The Hand That Protects

by Konshiro Crobrasha

Reality is a cruel thing. No matter what fantasies you may conjure, no matter how hard you may work for a dream, reality will bring it crashing down in a ball of fire. Uncaring, as all that you have worked for is turned to ash. Most here would break. However, there is one who will not waver, who will brace the flames so that no other may be burned, all with his bare hands.

'Not all men are created equal.'

A line not commonly known nowadays, but one that had been within history books once upon a time. Back when Quirks were becoming common place, where more and more people were being born with these extraordinary powers, some people using them for selfish acts. There was panic across the globe, fear running rampant in the streets and hope seemed like a rare commodity.

Then, they emerged.

A group of brave and powerful people came forward to fight against the rampant darkness that threatened to eat the world whole. They protected those who could not protect themselves. Fighting for a better future so that the next generations would only know evil through words in books. They came to be known as the first real Super Heroes in history.

However, no matter how hard they fought, no matter how long they battled, the darkness always came back, stronger than ever. Yet even still, the Heroes never faltered. They never wavered, fighting ever more for the dreams they wished to make reality.

'Not all men are created equal.' The Hero that would be come to known as the very first Number One said. This coming right after a particularly bloody battle. They lost many of their best and finest, victory only achieved because they were the last ones standing. A pyrrhic victory. The Number One himself having been heavily injured as well.

'Some are born into riches, while others suffer in the slums and die a quiet death. Some who fight never know the taste of defeat, while others are slain before they are even able to throw a punch.'

'Yet, no matter how hard one's life is, no matter what the circumstances of their lives are, there will always be a place for you amongst our ranks. If you truly want to be something great, to make something of yourself, being a Hero is the way. For all the riches and power you may have being selfish, you along with everything you've stolen will all be forgotten once you are gone. A Hero, a true Hero will always be remembered by those they have protected.'

In the face of great peril and near guaranteed death, he still fought for what he believed to be right. He would later sacrifice himself, saving a city from absolute destruction at the hands of the largest criminal gathering of the time. His death, along with all that he stood for paving the way for what we have today.

---

As the young man looked up from his essay, he saw the other children looking up at him with awed expressions on their faces. He himself beamed at them, feeling proud that his research had paid off. He then turned to the woman next to him, that same beaming smile now asking her how he did.

"Very good, Izuku. It seems like that extra time on the computer was put to good use." The woman praised, patting the young boy on the head, the wild forest that was his green hair being ruffled further by her hand.

"Thank you, Mrs. Ibarra. I put a lot of work into this, so I'm glad you liked it too." He said, rushing forward and taking his seat again. The rest of the children around him giving him praise and a thumbs up.

"Well then, with all of these essays, I'm sure your hard work is guaranteed to win us the 'Meet Your Hero' contest. We'll know by tomorrow, so here's hoping!" The woman in front of them stated, prompting the children to cheer. This little 'contest' was lest of an actual competition and more of which establishment would be picked by what Hero. These little essays were sent to various agencies, which would then be picked at random to send one of their Heroes to spend time there. Made for good PR, obviously.

Still, it had been a rather rough year for them all, so 'Mrs. Ibarra' hoped that this would at least give them some form of inspiration. The children of St. Ibarra Orphanage needed this.

A quick prayer was made by the religious woman as she looked towards the clock. It was just about time for them to be released for the day.

"Okay children, you are dismissed. Make sure to be in your beds by curfew. You know we'll be having visitors tomorrow. Make sure to be on your best behaviors." She stated, making most of them excited.

"Do you think I'll be picked this time, Mrs. Ibarra?" One of them asked, a hopeful look on his face. The woman smiled down at him with a warm expression, kneeling down so that she was eye level with him.

"You are a wonderful child, Juro. I'm sure someone will come to adopt you tomorrow." She told him. The boy in turn smiled back at her before going to get his things and leaving out the door of this section of the orphanage. She stood back up, intending to follow them and make sure that the rest of the children were safe playing out near the small playground, but stopped when she saw one of her charges still in his seat, writing in one of his journals.

A gentle smile graced her lips.

"Izuku, aren't you going to go play with the other children?" She asked, watching as the green haired boy made another entry into his notebook. She believed this was his fifth one. She would have to warn him that she could only sneak him so many of those before the orphanage caught on to what was happening.

"In a minute, I'm still working on my entry for Kelvin: The Blazing Hero." He said, his tongue sticking out as he carefully drew a picture of the old Hero. He was part of the original group that rose to fight back against the chaos that erupted with the arrival of Quirks. His quirk allowed him to control the heat of the air around him. It didn't sound impressive, but some reports on him stated that he had such fine-tuned control of his power that it functioned almost exactly like a telekinesis Quirk. He was unfortunately one of the many that died in their crusade for a better tomorrow.

"Maybe you can show your notebooks to our visitors tomorrow. You're such a bright young boy. I'm sure you'll be adopted any day now." She stated, making the boy stop what he was doing and give an uneasy smile.

"I'm not too worried about that, Mrs. Ibarra. Everyone else is hoping to be adopted too, so it's okay if they get picked first. Anyway, I'm going to go play now. See you later, Mrs. Ibarra." Izuku stated, quickly grabbing his things and running out the door. The older woman stared after him, a little surprised at his words before letting out a sigh.

"You deserve to be happy as much as they do, Izuku." She whispered to herself before making her way towards the door as well.

---

"Stop it…" A girl said, her voice quiet and shoulders shaking. The boy in front of her, however, only sneered at her as he held a doll above her head.

"Aw, what's the matter? Does the little baby want her dolly back?" He taunted as he made sure to keep the toy out of the girls reach, no matter how much she tried to snatch it from him.

"You're not supposed to be here, Michael. Just give her back the doll." Another boy said, glaring at 'Michael'. Though, he didn't make any moves to actually take the toy from him. For a simple, but understandable reason.

He had a Quirk.

"And what are you going to do about it? Run to your parents? Oh wait." He taunted again, laughing at his own sick joke. The girl began to cry a bit more loudly as the other boy began to tear up as well.

"Well, I've got to get going, my parents are waiting for me at home. Something you losers wouldn't know about." He said, snickering. The girl had stopped trying to take her doll back from him, now crying silently as she sank to the floor. The other boy still glared at him, yet still made no move to stop him.

Michael started to walk away, intent on taking the doll home and burning it when he had the chance. However, a new voice spoke up.

"Give her back the doll, Michael."

The boy tuned around to see who had spoken when he gave the newcomer a frown.

"Oh, it's you. Haven't I already told you to stop bothering me?" Michael stated, raising his free hand that was now glowing with an intense heat.

Heno Michael: 9 year old elementary student

Quirk: Hot Headed – Allows Michael to superheat any chosen limb. Can cause dehydration with extended or intense use

Green eyes still stared the older child down with a steely determination.

"I said give her back the doll. I'm not going to say it again." Izuku stated, his hands balled up into fists. This wasn't the first time he had crossed paths with Michael, and he was sure this wasn't going to be the last. Even so, the other two looked at him with unsure eyes. They knew that Izuku had always been there for them whenever they had trouble, but with Michael…

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it? It's not like any of you can really stop me. None of you freaks even have Quirks!" Michael taunted, sneering at the foolish boy in front of him. Izuku's frown only deepened as he was told what he already knew.

Although this orphanage never had any paperwork or official licensing stating that it was a Quirkless only establishment, seeing as how such a thing was technically illegal, the only children that found themselves here were indeed those without powers. Something Izuku himself was unlucky enough to be as well. Yet, even so…

"All Might said that kids with Quirks aren't any better than those without one. It doesn't matter!" Izuku retorted, referring to the times the Symbol of Peace would be asked about the increasingly small percentage of children born without a power.

"Everyone is capable of heroic deeds, whether they have a Quirk that allows them to manipulate energy itself, or no Quirk at all. Reports saying that a Quirk could be 'Villainous'? HAH! A Quirk is only as dangerous as the person using it. Even Eleven, who's Quirk allows her to create a black hole, is able to save countless lives because she found a way to work around the danger. A true hero will always find a way to jump over any obstacle, to go beyond their limits! PLUS ULTRA!"

All Might's first speech on the matter had created quite a number of waves. However, not quite as substantial as he might have hoped, given that those in power had for whatever reason, made moves to explain away his words.

"Peh, my mom told me that he was only doing that for his public image. Said what some of his sponsors probably wanted him to. Like a Quirkless could really be a Hero." Michael scoffed, turning away to make his way home. If he didn't come home on time today, his mom was going to be angry again.

"They can if they work hard enough! Mrs. Ibarra always tells us that we could all become Heroes someday." The other kid said, finally finding the courage to speak up with Izuku here.

"Whatever, she's probably paid to say that stuff. That way, when you guys somehow have kids and die trying to play 'hero', they'll end up here too." Michael barked out, laughing at his own joke. At this point, the girl looked dejected, being reminded about their sad lives here at the orphanage. The other child's confidence waned upon his words, wanting to deny it but knowing deep down that it was the truth.

Izuku, however, did not budge one bit.

"Enough, Heno! Give her back the doll!" Izuku yelled out one last time, fists clenched tight and his muscles tensed. Michael stopped when he heard his family name called out, but just looked annoyed at this point. He really needed to get home now, and these little Quirkless kids were starting to bore him.

"In your dreams. I need to practice with my Quirk today, and this doll is perfect for what I want to do." Michael said, his smile widening as he began to increase the temperature in the arm holding the toy. In no time at all, the fabric of the little arm he was holding began to burn and catch fire.

"Hah! I think I'm getting better at this; I didn't even have to try that hard to-oof!" Michael began, admiring his work before he was tackled to the ground by Izuku. His concentration was broken and he dropped both the doll and the usage of his Quirk. When he looked up, he saw that Izuku was above him with a fist cocked back.

With as much force as he could muster, Izuku brought down his arm and whammed it into Michael's face. The older boy was stunned for a moment, surprised that the green haired orphan would be bold enough to even attempt attacking him, but regained his bearings quick enough so that when the younger boy went for another punch, he was instead thrown off to the side.

"Why you little!" Michael yelled out, chasing after the boy that dared to strike him. He was on top of the green haired kid in but a moment, Izuku seemingly unable to even roll over on his back before Michael had descended upon him.

"Trying to play hero, huh!? Trying to be anything more than a sad little orphan, huh!? You think just because you got a lucky shot you could beat me!? I'm going to beat you until you realize you're nothing more than a worthless Deku!" Michael roared, punching and kicking at the boy, not caring that he made no attempt to defend himself, still facing away from him and curled up in a ball. He made no sound, even when the older kid kicked especially hard. It made Michael even angrier.

"Trying to be a tough guy? Alright then, let's see if you can tough this out." Michael said, a bit out of breath. He then brought up a hand, which was now starting to glow red from his Quirk. Izuku only braced himself more, hearing the sweat from Michael's hand evaporate from the intense heat.

"NGH!" Izuku breathed out through grit teeth. He could feel the limb scorching his left shoulder, burning through his shirt and searing the skin beneath, aggravating a wound from the days he preferred not to remember.

"Hey!"

At the sound of the voice, Michael whipped around, turning to see that a woman from across the yard was now running towards them. The older boy cursed under his breath before making a run for it. He quickly jumped over the small fence and started running to his house, leaving the scene before the woman could catch up to him.

"Izuku, are you okay!?" The boy from before asked as soon as he knew that Michael was gone. Izuku only groaned, still reeling from the pain in his shoulder. It was red and looked raw, with the skin itself being unnaturally smooth and lumpy.

"Izuku?" The girl asked, approaching with tear filled eyes. She looked horrified, thinking that this happened because of her. It was only than that Izuku finally turned over, a small smile on his face contrasting the tears in his eyes. In his hands was the doll. Though the arm that had caught fire was gone, the rest of it was still intact. She took it, staring at it and him with an awed look.

"I got it back for you." Was all he said before the woman, who the three could now identify as Mrs. Ibarra, stopped before them with a terribly worried expression on her face.

"Izuku! What happened!?" She asked, quickly kneeling down to see what happened to the child this time. She knew that he would get into scuffles for the sake of the other children, but it never ended like this.

"It was Michael! He stole Suzu's doll, and Izuku tried to get it back before Michael beat him up and used his Quirk on him!" The boy told her, making the caretaker frown with anger. That child always came around to harass these children whenever he had the chance. Even so, she didn't think he would go this far.

"I'm…fine, Mrs. Ibarra. You don't have to worry about me." Izuku struggled to say, trying to get up. However, the green haired woman laid a hand on him, giving Izuku a firm but gentle glare as she pushed him back down on the ground.

"Midoriya, stop. You are going to lay there until paramedics arrive. Until then, I'm going to do my best to make this better. Sit still, this is going to sting for just a moment." She spoke. Izuku was going to argue, but another look from the older woman made him decide to comply. She then turned to the other two others and addressed them.

"I'm going to need you two to stay here as well. When the paramedics get here, they're going to ask you a few questions about what happened. Now, about this burn." She said, closing her eyes and concentrating. Her hair, which was normally only shoulder length, now began to grow a bit longer, with the shade of green turning lighter as the vine-like growth began to extend. After only a few short seconds, it stopped, with the caretaker opening her eyes, taking a strand of the hair and twisting it off. With the piece in her hand, she then started peeling off the outer layers, revealing a clear, jelly-like substance within.

Ibarra Sakiko: 32-year-old volunteer

Quirk: Overgrowth – Allows Sakiko to grow any form of plant from her hair. Can only grow up to three feet and uses the nutrients within her body to do so

"Don't worry, Izuku. Everything's going to be alright. This is going to be just like when we do this all those other times, okay?" She stated, taking the substance and rubbing it between her hands. Izuku nodded, tears still flowing from his eyes. As the green-haired woman was going to apply the ointment, she spoke up once again.

"Minori, I'm going to need you to reach into my pocket for my phone and call the paramedics. Can you do that for me?" She asked, not looking away from Izuku as she pressed her hands onto his injured shoulder. Izuku hissed in pain, trying not to scream out. She hated seeing him in pain like this.

"I-I think so." The boy, Minori, stated, doing as he was told. He took the phone and dialed the number.

"Just hold it up to my ear while I treat Izuku." She stated, which Minori nodded wordlessly. Suzu stood off to the side, clutching onto her doll with worry filled eyes.

---

Shortly after, authorities arrived and medical personnel treat Izuku for his burn, commending Ibarra for her Quirk and her ability to ease the boy's pain before they got there.

"The boy's name, what is it?" An officer asked, wanting to know the name of the kid who burned Izuku in the first place. He could mostly guess what happened based on the injury, but he needed to hear all the details before he could do anything.

"Heno. Heno Michael. He often comes around to antagonize the children here, but he's never done something like this before." Sakiko said, turning to look at Izuku in worry. Luckily, the burns weren't so severe that they couldn't be treated on the spot, so a trip to the hospital was unneeded. At least, that's what she was told. The only other thing they asked her about was the scar he had running from his shoulder and left pectoral to his mid-forearm.

"Well, if that's the case, then it might have been because your kid attacked him first." The police officer stated, not looking up from his notepad. Sakiko paused for a moment to look at the officer strangely before shaking the feeling away.

"With all due respect, the only reason Midoriya would attack anyone would be because they were attacking someone else. He's such a sweet boy most of the time." She said, thinking about the usually very bright and energetic child she had the pleasure of looking after.

The officer simply shrugged.

"Sure he is. We'll look into this matter, see what comes of it and we'll go from there. We'll contact you with any further information. Good day, ma'am." He said, walking away. The caretaker stared after him, feeling like something about the way he was talking to her was off. Even so, she dismissed the idea and went to check on Izuku.

"Midoriya." She began, sitting next to him on the steps of the orphanage. Izuku had a blanket wrapped around him, with his left arm covered in bandages. The boy stopped his aimless staring to give her his undivided attention.

"Yes, Mrs. Ibarra?" He asked, tilting his head in confusion as if he was completely unaware of what just happened. Sakiko let out a sigh, knowing that Izuku didn't think he did anything wrong. Which he didn't. Not entirely. Perhaps he overreacted with Michael, but the older boy was using his Quirk with ill intent. Granted, not towards them, but a case could still be made.

"Are you okay? Is your scar acting up again?" Sakiko asked, gesturing to his arm. Izuku looked down at his shoulder for a moment before shaking his head and smiling up at her.

"Nope! The guy that treated me had this really cool Quirk that transfers his own stamina to heal someone else's wounds. I asked him what the biggest injury he treated was, and he said he was able to heal a whole hand once! A whole hand!" Izuku stated, holding up one of his own before going off on a rant about his conversation with the medic. The caretaker knew it was probably more of an interrogation knowing Izuku, but she smiled regardless. She truly wondered why no one gave him a chance. Such a sweet boy.

"Izuku, about what happened with Michael." She interrupted, knowing that this conversation was going to happen since she saw the two having that heated argument from inside the building. Izuku stopped talking and gained a look of mild guilt, which was quickly overshadowed by a sort of resolve she didn't see in many others his age.

"I…I'm not sorry for what happened. He was being really mean to Suzu and Minori. He was even going to burn Suzu's doll! I can't stand when Villains like him mess with people." Izuku stated, an angry look on his face. It was here that his caretaker shook her head and corrected him.

"He's not a 'Villain', Izuku. He is still a child, like you. You don't know why he does what he does. Everyone has a reason for being the way they are." She explained, knowing that even if Izuku was a bright child, he was still just that. A child. A child who still has much to learn about people and things of the world in general.

"I guess…but at least he won't be coming around here any time soon." Izuku mumbled, a little deflated when Mrs. Ibarra tried to reason with him that Michael was indeed not a Villain. At this, Sakiko frowned, knowing that something like this wasn't going to be overlooked by the other caretakers. Even she knew that this sort of behavior, while used with good intent, weren't going to be doing him any favors in the future. Not many people wanted a child who has been known to get into fights.

"Izuku, about that. I hate to say this, but you can't be doing that sort of thing anymore. Look at what happened to you today. What if I hadn't come out here when I did? What if Michael used his Quirk on your face?" She asked, seeing the boy look at her with a strange expression before giving her that same resolved look.

"I would have been able to defend myself. He can only heat one limb at a time, and he'll lose concentration if he's distracted enough. I could have just-" Izuku began, though the green-haired woman shook her head and stopped him there.

"That's not the point, Izuku. You can't be tackling people just because they were being mean. That doll can be replaced, you can't. I don't want you getting hurt like this." She stated, placing her hand in his uninjured shoulder. Izuku looked like he wanted to argue a bit more, but he eventually sighed and nodded.

"Yes, Mrs. Ibarra." He relented, looking a bit deflated. He didn't think he'd done anything wrong. He was just doing what he thought was right. All Might always said to follow your heart not matter what others said.

"Good. Now, I know it's been an eventful day, but the other caretakers are going to want to talk to you about this too. And I don't think they're going to be as forgiving as I am." Ibarra warned. She may have only been a volunteer, but she did come and teach these children whenever she could. Her family may have founded this orphanage, but that was mostly her uncle. She would rather be able to help everyone by being a volunteer for various organizations. Even her daughter wanted to do the same, somewhat. That was a story for another time, however.

"I'm going to be grounded again, aren't I?" Izuku asked, knowing that they had done that before when he did this sort of thing. He had only been here for three years, but the number of times someone has tried to harass the other kids here was not going to fly on Izuku's watch.

He couldn't just stand there and let Suzu be bullied like that! His body literally wouldn't allow him! He would just move without thinking whenever something like that happens.

"More than likely yes. And considering how serious this scuffle was…" Sakiko trailed off, alluding to the fact that he would most likely be grounded through the Hero's visit. Izuku realized this in short order, his eyes widening in shock before he slumped over with melancholy.

"That's…that's okay. So long as Suzu still has her doll." Izuku tried to reason. The woman knew it was eating him up inside, however. Heroes were everything to Izuku. She understood that the orphanage would most definitely ground him, she at least hoped that they would give him the mercy of meeting whichever Hero would come around to visit.

"Come now, Izuku. The day is almost over. You should be heading inside. Hopefully, I'll see you soon." Sakiko stated, standing up and preparing to leave for her home. Izuku nodded, getting up and heading towards the man building.

"Okay. See you tomorrow, Mrs. Ibarra." Izuku said with a low tone, still a bit upset at the news that he was probably not going to be able to meet a Hero. The plant haired woman stared after him as he walked away, seeing that the blanket around him was bundled in his hands now and his bandaged shoulder was partially exposed. The portion not covered showing the severe burn scars that covered nearly the entirety of his left arm and only stopped halfway down his forearm. She winced at seeing it again.

'No child should have gone through that. Especially not you, Izuku.' Sakiko thought to herself as she saw him finally enter the building. She turned to leave, remembering what exactly happened that landed the bright, green-eyed child here.

'Tragedy in Musutafu! Father Murders Wife, Gravely Injures Quirkless Son!'

Sakiko had been taking care of her daughter the day the news had relayed that headliner. The story told of a family that was torn apart, the home burned to the ground due to the father going on a rampage. A tragedy that anyone would do such a thing to their own family. Once she heard the supposed reason behind it, even more abhorrent.

"I still have no idea why people are so insistent on judging people based on things they cannot control." The woman thought aloud to herself as she finally got into her car to leave for the day. She had a few things to do still, but knew that she would be back the next day to teach again. She just hoped those who ran the orphanage didn't go too hard on Izuku.

---

"I'm not going to sugarcoat this, Midoriya. You won't be able to see whoever comes around tomorrow, or next Friday for that matter." An older gentleman stated, looking down at the child before him. He seemed just a bit exasperated, knowing that Izuku was known for bouts like this, but didn't believe that he would go so far this time. Izuku said nothing, even as silence rang over the room. He simply stared down at his lap, trying to keep himself from crying again.

"You know we're not doing this just to be mean. It's just that we can't let you keep behaving like this. We have the other kids to think about too." Another woman said, trying to be sympathetic with him. She hated seeing him in the office like this. He wasn't a bad child, she knew that, but if he was going to be getting into fights left and right, he was going to jeopardize the other children's chances at finding families of their own.

"Yes, Ma'am." Izuku was able to choke out. She only let out a sigh, turning to the other man, wanting to see if he wanted to add anything else.

"Izuku, you have a bright future ahead of you. With your mind, you could go on to be a renowned scientist. Your spirit could make you a fantastic police officer." He tried to reason, listing off occupations that should have been rather sensible. Ones that would absolutely be attainable for people like him.

"…No." Izuku whispered, his face conflicted. He knew well enough that policemen, firefighters and other people of similar professions were just as vital to the world as any other, but he just…

"Izuku, please. Be reasonable. It's dangerous being a Hero. You should know that people die, especially with that essay you wrote. If you would just-" The older man tried to reason again, only for Izuku to interrupt him with a small shout.

"I know how dangerous it is, but I don't care!" He exclaimed, eyes shut closed and head hanging low. The others in the room stayed silent, not expecting the usually timid boy to make an outburst like that.

"I know better than anyone here how dangerous fighting Villains can be. But it's because I know how dangerous it is that I want to be a Hero. Someone people can look up to and know that they're safe. Just like All Might." Izuku stated, looking up at the three adults with conviction. The woman turned to her boss, wanting to know his opinion on the matter. She herself believed that Izuku was admirable in his ambitions, but knew that he was in way over his head.

"You are too young to fully understand what you're trying to do, Midoriya. In time, you will learn why it is that only so many Heroes are made every year. That will be all, you are dismissed." Was all the older gentleman said before gesturing for the young boy to leave the office. He nodded, getting up from his chair and heading out the door.

"You know, it's not impossible for him to be a Hero. Even if a minor one. He's got the smarts to do it. Hell, even if he only becomes a support gear technician, I'd see him going far." The woman commented after Izuku had left. The older gentleman stayed silent for a moment, mulling over her words. He was going to respond when another voice spoke up, one that had remained silent for the duration of this meeting.

"And then he'd die. Like every other hopeful trying to make it out there." He spoke, a sort of somber tone to his voice. The other two winced, knowing about what happened to his son.

"This is for his own good. His future is too bright for him to be throwing it away like that. I'm personally against this 'Meet Your Hero' silliness and whatever fool in spandex they send over. It's a shallow representation of their occupation." He stated, a small frown on his face. The older gentleman shook his head, knowing they had gone through this again.

"Kimori, even if it is a poor example of their work, it still gives these children hope. Something they have been missing in these last few months." He rebuked. 'Kimori' once again shook his head.

"Maybe, but it could also give them the impression that they could be Heroes, without giving them any information of the dangers that come with it. Our job is to make sure these kids are safe. We'd be failing at that if we just let them go trying to chase some dream that's only going to land them in an early grave." He argued, his voice getting a small bit heated.

"Arguing about this isn't going to help, you know. They're going to send someone regardless, and trying to cancel now would probably be impossible." She said, uncomfortable with what they were talking about. Put this conversation on paper, it sounded like a bunch of adults considering if they should let a Hero visit a few orphaned kids or not.

"I know that. I'm just none too happy that it's happening is all. The best I can do at this point is to try and convince these other kids not to go down that path." He stated. He was going to say more, but a ding from the computer in front of the older gentleman alerted them.

"What was that?" The woman asked, knowing that they didn't get many emails. The older man pushed a few buttons on his computer before an eyebrow was raised.

"Hm. It's about what Hero is going to be visiting us." He stated, reading through the message. It was strange, as they had done these two other times in the past, but neither of those emails looked like this one. It was formatted differently.

"Already? We only send those digital copies not too long ago, didn't we?" She asked, wondering just how fast this system had gotten. It was then that she noticed the increasing amount of shock building in her boss' face.

"T-this…This is!" He stuttered, not believing his eyes. In the history of this orphanage, nothing of this caliber had ever happened before!

"With a reaction like that, I'd only imagine we got someone in the top ten. Gang Orca, maybe? I know he tries pretty hard to be appealing to children. As unsuccessful as he's been." Kimori guessed, a little relieved that if that were the case, it wouldn't be as bad as if someone else were to show up. No offense to the Hero, but his appearance wasn't exactly comforting to children.

"Who is it, Orobo? Let me see." The woman asked, moving over to see what was on the screen.

Congratulations! Your establishment has been selected in the Meet Your Hero campaign to be granted a visit from our Top Hero in the Agency! The Hero in question is none other than-

"ALL MIGHT!?" She exclaimed, her eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. The comment causing Kimori to snap his attention to them and rush over to see for himself. Sure enough, he saw the Symbol of Peace himself listed as the Hero that was going to be sent over to grant them a visit. He blanched at the thought, sighing deeply and shaking his head. He began to walk away, heading for the door.

"Wonderful. Who better to show them what could happen to them if they try to be Heroes than the guy who has never once been beaten?" He said before finally leaving. The other two only stared after him for a moment longer before looking back at the email. They were at least grateful that they were lucky enough to be chosen for this honor.

"Well then, I think we need to get this place as clean as we can before his arrival. We don't want this place looking like a pigsty when he does get here." Orobo stated, getting up to go through a few more files. He had other work to get through, after all.

"If you would be so kind, please inform the rest of the staff to tell the children to be on their best behavior." He ordered, going through his files. She nodded, going to do that already, but figured it meant something a bit more now that they knew what was awaiting them come next week.

"Yes, sir." She responded, leaving the room. Once she did, Orobo sighed once more.

"Hopefully this is a sign that things will turn out for the best. For the sake of the children, at least." He said to himself.

---

"Hey, Izuku's back!" A child exclaimed, seeing their green haired friend enter the room. They had all been preparing for sleep, something all of them were having trouble finding due to the events concerning the freckled orphan. Immediately, both Minori and Suzu perked up and rushed to see if it really was the boy that stood up for them.

"Hey guys." Izuku greeted with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. He was upset, truly. Being punished for, what seemed like to him, doing the right thing. That's what the adults were trying to tell him, anyway.

"Izuku, are you okay?" Suzu asked once she was able to make her way over to the front of the group alongside Minori. Izuku looked to her with a bit of surprise before smiling, puffing his chest out and putting on a happy demeaner.

"Yep! I'm just fine. Though, I was grounded…again." He said, slightly deflating. Suzu frowned sadly at that, looking down at her one-armed doll with a bit of guilt.

"I'm sorry Izuku. Michael came out of nowhere and snatched my doll out of my hands before I even knew what was happening. If it weren't for me, you probably wouldn't have gotten hurt." She stated, blaming herself for everything that happened today. Izuku looked at her with confusion before Minori added in his own two cents.

"No, if anyone's to blame, it's me. I should have tried to actually stand up to Michael. All I did was just stand around." He said, looking down in sadness. The other children looked to each other awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Michael was older than most of them, with a Quirk to boot. There really wasn't anything they could do about that.

"Neither of you did anything wrong. If either of you tried anything, he would have just hurt you like he did me. Besides, I'm always ready to stand up for you guys." Izuku waved off, giving them a toothy grin. Both Minori and Suzu gave him small smiles of their own, inspired by Izuku's selfless personality. The rest of them too knew that they could count on him.

"Children, come now. It's already bed time. Get to it." One of their caretakers told them as they entered the room. The children all dispersed after that, quickly obeying and getting into their respective bunks.

Here, when all had seemingly gone silent with sleep, Izuku heard someone trying to get his attention. Quietly, as not to disturb anyone else.

"Psst, Izuku. Are you awake?" The familiar voice of Suzu whispered as she turned over to the bed next to her. The one that Izuku was occupying. Thankfully, the boy was only just starting to drift off when he was called upon. He turned to her, eyes a bit drowsy, but awake enough to listen.

"Hm? What is it, Suzu?" He asked, wondering what she would want to talk about now that couldn't wait until the morning. Suzu stayed silent for a moment, both because she was having trouble getting the question out and because she half didn't expect him to be awake.

"Are you okay? Michael was hurting you really bad." She asked, knowing that while he said that he was okay, Izuku was known for hiding his pain and injuries to not upset or worry the adults or the other children.

"Yeah. But…well, when I was grounded, I was also told that I wouldn't be able to see the Hero coming next week." Izuku revealed, saddened at remembering that bit of information. Suzu's eyes widen as she hears this, hearing and seeing how much Heroes meant to Izuku In his presentation earlier in the day.

"B-but but they can't do that. That's supposed to be for everyone. Why would they keep you from doing that too?" She asked, still keeping in mind not to be too loud, but making it clear that she wasn't happy about that bit of news. Izuku shrugged, adjusting his blanket before staring up at the bunk above him.

"They said It's to correct my behavior. That I'd be hurting everyone's chances of being adopted if I keep fighting people." He explained. Not entirely understanding the reasoning he was given, but almost getting it. Something to do with affiliation and whatnot.

"That's still not fair." Suzu said, clutching her doll to her chest. She didn't think it was right for them to be doing this to him. He saved her and Minori.

"I tried telling them that I wanted to be a Hero, and that's what Hero's do, but they told me that it was too dangerous for a kid…a Quirkless like me to be able to do. That I should try for something else." Izuku said, his eyes sunken a bit.

"Did they actually tell you that you can't be one because you're Quirkless?" Suzu asked, shocked that the adults would say something like that to one of them. They hadn't done something like that before. However, Izuku shakes his head and sighs.

"No. They just said that it was more dangerous than I think it is. Maybe they're right though. As much as I want to believe I can, I might not be good enough to be a Hero." Izuku said, turning to face away from Suzu, intent to end the conversation there and head to sleep. There was silence, only for a moment before Suzu said something in a small whisper. Maybe not something she meant for him to hear, but he heard regardless.

"You're already my Hero, Izuku."

He waited for her to say more, but nothing else came from his friend. He contemplated on what she said, that he was already her Hero. He took a deep breath before nodding to himself, resolved that he was going to try his hardest to accomplish his dreams. If not for himself, then for those around him.

'I'll work hard to be a Hero and save everyone. I won't forget our promise, mama.'

---

The next few days were rather dull, all things considered. Only so much one can do when the most you do is either attend classes, do chores or play with your friends. However, in Izuku's case, he was really only able to do the first two on account of being grounded.

"Let's see, if I can use this…" Izuku thought aloud, mumbling something or other while he wrote something down in one of his not Hero Notebooks. He was doing so in the confines of a classroom, with the only other person in the space being Sakiko. She was to look over his little 'detention' while the other children were out playing. She was saddened to hear that he was indeed being barred from seeing the Hero this week, but wasn't terribly surprised at the news.

"What are you working on, Izuku?" Sakiko asked as she approached him. Izuku broke from his ramblings, looking at her with a bit of apprehension before pushing his paper forward, allowing her to see what he had been writing.

"Well, I thought…If I really do want to be a Hero, then I'm going to need to start training as much as possible. I'm trying to come up with a schedule to help with that." He said, the green haired woman reading through what he had so far. She was surprised that he was even thinking about something like this. Even ignoring his age, not too many people who start the road to becoming a Hero go this in depth with a schedule.

Even his sleep was scheduled for Lords sake!

"My goodness. This seems rather…extreme, Izuku. Are you really going to try and go through with this?" She asked the youth. Sure, her daughter was thinking about becoming a Hero as well, with her being about the same age as Izuku himself, but that was all only talk. Yet, here Izuku is writing all this down like someone with utter confidence in what they're doing.

"I'll need to if I want to have a chance at being a Hero. Being Quirkless isn't going to stop me from saving people." Izuku said, writing a few other things in his notebook. Ibarra took a breath, giving Izuku a bit of a sympathetic look, figuring that part of this had to be because of his Quirklessness. Whether it was an insecurity giving him this drive, or simply adding on to what was already there, she didn't know. What she did know however, was that when Izuku wanted to do something, anyone would be hard pressed to try and stop him from doing it. Especially when it was with matters like this.

"What about equipment? There's not a lot of things here that could be used for training." She challenged. Not necessarily to discourage him, more curious as to what he would think of to solve the issue.

"I don't need a lot, really. The playground is already great for doing exercising and stuff. All I really need to do is think about how I'm going to optimize my time." Izuku said. It brought a small amused breath out of her. Not a laugh, not a chuckle. Not even a giggle. Just a surprised breath. Izuku had that effect on people.

"Izuku, don't you want to at least try to be a kid while you still are one? You're only seven. You can't enter a Hero School until you're eighteen." Sakiko told him, bringing up the fact that it would be another decade before he had to worry about applying anywhere. That he had ample time to just be the kid he is. Most children didn't even start training seriously until they were getting into their teen years.

"I…I can't do that, Mrs. Ibarra. While it's true, most other kids start training when they're twelve or thirteen, I can't do that. I'm not like them. I don't have a Quirk to give me an edge. I've only got this." Izuku started, poking his head with his pencil. Sakiko glanced down at his shoulder, the burn scar barely poking out from his shirt collar.

"I've got to try and use everything at my disposal, use it more than anyone else, more than everyone else. If I don't, then people could get hurt." Izuku continued, thinking about what could happen to people like his friends here at the orphanage.

"You're absolutely sure about being a Hero, Izuku? Once you start, you won't be able to back out." Sakiko asked. Again, more to see if there was any sort of hesitation in his voice. All the same, Izuku looked up to her with a steely gaze and a clenched fist.

"A million percent sure." He claimed. Sakiko smiled at him then, nodding. She then turned her gaze down at his notebook before speaking up again.

"If that's the case, then you might want to add a few more things in here." His teacher spoke, taking another one of his pencils and scribbling down a few notes around his own. Izuku looked surprised for a moment before looking at her with some confusion.

"You know stuff like this, Mrs. Ibarra?" He asked, curious as to how she would know things like this. The green haired volunteer gave a low chuckle before answering.

"My daughter is thinking about becoming a Hero too, you know. Her Quirk is more suited for the job than mine is, so she might go through with it. I wanted to make sure I was prepared to help her, so I did a bit of researching on training regimens." She explained, finishing her notes and allowing Izuku to look them over.

"That's amazing! What kind of Quirk does she have? Is it like yours? Can it grow longer? Shorter? Does it cost her energy and nutrients from her body to grow like yours does?" Izuku asked, wanting to know everything about his teacher's daughter's Quirk. It was only natural. Izuku hears something about a Quirk, he's spouting questions faster than some speedsters.

"Calm down, Izuku. Don't you want to know her name first?" She teased, amused at his antics. At the very least, Izuku seemed to be bashful that he had forgotten that little bit of news. He of course knew that she had a child, as she had stated before to the rest of the class, but that was the extent of knowledge about them that she shared.

"S-sorry. What's her name, Mrs. Ibarra?" He asked, slowing down from his bombardment of questions. She ruffled his hair, a sign that she wasn't the least bit bothered by his behavior.

"It's okay, I always love talking about my little miracle. Her name is Shiozaki. Her Quirk is called Vines. It makes up her hair and allows her to control how long it grows and how it moves, seemingly with little strain. However, she still has a bit of trouble controlling it effectively past a certain length." She stated, giving a summary of her daughter's Quirk. The awed and excited look on Izuku's face made her suppress a giggle. He always got that look no matter what Quirk presented itself before him. Even with her own admittedly lackluster one, he still treated it with reverence.

"So cool! I wonder if what she eats effects how strong her vines are. If they get weaker the longer they get too. It might help if she uses certain shampoos and conditioners, if not outright fertilizers." Izuku mumbled to himself, thinking of all the things that could supplement the Quirk he only just heard about.

"Such a bright child. With that big brain of yours, and that even bigger heart, you'll be a great Hero. I know it." Sakiko praised, caressing his cheek and getting his attention. He blushed in embarrassment, feeling warm at her words. The other kids always said the same things, but to hear an adult that he looked up to say the same, it was…nice.

"Thank you, Mrs. Ibarra. I promise not to let you down." Izuku stated, beaming up at her. She nodded, getting up and making her way back to her desk. They still had a bit of time before his detention was up, and she still had a bit of paperwork to go through.

---

"I can actually use this as part of my training!" Izuku said aloud to himself as he looked upon the floors that he had to sweep. Part of his grounding. He wasn't to do too much, as he was only seven. However, looking beyond the section he was told to clean, along with the utility closet not too far from him…

"Let's do this." He spoke, a smile on his lips as he got to work, sweeping at a rapid pace, while also making sure that he didn't miss anything. Back and forth, back and forth his hands went. He was trying to get into a rhythm, a trance if you would. The dust beneath him moving about any which way he was swinging the broom. Already he could feel his arms start to burn and tire from the constant movement. Yet still, he continued onward.

"H-half way there, come on." He tried to coach himself, just about half way through with the corridors. He was only told to go down to the end of the first one, which he promptly went past and was already onto the third one. For each one, he had swept and mopped. He thought about polishing them too, but decided against it, as he didn't know how he would go about doing that. Even still! He continued to sweep. No dust spec was going to escape his watch!

"M-Maybe I'll stop after this one." He said with a bit of shake to his voice. His arms felt like noodles, and he was pretty sure he saw the beginning of blisters forming in his hands. Still, he was able to sweep and mop the first three corridors. Granted, it took both the allotted time for his punishment and a bit of his free time, but he did it! Now he's pretty sure that he's going to be able to do even more tomorrow!

"Izuku?" A voice spoke from behind him. He turned, seeing Minori standing there. Izuku was a bit surprised at his presence, but turned to the nearest clock on the wall.

"Oh, hi Minori. It's about time to start heading in for lunch, huh?" Izuku said, opening the utility closet and placing the mop back where it belonged. The other boy looked at him a bit strangely, looking down at the floor, seeing it squeaky clean, the beginning to the next corridor looking the same as well.

"Have you been in here the whole time cleaning?" He asked, a bit worried for his friend. He always dreaded having to sweep the corridors, seeing as how it was always so boring and took forever.

"Yep! I don't mind though. I'm using this to start my Hero training. Anyway, I'm hungry. I hope they're serving pineapple today; I love pineapple." Izuku stated, walking past Minori and towards the cafeteria. The other boy only stayed still for a moment before chasing after the green haired orphan.

"I still don't think it's fair that they're not letting you see the Hero coming on Friday. I thought your essay was really cool." Minori said, telling the boy his feelings on Izuku's grounding. Izuku only shrugged, on account that he couldn't do anything else with his arms currently, and laughed.

"It doesn't really bother me. I can see plenty of them on the internet when I can use the computer again. Not to mention when I'm a Hero I'll be seeing them all the time!" Izuku claimed, thinking about his future as a Hero. How many people he'd be able to save.

Minori gave him a small smile, happy that at least someone here had dreams for the future.

"I wish I had the same drive as you. I'd be happy just to get out of here." Minori joked. He knew that the older they got, the less likely they'd be chosen to be adopted. If you reached your teens? Forget about it.

"Hey, don't say that. I know you'll get picked soon! A lot of us got adopted not too long ago, I'm sure you'll be picked next." Izuku tried to reassure his friend. Minori hummed, not wanting to comment on Izuku's optimism. He never could understand how the freckled seven-year-old could stay so…steadfast.

---

"Awesome! They even had a bit of mochi as the treat!" Izuku exclaimed as he sat down with the other children. Today, they had a bit of omarice with fish and mochi on the side. The food here wasn't lavishly exquisite, in either selection or taste, but he had to admit that some were better than others.

"I think I heard them saying that they'd have pineapple tomorrow, Izuku." One of the boys next to him told him, talking through a mouthful of rice. Izuku pumped his fist in excitement, as weak as the action was, happy that he would be getting his favorite fruit the next day.

"Hey, who do you think is going to come around on Friday?" A child on the other table next to them asked. Someone else perking up at the mention of their special guest.

"Oh, do you think it's going to be Copper Grasshopper? The way he jumps around everywhere is so cool!" He stated, thinking of how the really tall Hero used his superior jumping speed and agility to control the fight. Another child shook his head before giving his own guess.

"I hope it's Rumbling Rhino. He's super strong!" He stated, flexing his arms the best he could. The Hero was strong, without a doubt. Strong enough to rival those in the top ten, even. However, what Rhino excelled in strength, he lacked in most every other category. Hence why he never breached the top twenty.

"Hey, who knows? Maybe we'll get someone like All Might!" A child stated. However, he was met with relative silence. Though most of these children were grateful and excited, they mostly knew not to make their expectations too high.

Izuku himself a bit conflicted about the subject in question. Even as the silence past and other Heroes were speculated, he didn't say much on the matter. Even as he remembered the different entries, he struggled not to chip in with the various facts he knows about them.

"Anyway…have you heard anything about Michael, Izuku?" Minori asked, wanting to get the green haired child's mind off of the current topic. He was also curious about what the follow-up with the incident was, and why he hadn't heard anything yet. More than likely because he was just a kid, but he was part of the incident. He wanted to know.

"…They're not going to do anything." Izuku said with a slight anger in his voice. Truthfully, he didn't know why they hadn't done something to him. He was bullying them and had been bullying them for as long as Izuku could remember.

"What? Why not? He burned you really bad!" Minori asked, flabbergasted at the news. Izuku shrugged his shoulders, taking a bite of his food before speaking up again.

"I dunno. They said it was because I was the one that hit him first. That what he did was just in self-defense and that because there was no lasting damage, he isn't getting in trouble." Izuku explained, remembering what he had been told by Orobo, who in turn only told him what the police had said. He didn't like thinking about it, how Michael somehow evaded justice. He hated Villains that were able to do that. He never understood how they could in the first place.

"Man, that sucks. Are you going to be okay?" He asked again. He'd asked Izuku a few times since that day, the guilt he felt not letting him stop. Izuku nodded, a bit of that same cheer he always had coming back somewhat.

"Yep. Michael hasn't tried coming back yet. Maybe I was able to scare him off for good this time!" Izuku claimed, joking of course. He'd gotten Michael to back off a few times, but he always came back. Even so, he knew that he'd be there to save another one of his friends whenever he did decide to show his face again.

"I hope so. I don't know how you can face him so easily, Izuku. His Quirk is so scary." Minori stated, shaking his head as he focused once more on his food. Izuku chuckled, knowing that was more of a rhetorical question. He really didn't have an answer for that, regardless. He just…could.

---

Another few days passed, very little happening. The only thing of note being that the people who came around to see if they wanted to adopt anyone here came and went, as they always did. Only one of them had been picked, a quick interview and proper paperwork having been done. She'd been there for about a year, but they all cheered for her regardless. Whenever someone got out of here, it made them hope that they'd be next.

Other than that, not much changed other than the fact that he'd been the most tired he'd ever been since he arrived here. All the exercising he's been doing along with his punishment of cleaning had been particularly draining on the green haired boy. He's had to ask some of his friends and other kids for a bit of their food to keep up with his calorie intake. It was a struggle, as sometimes he even had to give up his beloved mochi!

'Everything for the cause, Izuku. Everything for the cause.' Izuku tried to reason with himself as he ate his food silently. He felt his very soul cracking as he heard the kid next to him tearing into the sweet treat. He quickly finished his food, deciding that staying near the scene of the crime was doing nothing for his health.

"Hm, where are you going young man?" A voice came from the hall Izuku was passing by. He stopped and turned, thinking that maybe he was getting in trouble for some reason, but relaxed when he saw the gentle, caring face of the Ibarra mother approaching. He had left his tray where they were supposed to go and left the lunch hall, to get a head start on his training again.

"Hi, Mrs. Ibarra. I thought you had already left for the day?" Izuku inquired, knowing that she mostly only taught the morning classes. An afternoon class too if she could. Yet, those were far and few in between, so he wondered what she was doing here.

"I forgot something of mine here, and I was already around when I picked up my daughter, so I thought to drop by and pick it up." She explained. Izuku nodded, at least happy that he got to see his favorite teacher again today. She was always so nice to him. Not to say none of the other teachers weren't, but Sakiko always listened whenever he went on his rants about Heroes, whenever he went on a 'mumble storm', she always tried to pay attention to what he was saying.

"Actually, how about…" She trailed off, going to suggest something but stopping herself to think about it. Izuku tilted his head at her, wondering what she wanted to say. She was usually fairly sure of herself when she spoke. 'Always think before you speak' she would tell him sometimes. Didn't particularly help him when his mind went about two hundred times the speed in which his mouth could properly articulate.

"Is everything okay, Mrs. Ibarra?" He asked, seeing that she was debating with herself about something or other. The volunteer apparently made up her mind when she looked at him, looking around to make sure that no one else was listening in.

A bit of a red flag in the back of Izuku's brain, but considering who he was talking to, not at all a concern.

"I know I was talking about her a few days ago, but would you like to meet my daughter?" She asked him. Immediately, Izuku's eyes widened in surprise. He could already feel his excitement skyrocketing. He'd be able to meet someone else his age! With a cool Quirk!

"Of course! I'd love to-" Izuku started, wanting to express just how happy he'd be if she really did let him meet her daughter. However, he then remembered that he's not really supposed to go outside the premises. Especially not when he's still grounded.

"A-ah, sorry. I-I'm not allowed to. I'm still in trouble for fighting Michael. I would love to meet your daughter, Mrs. Ibarra, but-" He began, feeling deflated that he would have to decline her offer. It was then that the plant-haired woman lowered herself to be eye-level with him and placed a finger over his lips.

"Shh, I'm not here as your teacher right now. Besides, I don't see any of the other teachers here, do you?" She asked in turn, a tiny bit of a mischievous smile on her face. It took a moment for Izuku to catch on to what she was saying, but when he did, he perked up once more with his excitement rising once more.

"Okay, come on. I told her she could wait on the playground. The gate keeps most people away, and she can take care of herself just fine." She said, guiding the boy towards the play area. Izuku nodded, anxious to meet the daughter of his favorite teacher. Normally, he'd have questioned as to why she would leave her child alone out on the playground, but with the knowledge of what her Quirk is, he knew she didn't need to be terribly concerned. 'Vines' was a great sounding Quirk, both on paper, and in practice he assumed.

Sakiko's Quirk alone could have made her a great support Hero. One that could undoubtedly save many lives. Even now, since she decided to become a volunteer for the area, she was doing wonders for the community.

"Okay, okay…" Izuku whispered to himself, trying to calm his nerves. Regardless of if this shouldn't be much different than his interactions with the other kids, or even the odd adult that interviewed him once in a while, it did feel a bit more personal.

"Izuku, you're only going to meet her, not give a public speech." The woman laughed, amused at Izuku's worrying. It was adorable, seeing him like this. Whenever she heard him talking about his dreams and ambitions, he hardly ever stuttered or fretted over his words. Yet, if he was told to introduce himself to someone new, he'd get all clammy and stutter like there's no tomorrow. She wondered why that was? From what she understood, he had a relatively good social standing here.

"I-I always get like this when I meet someone new. Especially If they're someone from outside the school. I never know if…" He was going to continue, trying not to say that he was afraid of how they'd react when they found out he was Quirkless. Sakiko shook her head, figuring easily enough that these fears were irrational.

"Izuku, look at me. You have nothing be afraid of, understand me? Do you really think I don't say anything about this place to my daughter? I promise, she's going to be just as excited to meet you as you are to meet her, okay?" Sakiko assured him, stopping to kneel down and stare into his eyes with a comforting smile. Izuku looked down for a moment, taking a deep breath before nodding, smiling in turn.

She knew how some other kids had come around to harass them as well. Some of them like Michael, taunting these poor children just because they weren't born with a Quirk. A few of them only becoming hostile once they learned that they were Quirkless. It broke her heart to know that those kids were doing that to other children. If she ever learned where they got that mindset, she'd give them a stern talking to, that's for sure!

"Y-you're right, sorry. I'm just really nervous." He said, to which the teacher simply gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze before standing up to lead him to the playground at last. They were only a few feet away from the door leading outside.

Once they had reached the playground, Izuku only had to look around for a moment before he saw another girl around his age on the swings. She was looking aimlessly, not exactly focused much on anything. Yet, Izuku couldn't ignore the fact that a ray of sunshine was beaming down on her, giving her a certain glow.

Weird.

"Shiozaki, I'm back. I even brought a little friend who wants to talk to you." Sakiko called out, gaining the attention of her daughter. The girl looked over, immediately turning her attention to Izuku with an inquisitive expression. Izuku only took a small breath before giving a big smile. 'Shiozaki' getting off the swing and walking towards them.

"Who is this, mother? Is he the boy you told me about?" She asked, stopping to inspect the boy closer. Izuku didn't say anything, waiting for Sakiko to introduce him formally before speaking.

"That's right, my little miracle. This is Midoriya Izuku. I ran into him when I was grabbing my purse. I thought it would be nice if you two met." Her mother explained, stepping to the side so the boy could introduce himself as well.

"Hi! Mrs. Ibarra already told you my name, but I am Midoriya Izuku. You can just call me Izuku if you want, though." Izuku complimented, wanting to leave a good first impression. He even bowed and everything. The girl stayed quiet for a moment, inspecting his features. Izuku did as well, seeing that she wore a modest white dress, with her hair done in a ponytail.

"Hello Midoriya. I am Ibarra Shiozaki. Mother has told me much about you." She stated simply. Izuku nodded happily, though he didn't know if she shared the same sentiment he did. Her tone and facial expression didn't leave much for him to decipher.

"I try to keep her up to date on anything interesting that happens throughout the day. It just so happens most of those interesting things are because of you, Izuku." Sakiko revealed, making Izuku blush from embarrassment. He didn't think the things he did were especially noteworthy. He just does what he thinks is right. Though those things did find him at the center of everyone's conversations more often than not.

"If that's the case, do you want to be friends?" Izuku asked, extending his hand, hoping that by the end of this he'd have a new friend. The girl looked down at his hand, then up to her mother for a moment before a small smile worked its way onto her face.

"Of course. I was always rather curious as to what you were like in person. I hope we become good friends." Shiozaki stated. Her smile, while small, still told the young boy all that he needed to know. He found it interesting that she talked so formally since she wasn't any older than himself. Even further from that, he was happy that she wanted to be his friend, even though she probably already knew he was Quirkless. Though, he should probably nip that in the bud in case she didn't.

"Mrs. Ibarra told me about your Quirk, but I want to know everything about it, if you don't mind. Since I don't have one, I like to study and record all the ones I can learn about." Izuku asked, his excitement about learning of a new Quirk tempered, in case she reacted negatively to his Quirklessness. It surprised him somewhat when she smiled gracefully and allowed her vine-like hair to grow and move in front of her.

"I don't mind. I intend to use my blessing to save as many lives as I can, after all. If I remember correctly, mother said you wish to become a Hero as well?" She asked, holding the extended vines in her hand. Izuku withheld the urge to fawn over them immensely, finding the Quirk to be insanely awesome. He nodded, a steely conviction washing over his features.

"Yeah! I'm going to train really hard and save everyone, just like All Might!" Izuku exclaimed, his mind bringing forth the image he's always dreamed of. Himself standing tall, a smile on his face as he saved people. Ever since he knew what heroes were, he's wanted to be just like them. Just like All Might.

"And I'm sure you will both be great Heroes. However, it's about time I take her home. I'll see you next time, Izuku. Say goodbye, Shiozaki." The mother said, grabbing her daughter's hand and beginning to guide her to their car. The girl nodded, retracting the extended hair before waving to Izuku.

"Farewell, Midoriya. I wish you the best of luck in achieving your dreams. May we meet again." She called back ton him as the two Ibarra women walked out of earshot.

"Of course! I look forward to it!" Izuku yelled after them, hopping that he got to meet Shiozaki again, and that their next meeting would allow him the time to ask her all the questions he had about her Quirk. He stood there for a moment, letting the knowledge that he made a new friend soak in for a moment. He felt happy, that he was able to meet someone from outside the orphanage that was so nice. Even better that it was the daughter of his favorite teacher.

"Izuku! Izuku!" A voice cut through the tranquil quiet of the playground and nearly startled the young Midoriya. He turned to see Suzu racing towards him with a shocked expression on her face. It worried him for a moment, thinking that maybe Michael had returned already and was bullying someone else. He was fully prepared to stand up for them again, already thinking about what he'd have to do to make sure neither he nor anyone else was burned like last time.

"Suzu, is something wrong? Is it Michael again!?" Izuku asked with an angered expression. Suzu stopped a few feet from him, confused as to what he said before her eyes widened and she shook her head quickly.

"No, no! It's not that. We know who's going to be coming here tomorrow!" She exclaimed, which sort of gave Izuku some form of relief, knowing that he wouldn't have to get into trouble again so soon after his last fight with the older boy. Even so, with the girl telling him they knew which hero was going to be coming around made him conflicted. On the one hand, he was always excited to talk about the Pros and what they've done, especially if that Hero was going to visit everyone here at the orphanage. On the other, no matter who it was, he would be barred from meeting them himself.

"Oh…OH! Who is it!?" He asked, excited regardless if he wouldn't be able to meet them himself or ask them any of the assorted questions he has lined up for whenever he did meet said Hero, as small of a chance that might have been. Suzu opened her mouth to answer, but hesitated at the last moment, suddenly having difficulty saying what she wanted to. The anticipation she felt was clear as day, Izuku would note, so he didn't know why she couldn't just tell him who it was.

"What's wrong, Suzu?" The young boy asked, worried that something else might have happened. She fidgeted in place for a few more seconds before taking a breath and looking him in the eye.

"It's nothing. I just…promise you won't be too upset?" She asked with trepidation. He figured it was because she knew how much he loved Heroes, and how he wouldn't be able to meet them because he was grounded. He sucked it up, putting on the best smile he could to reassure her.

"I don't see why I would, but sure! I promise." He told her, giving her his word. Sure, it would probably sting no matter who it was, but he was a big boy now. He was already training to be a pro Hero, even! He was sure he'd be able to bear whoever it was. Well, so long as it wasn't-

"All Might's coming to visit!" Suzu exclaimed gleefully, expressing further joy than she had ever shown in her years here at the orphanage. She then just as quickly reeled it In when she remembered who it was she was telling this to and what their circumstances were. Izuku himself remained stock still. His brain taking a moment to properly process the information.

.

..

…

"Izu-"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

---

Well! After recomposing himself and cleaning up in the washroom, Izuku sat on his bed, reevaluating his life choices. His glazed over eyes staring into nothingness as he hugged his pillow tightly.

"Michael truly is evil incarnate." He whispered to himself as he clung to the pillow even tighter. It was perhaps a tiny bit unfair to blame him for something he had no control over…but that doesn't mean he wasn't going to try.

"Are you doing okay?" Minori asked the freckled boy. Izuku didn't respond at first, still trying to collect himself enough to give a coherent answer. Minori had come in here to check on his friend when Suzu had told him what happened when she broke the news to the Hero Idolizer. He along with the rest of the kids had decided it would be best if she was the one to tell him, simply because she was the closest to Izuku in terms of age.

"It's not fair…" Izuku mumbled finally, sighing in defeat. He's been trying not to let it get to him, or let any of the others think he was truly bothered by this whole situation. He wanted them to see that he was strong. That he was worth putting their trust into. That they could look to him and feel they could rely on him without question. He promised to be strong. Strong kids didn't cry because they were grounded.

"…Hey, if you want. I could take one of your notebooks and get him to sign it. Maybe try to ask him some questions for you?" Minori suggested, unsure whether it would really help ease his friends worries or not. Thankfully, it didn't take long for the green-haired child start to perk up at the idea. It was small at first, only gaining his interest a tiny bit. Then, when he thought about it, his posture straightened out more. Finally, after realizing what his friend had just suggested, he bolted up from his bed, throwing the pillow to the side and rushing towards Minori with a giant smile on his face.

"You'd do that for me!? Oh my gosh, I have so many questions for him! Here, I'll write them all down!" Izuku exclaimed, first startling Minori with how close he got, then leaving him confused with how one kid could move so fast.

"You're a genius, Minori! I'll repay you for this, I promise!" Izuku said to his friend as he wrote down in one of his notebooks with such speed, Minori could have sworn he saw the page almost catch fire. Minori himself didn't see how this would be that big of a favor. Even if Izuku was a big fan of Heroes, with himself a large one as well, he didn't think this would be nearly satisfying enough to placate him. For crying out loud, it was All Might coming to visit them. He doubted any second hand experience was going to take away the bitterness of not seeing him in person when they were in the same building as you.

"Gee, Izuku. Are you even going to try and argue that you should be able to see him too?" He asked, watching as the young Midoriya hand him the notebooks with two bookmarks to tell him where the questions were and where he wanted the Number One to sign. Izuku was In the middle of getting his All Might scarf he got last Christmas when he slowed down and gave Minori an almost resigned look.

"It's okay, Minori. I know they're just doing what they think Is best. I'm okay with it, really. Besides, I'm sure I'll meet him on my own when I'm a Hero too!" Izuku said, a bright smile on his face. Minori was surprised at him. He still couldn't fathom where his friend got that boundless optimism. If he were in his shoes, he'd have just resigned to living his life as an orphan. Doomed to roam these halls until he was too old to live here.

"Well, when you make it, I hope you don't forget about us. It'd be nice to know I have a Pro Hero as a friend." Minori joked, playing into the idea that Izuku could really make it out there. He didn't necessarily doubt that he could, it was just that probability didn't lean towards him really getting to that point. Then again, he didn't think Izuku could stand up to people like Michael before, and look at him now.

"Of course I won't forget! You guys are my friends! No matter what, I'll make sure to try and visit you all when I can." Izuku reassured, giving Minori that same beaming smile he always seemed to have. Minori smiled too, happy that his friend was so genuine. It made him hopeful that he might be able to do something with his life too.

"Now, If you could get him to sign this, this and this. And also, this. Oh! I wonder if it would be weird if I wanted him to sign my bandages from last week?"

"It's a little weird…"

---

It's been a rather busy week, all things considered. First, he's had to take care of some business or some other with his sponsors. They made him a little uncomfortable. His agent kept reassuring him that they weren't really in a position to make him do anything, but he was more confused at the overly complicated words they kept throwing his way. Then, he was told about some PR he'd be doing later on in the week. That itself wasn't terrible. Most of that he did in his own free time. He much enjoyed it too, most of the time, anyway. There were some rather overbearing people he's had to deal with too, 'super fans' they liked to call themselves. It didn't make them any less creepy for wanting to try and collect his sweat as a trophy.

Right, well after all that, he's also been busy doing his job. Run of the mill stuff, things he was far too used to at this point. Though, his side wasn't making things any easier on him as the days go by. He was still in great condition, in no small part thanks to Chiyo, and his condition wasn't quite at the critical level his doctors say it should be. He didn't know about any of that, but if it allowed him to save just one more person…he had no qualms with it.

"Do not fret, for I am here!" He heard himself say in an add. It was a cute little thing. One he did for a hospital catering towards those affected by Villain attacks. The looks the kids had when he showed up absolutely made his day. He was more than happy to give hope where some of them felt like there was none to be had. It was the life he chose. To make sure everyone felt safe and happy. That those who cannot find strength within themselves to find it within him, to allow them to let their Hero fight the darkness for them. To be someone to look up to and know they are safe.

To be a Symbol of Peace.

"Hm? Ah, that must be my agent." Toshinori said to himself as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He was currently in his own home, relaxing after what felt like days of being his heroic persona. He was glad he still had it in him to go for that long, considering what happened not too long ago. Still, he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he was just going to do what he did best and save as many people as he could while he still can.

"Hello? This is Yagi speaking." He answered, idly looking across the room to see various things littered around the home. It wasn't dirty per say, but when he's out more often than not, the place kind of…gets not-clean.

"Good evening, Yagi. This is NIji speaking. I simply wished to remind you that your visit to Saint Ibarra Orphanage Is tomorrow at nine thirty. That will be the only other thing on the agenda for the day before you are expected to resume your Hero duties for the rest of the weekend. I will inform you of any other business or change in plans as they develop. Good day." Was all they said before they hung up. Toshinori just shrugged before putting away his phone. He hadn't heard of such a place, but he it didn't make much of a difference in his eyes. He's been to a few orphanages in his time, the children were usually very sweet, if not a bit shy.

"Hm, kids…" He mulled to himself, thinking over the that little idea again. He's pondered over the concept a few times in the past decade. Whether he wanted a kid or not was something he liked to think about to himself. He always waved off the idea, knowing that as the Number One it was virtually impossible to really date without anyone knowing who he was, let alone someone at his age. The idea of having a kid of his own was out of the picture, really. Still, with the reminder that he was going to an orphanage, the possibility of him adopting was now on the table.

"Well, maybe some day." Yagi breathed out, not really willing to get into it with himself right at that moment. He knew if he was still talking to Sir Nighteye, he'd be vehemently against the idea. Something about how he needed to have someone exactly like him if that were to be the case. He wouldn't put it past his old sidekick to try cloning him if it were possible.

"I just don't understand why he can't accept that I would put my life down for someone sooner than I'd retire?" Toshinori asked himself as he changed the channel of his TV. His previous sidekick was so adamant that he find a successor as soon as possible after his injury. That he should find someone to take the Number One spot from him before then retiring. He even went so far as to bring up multiple 'candidates'. One of them even looked so much like him, he had to remind himself he wasn't sexually active and that it couldn't have been his kid.

The point still stood that he was willing to work for as long as possible before he did eventually find a successor. He wanted to make sure that when he did, it was when he knew he'd no longer be able to carry out his duty. Even then, he would still try to fight for as long as possible, and if it meant he would die saving people then that's how he was going to go. Evidently, Nighteye wouldn't have it and they went their separate ways. He sometimes wished he knew what to do to try and fix things between them, but he really wasn't going to change his mind on this.

"Worry about that another time. It's about time I got to bed. Got a long day ahead of me." The hero stated as he got up from his couch and turned off the TV. It wasn't that late into the evening, with the sun just barely disappearing from view, but he'd rather get a head start on his day tomorrow. He just hoped that crime would continue to be as tame as it had for the past few months. Didn't need to cut his time at the orphanage short because some new and upcoming whippersnapper thought they could get away with robbing a bank.

"Peh, I guess I really am getting on in years. Who even uses 'whippersnapper' anymore?" He chuckled to himself as he retreated to his bedroom. He eyed the extra room he had that he's been using for storage, his mind briefly going back to thoughts of having a kid. Then to the idea that he might get the urge to adopt one of the kids from the orphanage.

"…I'm more tired than I thought. Well, time for bed." He told himself, putting a stop to any critical thinking and instead keeping his mind on sleeping. He had his pajamas and night cap on, ready for sleep. Sheep jumping over fences on the mind as he drifted off to slumber.

He had a dream of playing catch with his son.

---

This was the day! The day All Might would visit and give everyone involved a memory to cherish for the rest of their lives.

Key words being 'everyone involved'.

"It's fine, It's okay. Minori is getting everything you wanted for you. It's not like you won't meet him later." Izuku repeated to himself as he slammed his head into his pillow over and over again. He was relegated to the sleeping quarters for the time All Might would be here. He could pretty much hear all the other kids having fun without him. All talking to their favorite hero, getting to shake his hand, hug him. Maybe even, quite possibly, perhaps, by any chance, have him tell them they can be a hero.

He proceeded to scream into his pillow.

"No crying. Big boys don't cry. I have to be strong." Izuku told himself as he tried to keep his tears in check. He knew he was prone to crying. He always did his best not to, as when he did, it always made a big mess. The caretakers told him they'd never seen anyone leak so much liquid from their eyes before. Made him a little self-conscious, but that wasn't the point. He needed to prove that he wasn't a crybaby. What better way to do that than to suppress the sadness deep down within and never address it ever?

"O-On the bright side, everyone else gets to meet him." He sniffled to himself, finding some solace in the fact that all his friends were probably having the time of their lives right now. It did bring him comfort knowing that the others, who have been rather down on themselves lately, could maybe have their spirits lifted by meeting their idol in person.

"Maybe if I just write in my notebook, I'll even forget that he's here!" Izuku tried to convince himself. So, he went about writing in his Hero Notebook. He lent his first one to Minori to have All Might sign it for him, so his latest one would have to do. He was currently working on an entry for the Number One rescue hero. How they put All of their Might into their job, and how they're always HERE to save the day. A real SYMBOL of safety and PEACE.

.

..

…

"This isn't working." Izuku relented, falling back onto his bed and letting out a sigh. He really didn't know what to do with himself. He didn't know how long this was going to last, but it already felt like an eternity. He knew there was someone out in the hallway to make sure he didn't try to sneak off with the other kids, so there was no use there. Not that he would. Even if it was eating him up, he wouldn't want to get in any more trouble than he already was.

"I at least hope Minori can get everything I asked for." Izuku spoke out loud as he stared up at the bottom of the bunk bed above him. He had faith in his friend that he could deliver, but there were a lot of children here, all of which were no doubt clambering to get the Number One's attention. Minori himself wasn't much for confrontation, se there was some worry that he might not be able to get everything he asked for.

Thinking on it, it was a little strange to be asking for his used bandages to get signed.

"I guess I'll get started on my schoolwork…"

---

Wow these were a lot of kids.

"Haha! Lively Ones, Aren't You? Come Now, I'm Not A Jungle Gym." All Might laughed as he lifted an arm, several children hanging off of him. They were all laughing and talking over each other, all trying to tell him how they were his biggest fans. He smiled, genuinely. It was always a treat to deal with children. They were usually very genuine when they spoke. Unlike the adults he had to talk with on a near daily basis, who only ever had ulterior motives baked into nearly every word they spoke to him. With kids, it was always so simple. Made him miss when he was one himself.

"M-mister A-All Might, sir? Excuse…me?" A kid from behind him tried to speak up, losing more and more confidence as the other kids kept drowning him out. The Hero heard him all the same, turning to him as fast as he could, careful not to accidently step on any of the children running around. There were a few reporters here, only ones sent by his agency to record this event. He didn't want this place overrun with reporters simply because he was here. It would be unfair to the children. Especially since he knew how some reporters could be. The heartless hacks.

"No Need To Be So Formal, Young One. Just All Might Is Fine. Now, What Is It You Needed?" The Symbol of peace asked, finding it adorable how the child seemed genuinely surprised that he was noticed. The kid cleared his throat for a moment, gathering the courage to speak. Though, if the scarf and notebook were any indication, he probably wanted him to sign them.

"Um…could you sign these? For my friend?" He asked, holding up the items shyly. He couldn't look the man in the eye. All Might laughed, leaning down to take the items from his hands. He conjured a pen from…somewhere and prepared to sign.

"Of Course! Anything For A Fan. Now, I'm Guessing Your Friend Is A Little Shy?" He asked, a bit of a knowing smirk on his features. He figured this friend wasn't the sociable type, and that they wanted someone to hand him these things for them. It wasn't uncommon, especially with kids. Though, he'd at least like to meet them, if nothing else.

"A-Actually, they weren't allowed to see you." Minori said quietly. At that, the large man gave pause. Weren't allowed to see him? Now what on earth was this about?

"Hm? Whatever For?" All Might asked, keeping an eye on the adults in the room to see if any of them were listening in. Thankfully, they were more focused on getting pictures and talking to each other at the moment. Though, he noted with some interest that one of them was looking at him with something akin to bitterness. He pushed the thought aside for now.

"W-Well…a bully came by and stole our friend's doll. He was going to burn it with his Quirk when my friend took it back. He got burned real bad for it, but after the doctors healed him, our caretakers grounded him. They said it was because he shouldn't be fighting people." Minori explained, remembering how Izuku got hurt standing up for him and Suzu.

All Might stayed silent for a moment, reflecting on that. From what this child was saying, this other boy was punished for seemingly no reason. It wasn't that he didn't see why they grounded him, but it was such a benign reason, he didn't truly understand. Perhaps there was something he was missing, or details that were left out, but it didn't sit right with him.

"What Is Your Friend's Name?" The Hero asked, making sure to passively allow the other children to hop onto his arms and lift them up and down. They weren't really paying attention to the conversation he was having, and perhaps that was for the best.

"Midoriya. Midoriya Izuku. And I'm Gui Minori." The boy answered. All Might nodded, contemplating what he was told. He looked down at the items in his hands and then to Minori again. However, it was here that he noticed a little girl with a doll approach. Paying more attention, he noticed the doll also only had one arm, the place where its other arm was supposed to be empty, it's shoulder stitched closed and singed.

"All Might, Izuku really wanted to meet you. But because of me, he got grounded." She said in a soft voice, hugging her doll tight. Minori looked at her with concern, worried that she was still blaming herself for that even though she couldn't control that Michael would come out of nowhere like that. Even Izuku himself told her that it wasn't her fault.

"He saved me. And he's also saved so many of us from bullies who want to mess with us because we're Quirkless. But he doesn't have anyone to save him. Can you save him, All Might? You can save everyone, right?" She asked, looking down at the doll Izuku burned himself to get. The green haired boy was always there for everyone when they needed it. She just wished there was something they could do to repay the favor.

"…Where Is He?" All Might asked softly; he kneeled down to their level. The both of them looking at him with surprise in their eyes. They weren't sure what kind of answer to expect, but they were starting to become anxious at what the Symbol of Peace was going to do next.

"He's up in our bedrooms. It's where he's supposed to stay until you leave." Minori answered, watching as the giant man nodded, mulling something to himself before letting out a breath and regaining that giant smile he always has. From the rapid flashes and 'aww's he was hearing, the reporters were eating this up. They probably saw him kneeling down to a pair of orphans and thought it was him having a heart to heart. Not wrong, but he doubted they knew what was truly going on.

"I Will See What I Can Do. For Now, Let Us Enjoy This Time." Was all he said before handing the scarf and notebook back. He then turned away and began to actively play with the rest of the orphans. Minori stared after him with some confusion before turning to Suzu, who was in the same boat as him. He tilted his head, wondering what the Symbol of Peace meant by what he said before Suzu gasped.

"Minori, look!" She exclaimed, pointing down to the notebook. When he looked down at it, he was surprised to see what it was. There, on the page he opened for All Might to sign, was his signature along with a message.

'Izuku, You Have The Heart Of A True Hero. – All Might'

The scarf however, was not yet signed. It was strange, Minori was still wondering when in that exchange did the Number One sign the notebook.

"When he said that, what do you think he meant?" Suzu asked, wondering what All Might intended with that statement. Minori scratched his head, not sure himself. He shrugged, not wanting to waste any more time. After all it wasn't every day you got to meet your idol.

"I don't know, but I still want to play. Come on!" He encouraged, rushing forward to play with the rest of the children. Suzu nodded, following close behind.

She hoped that All Might was able to do something for Izuku.

---

"I don't know, sometimes I just feel…inadequate? Like when I had to help Urei try to get her new kite out of the tree, but I couldn't climb high enough." Izuku said as he lied in his bed, telling his therapist what he felt deep down.

"I see. Now, what have you been doing to try and help to stop feeling this way? Have you been doing what I've been suggesting?" His therapist asked, giving his full attention to his subject.

"Kind of. I've been trying my hardest when I train so that I'll be able to do anything they'll need of me." He explained, being reminded of the dull ache in his body form the past few days. He's been sweeping and mopping as much as he could, as best as he could. He was planning on using the playground once he was relinquished from his punishment, so he had to make due until then.

"Well, It's a good start. And your studies?" The Therapist questioned, wanting to know if he's been keeping up with his schoolwork. Once he switched positions again, he nodded, thinking about the small stack of paper on his desk.

"Of course I've been studying. I have the best grades in my classes. I also help whoever's having trouble on the subject when they ask, if it helps." Izuku answered. His therapist hummed, writing down on his notebook a bit more. There was silence for a moment, the person next to him still writing in his notebook all the while. Eventually, he stopped and turned to speak once more.

"What about your free time? I'd like to know what you do in case there's anything that might need correcting." The Therapist told the young boy. It was here that Izuku furrowed his brow in thought.

"Any free time I've had has been either writing in my Hero Journal, watching All Might Videos when I get computer time, or here with you." Izuku told the professional. Once again, he heard fast, but steady writing. It didn't last nearly as long as last time before he spoke again.

"I have just the thing. You need to be training harder, and studying more. I'd suggest keeping your free time, but no more All Might videos. You could be using that time to help others, or training and reading even more." He told his patient, seemingly finishing up whatever it was he was writing. Izuku began to sit up, wondering if their session today was coming to a close.

"Are you sure? I really like those videos…" He trailed off, not wanting to give up the luxury of watching the debut of his favorite Hero. The one currently spending time with the rest of the kids. While he was in here, decidedly not meeting his idol.

"I understand the frustration, but if you want to stop these feelings of inadequacy, you're going to need to work even harder than you have, understand?" His Therapist asked, looking over his glasses and at Izuku directly. It took him a moment, but he eventually nodded, convinced that It was more than likely the only way to solve his issue.

"Understood. Okay. Thank you, me, this was really helpful."

The green haired, freckled boy next to him nodded, adjusting his glasses as he wrote something within his notes.

"No problem, me. If you ever need anything else, you know where to find me."

He quickly took off his glasses before laying down on the bed again.

.

..

…

"I guess I could go and see if the west wing needs to be cleaned again…" Izuku sighed to himself as he went to go try and be useful somewhere. However, as he put away his notebook, having just finished his latest entry on Quirk Theory, he heard a commotion coming from outside the room.

"Yeah he's…he's over here."

"Hey, I recognize that voice. That's mister Kimori. But he's usually working with mister Orobo in his office. What is he doing here?" Izuku whispered to himself as he stared at the door he heard the man approaching. It was strange, as he could have sworn he was hearing two sets of feet coming towards him.

"You know, there's something in me that still dislikes you- despises you deeply. But…you're right. If he wants to follow his dream, then I can't stop him. Go on, before I change my mind."

The two sets of feet became one, with Izuku's confusion building more and more as whoever was left got closer and closer. He would be worried if he didn't know Kimori always had the best interests of them at heart. He was Izuku's biggest critic when it came to his dream of being a Hero, yes, but he's told all of them time and time again that it's only because he wants to see them live full and happy lives.

It's just a shame a full and happy life to Izuku is one spent as a Hero.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Izuku asked cautiously, hearing a knock at the door as he approached. There was silence for a moment before a voice came from the other side.

"There's No Need To Fear…"

Izuku's heart began to beat faster. A ringing in his ears drowning out all sound other than his voice

'N-no way…' He didn't dare believe it. He almost didn't want to believe it. It was…he was-

"For I Am Here!" All Might declared, bursting into the room and striking his signature pose. Izuku stood there for a moment, his eyes wide and jaw slack. Silence reigned over the room as the two of them did not move a single inch from their positions. It became apparent that All Might was expecting some kind of reaction, as he cleared his throat once or twice. Getting no answer, the Hero looked down at the child, a small hint of nervousness taking over him.

"Uh…Greetings, Young-" The number one began, only to yelp In surprise when the child before him suddenly falling forward and passing out on the spot.

"Oh My God, I Killed Him!"

---

This is incomplete, and some of you might know why, but I'm going to take this space to tell those who didn't come from the previous version of this story about what's happening at this current place and time.

My landlord sold the property and the new owners doesn't want to renew anyone's leases. I have until the end of the month to find a new place and move out. Figures as soon as I start to find my footing again and make some progress in writing this would happen. Anyway, this might be one of the last updates in a while. Not that it would be any different than normal though, eh? In any case, yeah, I'm going to be off the grid for a hot minute. Hope you guys can forgive me. Hell of a way to spend my birthday.