Izuku ran excitedly through the streets of his home neighborhood in Musutafu city. As he sprinted and cut through corners, the boy couldn't help but have just one thought running through his head. 'I HAVE A QUIRK! I gotta show this to mom!'
Though in his haste and absent-mindedness due to his discovery, Izuku failed to notice the looks he received from the other pedestrians walking about. They look on in worry and confusion at the sight of the four-year-old that looks like a mess, as well as in a desperate need of medical attention for the burn on his chest.
However, the thing that amazes any person who Izuku passes on his way home is the kid's behavior. Izuku is completely ecstatic for a reason none of them can figure out. The boy appears to be so pleased that he ignores any pain that his burned chest has got to be in.
The familiar sight of his apartment complex came into Izuku's field of vision, pushing away any exhaustion he might have accumulated over his run home. With the desire to show his mother his new quirk, he bolts through the stairs and barges through the front door of the Midoriya apartment.
"MOM! MOM! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED!" in his excitement, Izuku didn't even bother to take off his shoes as he walked deeper into his home. Not finding his mother in the kitchen he attempts to look in the living room only to find it empty too. Turning around to face the hallway to continue his search, he finds himself tackled into a crushing hug by his mother.
"IZUKU! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!" While the mother continued hugging her son, she failed to notice him fighting for air "When Tsubasa-san called me and said you were not with the other children when they came back from the forest I was so worried!".
Inko has changed a bit during the months since the doctor visit. The woman has gained a bit of weight in addition to little begs under her eyes as if she didn't get a good night's sleep in a while.
Eventually, Izuku's raspy voice managed to finds its way to Inko as he uttered "m-mom, a-air" and Inko somewhat managed to regain some of her senses. Managing to get herself off her son, she takes a closer look and notices the shape he is in.
Gazing into the injured and dirty form of her son, Inko once again began to scream in worry "IZUKU! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU ?!".
Looking himself over, Izuku finally remembers the shape he is in. And just like that all the pain and exhaustion from his injuries and trip back home catch up to him. Izuku clutched his burned chest in pain and breath erratically, obviously too winded to perform any sort of activity.
The worried mother guided Izuku to the small green couch that occupied their living room, to little protest as Izuku was too busy panting. After Izuku was heavily sat on the couch, his mother turned to him once more "You stay here while I bring something to patch you up!". Knowing there is no point to argue and not wanting to anyway, Izuku stays quiet and waits for his mom.
Once she found what she needs, Inko came back to her son. Taking off his ruined shirt to take a look at the injury, Inko Midoriya sets out to work. Beginning with cooling off the area and cleaning any lingering dirt with a wet towel, Izuku winced in pain at the contact before his mother addressed him. "So what happened Izuku?" Inko asks her son.
Knowing there is no escape from answering, he begins his story." Me and everyone were in the forest, playing heroes when we got to a stream with a tree above it an- "
Inko stops her son's story to ask an important question "Izuku! You didn't climb on it did you?!"
Hearing the question Izuku shakes his head in denial "No mom you said not to do something like that." The woman nods in acceptance before letting the kid continue. "I told Kacchan and the others not to go but they didn't listen and Kacchan fell i- "
Inko interrupted the story yet again, concerned for the child's well-being "Katsuki-Kun fell! Is he okay?!"
This time Izuku nods his head "He's okay, but when I went to help him he got angry and…*hiccup*… attacked me…" when he got to this part of the story Izuku began tearing up again.
Seeing the look on her son's face as she carefully applied lotion to the burn, trying not to break any blisters, Inko figured out what had happened. After she finished the treatment by bandaging the burn, she got on the couch and hugged her son as he finished his story.
"H-*sniff* -he yelled at me and said that he didn't need my help, did… did I do something wrong, mom?" Izuku concluded the story as tears were galling down his cheeks, breaking his mother's heart.
"No sweetie" she replied to assure him "You did nothing wrong. You acted like a true hero, Izuku".
At the mention of the word 'hero', Izuku perked up and remembered the events that followed the incident. Face visibly lighting up, he began talking to his mother again in a happy voice "Mom! I need to tell you something!".
Seeing Izuku's smile, Inko brightened up. But before she could listen to the other news she noticed the shape Izuku was in on top of his burn. "You're going to need to wait on that Izuku…" she cut off her son.
Izuku's face immediately changed its expression to one of confusion at the woman's words.
"You need a bath and a change of clothes. So why won't you take one while I clean up the mud you left around the house". Inko explained to her son, her voice taking on a scolding manner at the mention of the mess he made.
Blushing as he noticed how much he dirtied his home, Izuku took off his shoes and headed towards the bathroom. As he entered it he heard his mother yell "Don't shower with hot water today, it will make the burn worse!".
After a brisk shower, curtesy of Izuku not wanting to shower with cold water, the mother and son found themselves in the living room again. "What you wanted to tell me Izuku?" Inko asks the four-year-old.
Finally getting to the topic he wanted to talk about, Izuku begins to speak with enthusiasm" When I was walking home in the forest I fell an- "
As Izuku began he was almost immediately interrupted by Inko "ARE YOU OKAY IZUKU?! ARE YOU HURT?!".
Signing at his mother's protectiveness Izuku quickly reassured her." I'm okay mom. I'm fine, really." To emphasize, he showed her his knees to see that he was uninjured from the fall "Anyways, when I was on the ground my hands dug into it and left a big trench! I THINK I HAVE A QUIRK MOM!"
As Izuku happily and excitedly exclaimed the last sentence, Inko eyes widened." Come again?" Inko replied with a blank face towards her son's enthusiasm.
"My hands dug through the forest floor, I think my quirk is super-power!" Izuku explained to his mother all the while being ecstatic about it.
Inko didn't know what to think. The doctor explicitly told her that her son was quirkless. Yet against all odds, here he was claiming to have one in front of her.
On one hand, if the revelation turns out to be true that means Izuku could achieve his dream and be happy again. But, if it turns out to be false Izuku would be sadder than ever, having his hope taken a second time.
'What should I do? According to the doctors, he shouldn't have a quirk… how is this possible?!'
As Inko deliberated on the situation in her head, Izukudecided to show his mother his new quirk. "Here mom look!" Izuku called for his mother's attention. Getting her out of her thoughts, the boy attempted to push the heavy couch using only his raw strength.
Needless to say that Izuku failed miserably and the couch didn't budge. As he continued helplessly attempting to push the couch to little success, Inko looked at him with sad eyes.' He really doesn't have a quirk…' she thought sadly.
Not wanting to upset her precious son but knowing that continuing what he's doing isn't good for him, especially while injured, Inko walked up to Izuku. "I think you were imagining it Izuku," she said softly, trying to soften the blow she knew her words would land.
Izuku looked up at Inko with a devastated look "B-but it worked in the forest. I-I don't get it. It should work".
Inko, struggling to keep her composure, hugs her son saying softly "Sometimes we see things that didn't happen, maybe it was like it for you now…".
Before she could continue Izuku cut her off and yelled in denial "No! I know what I saw! I have a quirk and I'm going to use it to become a hero!" getting out of the hug, Izuku went back to try the push the couch until his burn stopped him from trying anymore.
The next day, Izuku walks up to his kindergarten with his mother in tow. Having spent most of yesterday's day and night attempting in vain to activate his Quirk, Izuku is understandably tired.
As the boy groggily entered the building, swaying from left the right in half-conciseness, Inko could only look at his receding form worriedly.
All of yesterday Izuku ran around the house trying to use his quirk on anything in sight. From attempting to push couches to lift the dining table to even dragging his hands through the wooden floor of their apartment. An act that he claimed he did before in the forest but that didn't stop Inko's worries. Especially after his hands started to bleed from him breaking his nails.
Needless to say that Inko kept a close watch on her son after that, forbidding him from attempting anything like that again.
Unfortunately, that led to two problems.
One, Izuku didn't want to stop trying to activate his quirk. Thus, after Inko went to sleep, he started experimenting again until the early hours of the morning.
Two, feeling betrayed by his mother Izuku became depressed and unresponsive only answering with 'yes' and 'no's to anything she asked.
This leads us to the present where an exhausted Izuku entered his kindergarten's building with a dead look in his eyes. Too tired to think, Izuku found a secluded corner and went to sleep there with everyone else oblivious to his presence.
Katsuki Bakugou was confused. The entire day Deku was nowhere to be seen and that never happens, he's always here.
It's now lunchtime and there's still not a sign from the quirkless wonder.
Having had enough he walks up to one of the caretakers and bluntly demands an answer "Hoi! Where's Deku?! I didn't see him the entire day!".
Confused, the caretakers responded to him "What do you mean Katsuki- Kun? Izuku- Kun is supposed to be here, you should have seen him… "
At her statement, the explosive blonde got angry "Well, I didn't! So where's Deku?!".
Understanding the situation that they might have, the caretaker gathers her coworkers to help with the problem." Hey, has anyone seen Izuku-Kun today?". At her question, the fellow caretakers were drawing a blank as well.
Realizing the situation, the caretakers immediately set out to action and had put a stop to the lunch before it started. "Sewa-san I'll stay with the others while you two go find Izuku-Kun.".
Nodding to show they understand, the other caretakers set out to find Izuku while one of them watches the other kids, making sure they don't interfere with the search.
"Izuku- Kun! Where are you?! "As the caretakers' words reached the sleeping form of Izuku, he began steering in his sleep and groaned, catching everyone's' attention.
When the caretakers walked up to him they were slightly irritated that a single sleeping child could cause so much trouble "Wow, what a problem child, right Sewa-senpai?" the young caretaker jokingly asks his senior as he shakes Izuku gently to wake him up.
Izuku woke up to the feeling of warm hands shaking him. As he sits up, stretching in the process and yawning *Yawn*, he notices that the entire kindergarten was staring at him. The other kids looking especially upset.
Oblivious to the racket that he had caused, Izuku innocently asked: "What happened?".
This question was very quickly answered by Bakugou, who stormed towards Izuku before gripping the collar of his shirt. "THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING DEKU!? BECAUSE OF YOU THE LUNCH IS LATE! ".
Freaking out because of the blonde, Izuku still managed to stutter "W-what d-did I do? ".
The elder caretaker, Sewa-san, signed before addressing the boy "No one knew where you were Izuku-kun, so we dropped everything and went looking for you".
"Yeah and Because of that you ruined lunch!" At Bakugou's accusation Izuku begins to tear up "I-I d-didn't mean to cause trouble, I-I was just tired!".
Before the explosion-quirk-user could come up with a remark, Sewa-san stepped in "You didn't ruin lunch Izuku-kun, it was just delayed. Speaking of, now that we found you, we can start serving it."
As Izuku ate his lunch, he noticed the scornful looks all the kids shot at him. It looked like the other kids were still upset at what he pulled, even if he didn't want to cause trouble.
After they ate lunch, it was naptime. While everyone went to sleep, Izuku stayed awake. Well, that's to be expected given the fact that he slept all morning.
With nothing better to do, Izuku sneaked out of his mattress and went outside with only one goal in mind. Resuming his attempts at activating his quirk and succeeding at it.
Katsuki Bakugou
Quirk: Explosion.
Description: Katsuki's Quirk allows him to secrete nitroglycerin-like sweat from his palms and detonate it at will to create explosions.
Appearance: Katsuki has short, spiky ash-blond hair and choppy bangs that come to his eyebrows. His eyes are sharp and thin and are bright red in color.
Affiliation: None.
Age: 4
Birthday: 20/4
Height: 82.3 cm.
Blood Type: A.
Favorite food: Spicy foods.
Favorite thing: Nature trekking.
The children were woken up by the sudden bright light which illuminated the previously dark room. As the caretakers began waking everyone up, Bakugou fought off the urge to stay asleep and pushed himself up.
Doing so, he glanced at the mattress that was set next to his, Deku's. 'Where's the damned Deku? He always takes forever to wake up…' Bakugou looked around himself, trying to locate the greenette. However, not long after he realizes that Deku was nowhere to be found.
'ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! NOT AGAIN!' While Bakugou was seething and cursing in his head, the other caretakers noticed Izuku's absence again. "That kid just doesn't seem to sit quietly today, now does he?" one of the caretakers signed exasperatedly.
He was quickly replied by the head caretaker, Sewa-san, "We need to find him, but where could he go?".
During the time that the caretakers were searching for the forest-haired kid, Bakugou decided to assemble his own search squad. "Hoi! Stick-fingers! Red-wings! You're coming with me!".
Joining the explosive boy at the corner of the room, they look at him quizzically before one of them begins to speak." What do you need Kacchan?" the chubby boy with red wings inquired.
"I DON'T NEED ANYTHING! Especially not form an extra, Red-wings!" Bakugou retorted angrily.
"R-right sorry…" the chubby boy apologized before Stick-fingers entered the conversation.
"Anyway… what do you want us to do Kacchan?".
Bakugou looked at the caretakers who were still searching for Izuku inside the building "We're going to find Deku and drag him here, the quirkless nerd already ruined lunch and I'm not going to let him ruin snack time! ".
Nodding to show they understood his orders, the three joined the searching effort.
It didn't take long before they heard exhausted grunts and gasps for air from outside. Exiting the building, the trio was greeted to the sight of a drenched-in-sweat Deku trying to push one of the picnic tables in the yard with all of his might.
While they walked up to him they saw that he didn't notice them. Capitalizing on it, Bakugou grabbed Deku from behind before spinning him to face himself.
"THE HECK ARE YOU DOING DEKU!" he screamed at the exhausted boy who was too out of breath to reply. "FIRST LUNCH AND NOW THIS?! I SWEAR IF YOU DELAY SNACK-TIME, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!".
Thanks to Bakugou's screaming, the other children and caretakers soon flocked out to the yard. As the children circled the scene, the caretakers themselves walked up to Izuku.
"Izuku- kun!" they exclaimed as they finally knelt in front of him, separating him from Bakugou.
"Why have you walked out like that?... and what happened to you? You're all dirty."
As they caretakers looked the child for any injuries he meekly rubbed his fingers together before stuttering "I-I didn't want to c-cause trouble, I-I just wanted to practice my quirk an-".
Any further explanation was cut short by the sneers of Bakugou "What quirk?! You're quirkless! Don't lie to us Deku!".
Izuku managed to find some resistance within him to deny the accusation made about him "I'M NOT LYING!" before it faded a second later." …I-I activated my quirk yesterday by accident and I've been trying to do it again since…".
Before he got to continue the boy with demon wings, Tsubasa, cut him off "Yeah right! You've been to grandpa and he told you that your quirkless, so don't go around telling lies Deku!"
"B-but I-I'm not lying…. I-I do have a quirk… I used super-power to carve through the ground…"
As the boy stammered to try and explain himself he was stopped by Sewa-san "Izuku- kun" she said softly "I know that you want a quirk, but lying about having one won't help you. You caused a lot of trouble for us today, so, please. Apologize to everyone for what you did earlier today as well as lying to them".
Sewa-san's remark grew a lot of support out of the other kindergarteners:
" Yeah!"
"Lying is wrong Deku!"
"You should apologize if you know what's good for ya, Deku!"
"NO! I'M NOT LYING TO YOU! I DO HAVE A QUIRK!" Izuku screamed at the top of his lungs, trying to drown out the sneers of his classmates.
The caretakers scoffed and signed "Izuku" they spoke his name with no honorific to emphasize the importance of their statement. "If you're going to keep this lie up and not face what you did, we have no choice but to punish you. You will not have any snacks today and you'll stay in the corner until your mother comes to pick you up, understand?".
The caretakers stared at the boy to see if the threat did anything to change his mind "I-I'm not lying but I'm sorry for causing you all trouble" Izuku bowed to his teacher and classmates, though that didn't seem to satisfy the caretakers.
"If you're not going to take full responsibility for you shortcoming, then we'll still have to punish you. Izuku, go sit in the corner until your mom comes to pick you up and you can expect to receive no snack today.".
Izuku slumped his head in defeat as he made his way to the corner to sit his time out. All the while the sneers of the kids flooded his ears and filled his heart with dread.
" That's what you get for telling lies Deku" Tsubasa snarled at the boy, which was followed by the reply of one of his female classmates "Yeah, Deku's nothing but a liar. ".
The final nail in his coffin of shame came from Yubi who jokingly remarked "Naw, he's not just a liar. He's a quirkless liar.".
That label I was given lasted for months. During that time, I didn't stop trying to activate my quirk but alas, no matter what I tried the result stayed the same.
The children around me haven't made the situation any more bearable. To them, I was "Deku: The Quirkless Liar" and because of this, I was shunned from them even more so than before.
Their words hurt and slowly but surely, they began to take effect on me and made me question myself.
'Do I really have a quirk?'
In a last-ditched effort to prove that I wasn't a lair and that I did have a quirk, I tried to convince my mother to take me to the doctor again. It took several months, but eventually, she relented and we made our way to doctor Tsubasa once more.
Doctor Tsubasa signed as his gaze rested on the Midoriya family. He had already dismissed them months ago stating that the kid didn't have a quirk, there was no reason for them to be here.
And yet, here they are. Even with a scheduled appointment and everything. They had called a couple of weeks prior and had asked for a second check to see if the child had a quirk.
Personally, the doctor thought it was one big waste of time since the missing toe joint thing was never proved false… but hey, he was getting paid to do this, so why not.
The Midoriya matriarch watched tensely at the figure of Tsubasa who was looking over the test results that they have spent the last three hours gathering.
They have done everything. From X-rays, blood samples (Which were tricky to get. You try getting blood from a four-year-old) to spit samples. Every kind of test was performed in tandem to the Midoriyas' request.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the doctor shifted his gaze from the papers towards the form of Izuku who was watching him with an intensity that could rival Endeavor's.
Doctor Tsubasa signed before beginning to speak "Well, we have done every sort of test imaginable trying to determine if the child has any sort of quirk and…" Izuku tensed in anticipation, this was it.
"…we couldn't find anything, there is no trace of a quirk factor in Izuku's body. He is without a shadow of a doubt 100% Quirkless". Once again, much like the time months ago, the doctor's words caused Izuku to shut down.
Izuku plummeted to a pit of despair. As his mind was frantically processing the information that was given to him, one thought alone managed to become coherent enough in the form of words 'I-I'm…. I'm really quirkless?'.
"All right kids! Dig in!" one of the caretakers yelled enthusiastically to the children which responded with a happy, coordinated, yell of "Itadakimasu!" before digging into the food on the picnic tables.
Today Izuku's kindergarten, as well as the one they met a couple of months ago, was going on a road trip to Shirahama beach** in the Izu peninsula**.
But before they arrived on the beach, they stopped at Kawazu town for a little breakfast and a tour of the nearby reserve 'The Kawaza Nanadaru'**.
Currently, they were located in a picnic site near the forest at the edge of town. Picnic tables littered the place and were now filled with all sorts of food.
As the children dug in, the caretakers went away for a bit but stayed close by to set everything up.
After the breakfast would be done, they would tour the town of Kawaza for about forty-ish minutes before taking a bus to the Mizutare bus stop.
From there they would go through Kawaza Nanadaru for an hour before arriving at the Nanadaru visitor's center and taking another bus to Shirahama beach.
While the caretakers went through everything away from the children, the kids were sat at the tables and munched happily on everything that was served. Whether it would be food or snacks that the caretakers provided or home-brought meals, the kids wore happy smiles on their faces as their cheeks were stuffed from all the food.
Well, almost all of them. After all, one preferred to sit away from the others for his own safety.
Devouring the 'Extra-Spicy Bakugou-famous curry' that he brought with him, Katsuki noticed one of his lackeys looking at something at the edge of the woods. Turning to look at it himself, he saw Izuku sitting alone under the shade of a tree and eating the bento that his mother made for him. Scoffing at the sight of the quirkless wonder, Bakugou returned to his meal of assorted spicy goodness without betting an eye at Deku.
The lackey, on the other hand, had different plans.
"Look, ya think Deku is trying to use his 'quirk' again?" the chubby kid said while air quoting the word quirk.
That comment was addressed by one of the kids from the second kindergarten "Deku? You mean the quirkless kid? He got a quirk after all?" the girl with burgundy braids, Shisu Murasa, asked.
"Naw. Deku's Quirkless, through and through." Yubi, the kid with stretchy fingers, joined the conversation that was quickly catching everyone's attention. "He just got up one day and decided to start pushing the table and now, he goes on and on about having a quirk".
"I know right?!" Tsubasa responded smirking deviously "He even went to grandpa twice and both times grandpa said he was quirkless, but he still keeps saying he got one. What a freaking liar".
"That's pathetic!" one of the children laughed in glee.
Hearing their words hurt Izuku. With every insult and laugh, he could feel his shell cracking, bit by bit.
"That just sad!" one of the kids from the other kindergarten bellowed with laughter. "He lies about having a quirk even though no one believes him, that's…"
"I'M NOT LYING!" Izuku yelled desperately, tears threatening to spill from his eyes "I DO HAVE A QUIRK, AND ONCE I'LL MANAGE TO ACTIVATE IT, I'LL USE IT TO BECOME A HERO!"
The other children stayed silent for a minute before all of them burst out laughing. Some were clutching their stomachs from how hard they laughed while others were crying from laughter. The only one not laughing was Bakugou, who just glared at Izuku with hateful eyes and had an animalistic grin on his face.
"You can't be serious!" one of the laughing kids yelled and was quickly joined by Yubi "Yeah! We all heard Tsubasa-kun! You're quirkless, you can't really think anyone will believe you!"
"Wait, maybe he isn't lying?" Murasa stated with a contemplating expression. The other children all seized their laughing and Izuku looked at the girl with hopeful eyes, his tears stopped flowing down his cheeks as one thought crossed his mind 'Finally … finally someone believes me'.
However, the hopeful expression on Izuku's face vanished instantly after hearing the girl's next words.
Beginning to speak, an evil smirk was stretched across her face as she uttered in a low tone "Maybe Deku thinks he has a quirk… maybe he isn't a liar, he's just stupid!"
The children's laughter grew to a gleeful uproar and even Bakugou joined this time. The previously-frozen tears of Izuku resumed and intensified in vigor at the new kind of sneers the other children directed at him.
"*Hahah*-Wow, I-*ppft* think you got something," Yubi said through his laughing fit and was soon followed by his fellow lackey, Tsubasa.
"S-so I guess it's not 'Deku the Quirkless liar', it's-*pfft* 'Deku the Quirkless idiot! *Hahahaha*".
As Izuku heard the other kid's hurtful words, he clutched his shirt and began sobbing in despondency. An act that didn't go unnoticed by the other children.
"He's crying, again?!" Murasa asked, remembering the time the two kindergartens met before and Izuku crying there as well.
"Yeah! You wouldn't believe it! Deku cries all the time, it's like he got sprinklers instead of eyeballs!" Tsubasa said, having managed to calm down from his laughing fit.
"Maybe…" a tall boy with short black hair started, catching everyone's attention "he does have a quirk, the pathetic quirk to cry at everything!".
The kids once again entered a fit of laughter at the expense of Izuku. The boy himself was barely standing, struggling to stay on his feet as he felt his heart clench in sorrow.
Through the sound of laughter that echoed through the clearing, one voice could be heard. The voice of one Katsuki Bakugou. "Do you get it now, Deku?" he asked in a cold, menacing, voice. The other children immediately went quite "You're a worthless nerd, just a pebble in everyone's path!". Katsuki's words left the other children in silence, all listening to the guy they appointed as their leader in admiration. "So, do everyone a favor, behave like the Deku you are, and get out of our way. You'll never be a hero!".
The kids began clapping to the speech that came from Bakugou, who took it all in. Basking in the praise and glory which was bestowed upon him just by being present.
No one noticed the retreating form of Izuku. Leaving his backpack behind, the small child made his way into the forest.
Completely unaware that this day would change his life forever.