Chapter One

Genesis

Izuku Midoriya was four years old when he discovered he was quirkless. Looking back on his youth, he can point that day out as the day his life changed forever. Children so young should be consumed with joyful thoughts, thoughts of games with friends, what they would eat for dinner that night. Young little Izuku was consumed only by thoughts of despair and hopelessness. From that day forward, he didn't have friends anymore.

Izuku Midoriya was five years old the first time Katsuki used his quirk to blast him, burning him and sending him to the ground. He lied to his mother that night, saying he and Kacchan were playing and it just got a little out of hand. His mother believed him, his sweet, kind mother, who always sought to protect her innocent little boy, determined to protect him, even in the face of a cold world that sought to break him.

Izuku Midoriya was seven years old when his father Hisashi, a pro hero by the name of Vulcan, went missing in action. His mother sobbed and sobbed, and he broke with her. His father was the man he looked up to most, save perhaps All Might. His father was the reason little quirkless Izuku still dreamed of being a great hero. Once again, young Izuku felt that he was falling. Faster and faster.

Izuku Midoriya was ten years old when Katsuki caught him on a playground with several of his friends. Poor little Izuku didn't stand a chance. Defenseless Izuku, they would mock as they kicked, each blow harder than the last. It hurt. It hurt.

Izuku Midoriya was thirteen years old when Katsuki first told him to kill himself. It would become a running theme for the next year. No physical blow hurt worse than the taller boy's words, harsh and heavy. You've become such a burden, Deku. I pity your poor old mother. Yes, Izulu learned young that words hurt more than they had any right to.

Izuku Midoriya was fourteen years old when his house burned down. A villain attack, one that left the young boy scarred. The smoke had been too thick, the air too heavy. The world grew dark. He awakened in the cold arms of his dear, sweet, kind mother, who sought to shield him to her last breath. He was in shock, the doctors said. The detectives got nothing from him. His world could only spiral more.

Izuku Midoriya was fifteen years old when he seriously considered Katsuki's advice for the first time. Not to spare a mother he no longer had, but to spare himself from the pain of his own loneliness. The UA entrance exams came and went, and he didn't so much as apply. What was the point? He had no quirk, no family, no capabilities. Whatever heroic spirit he had possessed must have burned up in the flames of his home. He simply walked through the ashes now.

Izuku Midoriya was fifteen years old when he decided to die.

Izuku Midoriya was fifteen years old when he finally found a reason to live.

Ochako Uraraka was reasonably happy, for once. She had done it, after all! She, a lower-middle class girl from some random village in rural Japan with possibly the least flashy quirk imaginable, had gotten into the national school! She was happier now than she had been in a long time, proud of her achievements, and happy to be able to stay in one place for awhile, even if she did miss her parents.

Not only that, but she was beginning to make friends, something that had managed to elude her in middle school. She was a few weeks into her classes, and she had been doing well. Her progress was somewhat slow, but it was steady and consistent, and though her teacher still had a propensity for harsh criticism, he also genuinely applauded her advancements with her quirk.

Indeed, for Ochako, things seemed to be looking up. Though her classes could be stressful, she was enjoying her life, as well as living in dorms. After spending so long being lonely, it was nice to know that she could walk down the hall and find a friend to talk to.

They were the same friends that were now crowding around her desk in homeroom, all putting their heads together, trying to unravel the mysteries of the secret lesson that Aizawa had planned today.

"We were told we wouldn't need to bring our costumes or gym clothes, so I doubt it will be anything involving physical activity," Yaoyarozu reasoned to herself, "Though he did mention we would be going off campus…"

"OhthankGod," Ashido let out in one relieved breath, her words flowing into each other.

"That means it will probably be something more academically focused then, huh?" Ochako though aloud, Yaoyarozu nodding her agreement.

"Most likely. It would make the most sense, I think. I look forward to it," the tall girl said with a slight smile, "UA certainly goes out of its way to make sure we're learning!"

"...And I think there's only one person in the entire class who's grateful for that…" Ashido grumbled, giving the dark-haired girl a pointed look. Before Yaoyarozu could respond, a voice across the room cut her off.

"TAKE YOUR FEET OFF THE DESK THIS INSTANT!" Iida's shout cut through the room, momentarily silencing the rest of the class's conversations. "If this is how you conduct yourself in the confines of a classroom, then I shudder to think how you will represent our class today!"

"Well, maybe two people in the entire class," Ashido continued as they watched. The boy Iida was yelling at, the boy with the explosion quirk that Ochako remembered to be Bakugo, simply grunted and removed his feet.

The only people in the class Ochako failed to get a read on happened to also be the two top students, Katsuki Bakugo and Shoto Todoroki. Bakugo was a monster in combat, and she had no problem admitting the fiery blond was intimidating. She remembered combat training, watching the way he used his explosions to wear Kirishima down before knocking the red-head unconscious. He had held such a fury, such a rage that he seemed to express in every blow. When he wasn't fighting, Bakugo did what Ochako could only describe as brooding. He was usually quiet, and when he talked, it was almost always terse and often rude. She was convinced that he did not know anyone's names, given that he had to use nicknames based on physical attributes (Round Face was a slight she could not ignore), and he had a propensity for arrogance. Despite all of this, he was still the top student, and he was very clearly intelligent beneath the layers of his ego.

Ochako was aware that she wasn't the smartest in the class, nor the strongest or the best fighter. However, she did pride herself on her ability to see through, get a read for, and understand people. Bakugo and Todoroki had both proven difficult people to read. As she watched Bakugo remove his feet from the desk, she couldn't help but think the boy looked kinda… sad, in his own way.

"Ochako?" Hearing Ashido's voice drew her back to reality. She blinked twice before turning to face her friend.

"Hm? Sorry, I'd spaced out a bit," Ochako said with an apologetic grin.

"I asked how you've been adjusting to life in the dorms. I know for some of us, it's difficult to adjust to living without our parents, but you lived on your own before, didn't you?" Ashido asked.

"Mm. I lived in a student apartment, which is a little larger than my dorm room. To be honest, I prefer the dorms over my old apartment. It's comforting to know that someone I trust is right down the hall if I'm ever in need!" Ochako said, a genuine and grateful smile coming to her face. For a moment, the other girls just looked at her.

"You're too much of a cinnamon roll for your own good, Ocha," Hagakure said, making the others chuckle lightly as a slight blush came to Ochako's cheeks.

"Ahhhh, leave her alone," Ashido called out. "I think we'd all be grateful if she could always have a face lit up like that."

No one knew then that before the day was over, Ochako's face would be coated in blood, a smile nowhere to be found.

Izuku was many things at this point in his life.

Hopeless, lonely, fearful, timid, weak.

But he was perceptionate, and could pick out small thing most people would miss. Perhaps he was hardwired to keep an eye out for danger, perhaps he was still clinging to some idealistic fantasy of being a hero… whatever the reason, it came in handy.

And at the moment, he was glad to have such perception.

It was on the streets of downtown Musutafu, his home city. As Izuku walked, he looked across the street to see the All Might museum that had opened a few weeks ago. He smiled forlornly, realizing he had yet to visit. In the late morning sun, the building looked magnificent. Standing tall, the front of the building was simple brick, but there had been murals of the Number One Hero painted all across the museum. On the roof stood a statue dedicated to All Might, shining gold that glinted in the sunlight.

Izuku took in the sight for a moment before turning to the left, his eyes catching movement in the alleyway beside the museum. From his distance, and due to how close and densely packed the buildings in downtown were, it was hard for him to make out many details, but he could make out three shapes, each varying wildly.

The first was massive, by far the biggest of the three. From so far, Izuku could not make out any facial features, but it towered over the two figures accompanying it. He was about eight feet of muscle, it seemed.

The second was much more nebulous. The only detail Izuku could make out were its eyes, yellow slits.

The third was probably the most distinct. A male figure, tall and painfully thin, with bright blue hair. His face was completely obscured by some kind of mask, though he was too far for Izuku to tell much anyway. He seemed to be poking his head out, looking toward the front of the All Might Museum with rapt attention. Waiting. They were waiting. But for what?

Izuku didn't have much. But instincts had always been kind to him, and instincts were screaming one thing in his mind right now.

Danger

"Maaaaan, gotta say, a field trip to the All Might museum seems a bit weird," Kaminari whined. "I mean, he's like, our teacher, right? Why see a museum when we know the guy that the museum is dedicated to?"

The bus was noisy from overlapping conversations, so it was possible that Aizawa simply hadn't heard him rather than ignoring him. Not likely, but possible.

Iida had certainly heard him, though.

"Kaminari!" The class representative began, "Do you not understand what an honor it is that our class specifically has been invited to attend this museum?! We must exemplify the professionalism and educational enthusiasm that has come to be expected of UA!"

Ochako giggled lightly. She couldn't help herself, Iida's little outbursts always got a laugh out of her. She'd found he was a nice guy once you could get him to relax. Just… good luck getting him to that point.

"Ah, c'mon Iida. You exemplify more than enough 'educational enthusiasm' for all of us," Kaminari said, a smirk crossing his features. "I think that means that the rest of us can afford to cut loose a little."

"I think you've been a little too loose since the day you left the womb," Jiro muttered to his side.

"I must agree with Jiro, Kaminari. You are far too relaxed for such an auspicious day!" Iida said, beginning his signature hand movements and eliciting a sigh from the entire bus.

"Oh great, he's started the hand movements," Sero muttered from somewhere behind Ochako.

"That just means he's excited!" She said, a bright grin coming to her features as she clenched a fist. In truth, she was getting a bit pumped up too, the class rep's enthusiasm spreading to her. Not that she wasn't naturally excitable anyway.

"Of course I am!" Iida turned back in his seat to face her, returning her grin. "After all, I've wanted to visit this museum for some time now!"

"It'll be great, you guys," Kirishima said, his optimism unflappable. "Even Bakugo will have a good time!"

The fiery blond simply grunted from where he sat.

"Ahhhh, don't let him kill the mood!" Kirishima continued, unphased.

"It'll be a good learning experience I suppose, as well as a chance for the class to come together," Yaoyarozu said from the seat in front of Ochako.

"Yeah!" She said. "Momo's right! We can only be better from this experience anyway, right?"

A few greeted her words with enthusiastic approval, though she did hear a few groans from the likes of Kaminari and Mineta.

No matter, as Ochako looked around the bus, she realized that perhaps for the first time in her life, she was surrounded by friends.

"They're here."

"Master, I must ask again, are you sure this is wise? While it is a great weapon, sure to unleash destruction, what if we were to lose it?"

"Then father will make us another."

"Yes, but it took so long to create one so powerful. They believe it is capable of destroying All Might himself, I simply fail to see what is to be gained from setting it on a class of high school children."

"I don't just want All Might to die, Kurogiri. I want him to be destroyed. His name and very image tarnaged. Now, if a bunch of UA brats were to be brutally murdered in front of a museum dedicated to his honor, what kind of image does that paint?"

"We are not so far from the school that back up won't reach us. This can possibly include All Might himself."

"So much the better. They can die too. He can die too. As long as he knows he's failed. By the time he gets here, the entire class may already be dead. Anyway, if anything goes wrong, you can get us out."

"Perhaps I can, master, but it is unwise to tempt fate."

"Don't tell me anything about fate. I will be the one to dismantle that wretched god, and it begins with his vaunted status as the 'Symbol of Peace'. Now come, take us to the roof."

"As you wish."

The second the UA bus arrived, Izuku made a call.

He talked no longer than he needed to, hanging up after he said everything he had needed to. He could only pray that they would take him seriously.

Because the second the UA bus arrived, Izuku knew what the mysterious trio in the alley wanted. As he glanced back, he noted that only the massive figure remained, the other two seeming to have disappeared. Nevermind them.

Izuku knew what they wanted.

They were after blood.

The tank of a creature began to leave the shadows of the alley, stepping into the light as it began walking toward the students as they exited the bus. Now Izuku got a better look at him.

Its skin was dark, almost like a slightly lighter shade of black. Its body was covered in muscle, as though every inch of its body had been perfected manually. The most unsettling aspect of the creature was its face. Its brain seemed to literally stick out of its head, and its beak glinted sunlight into Izuku's eyes. Even from so far away, Izuku could see the wild, raging look in its eyes.

Unconsciously, not even aware he was doing it, Izuku began to cross the street slowly, walking toward the creature. Sparks began setting off in his stomach.

A man with a long scarf wrapped around his neck leapt over the students that had just gotten off the bus, and even from here, Izuku could hear him shouting for them to get back on the bus. He guessed this man was their teacher, as he stood between the creature and his class. The creature maintained its slow walk toward the class, who despite the order, seemed almost frozen. The teacher leapt at the creature to slow it down, but in one punch, the difference in their power became clear.

The teacher flew backward, slamming through the bus with enough force to punch a hole. Even from here, Izuku could hear the crunch.

Izuku started running. The sparks became a wildfire.

Ochako turned back, in a daze.

There was her teacher, the blunt but caring Aizawa, lying halfway through the bus, a bloodied and broken mess.

One of the most unmovable, unshakable, confident people she had ever known, broken.

And as she faced forward, she realized that this would be her fate, too.

Towering over her was the creature who had destroyed her teacher, looking down at her with a look she could only describe as sheer, animalistic rage.

It raised its arm, and ever instinct in her body screamed at her to run, hide, do anything. Fight or flight was breaking down in her head, as her legs seemed to be made of lead.

She didn't move. No one in her class moved. All were too terrified by the image in front of them. They were just kids, Ochako realized. Perhaps someday, they would have grown to be great heroes, but on that day, they were just kids too scared to move. She never realized just how terrified she was of death until that moment.

She was going to die. She was going to die. She was going to-

Suddenly, a force hit her, hard.

But it was from the wrong angle, and despite being a hard hit, it wasn't nearly as hard as it should have been.

Ochako hit the ground a few feet to the right of where she had been standing, turning her head in time to see a green-haired boy standing in her place, where she had been only a moment prior, giving her a shaky smile despite the abject terror in his eyes.

Then the creatures arm descended.

The boy's blood splattered on her face.