A/N: Welcome to my story, kind readers! At first, I wasn't going to post this and just keep it to myself, but what's the point of writing it if you don't share it? So, a little background, as I get older I find myself connecting with adult characters more so that young teenagers, so I really wanted to write a romance for my favorite anime character, Toshinori Yagi! I have already written most of this story, just struggling a bit with the ending, so I will post frequent updates after reviewing each section.

This is essentially a slow burn romance, my absolute favorite! This story is set during season 1 and season 2 of the anime and does not take any drastic liberties with the original story line. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Support Hero

She had been doing fairly well, and the excitement was pounding hard in her chest alongside her heart. This might be the day she finally beat him at an exercise! Her fingers twitched and she could feel the power welling up from where she held it a bay for the time. She was still young and did not have as much control over it as she would like, but there was time for that. She could still become a great hero with more patience and practice. She breathed in and closed her eyes, trying to calm her mind in order to think more clearly. If she could just figure out where the most likely place he would be was, she could avoid him and make the last few feet to the exit. She hesitated, braced herself, prepared her mind for her final move…and…SWOOSH! BAM!

She fell flat on her butt, muttering a curse as a solid yellow boot slammed into her face and knocked her down. Her head spun in a daze as she tried to lift herself back up. Her face stung with pain and she was sure a nice red pock mark was slowly revealing itself across her creamy pale cheek.

"I only have one question for you, rookie. Why did you hesitate?" the gruff voice of her instructor sounded from above her as he leaned over with that intimidating scowl of his.

Her eyes swirled as she tried to focus on him and answer his question. "I-I-I'm sorry, Mr. Gran Torino, sir. I thought…I thought I could—"

"Aha! See, that was the problem, you thought. Being a hero isn't always about thinking things through and having a plan. Sometimes, when you get that feeling, that instinct, you must act upon it or suffer the consequences. Stop relying too much on your head," Gran Torino said, and emphasized his point by poking her forehead with each word. "You could get yourself or somebody else killed."

"That's it for class for today," Gran Torino roared at the students as he stalked out of the arena, muttering something about pastries.

She sighed and finally pushed herself up onto her feet, dusting her costume off and looking sadly at the arena exit. She had been so close this time! She knew she would have made it if she hadn't hesitated. It had given her teacher the opening he needed to stop her. Gran Torino was right, she still didn't have that instinct to know just what needed to be done in a situation. That instinct to make the right move at the right time. That hero instinct.

"Hey, Bubbles! Looks like that big talk earlier was all for naught? Am I right?" her nemesis called to her from across the arena. "What was that you said again? That you would "wipe the smile right off my smug face"? Looks to me like Gran Torino wiped the color right off of yours!"

She whipped her head in his direction and tried to give him her most ferocious glare, something she was never really that good at. "Shut up, Muscles! I told you not to call me that! My name is Maddie!"

"Ohoho! Need some ice for that bruise there on your face?" the tall blonde youth laughed as he walked towards her, pointing at her cheek, which was slowly turning purple.

Her face scrunched in frustration as Toshinori Yagi's broad and sparkling white smile lit up the arena. He was the one she had been trying to beat. The game had been to see who could reach the exit the quickest before their teacher, Gran Torino, could stop them. Yagi was the top student in the school, and he always won. Just once she would like to give him a reason not to smile. Just once, before her time here as a study abroad student was over and she had to go home.

Yagi laughed again at her frustration as he came to stand right in front of her. "All jokes aside though," he said. "Are you ok? I can take you to the nurse if you'd like?"

Maddie shook her head, trying to calm the rage she felt for her loss…and for the fact that as much as she tried to hate him, she could not dispute the fact that Yagi, despite his enormous popularity and annoyingly smug confident smile, was actually a very nice and caring person. A true hero in every aspect of the word, even at so young an age. It made her so mad sometimes, pretty much everything he did was right. So, she had decided to hate him based on the fact that he was rather arrogant at times and he seemed to enjoy the attention he got from the others students and teachers included. He was always smiling…always helping...and always basking in the glory of his actions. A hero shouldn't act that way! A hero should be humble, stay out of the spotlight, and truly think of everyone but themselves. That's the kind of hero she strived to be, and Yagi's different approach irritated her to no end.

"I'm fine," Maddie muttered, keeping her eyes on the ground and her teeth clenched. "Why don't you go talk to your adoring fans over there." She indicated the group of fangirls who had already started gathering and fawning over the muscled hero in training that stood before her.

"Well, to be honest I'd rather talk to you. I was hoping we could walk together to the nurse's office and you could tell me why you still don't like me. Maybe we can work out our differences," he smiled. "I already know they like me." He gave the girls a wave and they squealed and waved back in response.

"Ugh, why are you always so…so…confident," Maddie growled. She turned away from the tall muscled hero and started walking towards the school she was studying at for the semester, UA High, the most prestigious hero academy in the world.

How did she find herself, an American, walking the revered halls of Japan's finest Hero academy? She had applied for her school's study abroad transfer program and, being an impressive student with promise, was one of the few who had been selected to spend a whole semester at UA High. The grading system was different between America and Japan, which ended up causing her to be a lot younger than most of the students she had class with at UA. Her younger age, the culture shock, and the new language she had not had very much time to learn, made things all the more difficult. She pushed on, though, and continued to impress her teachers though she often felt inadequate herself. She told herself she was just happy to be gaining the experience, and she could not wait to get back home where she felt more of an equal among her peers. Besides, these Japanese kids sure were full of themselves. Especially Toshinori Yagi. Everyone was sure he would become one of the greatest heroes of all time. Why though? What made him more special than anyone else? Why should he be showered with praise and reward when there were so many other deserving students as well? She shook her head clear of the irritating thoughts and entered the girl's locker room to change into her street clothes.

After she had put on her school uniform and folded her costume up for storage and cleaning, she quickly left the building to go home to her host parents, hoping to avoid any girls who may have become jealous of the attention Yagi kept pushing on her. She accidently caught the cold glare from an upperclassman girl with some sort of snakey-wormlike things in her hair as she hurried by. Maddie shivered at the eye contact, dreading the unavoidable confrontation she would most certainly have tomorrow at school with another Yagi fangirl. The worm hair was creepy. Yikes.

Just when she thought she was finally in the clear and could lift her head back up again, she caught sight of Toshinori Yagi, who appeared to be waiting for her by the school gates. A sarcastic sigh erupted from her chest, just great.

The older boy was leaning against the gate with a nonchalant way about him. His piercing blue eyes locked with her slightly darker blue ones as she got closer, and she could see that dazzling white smile forming on his face. His wild mane of golden hair was, as always, a renegade mess on top of his head, and his tall, well-muscled, but youthfully lanky body just seemed to pulsate with incredible power. Despite how much he annoyed her, she was still a young hormonal schoolgirl, and she could not help but feel the little flutter of attraction in her chest when she saw him. He was so damn hot! She scowled at the flush she felt rising in her cheeks caused by her silly romantic fantasies. Well, if there was no avoiding him, she hoped he would say something irritating pretty soon so she could drown her attraction to his physical appearance with her aversion to his personality.

She started walking at a quicker pace as she neared him, hoping she could just power by him with an acknowledging tilt of the head, but as soon as he realized what she was trying to attempt, he quickly darted from his relaxed position next the gate and to her side.

"On your way home?" Yagi asked, matching her pace as she continued to walk.

Maddie sighed again and slowed her pace. "What can I do for you, Muscles?" she asked. She turned her face towards his to give him her attention but continued to walk towards her home.

"You know, I really like that nickname you gave me," he chuckled. "Uh anyways, I just wanted to talk to you. Mind if I walk you home?"

"Well I hate the nickname you call me, and I thought I made it clear I wasn't interested in discussing anything with you earlier."

"A hero should never give up," he smiled.

"Alright, fine, but don't you think your girlfriends will be upset that you're talking to me?"

"Ah, yeah, you know they aren't my girlfriends. They just enjoy my company," Yagi explained, his hand rubbed the back of his neck and he seemed to be slightly nervous all of the sudden, but only slightly. The overconfident air he had about him still resonated strongly despite the nervous action.

Maddie was good at observing people, she had lots of practice doing so since she hardly ever talked to anyone, and she had noticed Yagi's slight shift in mood. She was interested in where this was going. "Well you sure do a lot of flirting with them, so I just thought—"

"That's not…well that's nothing really. Guys flirt with girls, its natural, and they seem to like the attention. I'm only trying to be nice."

"I see. So, is that what you want with me?" she lightly teased.

"What? I have to have a reason to walk a pretty girl home?" he responded in kind.

She tried to beat back the heart flutters at being called "pretty" by the most popular boy in school. "Well, I suppose that's a nice compliment but, uh, it's not going to work on me," was all she could manage with a swallow.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, side by side. Maddie stared at the ground, the horizon, anything but the tall boy walking next to her. She could feel his eyes watching her and she was getting very uncomfortable.

"So, you want to go out on a date with me?" came the next words out of his mouth.

The shock from the question hit her like a brick wall, but the sheer disbelief that he had actually asked her to go out with him as casually as if he was asking her for a piece of gum was what really stopped her in her tracks. This guy really thought highly of himself! He thought he could have anything he wanted, didn't he? Without putting any effort forward, just because of who he was.

"Uh, no," she scoffed and tried to walk on.

Yagi blocked her path putting a hand on her arm before she could push away. "Can I ask why not?"

She stared up at him, annoyed that he had stopped her, but then she noticed a few of the top buttons on his shirt were undone and she could see some of the fine muscles of his neck and chest peeking through. Heat rose up into her cheeks again and she violently turned her head away, hoping he wouldn't notice.

"Hey what's up with your face, Bubbles? It's turning pretty red."

She cringed internally. He must have noticed the way she had snapped her head away. She was so bad at being subtle!

"Don't tell me you do actually like me…just a little bit maybe?" Yagi smiled, turning on the charm.

Maddie sighed, "Look, it's true you are undeniably attractive. I'd be made of stone not to notice, but that doesn't make up for the fact that there is just something about your personality I can't stand. On top of all that, don't you think you're a bit too old for me? So, I'll say again, no, I won't go out on a date with you."

"Ah, well, no worries," Yagi relented and let go of her arm. "I'm sure I'll be able to change your mind one of these days. In fact, I'll make it a goal of mine!" he announced with a grin.

"Well, you'd have to change the way I think of you pretty quickly. I am going back home at the end of the semester," she shrugged and started walking again.

"A hero never gives up," he reminded her.

She smiled slightly, but then mentally slapped herself back to reality. She'd probably never see him again once she left, and she really would be alright with that. In fact, she was starting to think the hero life really wasn't all it was cracked up to be. They were just a bunch of overconfident, over glorified super stars that really only cared about the fame and money they received from doing hero work, not the actual noble work itself. If anybody was living proof of that fact, it was Toshinori Yagi, the young rising star.

She glanced at him walking beside her. His arms swung wide and his gait was strong and sure. He looked straight ahead at the horizon with those piercing blue eyes, challenging anyone who would dare approach him. She wasn't like that, she didn't have that confidence and thirst for glory like he did. That's not who she wanted to be.

*Years Later*

Principal Nezu sat before her behind a large polished wood desk and rifled through a file he had opened in front of him. Part of her had a hard time believing that he existed, but there he sat, some strange mix between a bear a dog and a mouse, in a smart little waistcoat and tie. He was so adorable! She had to resist the urge to pat him on the head when they had first met. He was, after all, much more intelligent that she was and may find such an act demeaning.

"So, Ms. Madelyn McLaren, hero name "Sapphire." It says here your quirk is Water Manipulation, is that right?" the furry principal asked, looking up from her resume file.

Maddie nodded, "Yes sir, that's right."

"Could you explain, briefly, what that all entails? It states some things here in your record, but I always like to hear it from you. You do know your own quirk better than anyone," Nezu smiled.

"Well," Maddie began, shifting a little in her seat opposite Nezu. "I can basically use any water source anywhere around me in any way I want to. I cannot, however, generate or create water. I can also manipulate the water in a living body, which gives my quirk certain healing and rejuvenation properties."

"I see. You have a very powerful quirk, my dear, though I see here that you have only ever worked as a support hero. Is there a reason you never went pro?"

"I just, uh, never really wanted too. The work environment never appealed to me and I had some bad experiences working with heroes in my younger days. I much prefer to stay out of the spotlight and help in any way I can behind the scenes. Which is why I applied for this job."

"Yes, well you would be basically working behind scenes here in this position, though the teaching and rearing of young heroes is possibly the most important work anyone could do. You would be in charge of teaching all science classes and, with your extensive healing experience, would serve as back-up and support to our school nurse."

Nezu shifted forward in his chair and leaned towards her over his desk as if to study her. "You would, however, be working alongside several pro heroes. Many of them rather well known and famous. Do you think that would be a problem considering you have had difficulties working with pros in the past?"

"No, sir. Like I said I was much younger and naïve back then. I thought I had all the right ideas and that everyone else was wrong. I have since seen that, despite having a problem with how much pro heroes are worshipped these days, they are nevertheless very important in keeping the peace," Maddie explained.

"Ah, yes, I can always respect someone who can admit when they are wrong and can learn from their mistakes. Very well, one last question, for curiosity's sake, what made you apply for this position? UA High is a long way from your home in America."

"I needed a change, sir. I've been where I am for too long and I wanted to do something new and important before I get too much older. I was actually part of a study abroad program here, back in high school, and when I saw this position open, it just seemed…written in the stars that I should apply," Maddie smiled thoughtfully.

"I'm very glad you did," the white furred principal replied. He sat back in his chair and looked her over, contemplating how she would fit in at his school. She was middle-aged, in or nearing her early forties, though, probably because of her water quirk, her skin appeared well hydrated and smooth. Her eyes were blue like water, her natural element, and her long golden blonde hair had streaks of aqua blue highlights peeking through. She held herself straight and currently wore a pressed white blouse with a long black skirt and modest heels for her interview. She looked very presentable, smart, and professional, but the blue highlights in her golden hair spoke of a different side to her personality. A side that she seemed to keep held back more often than naught.

"There is one last part to this interview," he finally said after he had observed her. "As you may have heard, UA High is not immune to infiltration or villainy. Because of this, all of our teachers must be able to defend their students from harm. This is why we employ so many pro heroes. That being said, I would like to test your quirk and combat abilities. Did you happen to bring your hero costume?" Nezu grinned. Perhaps that hidden side of her would show itself with a little competition.

Maddie stood in the middle of an urban arena. It seemed familiar to her, like she had trained in this arena before when she was at UA, though it had been upgraded since then. A soft wind tussled her hair and the loose parts of her half dress. As part of her costume, she wore a tight lowcut dress with sleeves down to her elbows that opened up in the front at her waistline, showing the front of her legs but covering the back. The length of the dress reached down to her calves and was made out of material that was similar to a wetsuit, but much lighter in weight. On her legs she wore tight navy-blue leggings and black combat boots going slightly up her calves. She had a sheath built into the boots that held a large knife on one side. Her dress was light blue in color with dark blue wave like patterns, and on her back, she sported two crossed short swords with black handles, just in case she ever needed them or did not have access to water. Each sword had a single sapphire embedded into the hilt.

Principal Nezu's voice spoke over the loud speaker into the arena, "Alright, Sapphire, prepare for battle. The object is to dispatch the enemies quickly and efficiently while displaying your various skill sets. I and some of my colleagues will observe from here."

Well in that case she had better put on a good show, she thought. She bent her knees, digging deep to recall her combat training she hardly ever used except in practice and wiggled her fingers, feeling the power of her quirk coursing through her. This wasn't going to be simply refilling a water cup without having to get up from the couch, this was destroying a robot, and she would have to make her quirk work a little harder than it had grown used too. Her head whipped in the direction of a loud sound as she saw several big green robots approaching her position, circling her on all sides. She was an adult and a support hero with years of work experience and though she hardly ever used her quirk for fighting, the teachers would expect a certain level of excellence from her. This wasn't going to be child's play.

The robots circled closer and she suddenly grinned for some reason, excitedly anticipating letting her power fly loose and free. She didn't usually like showing off in front of others, but there must have been something about being back here at UA, some sort of pride and nostalgia that stirred repressed feelings deep inside. With the nod of her head she mentally played one of her favorite hard rock songs through her mind to get into the mood. She then turned her quirk up full blast and tugged at a violent stream of water she sensed flowing through the pipes beneath her feet, and sent it wooshing into the first robot on her right with the force of a firehose and a thrust of her outstretched hands. The robot went flying backwards, nearly bent in half with the force of the water, and crashed into a building, rendering it inoperable.

Before the first robot had hit the ground, she was already attacking the next. She drew upon the water once again and flooded its circuits, causing it to short and explode. She sent the third careening straight into the air with a jet of powerful water straight up from the ground and it shattered on the pavement when it finally came back down. For the fourth, she thought she'd try some fancy footwork. As it approached she sent herself shooting upwards on another jet of water, twirling through the air and drawing her double short swords from her back with an audible swoosh. She pulled yet another geyser of water straight up from the ground with a hand motion and stepped onto the new water jet as the first died down, essentially running through the air on platforms of jetting water. The force of the water was enough to give her solid footing in the sky and, once close enough the robot, she took a giant leap forward and, thrusting her arms out wide, formed shapes like wings out of another spurt of water, enveloping her body and allowing her to essentially glide up over the robot. In one fluid motion, she dissipated the water wings and twirled again, coming down hard on top of the unsuspecting robot, driving her dual swords straight into its head. It crashed into the pavement with her standing on top, and she yanked the blades from its dysfunctional metal casing and flipped them back onto her back, taking a step down off the robot.

She took up a ready stance in the center of the arena, surrounded by four large, but very dead robots, and looked around for more enemies. Water swirled around her hands, ready to be sent shooting into the next foe, but instead of any of the normal bots, she was rewarded by the loudest clang she had heard yet. She whipped around to see a behemoth of a robot approaching her. It had to be several stories tall and was devastating the pavement in front of it as it slowly moved towards her. Really? She thought, the school can afford to throw money around like this? Well, she supposed she had better destroy it for them then.

Maddie turned to face the robot, widening her stance and digging her boots into the pavement to brace herself. The water swirling around her hands started to grow until it was swirling around her entire body and she spread her arms out wide, palms up and fingers pulsing as she glared hard at the approaching giant. She cracked another grin as she felt the incredible power building within her body while she pulled more and more water from her surroundings. Using her power like this really was an incredible high, and she hardly ever got the chance to go all out. This was an interview after all, you were supposed to promote your best self, right?

The giant robot got closer and closer, and Maddie's water wall built up higher and higher while the electric guitars and drums from her rock song playing in her mind built up into a crescendo. Soon the wall of water was just as tall as if not taller than the approaching robot. The water thundered and pulsed behind her, blotting out the sun and promising a rush of destruction and watery grave to any foe who dared challenge it. It was a raging monster, and she was ready to release it, her signature move.

"Tsunami…Wave!" she shouted as she lunged her arms and body forward and the entire wall of water came crashing forward, parting around her to save her from its wrath and smashing as hard as a rock wall into the oncoming giant. The robot flew, crashing back as several tons of water enveloped it and destroyed its electrical processes. Maddie laughed in delight as the coursing spray of the waves crashed around her and splashed her face and body with cool droplets of blue liquid. Such an amazing high!

All too soon an alarm blared, signaling the end of the test, and the waters started to calm down and pool in the streets of the urban arena. Maddie turned, wet hair plastered flat on her head and water rolling down her cheeks and nose, to see Principal Nezu approaching her, perched on the shoulders of a burly man in a red jumpsuit. Next to them walked a lanky man with sunglasses, wild styled hair, and what looked like a speaker system around his neck. Coming up from behind the group was another man, dressed all in black with long black hair and tired eyes.

"Sapphire!" Nezu called in pure delight, "That was truly marvelous! I suspected you were powerful, but nothing could prepare me for seeing it first-hand."

"Girl, you totally rocked it out there! High five!" the man with the speaker system yelled very loudly as he trotted up to her, sloshing ankle-deep water, with his hand held up in the air.

"Uh, thanks," she replied, awkwardly obliging him the high five with a wet slap. Now that the rush of excitement was over, she felt herself calming down and reverting back to her more reserved personality.

"I'm pro hero Present Mic. Nezu, you've got to hire this powerful lady here so we can totally jam!" the loud man continued to yell as he introduced himself and talked to Nezu at the same time. "Dude, you are so soaked, though," Present Mic pointed out to Maddie.

"Oh, that's not a problem," Maddie replied. She raised her hands slightly and closed her eyes, drawing all the excess water out of her hair, skin, and clothes until she was dry and sent it back into the environment. "I can do the same for your shoes when we head back inside if you would like," she offered.

"Niiiice," Mic said with a nod and a hand on his chin. "Nobody likes soggy socks, am I right?" the pro hero grinned and elbowed the quiet man in black standing next to him, to which he received no response other than a grunt.

"Uh, this is pro hero Eraserhead, he doesn't say very much, but he's still a pretty chill dude," Present Mic said, indicating the tired man in black next to him. Eraserhead nodded to her in acknowledgement, but did not seem as impressed as Present Mic was. "And, uh, this fine man holding onto the principal for us here is Vlad King."

The big burly man in red, Vlad King, raised a hand in greeting to Maddie.

"So, how about it Nezu? Are you going to make Ms. Sapphire here an offer? I'd say she pretty much sealed the deal with that robot action!"

"Well, there is a little bit more to teaching than just smashing robots around, but luckily I think Sapphire possesses all the right qualities and has met all of the job specifications. So, yes, I would officially like to offer you the position of science teacher and part time nurse here at UA High school," the little principal said, still on top of the burly man's shoulders so not to get drenched in the street below.

"Wow…thank you, I-I'm so flattered, I'm not sure what to say," Maddie stuttered, surprised at the abrupt job offer.

"A simple yes or no would suffice," Nezu said.

Maddie took a minute to think things through. It was an old habit of hers that she had never been able to break. She couldn't just accept right away. She needed to be sure…sure she wanted to leave everything she had ever known back home and start something totally new and alien…all her friends and family, all her experiences and memories. Would she fit in here? Would she be a good teacher? Would anybody even like her?

"Sometimes the best thing to do is just trust your instincts," Eraserhead said quietly.

An image of her old teacher, Gran Torino, flashed across her mind at his words and she looked at his tired face, secretly grateful for his sincere help. "Yes, Principal Nezu, I will accept your offer."

A/N: Please let me know what you think and feel free to politely correct any mistakes in your reviews. Like I said before, this is a straight up romance following the plot of the original My Hero Academia story, all I am doing is adding in a romance for Toshinori and seeing how it all fits in with the story. I think he deserves it, he's the best! I'm having so much fun writing this! Thanks for reading!