Deku Izuku Midoirya didn't like being dead.
He thought he would, honestly. When Kaachan had told him to jump off the building, he wasn't going to do it. If he killed himself, he couldn't be a hero! What kind of a hero gave up like that?
But after school, everything had changed.
"L-Listen, Ibiki, I didn't do your homework! I'm sick of doing it!"
Akin to the sounds of bullying, Deku Izuku made his way over to the sound. What was going on here? It sounded like bullying, but it could have been two friends arguing.
"Tch, shut it you twerp! Give me the homework!"
Nope, definitely bullying. This was perfect! Izuku could finally show that he was capable of being a hero too! If he stopped this girl from being bullied, someone would finally see him as a hero!
"No, I don't want to!"
"Why you…"
"H-hey guys! L-lets just, uh, all get along, yeah?" Deku Izuku winced at his own self-confidence. It would be okay!
"What the hell do you want?" Ibiki asked, peering down at the green-haired boy. "Wait, I know you! You're that quickless freak!"
Ouch.
"What the hell are you doing here?" The girl he had come to rescue asked, glaring at him. Wait, Deku Izuku knew her! She was in his class!
"Miyuki, I just, well…"
"Do you know this freak?" Ibiki asked. Miyuki shook her brown hair, pushing her glasses back up.
"Not at all! Ugh, just the thought of that grosses me out. Ew, don't let him stand too close!"
Stand…to close? But surely, these middle schoolers had to know that you couldn't "catch" being quirkless! That was just something parents told their children about strangers!
"You're right!" Ibiki stepped back, laughing cruelly. "Who'd want to be like this freak?"
Ibiki turned and left, seemingly forgetting the girl he had just been threatening. Good! If Deku Izuku got a little bullied, that was fine! As long as Miyuki was fine, right? She was the victim and he, a saviour.
"Ugh, screw off!" Miyuki pressed her glasses up, walking around Deku Izuku, her shoulder narrowly missing his.
"Wait, Miyuki!" He reached out, grabbing her sleeve. The girl gasped in surprise and disgust, slapping him in the face. Deku Izuku stood there, confused, holding his throbbing cheek. He couldn't stop the next phrase from leaving his mouth. "What the heck?"
"I'd rather die than get helped by a quirkless freak like you!" Miyuki hissed, turning around so she no longer had to face up. "You're utterly useless! Who wants to be saved by someone who lacks a quirk?"
The girl kept walking,
Who'd want to be saved by someone who lacks a quirk?
No, that couldn't be the common opinion! Sure, his classmates all thought that way, as did the people at the arcade or the nearby gas station, but-
His hand clenched near his side as tears slowly dripped down his face.
Pray for a quirk in your next life, and take a swan dive off the roof of the building!
Deku Izuku stood, legs wobbly. He took staggering steps towards the stairs, each breath nothing but agony as he tried to hold back tears.
Deku Izuku wanted nothing more than to be a hero.
Katsuki sighed as he slipped on his hero costume. Honestly, two tests in one day? These Hero schools don't play. Not that he cared, he'd take down these stupid wannabe heroes faster than someone could say 'DIE!"
Though, his head wasn't completely in the game. Why had Deku told him that Aizawa was lying? It didn't make sense. Deku hated him, that much was obvious. So why did he help him? And why was the bastard staring at Katsuki from across the locker room?
Slamming the metal door shut, Katsuki stomped out of the locker room, angry and annoyed. Deku followed, still staring at the blonde. Damn nerd, always so annoying. He still needed to figure out how Deku had sounded so alive earlier. And how his voice had instantly switched back to the static he had grown used to just a few moments later.
This was getting annoying.
"Welcome, Class 1-A!" A booming voice said once they had arrived in the testing room. The class erupted into whispers.
"It's All Might!"
"Woah! He's really here!"
"This is so cool!"
"Ha Ha! Glad to see Aizawa hasn't scared anyone off! Now, for today's exercise…"
Katsuki zoned out slightly, not one to pay attention to the logistics of things. He wasn't Deku. He just needed the basic information, and he was good to go.
Thankfully, he wasn't first, and was allowed to take a seat in the back with Deku, not that the ghost cared much. He was far too busy floating around and diving in and out of people, circling around them like they were the weird ones. It made some part of Katsuki strangely jealous. Why did he have to go and stare at the others like they hung the moon? Hell…when did Deku stop looking at him like that?
Probably when Bakugou killed him.
After two rounds, the ghostly teen settled next to Katsuki, the blonde making sure the green-haired boy had a seat beside him. Even if Deku didn't actually sit down, Katsuki figured it was the thought that counted.
Did Deku have any thoughts, now that he was dead?
"Kaachan…" Deku's gravelly voice almost made him jump. "Kaachan…is strong."
"That's right, Deku." Katsuki muttered. "I am strong."
"Your fault. Kaachan…"
"I know," Katsuki sighed, rubbing a gloved hand over his face. "You reminded me this morning."
"Win."
"I will, Deku." Just for you.
A few more rounds later, Katsuki was called up. He was a part of the Villain team? Fitting. Katsuki was no better than a villain, after all.
"Katsuki Bakugou?" A voice spoke up beside him. "I am Fumikage Tokoyami."
"Sup," Katsuki grunted.
"We're teammates. Do you have a plan?"
No, Katsuki didn't have a plan. Deku was always the planner, not him. Sure, Katsuki was smart, and could likely come up with one himself, but Deku had always been smarter. He sighed.
"Not at the ready, but I'm sure we'll figure something out." Katsuki looked around, watching as Deku floated up to a random floor in the building. Hm… that could work. "Actually, I might have one."
"How do you think this is gonna go, Aizawa?" A quiet, mousy voice asked Aizawa. The black-haired teacher sighed, looking down at the principal standing next to him.
"I paired Bakugou and Tokoyami together because they counteract each other from the get go, at least quirk wise. I thought they would conflict by their personalities too, but it seems there's more to Bakugou than simple explosions."
"I noticed that as well." The mouse-man nodded. "He is nothing like his school reports."
"It makes sense. I heard he was friends with that quirkless kid." Aizawa sighed again, sinking into his scarf. "Death changes people."
"That it does, Aizawa, that it does." Nedzu spared Aizawa a look before looking at the monitors again. It seemed like Tokoyami and Bakugou were at least cordial to each other, if not on good terms. The two seemed to be talking, so Aizawa turned up the volume in his own connected headset.
"This is a good plan, Bakugou. Who would think it would be hidden on the third floor?"
"When the round starts, go up to the roof and use your quirk to make them think you're up there. Here," he passed him a few small green balls. "They'll explode if thrown hard enough, drop some down at them on the heroes and some on the rooftop too."
"Like circular grenades.." Tokoyami pocketed them. "These are great, Bakugou. How did you come up with them?"
He didn't, Deku had.
"Mind your business. Just head up there, and once you've gotten someone's attention, or thought you have, meet back at the bomb."
"What will you be doing?" Tokoyami asked, moving to the staircase.
"I'll be waiting on the first floor with an ambush. That pikachu dude, and the pink chick, don't look prepared for close combat. Midranged at best."
Aizawa raised an eyebrow. So Bakugou was an analyst? He didn't seem the type. Well, appearances could be deceiving, after all.
"Right, well-" but Bakugou was already moving down the stairs, first gripped. Tokoyami sighed, Dark Shadow coming out a few seconds later.
"I don't like him, Yami."
"Why?" Tokoyami made his way up the stairs, hearing All Might start the exercise.
"It's like he's surrounded by death."
Tokoyami freezes.
"You don't mean…?"
"I think he's being haunted."
Aizawa narrowed his eyes. Haunted? By a ghost? Unlikely. Kids these days are weird. Aizawa watched as Tokoyami dropped one of the explosion beads onto the ground, and another few on the rooftop before he quickly ran down the stairs again. Ashido and Kaminari, the hero team, rushed in quickly. Bakugou was waiting with outstretched palms, hitting them both with point-blank explosions.
The two students fell, groaning in pain. From the looks of it, they weren't too bad. A little scorched and bruised, sure, but not too damaging. Bakugou seemed to have great control over his explosions.
Oh? Kaminari reached his hand out, going for Bakugou's ankle as he tied the pair up. A good tactic. Except suddenly, he stopped. As did Bakugou.
"Tch, idiot. Like grabbing me would do anything." Bakugou murmured, looking to the side. It almost looked like he was looking at Kaminari, but not quite. How odd.
"I think he's being haunted."
Maybe Tokoyami's quirk wasn't a birdbrain after all.
"VILLAIN TEAM WINS!"
A few moments passed after All Might's announcement, and Aizawa watched as Bakugou walked away from his tied up classmates, Tokoyami following behind. Well, Aizawa thought with a mental sigh. I can speak to Bakugou later.
"Thanks, Deku." The blonde whispered right before Aizawa shut off the comms. Deku? Who was that?
The teacher stared at Bakugou as he came in, the teen not listening as his classmates rattled off his praises. Instead, the blonde sat down, patting the empty seat beside him.
This class just kept getting interesting.