Chapter 1: New Beginnings: Enter Hotaru!

My mom used to say I was special.

She'd brag to her friends about me, her smile brighter than the sun and it made me feel...proud. But when it was just the two of us, it was different. Even when she tucked me in at night, I could see the trepidation shining in her eyes.

Was she scared? Of me?

Regardless, she never failed to try and make everything seem normal. However, just because she tried, doesn't mean that anyone else did. The stares, the taunting and teasing of something I had no control over day in and day out made me realize something very important from a very early age.

All men were not created equal.

...

The air was beginning to get chilly this time of year. Hotaru made sure to bury her nose into her favorite scarf as she stepped out of the terminal so savor the warm air while she had it. Her luggage bumped along behind her as she walked; blue eyes scanned the crowd of people waiting to reunite with their loved ones for something familiar. A sign maybe? Or would he actually be here to greet her.

No, it was a cabbie. With a sign.

Hotaru walked up to him hesitantly, giving the flight attendant that had been shadowing her a reassuring nod before heading off. Hotaru toyed with her little language book as she walked back to the car. Originating from the U.S., Hotaru spent nearly every summer in Japan with the exception of the last two to spend time with relatives. So all in all, she was relatively familiar with the culture but her anxiety was on ten from not practicing the language for so long.

The cab driver attempted to make conversation with her with a kind smile and willingly put in the work to try and understand her broken speech to which she was incredibly grateful for. After a while though, the two settled into comfortable silence and Hotaru turned her focus to gazing out the window. The sun was just beginning to set behind all the tall buildings which eventually morphed into a blur of trees as they drove. Feeling her eyelids grow heavy from the jetlag, Hotaru forced herself to sit up from her slumped position, there was too much to think about to sleep.

Wiping underneath her eyes, the girl blinked a few times to try and wake herself up. She had just relocated from an entirely different country, this should be exciting, right? Hotaru could've shrugged if she were actually having a conversation with someone, at the moment she was feeling a lot of anxiety about everything. It wouldn't be so bad if her brother were here, or maybe even her grandfather. But she was alone now in a country she hadn't visited in years and if she was lucky, maybe Sir would go easy on her for her extended absence. Up until she was about eleven or twelve, her grandparents would bring Hotaru to stay in Musutafu for the summer every year. Apparently, it was to be able to spend time with her father's side of the family but...she never really got to visit anyone. Sir was the only one who had ever requested her presence.

He was nice enough to her, hardly ever smiling to her, but the man never did anything to make her feel unwanted. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

At that moment the cabbie craned his neck back a little to call back to her. "We're here, welcome to Musuafu."

...

It wasn't long before the teen was standing outside a plain looking apartment complex with all her bags piled behind her on the curb. Subconsciously tugging her scarf up to her chin, Hotaru's brows knotted together as she held the small piece of paper in her hands.

Who gives a teenager their own apartment? Sir does, apparently. He was an incredibly smart man, a Pro Hero...even so, he probably just didn't want a teenage girl in his house. Hotaru sighed to herself as she realized how much of a handful she could be at times, so it was probably for the best that she have her own space. After all, that's how it was back home.

Hotaru shook her head a little making those thoughts disappear as soon as they came and shoved the little paper into the pocket of her jacket before picking up her bags and heading inside.

It was a little awkward, carrying all those bags up the flights of stairs. Sweat began to make its way down the back of her neck as she readjusted her backpack, only to make another bag nearly slip out of her grasp in return repeatedly.

"Aargh!" the blonde shouted as she started chucking her bags up the stairs with great strength out of frustration. It wasn't until she heard a startled yelp that she snapped out of her temper tantrum and raced up the stairs.

Hotaru reached the top with a big huff and tried not to let the embarrassment overwhelm her as she spotted a boy around her age sitting against his door in such a way that he'd probably been struck with one of her bags and slid down into his spot. Hotaru stilled in her spot, unsure what to do about the semiconscious boy before her. "Uh..." she hummed as she hesitated for a moment before hopping forward and sliding her bags out of the way before kneeling down before the stranger. "Hey, you." she said, lightly tapping his cheek only to have him mumble some sort of nonsense in response. Hotaru frowned and took a deep breath before putting more force into her next tap. "Hey!"

Spit flew from his mouth and the boy awoke with a start. "Waaah- wait, what?" he said, blinking his wide green eyes a few times before shifting his gaze to the girl before him. Something in his eyes revealed a brief flash of recognition, but Hotaru was sure that she'd never seen this person before in her life. Brushing her bangs to the side seemed to only intensify his stare.

Hotaru didn't back down, but instead held eye contact with him and held out her hand in a formal fashion and swallowed back all her apprehension before speaking. "I apologize if I hit you with one of my bags, I'm Hotaru Nagata."

"O-Oh! It's okay, my name's Izuku Midoriya." he said a little nervously as he took her hand and gave it a good shake. Hotaru made a point to pull him up with her as she stood to try and shake his eyes off of her. The girl couldn't help the slight blush that dusted itself across her cheeks, boys didn't typically stop and stare at her.

"Are...you alright?" Hotaru asked as she began to gather her things off the floor, throwing straps over her shoulders. The boy, Midoriya, nodded as he helped her pick up her bags and threw the last ones over his shoulder as he motioned for Hotaru to lead the way.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You just really remind me of someone." the green haired boy admitted sheepishly. It was quiet for a moment before either of them spoke again, but Midoriya was the first to break the silence. "Are you from around here?"

Hotaru glanced back at the boy. "No, why do you ask?"

Midoriya scratched the side of his face nervously. "You look foreign is all, I was just wondering." he said and Hotaru couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Well, I've lived in America my whole life but my father's native. I used to com visit Musutafu every summer..."

The two continued to chat idly for a few minutes until they reached Hotaru's apartment, both of them slowing to a stop in front of the door. Reaching into her pocket, the girl pulled out a key and unlocked the door quickly so that they could throw the bags inside. "Well, thank you for helping me even though I accidentally attacked you." the blonde said with an unsure smile. Midoriya immediately went into overdrive and started waving his hands in the air to dismiss her concerns, making her smile grow surprisingly genuine. However, his rambling ground itself to a halt when he heard his mother calling out for him.

"Ah, I gotta go. I'll see you around Nagata!" he called as he started trotting away. Hotaru hummed as she stood half way into her new home as she watched the boy slowly disappear down the hall before walking into the apartment and shutting the door behind her with a thud.

Meanwhile, sweat poured down Midoriya's face as he fumbled to get out his phone while he ran.

I need to call All Might right away..!