Hero. That's the only thing Yumi Midoriya had ever wanted to be. Someone who people could look up to and rely upon. Someone who kept people safe, someone like her parents, Izuku and Ochako Midoriya. And as common as it was - and still is - it was her dream. A dream that was unreachable.

~~~

The young girl twirled her pen around her finger, staring at the cover of the brand new notebook that laid open on the desk. She pressed the tip of the pen to the cover, writing a collection of words down.

"Yumi! Your amazing brother is here!" Goru swung the door of Yumi's bedroom open, leapt inside, pulled his younger sister out of her chair and into a hug.

Yumi laughed awkwardly, gently patting her brother's arm, hoping that he would loosen his grip on her. Her older brother got the hint, letting her go, somewhat reluctantly.

"Pat pat," Goru said as he patted his sister's head. "What are you doing up so late huh?"

Yumi gave her brother a questioning look. "You're the one that just came barging into my room" she pouted, slightly irritated that her peaceful atmosphere had been interrupted. But knowing that her brother was moving out tomorrow brought a sudden sensation of longing.

"Hey. Don't look too upset. I know I'm amazing and you can't live without me-" Goru said with a smug look on his face, to which Yumi unconsciously rolled her eyes, "-but I know you'll be fine. Besides, you'll have Saika, and you could always call on that funny Teijo to karate chop those bullies" Goru laughed.

Yumi forced a laugh, attempting to hide her nervousness. Goru saw through his sister's mirthless laugh and looked at her, dead serious.

"Hey. I really think you should tell Mum and Dad about what's been going on at school."

Yumi hastily shook her head. "Mum and Dad already have a lot to deal with. And it's like you said, I'll be fine."

Goru gave out an elongated sigh.

"Well, goodnight."

"Night" Yumi replied as Goru quietly shut the door.

---

Yumi raised her hand and waved alongside her parents, her sad gaze fixated on her brother and the train he was in, only looking away once it disappeared out of sight.

Her mother, Ochako, shed a tear as she watched her eldest child go. The family had been elated when they received the white envelope, and the contents inside. They had celebrated Goru's acceptance into U.A. with a massive party, inviting their relatives. And now, that's where he was heading to. The number one hero school in Japan, U.A. High.

Yumi didn't even realise her parents were talking to her - she was too caught up in her thoughts to notice.

"Yumi!"

She snapped back into reality.

Her father, Izuku, softened his hardened gaze when she turned to him.

"Let's go. You don't want to be late on your first day back do you?"

"I guess not."

Yumi clutched the straps of her bag tightly as she quietly followed her parents into the car. They dropped off Ochako at the hero agency, and Izuku drove the rest of the way to one of the many places Yumi dreaded to be at.

"Yumi."

"Yes?"

"You know, if something's bothering you, you can tell me."

Yumi, who had been lazily staring out at the blurring trees beyond the car window, suddenly swivelled her head around when she heard those words.

"I'm fine Dad. Nothing's bothering me" Yumi lied. The car pulled up to the front gates. Yumi gave her dad a hug and sprinted out of the car before her dad could utter another word.

---

Yumi untucked her chair and sat down on the wooden seat, pulling one of her comic books out of her bag. Whenever she heard the door open, she would look up from the pages, hoping that it was her best friend, Saika Todoroki, who had entered. When Yumi saw that it wasn't, she would drop her gaze down to her book, mentally praying that no one would approach her. It wasn't that she disliked having conversations. She just never knew what to say to those who she wasn't close too, often stumbling on her words when talking to someone other than her family members, Saika, and Teijo Iida, who was enrolled at another school. So when her bullies came flocking into the classroom and towered over her desk, no words came out of her mouth.

---

Saika reached forward to open the door to the all too familiar classroom, eyes immediately scanning the room for the recognisable tuft of green hair. Her gaze drifted over to a figure hunched over their desk with a group of girls surrounding it. Their mocking laughter could be heard from the other side of the classroom. Saika rolled her eyes and stormed over to her defenseless friend.

"Such a loser!" One girl sneered, glaring at the cowering female before her.

"Don't act like you're actually wanted in this world! If you had a quirk, then maybe people wouldn't think you're so useless."

"Hey! Stop it!" The girls turned around to see Saika standing there with her hands on her hips and eyes narrowed.

"She may be quirkless, but she's more of a hero than you'll ever be!" Saika expected a lame comeback or snarky comment, but she got nothing. Instead, the girls muttered between themselves and shuffled over to their seats.

Yumi looked up at her best friend with a relieved expression, her eyes shining with gratitude. "Thanks... I didn't think they'd leave me alone..."

Saika flashed Yumi a smile, "Of course! You think I'd let them bully my best friend?"

Yumi's eyes swelled with tears as she parted her lips to say something. Before the two girls could continue their conversation any further, their teacher walked into the room and demanded silence from the rowdy class. He held up a sheet of paper and cleared his throat as he began to speak. "Welcome back. I'm not going to waste precious time talking nonsense that you all know, so I'll just get straight to the lesson. Alright...firstly, I have a list of all the schools you're planning to attend, and your chosen career paths. And as expected, the majority of you have all said you want to be heroes!"

The whole class erupted in cheers while Yumi sank back in her seat, looking around nervously as if someone was going to call her out, which was unsurprisingly common. Saika shot the green-haired girl a sympathetic look before the teacher continued.

"Anyways, interestingly, I see only a few of you have chosen to try out for U.A.... Let's see... Todoroki, Nakamura, Watanabe, Ito, and- oh, Midoriya."

The previous roars of excitement died down and the whole room went silent as everyone turned their heads to face the small girl sitting in the back of the room.

Somehow, Yumi slid further down on her seat so that the top of her head was barely visible over the desk. The silent room was suddenly filled with a mixture of different expressions. Some people burst out laughing, as they found the idea of a quirkless girl attending U.A. amusing. Others had their hands over their mouths, stifling their giggles. The rest just stared at the green-haired girl.

"The try-hard thinks she can get into U.A.?!" someone yelled.

Saika opened her mouth to retort when she saw Yumi slowly standing up. The pink-haired girl quickly shut her mouth as she waited to see what her friend had to say.

"No..." was the first thing Yumi said, barely above a whisper. Somehow, the class managed to catch on and stopped laughing, ready to listen and watch what she had to say so they could make fun of her even further.

"I'm not..." she continued, clenching her fists. "I'm not a loser. I may be quirkless, but I'm not a loser! The only reason you guys call me a try-hard is because you all know that I'm working towards my goals! Unlike you, I'm actually putting in the effort to becoming a hero! I may not have a quirk... but that doesn't mean I don't have a chance. So you can take back everything you said, or not. I don't care. What you say doesn't matter, because I'm going to make it in, whether you believe it or not!"

After she spoke, she quickly sat back down, staring straight at her hands that rested on her skirt as she fiddled with her thumbs. She expected them to burst out laughing once more, saying things like, "Wow, nice speech!" or, "You think a pity party will make you feel better?" But no one said anything. Not a word. They were all shocked.

Yumi had always been known as a shy and timid girl to the class. She had never stood up for herself. Until now, that is. The teacher awkwardly cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the class.

"Well, then... um, why don't we get back to the task at hand?"

Yumi couldn't focus after that. She was too shocked by what she had just said. She didn't know she had it in her to fight back, but oddly enough, it gave her hope. Hope that if she was able to stand up for herself, and that if she was able to not give up, then maybe she had a chance. Maybe she had what it took to be a hero. Of course, she had hero parents and a hero-in-training brother, but that's not what made her a hero-to-be. No, what made her a hero was her desire to fulfil her dreams, to help those in need. She was going to be a hero.

---

Yumi's head collided with the wall behind her before she slid down to the cold floor. The girl's attackers stood towering over her, staring down with cold, relentless eyes at the person who they despised the most. All Yumi wanted to do was purchase the textbook the teacher asked them to buy, but her bullies had other ideas. Realising that no one was around, it suddenly dawned on the girl that she was the only one who could save herself. Yumi stared back up at the leader, forcing a brave face as she lifted herself off the ground. She stood, staring at her feet as an awkward silence followed. She could feel the intense and loathsome gaze of her assailant, making what little confidence she had waver. Yumi waited, expecting Kayoko to say something, but no words came out of her foul mouth. The green-haired girl hesitantly shifted the position of her foot.

"You're not going anywhere, Yumi" Kayoko snarled, spitting out Yumi's name in a cold manner.

Yumi dropped her head. She thought of what had happened in class earlier. She lifted it up to face Kayoko.

"I'll...I'll be a hero! I will!" Yumi screamed.

Kayoko curled her fist, trembling with anger. She punched Yumi, causing the latter to stumble backwards, a familiar metallic taste on her lip from the extreme force of the punch. Kayoko drew back her hand, ready to strike the whimpering girl again.

"Hey, Ka, maybe we should stop-"

"Why would I do that?!"

"You know who her parents are! Deku might crush you if he found out!"

"Who cares? She wouldn't tell! I don't even like Deku anyways!" the girl spat. Kayoko cleared her throat, then stared back at the terrified girl in front of her.

"...Why do you hate me? Is not having a quirk really that bad?" Yumi asked with a meek voice, not daring to make eye contact. Kayoko ran her hands through her hair in frustration.

"That's not the only reason! You always meddle when you're not needed, thinking that you're so cool and heroic! When in reality, you're not doing anyone a favour! You only make matters worse!"

Yumi blinked. This wasn't the answer she had been expecting. Kayoko would've continued on, but a voice rang out. The girls scattered away, leaving Yumi alone for a moment. Saika came running up to her, alarm painted on her face.

"Yumi! Are you okay? Oh my gosh, you're bleeding!"

The brown-eyed girl responded with a brief nod.

"I have to go. I'll see you later Saika."

"But-"

Yumi ran off, making sure that Saika's anxious shouts were far off in the distance. Yumi came to a halt when she knew she was far enough, and drew a small cloth out of her pocket, pressing it to her cut. Tears pricked her eyes. Surprised, she wiped them away. Yumi bitterly exhaled and continued on her way, but the thoughts that clouded her mind prevented her from thinking straight.

As she continued onwards, she headed towards the bookshop she knew so well. The automatic doors slid open and she stepped inside, into a place she knew like the palm of her hand. The textbooks were lined up against the back corner shelf, just as they always had been. It was extremely difficult for Yumi to move right past the fictional books that stood neatly on their shelves on either side of her. She had always been fond of reading, it was her favourite thing to do after all. It had become a habit of hers to walk into a bookstore and browse the selection for hours. No one else was by the textbooks, except for one boy. Once he had spun around, clutching a textbook in his hand, Yumi could see that he resembled someone. He had spiky hair that was a shade of peach, and red eyes that were focused on the wooden floor beneath the soles of his shoes. He walked past her, their shoulders bumping into one another. The boy looked back at her, his features displaying an irritated look.

Yumi just ducked her head apologetically, feeling a tad bit awkward. She heard the boy give out a heavy and tired sigh.

"Sorry."

"U-Um...it's f-fine!" Yumi spluttered, not entirely sure of what to say. The spiky-haired boy ignored her last sentence, going over to the cashier and paying for his textbook.

When she glanced back at the bookshelf, she realised that the book she needed wasn't in stock. She sighed. It was at that moment that a deafening thud and piercing screams came from outside.

The boy dropped his textbook as he ran out, closely followed by Yumi.

The monstrous villain pounded his fist into the sign that was hanging over the bookshop. It came crashing down in different-sized fragments. The boy pushed Yumi away before he leapt up into the air, directing his hand towards the falling pieces of the sign. Yumi watched an explosion ignite from his hand, blasting the pieces to an unoccupied and already destroyed spot on the ground, so as to not harm civilians with the sharp fragments. The boy then turned to face the villain, scowling.

"Tch. This is such a pain."

The villain stretched out his enlarged claw hand to reach the unfazed boy, but was intercepted by a pro-hero who had just arrived at the scene. In a matter of minutes, the amateur villain was taken down and brought away by the police.

The boy moved away from all the commotion as soon as the villain had been restrained and taken away. Yumi cautiously moved inside the bookshop, picked up the textbook he had already paid for, then chased after him.

"H-Hey! W-Wait up!"

He stopped in his tracks.

"Um, y-you left this!" Yumi held his book out. The boy glanced at it, then took it out of her hands. He mumbled the words, 'thank you'.

"T-Thank you too!Forbeforewiththewholesignincident!" Yumi blurted out a little too fast. He just gave a brief nod.

"Your quirk, it's really amazing! It's like Katsuki Bakugo's! You know, the Number Two Pro-Hero!" Yumi said to him. It was only afterwards that she realised it was bit of a dumb thing to say. Who didn't know the top pro-heroes?

"I know. He's my dad."

Yumi stared at him dumbfounded. Her face must've looked ridiculous, because his unamused face broke into a small smile as he let out a chuckle. "I'm Satoshi Bakugo."

It was a little upsetting to see his face revert back to a cold frown that showed little emotion. He began walking in the opposite direction, and Yumi watched his silhouette vanish around a corner. She left in the other direction for the train station, her mind processing what had just happened. She stepped onto the platform and took a seat. As she waited for the train, her mind wandered.

***

The little girl looked back and forth from her mum to dad, who both had confused and distressed faces.

"It's very rare, but it is possible for children to have a quirk unrelated to their parents. So, regarding Yumi's quirk, in simpler terms, her quirk was to erase itself once it manifested."

"...So does that mean...?"

The doctor nodded his head gravely. Izuku turned to his daughter, struggling to say the next few words. She looked up at him with curious eyes, obviously not quite grasping the situation. Izuku knew that she had always wanted to be like him - she had stated it so many times.

"I'm sorry Yumi, but you're...quirkless."

***

Yumi got off the train, continuing to walk in the direction of her house, stopping only once to purchase her textbook. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out to see a message from her dad, saying that he and Ochako wouldn't be home till late and that she could buy what she wanted for dinner. Yumi decided to go to her favourite udon place. She took a detour, walking for a tiring twenty minutes, but in the end, the delicious udon would be worth it. Besides, she was used to this lifestyle.

It wasn't part of her plan to stop at the alleyway she had just passed, but she saw something out of the corner of her eyes. She looked at the scene unfolding in front of her in disbelief. A little girl was being dragged by the arm. The tall female gripped her arm with her long fingernails so tightly that blood started to appear. Before she even had a chance to think, Yumi's shoes were pounding against the gravel beneath her.

Something stopped her.

I can't do it. I only make matters worse.

Yumi quickly turned to the other direction, trying to spot someone who could help. She felt helpless, hating that she couldn't save the girl from the villain right in front of her. Yet if she even tried to intervene, she knew the outcome would be worse. It was better if she stayed out of it. That's when she heard it. The little girl's voice calling desperately for help.

Yumi rushed forward without any hesitation. Without realising it, the steps she were taking were leading her closer to her goal of becoming a hero. And to everyone who had doubted her, it was shocking to find out that this girl, Yumi Midoriya, became the number one hero, the new Symbol of Peace.

I should know.

That girl is me.

This is my story.