A midsummer night had morphed into a midsummer day, sunlight spreading its golden wings and dripping ichor down upon the world beneath it, dappling the ground through the reaching trees and shrubs, all clamoring for a spot in the light, a way to reach the warmth, all aware that such conditions would not last much longer, for midsummer was midsummer, and autumn lay just around the abrupt corner.  Already the temperature had begun to drop, ever so slightly at first but now transforming the glowing, burning ball of fire in the sky to nothing more than a lukewarm loop perched atop a crowding of clouds against a cerulean spread.  The walls of a massive building caught the light in its entirety, shining like a shrine of self-sufficient satisfaction, stopping the souls of all who looked at it and beckoning them closer, slowly, slowly.  It pulled in people like moths to a lamp - but a truth unbeknownst to most was that this structure could burn those around it, too.

Reflected in two pools of glowing eyes lay knowledge of this fact.  Likewise, solely one person knew the true dangers harbored within the four walls of the stifling school, so while others buzzed around with excitement in their souls and happiness in their hearts, you crouched near a small bush, remaining hidden from sight, wary of your surroundings yet wanting to know more.  The doors to the school opened and closed like the thoughts and ideas inside your mind, blinking and blanking, until you wondered why you were even at U.A. at all.

Well - not precisely at U.A., more so like around U.A.  And even then, that was if kneeling in a small patch of brush, out of any possible viewing eye or open ear, so you could simply watch in silence and gauge who the newcomers and fresh applicants of this year would be.  Some faces and voices you made out clearly, delegating them to a student from a previous year and occasionally even a teacher or two.  Yet there was no lack of newness thrown into the numerous mix and mingle of the near-beginning of the school year.  Some took on an air of sophistication and caution, something you could at least still hold respect for, such as the boy with the dark blue hair who patrolled the perimeter as if already planning his year out.  Others, like a girl with a brown bob, seemed much more sentimental about it, perhaps going so far as praying for entrance with all of their hearts.  Still more just sat and waited, precisely like you, while time passed by.

With the persevering of time came the predispositions of people, and as was almost always the case, everyone hovering around the campus like ashes to flames eventually began to disintegrate from your view, lost from sight and equally lost from mind.  It had been quite a crowd today, at least comparatively when placed on a pedestal with the other days you'd kept watch.  Some part of you instinctively indebted that to the fact that entrance examinations should - if you remembered correctly, which you usually did about these things - lay just around the corner.  What better a way to size up your opponents than to meet them yourselves?  Know your enemies better than you know your friends, you supposed with a nonchalant shrug.  Despite the dwindling numbers you were still on the ever-vigilant lookout, and a few minutes proved your watchful eye worth its weight in gold.  A green-haired boy still remained seated upon the stairs, eyes facing up towards the stars and head cocked gently to the side, as though contemplating the cosmos from a conservative earthly perspective.

You were unsure as to how long he'd been there, but as minutes dragged on, you found your curiosity piquing.  To your knowledge nobody else had simply stayed as stagnant as he had, and something about his solid devotion warranted a visit from your buzzing mind.  Thus, you poked your head from the bushes, took a few steps towards him, and began, "Hi."

The boy nearly jumped from his seat, his face turning ghostly white, eyes growing wider than the moon, falling back on his hands with his lumbar region hitting the step behind him to stop him from completely toppling over.  

"Oh!  I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," you apologized, raising your hand to your mouth, partially to hide your smile from the humorous extent of his panic.  Of course he would've been a bit startled, that was understandable, but something about his expression struck a chord within your mind, and you held back a laugh as you gestured to his side.  "May I sit here?"

Flustered, he nodded profusely, still appearing as though he'd just witnessed a mass murder.

You took your seat next to him, but rather than keeping it at that you imitated his posture, leaning back upon the palms of your hands, feeling the gritty yet foot-worn cement steps beneath your fingers as your eyes caught the blue skies in a rounded aquarium of wonder, taking on the view that he had, and imaginably the view that so many others did, both on their first days as fledgling learners til the day they walked out the door a graduate, a Pro Hero.  As the weight of it all seeped into your bones you couldn't help but wonder just how many had seen that view once, less even twice.  You wondered how many people had wanted to see that view, and the math in your mind murmured numbers far greater than you'd relied upon for prior answers.  And still you wondered if your parents wanted to see that view for themselves, both when they were children or even now, and if they'd want to have their child experience it.

You wondered if you wanted to see that view.

After a few moments of silence, sheerly to get you out of your thoughts, you inquired, "What's your name?"

Once more the boy was scared by her sudden confrontational constitution.  He shifted a bit uncomfortably in his own skin and replied, slowly, "Me?  Oh, I'm - Izuku Midoriya."

You nodded.  "Izuku Midoriya."  The words spoken aloud, to nobody in particular, allowed you a chance at pondering them over.  "That's a nice name."  Could you see a Pro Hero whose real name was Izuku Midoriya?  Perhaps, albeit the sight of the somewhat-scrawny, messy-headed baby-faced boy next to you didn't quite conjure up a complete image of anything, much less a professional.

He started blankly at you for a moment before continuing.  "Thank you.  What's yours?"

"[Y/n] [l/n]," you answered casually, letting a yawn escape from you.  It was only then that you noticed the sun beginning to set, the blues of the skies fading into oranges, pinks, and purples, casting shadows long and far all around the two of you.  After a heartbeat you asked, "What are you doing here, Izuku?"

He paused and put a finger to his chin, clearly considering his options.  Nevertheless the answer came quickly, with a smile.  "I really admire this place."

You offered a faux nod, agreeing in act but not heart.  "It is the best hero academy in the nation, maybe even the world."  Even after awhile of conversing, you did not have it in you to look him straight in the eyes, so your pupils remained skyward.

"Well, that's not entirely why.  I just want to learn how to be a hero."  His confession spilled from his lips like flowing water to a pool.

You were a bit taken aback by his suddenness, somehow coming close to matching even your own.  Learn how to be a hero, hm?  There were certainly some things that just couldn't be taught, no matter what was said, tried, or hoped and wished desperately for.  But even with all that said, you asked yourself if he had it in him.  "You want to learn how," you finally summarized, "but do you want to be a hero?"

"W-well of course!"  But his voice was riddled with anxiety, and you doubted his answer fully, wondering what precisely it was that was holding him back from being a hero, or wanting to be a hero.  You cast a nearly inadvertent glance to your left arm, but tore away when it swayed, limply as ever, in a brief breeze.

You slowly acknowledged his words.  The summer was still in full swing, but with the falling darkness, even your sweater couldn't seem to keep you warm.  "Well then...I wish you luck."

It took him a moment to respond, as though it was the first time anyone had ever said anything along those lines, but finally breathed, "Thank you."

As the chill continued to seep in, you rose to your feet, deciding it best to keep the conversation contained in a cautious manner.  "I have to go.  See you around?" Yet you offered him little time to reply.

"W-wait!  Do you mean here?  Are you applying to U.A., too?"

But you had already walked off, gone with the wind.

Besides - even if you could hear his voice, you had no suitable answer with which to supply him.