"Izuka! Hurry, you'll miss the bus stop if you don't come down," Inko's motherly tone erupted from the bottom of the humble little home filling the atmosphere with worry.

Izuka zoomed down the stairs, following her mother's advice while one hand held her wild mane of hair together and the other attempted to tie it in place with an uncooperative black hair tie.

"I can't be late, not today! Not on the first day of school!" She shouted back, running towards her mother who waited at the door with her bookbag in hand.

"You'll do great Izuka," Inko cheered handing the bag over to the high-spirited girl with unruly curls that she loved so much, "and don't forget the milk on your way back. A growing girl like yourself needs all her nutrition's to continue growing towards a bright future!"

"I won't," Izuka assured her mother with a smile coating her features as she confirmed that she'd bring back the chilled drink with a nod. "I promise."

Inko kissed her cheek before the giddy teen rushed out of the house and waved at her retreating back, "See you soon!"

Izuka barely made it onto the bus, flopping onto an empty seat with a huff as she recalled her mother's sweet words of encouragement. Today was the day that everything would begin for her; it was going to be the start of her new chapter in life. Izuka Midoriya was finally a third-year student, meaning she was old enough to apply for the hero course offered by Yuuei High and be one step closer to achieving her dream of becoming a hero.

Despite what everyone advised her against, she was going to aspire to become a hero without a quirk. A hero who could show other young individuals like herself that it didn't matter if they possessed a quirk or not because she would show the world that anyone could still strive to become one too.

In all honesty, she had come to terms that she wouldn't get accepted because of it, but she was had to try and be optimistic for her sanity because there was a part of her that would crush from facing that reality. She would work hard and do her best no matter what was put in her way!

"Oh look, it's that Quirkless wannabee," a gossiping voice interrupted Izuka's thoughts as she stepped off the bus and onto the school grounds, "Must be so sad to not have a quirk. I don't know what I'd do if I was born without my powers. I'd probably kill myself."

Laughter erupted around her, causing her to drop her head with shame but she kept walking already used to hearing such things being said about her. She picked up her pace as her betraying hand clutched the fabric over her heart and the other gripped on the strap of her backpack as a safety net.

She needed to get far away from the voices murmuring around her. She was not going to let this get to her. She was going to be a hero, and she was going to try her best because it was her dream to be a hero since she was a child and nothing would stop her from achieving it. Nothing – oomph.

Izuka flew backward and landed on her bottom. Knowing she would regret it later, she looked up to see who she had the unfortunate chance meeting with and frowned as her eyes watered in the corner with fear of what would happen next.

Above her was a fuming blonde who's back she had run into as smoke erupted from his palms. She prayed he wouldn't turn around, but that was a hopeless cause because she knew that it wasn't in his nature to let anything that attacked his pride slide.

She cursed in her head for having such bad luck. Dammit, she didn't want to attract any more attention on her first day of all days in the year but somehow trouble managed to find her; what had she done wrong to deserve such a fate? Was she meant to have an early grave?

"Watch where you're going, shitty idiot," Katsuki Bakugo shouted as he turned around, his eye twitching until it widened at the sight of Izuka laying on the ground and his teeth gritted together in blatant hatred, "Of course it had to be you, little defenseless Deku."

"I-I didn't do it on purpose, truly, you got it all wrong. I-I was ju-just walking really fast and I didn't see you so it was an accident an-" Izuka stuttered getting back onto her feet all the while her hands were extended in surrender in front of her body. She hoped he would realize that it was all a misunderstanding, but it didn't help that his posse surrounded them in anticipation of a fight.

"Shut up Deku," Katsuki barked out, a sizzling hand pressed onto her shoulder with enough power to scorch her uniform as it heated up her skin as a warning, but Izuka didn't dare move for fear that she'd anger him more. "Here's a little word of advice, don't do it again. Or else."

Izuka opened her mouth, but nothing except a slight whimper escaped her throat. She clutched her hands into fists, mad at herself for not being able to string a coherent sentence together so she could defend her self-worth. Was she really so weak that she was unable to stand up for herself?

"Wow, thought she at least had some fight in her after proclaiming that she wants to be a hero. Never heard of a passive hero before. Oh wait, that's because they don't exist. Then again, neither do quirkless heroes," one of Katsuki's lackeys said behind him as he shoved Izuka into the wall on her side. His job of making an example of her done, Katsuki just turned and continued walking into the classroom without sparing her another glance as if she was less than a worthless piece of gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

That was when something deep inside her snapped. She was not worthless and she was definitely not weak! With a growl, Izuka summoned all of her courage together as she radiated her anger back to the offending blonde before he could completely disappear from the hallway, "You!"

YOU JERK!

"Did I hear something?" Katsuki asked, his hand flaming up with fire and a provoking smirk covered his face. She instantly retreated back into quietness knowing that's what made them different. He had a quirk and, unlike him, she had nothing to defend herself with. She wasn't that stupid to play with fire.

"You may be a girl, but that doesn't mean anything to me," he said quietly, and Izuka had to strain her ears to hear him, "A quirkless idiot like yourself with still be a Deku no matter their gender."

Izuka watched him leave, holding onto that small shred of hope. He had considered her an opponent with those words and she would just push all of this aside. No matter deep he cut her with his harsh words, she was not going to give up just because things got bad. She was going to continue tuning out everyone's opinions of her because deep down, what really mattered was that she believed in herself to achieve the impossible. She was not going to stop becoming the hero she knew she could grow to be no matter what everyone told her.

However, the fates decided that today was going to be the day to test out that strength and faith of hers.

Right towards the end of class, her homeroom teacher decided it was best to notify the class that both Katsuki and herself had their eyes set on applying at Yuuei High in hopes to encourage others to do the same. Although Izuka knew her professor meant no harm, and only had innocent intentions with realizing that very private information which she had confided to him the previous year, she secretly wanted to shrivel up and die in her seat.

While everyone left in a hurry, she had no warning and began packing her things only to realize that she was alone with a certain fiery male. She could feel Katsuki's eyes barring small holes in her forehead and knew that she would not make it out alive today.

"I'm not looking to compete," Izuka's small words resonated throughout the empty classroom, her only witness was the blonde predator who was taking large steps towards her. Every step Katsuki made forward was a step she took back until the back of her legs hit the desk behind her and she could retreat no more; she was ruefully trapped.

However, that didn't stop Katsuki as he continued to invade her personal space. He was too close for her liking, and Izuka's knees buckled resulting in her sitting on the desk's edge. Now, she truly felt helpless and clutched at her hero notebook and held it up in front of her chest like a shield as she watched that his body uncomfortably loomed over her own as he growled in irritation at her.

"Don't get in my way Deku," he said with a snarl, his eyes darting downwards and he instantly noticed her breasts. They weren't that small or big, they were a decent size and he mentally cursed himself for getting distracted by such a thing. Not wanting to get sidetracked, he shifted his focus towards her notebook that she held tightly as a lifeline and a malicious idea seeped into his mind as he yanked it out of her grip.

"Hey!" Izuka abruptly stood back up onto her own feet, ignoring how their bodies pressed into each other's and focused on retrieving her precious notes that she spent time jotting down. These were crucial in her aid of becoming the number one hero considering how extensively detailed her writing would help benefit her in the future. If she stood on her toes just a little more, she knew she could reach the book and get it back out of his explosive hands.

"I just want to be a hero too," she mumbled, licking her lower lip in concentration as her fingers brushing the spine of the book. Somehow, her proclamation fell onto deaf ears for Katsuki's senses were blinded by every alluring move the struggling girl made.

The way she creased her eyebrows and bit her lip, it was just all too distracting for him. He could practically smell the lavender from her hair and his face turned bright red as he realized just how close they were. He was not going to get caught blushing like an idiot just because she was managing to entice a reaction from him due to her petite, and very female body. To divert her attention from his obvious discomfiture of her presence, he lit the item in his hand on fire since he was producing more sweat than usual.

A startling, feminine gasp brought him back to the reality of the situation and he turned his head to look at what had caused that response out of her while his own eyes widened at what he had done.

Izuka felt her heart clench as she watched her notes begin to catch fire, the edges singeing from his quirk-induced flames. Her sad eyes screaming to put the flames out while her mouth voiced, "Stop it! That's so mean, don't you think you're taking this way too far?"

Panicking, Katsuki did the first thing that he thought of and quickly threw the book out of the window; but that only managed to make things worse. Izuka's eyes watered in the corner as she watched it fly out of view and longingly looked at the offending open panel praying for it to defy gravity and spit her notebook back up to her.

Katsuki had other worries though, he just needed to get out of there far away from her soft body and quiet whimpers. His main objective to persuade her to not apply to Yuuei was falling to pieces and as a last resort, he succumbed to shouting it at her.

"Don't you dare apply to Yuuei," he bellowed at her face causing her to widen her eyes as her gaze shifted back onto him and briefly forgetting about her notebook. His face was red and blotchy, and Izuka assumed that he was frustrated by her childish antics, never would she have thought it was because their noses were touching and he was inches away from almost touching her mouth with his own.

She briefly squeaked but quickly clamped her mouth shut, dreading that any sound emitted from her would further piss him off. It helped that his demanding behavior undoubtedly left Izuka speechless anyways and all she could manage to do in this predicament was sit back onto the desk thus, placing space between them to get rid of the clawing heat that was smothering her.

Even with the open window, it was just too hot in the classroom especially with Katsuki's own body acting like a furnace.

Katsuki felt his own endurance dwindle and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep his act together any longer. He didn't want to know what stupid shit he would do next and decided that this was the best time for him to make his exit.

His disappearance allowed for both him and the temperature in the room to cool down. Izuka's high pulse and anxiety also lowered knowing that the potential danger was finally gone. However, she didn't move yet. She didn't want to face anyone until she could gather her wits and courage back.

None of this was supposed to be easy. This was supposed to be hard and a part of her knew it was just the beginning, she couldn't give up at the get-go even when a part of her admitted that everyone was right.

She knew she could not truly become a hero like the others without a quirk; but, she couldn't give up without trying.

After a few more silent minutes to recollect her senses, Izuka placed her bag onto her shoulder ready to face the world again.

She was back on her feet and with this newfound liveliness, she dashed out of the school racing to the bus stop until something in her peripheral caught her eye. It was bright blue and undoubtedly wet and as she tried to brake, she ended up tripping over her feet in front of the koi pond instead.

Getting up and dusting off the dirt scraped on her knees, she let out a sigh of relief as she saw her notebook wasn't burned to pieces. Instead, it was being nibbled on but an orange and blue koi fish that slightly reminded her of her favorite hero but she didn't care if her notes had briefly turned into fish food. She'd rather have this alternative than to never see its existence again. Izuka retrieved the book from the pond, saving it from any more injuries and held it proudly at her side with a small smile while tears threatened to fall from the corner of her eyes.

She was not going to cry, she told herself, while some tears betrayed her and trickled down her cheek in a wail of joy. She just couldn't help how happy she was at finding that her trusty notes were still intact at the end of the day. This was a good sign that it was just going to get better from here on out!

"You forgot the milk Izuka!" Inko said watching the girl jump happily all over the place. She stifled a giggle at her daughter's behavior and it sounded like an exhausted sigh instead.

"Ah!" Izuka exclaimed kissing her mother's cheek and holding onto her shoulder. Since she was a few inches taller than her mother, Izuka appeared to be engulfing her into a hug instead especially since it seemed that she had disappointed her mother, "I'm sorry, mom, I just got ahead of myself and forgot."

Inko didn't really care about the milk, she was just glad that Izuka didn't look miserable. Usually, Izuka forced her smiles to cope with not having a quirk, but she had never been the same cheerful little child since that day at the doctor's office when she was six years old.

Inko would worry that Izuka was being picked at in school for not having a quirk, despite how many times her daughter reassured her that was not the case. Other days, Inko stressed that Izuka would forever be sad knowing she could never achieve her dreams of being a hero like All Might and guilt would eat her up knowing she was secretly relieved that Izuka didn't inherit a quirk because the idea Izuka getting hurt was revolting.

This, however, was refreshing; Izuka seemed genuinely happy and considering it was the first day of school, Inko was relieved hoping that this year might be different for her precious little girl. There was no doubt that Izuka was strong and independent, but Inko knew first hand that there was a breaking point to having your head held up high all the time.

This new change brought anticipation of all the good prospects that Izuka would be presented upon; like maybe some girl-friends she can hang out with or a new career path that might interest her and, kami forbid, maybe a boyfriend too.

The possibilities were endless and for the first time in such a long time, Inko was relieved of her anxiety over Izuka's well-being.

Three months later:

Today was signing day and despite all irrationality, Izuka woke with a smile on her face. If she had been anyone else, she should've been angered about what was going to conspire today but she wasn't. She was possibly All Might's number one fangirl and, because of that, she couldn't help but relive last night's breaking news in a continuous loop in her head.

"We just got an update that a villain has brought traffic to a halt…" a news reporter voiced as the scene shifted onto a terrorized part of the city, citizens shouting in the background and then a large boom shook the ground.

Izuka and her mother abandoned dinner choosing to watch the news unfold as All Might came sweeping in from the corner of the television set. He landed with a superhero ground-smashing pose that lit up both her mother and her eyes with admiration. All Might didn't pause for pictures though, he acted on impulse like a true hero and in a quick second, he punched the villain down.

The villain didn't even stand a chance and the reporters confirmed it followed by testimonials of other heroes keeping the citizens nearby at bay from the fight. But the loudest sound above all the racket had been All Might's laugh in the background; a deep and rumbling, heart-filled laugh which filled their dining room and Izuka's own excitement.

Inko looked over at her daughter and watched as a contagious smile covered her face. The poor girl didn't even realize how happy her role-model made the young girl forget all her worries. In its place, All Might's overconfident zest reminded Izuka of her goal to become a hero.

"Isn't he amazing?" Izuka breathlessly said, her insides trembling in awe while her mother nodded her head in agreement.

It had been refreshing to see All Might in action considering he hadn't made an appearance in over two weeks. And this news coverage for Izuka helped her to tap into a newfound confidence. It reminded her that any situation had a bright side to it; and in her case, she would continue to smile like All Might even if she couldn't become a real hero because she could still be like one by performing selfless and kind acts without a quirk.

Frankly, she was going to apply to Yuuei anyways and the last thing on her mind was giving up because nothing was going to change the fact that she wanted to be a hero. No matter what all her classmates said about her, she was going to submit her application with high hopes engraved within every inked letter.

"I won't forget the milk this time, I promise," she said kissing her sweet mother goodbye on the cheek. Izuka walked to the bus stop with a skip in her step and a dreamy glint in her eye thanks to the feeling of an inspirational high still bubbling inside her. To top it all off, she wore a goofy smile that irked her blonde classmate who unfortunately shared the same bus route as her.

"What are you so happy about?" He grunted out as he shoved her out of the way of the entrance of the bus that had just pulled up, "You look ridiculously stupid."

"Today's signing day Kacchan!" Izuka cheerfully replied, shrugging off his rough greeting of 'hello' that would offend anyone else who didn't know him like she did. This was normal and he was surprisingly on his best behavior. "It's the first day that applications open for next year so we can start the paperwork and attempt to be the first ones to apply. Although, it's not really a big deal for most students who've already received recruiting scholarships from specific schools which is pretty amazing-"

Katsuki's fierce glare cut through her mumbling tirade in which Izuka apologized for and chuckled in embarrassment that she was just excited and got carried away. She had been scolded enough times by her teachers and mother that it was un-lady-like to rant and could be very nerve-racking for some people nearby. It was truly a bad habit of hers and she couldn't blame the blonde's current irked attitude.

"You shouldn't be so happy," he said seriously, devoid of all emotion as he studied her face. By his logic, she should be depressed knowing that she can't apply to Yuuei since she didn't have a quirk. It's not as if she would be so stupid to apply without one, besides it was common sense to the blonde that the examiners wouldn't let her or probably think she's pulling a prank on them.

"What do you mean?" Izuka innocently asked, confused and curious about what he was getting at, "This is a pivotal point in students' lives. I can apply to any school and deciding on which school to go to can change my life forever."

She truly was clueless and that somehow bothered Katsuki even more. It made him want to protector her from the world and yet the raging creature inside him wanted to show her the reality that the place around them wasn't all flowers and rainbows. He knew it wasn't right that he wanted to shield her innocence and open her eyes at the same time; there was something malfunctioning inside him whenever she was too close.

"All except Yuuei," he said silently, dreading and looking forward to the disappointment that would cover her eyes; he knew since they were little that getting into Yuuei was her dream. Maybe that's why he was looking forward to seeing her drowning in sadness after getting a reality check; without a quirk, she would get crushed – emotionally and physically – if she tried out. Trying his best to not indulge in the girl's misfortune, he looked out the window to avoid seeing her big child-like eyes on her face any longer than necessary, "They don't allow just anyone there. It'll be useless for you to even try since you don't have a quirk. You're better off praying that you get reborn with a quirk in your next life than applying there. You shouldn't aim so high knowing that you'll never be capable of achieving it in your state."

The fall of setting her sights so high would hurt her. But as he continued watching the shrubbery blur in shades of green that passed by, he missed her crestfallen features caused by her insecurity which he had unknowingly ignited. It's not like he cared about how bad it stung her right now, he just honestly thought it was better for her to realize the truth now rather than get bruised later.

"I'll have you know that they removed that stupid rule and anyone is capable of applying there, quirk or no quirk," Izuka retaliated lifting a betraying finger in his face to capture his attention. However, with the sudden halt of the moving vehicle, she was thrown forward into Katsuki's personal space and her finger that was accusingly pointing at him had poked his chest hard.

Katsuki snarled, losing his patience at her sudden outburst as his anger flared up like an explosion being lightened. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her even closer so that his mouth was positioned right above her ear, "Despite that, you're not going to apply."

Izuka's eyes widened in shock knowing that was a command; there was no indication in his tone that it was a question and thanks to knowing him for such a long time she knew she didn't mishear him. Something inside her retaliated and she pulled from his strong grip to release her arm, but he was stronger.

"I'm going to be the number one hero and I won't have you making a shit show by prancing around and bringing in the reporters for entertainment because that's as far as you'll get; they'll only see it this as if you are playing a silly game because no one with a brain will take you seriously. Yuuei only accepts those with skills like me and that's not my ego talking." He pulled back, staring her down with a fake friendly smile and watched how she gulped.

She should know that this was only for her benefit. He was not going to let her do something so ridiculous. If she was anyone else, he wouldn't care what they did, but she was quirkless Deku and she would ruin his reputation of becoming number one by association since they shared the same class. He didn't want her tarnishing his chance to show the media that he's the next number one hero; scratch that, he didn't want her anywhere near the news reporters to be laughed at like a circus entertainer.

"I've warned you once," he said releasing his grip on her and before he turned to leave the bus, he made sure to looked back and make eye contact to further intimidate her in hopes that she would take his words to heart for her sake, "Don't forget it because if I have to do it twice, it won't be pretty Deku."

Having to follow behind him, she gave him a four-second head start before getting off the vehicle too. Izuka managed to descend the stairs of the bus, still processing every word uttered and a bit wobblily by her confrontation with Katsuki.

Honestly, it's not like she hadn't heard all of this before so she was unfazed by his words. Instead, she was focusing on trying to celebrate this little meeting with her long-time friend and bully because it was a feat in its own since she had survived without a scratch. Usually, she would get pushed into something but lately, no one had been picking on her as much since final exams and preliminary tests were underway. Everyone was just too busy to focus on her and she couldn't be more grateful for it.

But, as she sat down on a brick wall she realized that this time, something about her exchange with Katsuki seemed different. She felt like her lungs had squeezed her insides too harshly and her thumping heart made it difficult for her to pinpoint what was jittering with nerves. Even her stomach had done something akin to summersaults yet it hadn't landed back in the right place.

It's not like he was still standing next to her, but she could still feel his eyes on her and a part of her wanted to hurl because of her stomach's nauseating jitters. She had to remind herself that he was gone and completely out of view.

All she had now was her will to continue and she was not going to let anyone convince her to not apply to Yuuei; she was too far invested in her dreams to do such a foolish thing. She was going to find her inner strength and take the chance that was within her reach; she had the opportunity and guts so she was going to go for it whether people liked it or not.

"You'll have to warn me twice Kacchan," she mumbled, holding her head high as she stood bravely in front of the school's entrance, "Because I'm going to apply whether you like it or not."

With a smile on her face, Izuka pushed all her energy into her legs as she placed her weight on her feet and readjusted her book bag before heading into class to gather the necessary admission's forms belonging to her dream school.

Screw Katsuki's warning.