobody else but the infamous redhead girl, Itsuka. He flipped her off, telling her to give him a minute. She knew that he couldn't stand that thumping noise, especially at this hour. However, she had to be his alarm clock if he was planning to get to school on time. He could think a handful of times when she hasn't done that. Only on the occasions that she was sick, or she knew that his mother hasn't left for work. He put on his black long sleeve Smashing Pumpkins t-shirt and walk to the person in question. As usual, she made her infamous octopus lips before he opened the window. The moment he did, she pushed him to the floor. He was taken aback, as usual, but fortunate that his mother wasn't home. He wouldn't know what to do if she knew if someone entered her domicile without her permission.

"About time you wake up, sleeping beauty," she told him as she hovered over him, gripping his arms tenderly. "I have been staring at you and tapping for a few minutes, but no prevail. Did you get any sleep?"

He looked at her. Her emerald eyes reflecting from the sunlight. The smell of Crest toothpaste and orange juice was on the menu in her mouth. He gave her a pleasant smile. "So, are we going to fool around or what?" She slapped his cheek tenderly before getting up and having a seat on his chair.

"Dream on, Deku," she refrained and scoffed as she picked up the Rolling Stone magazine on his desk. She flipped the cover and crossed her legs. "You are still collecting magazines from the past, Deku? We need to get you up to date on something. This cover features Yoko Ono. Who knows how long that was?"

"Get off my sack with the trivial stuff, Kendo," He told her as he sat and went to his bed to sit. For the record, this was every day with them. She made her entrance; gave each other sly and witty comments, and then the brief moment of silence. It was a comfortable silence.

Honestly, Izuku appreciated the fact that they could have a consensus of understanding each other. Itsuka and Izuku depended on each other more than anyone would ever know.

What really defined their friendship was the day of her mother's incident. It was the first day they began junior high school. Itsuka was anticipating this day more than anyone else in this sleepy Tokyo suburb. She must have made several phone calls and texts to Izuku the night before the first day of school. It was exciting because it was the day when they abandoned the robes of their uniforms and wear their street clothes. It shouldn't have been a big deal to the teens but attending a private school in a Japanese town that allowed street clothes was nothing more than a miracle.

The morning of their induction ceremony, Itsuka awaited with Izuku at the bus stop at the corner of her street. People who didn't notice should have seen her prancing back and forth in her All American Rejects t-shirt and her Catholic schoolgirl skirt. She even wore goggles above her head and teal streaks of her bangs were waving in the wind. She was getting antsy to the point where Izuku was holding her hand. It calmed her down a touch. She held him close as they waited for the bus to arrive. A few moments later, she received a phone call that changed the direction of well, everyone.

Itsuka's mother was such a kindred spirit. A loving mother that Izuku had considered as his own mother. She wasn't a discriminator of person. She treated each and everyone in the neighborhood as if they were her own children, her own family. Izuku could still picture the beautiful brunette sitting on the back porch drinking her evening coffee and writing stories in her notebook. Stories that inspired Izuku to write his own. Stories that explained how creative Itsuka was. A swell of pain entered his heart because Izuku often told her mother that he loved her. When she stroked his hair or kissed his cheek; when she fed him or helped him with homework or helped him seek inspirations for anything in life, they were everything to him. It swelled his heart.

It swelled his heart.

It swelled his heart when we got that phone call that they have found her mother at the edge of the nearby river. The police believed that she jumped from an apartment roof into the river. A kindred beauty decided to leave her house in the middle of the night to take a walk to the river to conclude her life's work. In the midst of the darkness, in the midst of the Tokyo sky. Amazing how the rushing water covered the splash that changed the direction of Itsuka's, her husband, and of course, Izuku.

She didn't leave a note.

Izuku couldn't think of a day when he wasn't at her home. He helped her father with the food truck business to keep his mind busy. He was present when she and her father were making funeral arrangements for her mother. He had spent the night with Itsuka where he slept on her floor. He was there where he lied in bed with her, holding her hand and drying her tears with his palms. He was there holding her hand when the funeral occurred. He never left her side the entire time.

One day, when things calmed down, she told him something that really stuck to him. They were sitting on her balcony. She whispered something to him that was as calm as the wavering wind that swaying with the trees. You are the soul that sails within me. Forever I will keep you close.

Itsuka threw the magazine at him. "You get lost in thought too much for me, Deku." Izuku threw the magazine back at her. "Sometimes, I think I get lost in those thoughts is because of your face, Itsuka."

She raised her eyebrow. "The fuck you just called me?"

Izuku put his hands on his hips. "You heard me, Itsu-ka!"

"So, we are this point where we are using first names, uh, Izuku Midoriya?"

"I guess that is where we are going, Itsuka Kendo."

"You dare challenge Kendo on this particular morning," she smirked. "I don't think you have a chance."

"On the contrary," He said to her cracking his knuckles. "Understand, sensei, that I have mastered my techniques. You are in my dojo. So, therefore, I am ready for any attacks you have for me." She stood up, dusting off her blue plaid skirt and got in a fighting stance.

Izuku got into position. At five feet five inches, Itsuka was a very petite girl. However, her body contains plenty of muscle. He was thankful that they were only joking with each other, but in reality, people needed to be cautious. He had to remind herself that Itsuka is an amateur boxer. Her nickname is Battle Fist. She trained on a regular basis with her father. Izuku had seen her at practice at the gym in town and she has very good techniques. Izuku had yet to see her in a competition, but he feared for the person who contested her.

As soon as Izuku made my stance, he waved his hands. "I give, I give, you win." He swung his hands with the imaginary white flag. She returned with her octopus lips.

"No fair, you suck at playing," she told him while blowing through her nose. "You have to let me practice with you sometime. I need a fighting partner."

Izuku shook his head. "No, ma'am. I am nobody's punching bag."

"Would you let Uraraka do it?"

"Fuck off," he said while throwing a pillow at her. Big mistake.

She jumped from the chair and jumped on top of him. She placed her body weight on his hips and held him down. He could see the look in her eyes that she was serious about getting him well.

"Bow down," she told him.

"No," he told her.

"Say' bow down to me,'" she told him.

She had a good grip. From the position he was lying, he blushed as he could see the inside of her skirt. She was wearing her favorite blue panties. She only wears them when there was a boy (or girl) she liked or when she was hope for some good luck.

It doesn't go without notice from Itsuka, which made her blush. She hit him on his chest.

"God, you are such a perv," she told him before getting off of him. "You could have told me."

"How could I? Not my fault you decided to wear a skirt today."

After exchanging remarks for a few seconds, she returned back to his chair and Izuku went to the closet to find some clothes for today. "I meant to ask earlier on why in the hell aren't you in uniform? We have school today."

She flipped through the magazine, wasn't eyeing Izuku as he searched for an ironed shirt. "Guess again, dead eye. School holiday is today."

Izuku held the hanger as he felt like a jackass. Hanging on the bulletin board, written in hiragana, romaji, and English displayed the circle date of their school holiday. Upon notification, he gave a smug look to his best friend. "What in the hell," he barked before feeling another magazine hit the back of his head.

She stuck out her tongue. "Rude to the lady to yell at this ungodly hour. Respect to the neighbors, too."

"Respect my ass," he barked again. "Seven o'clock in the morning and you wake my ass up? I can be in dreamland right now, but instead seeing your face, ugly."

"Ugly is another way of saying understanding God loves you, Deku," she eagerly grinned as she flipped through another magazine. "Plus, my father is busy fumigating the house. Needed something to do anyway. So, feel like messing with you." She narrowed her eyes. "And you love me for it."

Izuku turned beet red as he returned his shirt back on the hanger. His eyes darted to the bed that he planned to rest on.

"You didn't answer my question, Deku. Do you love me?"

He raised his eyebrow. "Do I love you? You know I do."

She displayed a heavenly smile. A smile that was reflective of her departed mother. Their smiles were alike. Crooked, yet cute. The smile that can win over anyone no matter the situation.

His Itsuka.

"I love you, too." She helped herself to the stereo where she put on a CD. Frank Ocean was the choice of the morning. While he was changing back into his pajamas, she was singing to the tone.

Izuku slowly moved the covers back. The sweet plush pillows were calling his name as he knew that he had a few more hours of sleeping to do. He knew that Itsuka would either listen to music until she raided the refrigerator or play video games in his room until she decided to go home. He didn't think anything of it. Itsuka was family to him.

"Izuku."

Izuku hesitantly looked up at her. The swirls of emotion he saw there made him gasp. The magazine was closed, her eyes were focusing on him. Eyes that looked as though were filled with lust and desire. However, before he could ponder about it further, she yanked him to her and covered his mouth with her in a hungry kiss. As their lips crushed together, it felt like he was walking on air. It was magic, the way her lips connected with his. Her mouth was so warm, the caress of her lips softer than he could have imagined and he opened his mouth with a low moan.

Izuku's first kiss. It tasted of orange juice and toothpaste.

"For some reason, you run my mind." She took her moistened hands, laying every single digit on his blushed cheeks. She closed her eyes and planted another kiss, only this time to his neck. His neck was the nest of her tongue as she was very soft. His neck welcomed her moist muscle as it caressed the skin and the dead skin it collected to her. Izuku moaned out loud as he tried his hardest to collect the whimsicalness of the matter.

She locked the door behind her, turned up the music, and planted him down to the soft cushions of his bed.

"Izuku, you wouldn't question me if we explore one another?" She slowly disrobed her blouse, making Izuku blush as he watched from seeing her collarbone to seeing her bra. "Would you allow me to do this?"

Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat, extended the digits of his finger to his chest. He made a slight pinch. He winced.

He wanted to be sure if this was real.

With his best friend.

"Izuku?"

"Just be gentle."

To be continued….