I'd be lying if I ever said I wasn't satisfied with my life. In fact, I would even go as far to say that I have a pretty good one. And why wouldn't I?

    I live in a world where superheroes are a real thing! Where having powers is now more common than not, and the world is so full of excitement. Sometimes I just can't help but feel like I am the main character with big things coming my way!

     For starters, my grandma was a great hero! I never met her, since she died before I was ever born, but I've heard some pretty cool things just from searching her name online and reading about the people she saved!

     My mom has always been super kind to me, and though my sister Hana and I don't get along as well as we used to, we're still there for each other. My grandpa and grandma are sweet people too. My daaad, eh, nobody really talks about him anymore. But, guess he sends us money, so there's that at least!

     But what's craziest of all has got to be my childhood best friend, (Y/n) Shigaraki! Just being around her gave me confidence; made me feel like I could tackle anything; that I was destined to do great things one day!

     On top of her always being super chill and confident, always a solid rock to lean on during the most hectic parts of my life, she also had an AWESOME quirk! Like, I mean, it was crazy!!

     She could trade people's quirks! Take them away and give them back! Or, at least, that's what she always told me.

     Unfortunately... I learned a little late just how few of the things she said were actually true. That she had lied to me most of our lives and I never knew. 

-------------------------

     "...So what do you want to do when you grow up?" Tenko ambled, scraping his heals over the pavement as he went. His hands gripped one another behind his neck, looking up at the sky as twilight came. A few stars poked through the deep blue. Strangely enough, neither him nor his best friend were worried about her parents inevitably discovering them sneaking out. Because no matter what happened, at the end of the day, they had each other to support.

     ...Everything would be fine.
              As long as they had each other.

     "Um... A hero I guess?" She scraped her shoes along the sidewalk, hands tucked into her pockets.

     "What do you mean, 'you guess'? You'd be an amazing hero, (Y/n)!"

     "You..really think so? I mean, I always thought this power was better suited for villains.. or- or vigilantes or something!" Now that was just offensive to her dark-haired friend. (Y/n)? A villain!? No WAY!

     "Nahhh! If you want to be a hero, then you're going to be a hero! We can be partners if you want! Or even build a whole team of heroes! And you can give everyone little quirks that will help their main ones!"

     She started to chuckle nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "I...guess so. That might work." Tenko tackled her side, wrapping an arm around his friend's shoulders happily. "Um... Tenny?"

     "Yeah?"

     "Have you ever... Nevermind."

     "Ughh, spt it out, (Y/n)! Especially if it's important!"

     "Okay okay!" She inhaled slowly, then exhaled. "...I've been having... dreams, lately." Tenko rose a brow.

     "What sort of dreams? Nightmares?"

     "I'm- um. No.. Kinda like visions...of- of another world!"

     "Huh?"

     "Just-- ...Promise me you won't turn evil, okay?" She shrunk a little, still held in his side hug. She didn't notice, but Tenko started to blush, realizing how close he now was to the girl he kinda maybe sorta had a little itty bitty crush on.

     Tenko's brows furrowed slightly. "Why would I ever do that??"

     "I-it could happen to anyone, really! Just.. being sure."

     "...Hm.. Alright. But you have to promise me you won't turn evil either, okay?!" He shook the girl playfully, making her laugh.

     Prying his arm off her shoulder. "Okay! Okay! I won't!.. You don't have to worry about me." She stared directly into Tenko's eyes, her own glistening like starlight. So beautiful and whole. He couldn't even believe a girl like her was actually his friend. Little-old-him, friends with a literal angel!

      Oh...crap. He really loved her, didn't he?

---------------

     "MOM!?!!!?" Her scream tore through the house. Even outside, he could hear it. "MOM-MOM-MOM-NO-NO-NO-NO!!!" Sent into a panic, the boy shoved open the window and crawled into the house. He fell through her bedroom door into the rest of the house. His eyes scanned widely through the dark house, breaths short and raspy.

     "(Y/N)??! What's going on in there!?" Tenko called as he ran into the living room. Turning, the boy gasped at the sight before him. There she was, his best friend since childhood, standing weakly in a puddle of blood, doused in its red. Her whole body was trembling, that expression of hers going on to haunt Tenko for years to come. "(Y/n)?? OH MY GOD!!!" Slash wounds tore apart her skin, at their worst on her forearms. But, worst of all was probably the withered woman laying on the ground beside her. Her mom!

     "I- I DIDN'T MEAN TO!-" She shouted with terror filled eyes.

     "MEAN TO WHAT???" He was at a loss. His heart was thumping over the sound of his own thoughts.

     "GE-GET AWAY FROM ME!!!"

     "WAIT, (Y/N)!!!" He couldn't follow. He tripped over his own foot and fell before the puddle of blood. He called some more as the girl ran to the front door and completely destroying it with one touch. A wall of flames sprung up behind her. Tenko was even more confused. Was this a nightmare? It had to be! But, then when did he fall asleep?! ... "(Y/n)..." His eyes filled with tears.

     Could she always use her quirks? Why didn't she tell him? What else was she hiding from him?

     Where was she going?

     "Please... Please come back..."

     That day, the best friend he ever had, the one who always stuck by his side...left.

---------------

     "Hey, Tenko.. has Striker returned yet?" Another close gamer friend of his, a boy who often teamed with Tenko and (Y/n) online, croaked into the mic.

     His smile dropped immediately, hands so weak and shaky he couldn't even hold the controller anymore. Tears sprung into his eyes. "D###it, not again." He rubbed at his face aggressively. He'd cried just yesterday too. "No..." He mumbled. It had been two weeks already. All he could do was keep texting his old friend in hopes that she'd respond one day.

     "Oh..." His other gamer friend, a kid Tenko's age simply known as 'Default101', set down his controller as well. "..I'm sorry."

     "No..no. It's okay."

     "She.. was a good friend..."

     Tenko stared down at his lap, watery eyes spilling tears as his frown trembled. "IS a good friend... (Y/n) is strong. She wouldn't die like some weakling." Nah, he was more worried that she would never return.

...

     "Wish I could leave my room... Might actually visit you."

     Sniffing, "Huh, really??" He wiped the tears away. "Thanks. I bet you could, if you just built up the courage."

     "Nah... I... I gave up trying a long time ago..."

     "Mmh.. Alright." Then Tenko gasped. "I could come visit you!"

     "Wai-wait what?! Me!?"

     "Of course, idiot! Who else am I talking to?!"

     "We-we-wel-well-well I- I- I'm not so sure you would really like meeting me in person!"

     "Of course I would! We've been friends for two years now!"

     "Well-um-well-yeah-but!-- Hhhhh... I'm an animorph. I don't..I don't look right."

     Tenko gaped. "That's so cool."

     Growling, "No, really, it isn't."

     "Wait, what do you look like?!"

     Kinda offended, the gamer swallowed, knowing Tenko was too kind to turn around and insult him immediately after. But..that paranoia lingered as he pried open his lips.

     "...I look like a...lizard..."

     :0 "Can you climb up walls??"

     "Yeah?"

     "Do you have a tail??"

     "No? C-can you shut up about my looks now?"

     "No but that's really cool! You're like the ninja turtles, but cooler!"

     "Huh??? I don't get it. Are you making fun of me or not?"

     "I'M NOT!"

     "Oh.."

     "Sorry if I'm sounding rude. I'm not trying to." Tenko smiled. "Just.. knowing what you look like somehow makes me feel closer to you as a friend... Ya know? Yu-you already know I have basic black hair and red eyes, right?"

     "Yeah?"

     "What color is your hair, if you have hair."

     "No, no, I got hair." The animorph leaned back, catching a glimpse of himself in the reflection of a powered off monitor. Dang, he really didn't take care of his hair one bit. "..It's...it's pink."

     "And your eyes??"

     "Pinkish red...a lot like yours." He smiled while looking at himself in the reflection for once. His biggest fear was that Tenko was waiting for the perfect time to make fun of him, but...as the conversation progressed.. this was just Tenko being Tenko.

----------------

     A couple months later, "Were you really serious about coming over to visit me?"

     "Well I visited (Y/n), didn't I?"

     "Yeah but.. she was, like, your best friend."

     "And you aren't??"

     "I... Well.."

------------------

     A year later, the animorph, or now known as Iguchi, finally built up the courage to ask Tenko to come and visit. But with this new step came a wave of intense dread.

     "Crap, I shouldn't have said yes to him coming over!" Iguchi was in a frenzy to clean up his room. He kept putting it off for later until Tenko suddenly announced he was on his way. His room was such a mess too. Crippling depression hadn't really helped him much when it came to making himself or his room look functional in any way. He was panicked, heart racing so bad it ached. It got so bad that halfway through he just gave up and curled up into a ball in the middle of his trashy room. He laid like that helplessly for several more minutes until a commotion stirred outside his room. His mother's voice squawked at the newcomer, Tenko having to explain there at the door how he could possibly know her son.

     "Well, he should be in his room right now. Like always.." Iguchi hid his face in his arms, legs pulling closer to his chest. Muffled footsteps slowly approached the poorly lit door. Iguchi's own room was terribly dark. Turning on the lights was always such a pain to his eyes. All the mess.

     "Hey.. Iguchi!.. You in there?"

     "No-!.. I- I mean go away! I was lying when I said you were my only friend; now go away I hate you!" Still hiding his eyes behind two scaly arms. He trembled there on the floor, physically crippled by all the anxiety.

     "Huh!?" Tenko tilted his head until his ear touched his shoulder. "I'm just going to come in, alright?"

     "NO!" But Tenko let himself in, eyes widening slightly at the mess all around. This was truly Iguchi at his lowest. All the teen wanted to do was simply cease existing so he wouldn't have to face this.

     Tenko calmly walked in and closed the door behind himself. His eyes scanned lazily around at all the trashy decor, only occasionally glancing at his friend laying there on the floor. Finally, he sat down on a box sturdy enough to hold his weight, elbows bracing on his knees.

     "I get it. I'm hideous... And no matter what I do, my room is always a mess."

     "Hey!" Glaring. "Don't go putting words in my mouth! I haven't even seen your face yet!" Iguchi whimpered. "...Hhh...." Tenko's fingers fidgeted with each other, soaking in the stench of the place. "...You know my room kinda gets like this too... Heh.. Hana always gets onto me about it when that happens. Calling me a slob."

     "I'll bet it never gets as bad as mine."

     "Yeah... You're right about that...." Tenko sighed. "..But I can't make fun of you for it, now can I..? You're hurting. It would just be rude of me to tease you for that." Tenko then stood and started walking around the room tapping random objects to make them float.

     "What're.. What're you doing??"

     "Helping out! Sometimes, when a mess gets this bad, the only way to fix it is to get some help!.. Heh, I need to train my quirk as much as I can anyways if I want to be as great of a hero as my Nana!"

     "Your grandma was a hero?"

     "Not just a hero~ But one of the best!"

     "Wow... Wait but doesn't your dad hate heroes?"

     "Heheh.. Yeah, but that won't stop me!"

     "Why are you...helping me anyways?" Iguchi sat up, arms finally down at his sides.

     "Hm?" Tenko's head turned swiftly to the other. "Uhhh, why wouldn't I?? You're my friend. I care about you!.. Now come on! We can turn cleaning this place into a game! We can set up a net to throw trash into, a-and-- Iguchi?"

     The animorph's eyes were spilling tears as he stared ahead at his friend. Every crippling fear was being slowly chipped away by this boy's kindness. He couldn't even begin to explain how grateful he was for him. "...A...alright... I'll go get the trash bags."

---------------

     Two years later, Tenko had successfully gotten his friend acclimated to going outdoors. Baby steps. One day at a time until by now the anxiety about being seen by other people was almost completely gone... It just took him wearing a mask over his eyes like the ninja turtles to be 100% comfortable about it. He already had multiple colors of said masks. Today, he wore his red one.

     They used to live a lot further away from each other, but just recently Tenko's mom was on the hunt for a better job, and the boy suggested his friend's hometown. So, now they went to the same middle school together! Iguchi was still terribly shy, rarely ever talking at school unless it was to Tenko or a teacher.

     "You already have a job??" The boys were on their way back from school at the moment.

     "Anything I can do to help out Mom." Tenko smiled. "It's nothing big. Just a.... What was that?" He coulda sworn he saw a shadow moving in the corner of his eye.

     "What was what?" Tenko pointed him out once he saw it. A man dressed entirely in black with some gray scarfs around his neck. He was presently peering around a corner kinda suspicious-like. "Huh? Is he a robber?"

     Tenko gasped. "Oh my gosh, it's Eraserhead!" Shaking his friend by the shoulder.

     "Huh, what?"

     "He's my favorite hero! I even grew out my hair to look more like him! See??"

     "Huh.. Wanna get his autograph?"

     "Nohhh! Just look at that face! He must be on a mission!"

     "Why are you whispering?"

     "SHSHSHSHH!" Tenko covered Iguchi's mouth as the hero in question glanced their way. He stared for a moment. Tenko, uncomfortable, released his friend's face, instead placing his arm on Iguchi's shoulder and waving slyly at the hero. Aizawa's gaze returned to before, easily ignoring the teens. "Ohmygoshhelookedatme."

     Iguchi shoved Tenko's arm off of him. "What do you think he's doing?"

     "I bet he's hunting villains down as we speak."

     "Awesome." As the boys chuckled and grinned, Aizawa suddenly stepped out into the sidewalk, hands in his pockets, striding calmly away. As he walked along, one man elbowed another and nodded the hero's way. The two then turned directions and followed the hero at a distance. "Oh no. Those two look like trouble."

     "Eh. Eraserhead can take them out easy!"

     Three more men suddenly turned around and followed the hero. "He doesn't seem to notice them. Should we help?" Iguchi asked. Tenko whined, apprehensive about getting involved and messing things up. Iguchi rolled his eyes and pat his friend on the back. "Let's at least hang back and watch from a distance."

     "Good idea." The teens crouched some, weaving between the people on the sidewalk to follow the potential thugs tracking after the familiar hero. Eventually, Eraserhead turned into an alley and headed toward a secluded bridge. "Oh noo.. Eraser, no, they'll attack you if you're alone." Tenko murmured. Just as expected, the gang who had previously been acting as casually as possible, like all of this was just a coincidence, suddenly had the hero surrounded.

     The hero shot out his scarf to capture three of the five crooks in one move, activating his quirk to deactivate all of theirs. But they just pulled out blunt weapons and advanced tools to cut through his wraps. The young men sneered, all of them now revealing the fancy devices from under their baggy clothes.

     "HAH! We don't need quirks to take an old man like you down!" The blond mullet one boasted. Aizawa dropped the strips of gray cloth that had been so brutally cut.

     Mumbling, "I turn twenty-six and suddenly I'm old, huh?" He whipped one end of his scarf out. It grabbed the blond by the ankle, and in that moment he yanked the younger man off his feet. "In that case, why aren't you respecting your elders?"

     The fight was on. Tenko and Iguchi stood back at a safe enough distance, passing verbal notes back and forth about the weapons that essentially acted like quirks. Even outnumbered, his quirk rendered useless, Aizawa clearly had the upper hand. He'd knocked every brat down and was just about to say something..when suddenly a new guy. A sixth person, jumped down from the old bridge overhead. Using nothing but a simple bat, he bashed the hero's head in as he fell past.

     Eraser fell limp on the ground. The two teens watching shrieked. "ERASERHEAD, NO!"

     "Huh??" The villains turned their heads to the kids. "Hey! Scram, ya punks!!"

     "Position ten!" Tenko called out. The two sprung into action at once. Thanks to their previous notes, both boys knew exactly who was the strongest and what they might be able to do about it. Tenko pulled a small rock out of his pocket and threw it at the guy standing right in front of him, the blond mullet one. With his quirk, he was able to guide it right into the water gun's barrel and, by wiggling the rock around wildly, tear apart the weapon from the inside-out. It finally started to smoke. The villain dropped the weapon before it completely combusted and drew his knife instead. Iguchi ran around the group, drawing extra fire away from his friend. Tenko, unable to slide past the blondie, used another rock in his pocket to knock the knife out of the man's hand, which then swung back to bruise him on the cheek.

     Tenko dove past, reaching for Eraser, but the back of his shirt was grabbed by the thug and he was tugged up. The boy's hand swung back and touched the man's shirt. Suddenly, his shirt started to float, dragging the man up with it. While he was suspended a few feet in the air, Tenko reeled his leg back and kicked the man between the legs so he'd be released at once. After landing, Tenko tossed the man aside, further down the empty lot. After ducking and dodging two more guys, Tenko reached the fallen hero and touched the back of his shirt. "GOT HIM!" The teen cheered. His quirk dragged Eraserhead away from all the fighting and left him on the ground. On the other side of the group of thugs, Iguchi had already knocked out two guys with the bat that one bridge guy brought. Seeing as these kids were no joke, the thugs ran off with their fallen men, swearing to take their revenge sooner or later.

     Iguchi and Tenko panted like mad. Iguchi dropped the bat. Both sighed in relief. "I... We.. we actually did it!!" They hopped excitedly, failing a high-five, but then just laughed it off. "Man! I felt like a real hero there for a second!"

     "Me too!!"

     "Ugh.. That was..an insanely risky move." Aizawa groaned, picking himself up off the ground. He had a little blood on the side of his face, but looked like the bleeding had stopped already.

     "Eraserhead!? Eraserhead, are you okay!?" Tenko ran up to the hero.

     "Huh? You actually know my name??" This was a surprise.

     "Heee's a..pretty big fan."

     "Uh?.." Noting the similar hairstyle to his own: aka none. "Oh... Well, you boys did a good job. You hung back and studied your opponents first, then only got involved when the professional was knocked out. And even then, you focused on preplanned, coordinated attacks. In fact, if I wasn't trying to get caught, I'd have reason to thank you." Tenko smiled the widest.

     ^-^ ... °-° "Wait, trying to get caught??"

     Aizawa sighed, glancing in the direction those thugs ran off in. When his attention returned to the boys, he had the ugliest smile on. "It's called a logical ruse. And because of you brats, I now have to risk even harsher treatment from gangs even more equipped than those pipsqueaks."

     'v' "We...we're very sorry, sir!"

     "Ghhh," rubbing his head. "Guess I have no reason to get onto you. I would have done the same at your age."

     "If you don't mind me asking, why were you trying to get caught?!"

     "There's some people to see in places I can't reach. People who just so happen to be after my quirk." Gesturing to his eyes. "Either of you injured, by the way?"

     "Nah, my skin's tough as nails!" Iguchi flexed his reptilian-like arm.

     "I have a couple scrapes but otherwise I'm good!" Tenko assured the hero. The elder smiled slightly and turned around.

     "Good to hear. Now get lost before--" Conviction stopped the man dead in his tracks. The kids stared as he physically fought with himself between continuing forward and turning around. Even argued under his breath. The decision to turn around won out. The hero diverted his eyes, scratching the back of his head. "...Say... Are either of you boys interested in becoming a hero?"

     Both boys smiled. Tenko the widest. "Of course we are!! We've been training together for two years now!"

     "By 'training,' he means practicing battle strategies in videogames."

     "HEY! It still sorta counts!!"

     "Hmh." That was the hero's weak chuckle, staring down at these kids with faint interest. "Tell me this, then. Where do you see yourself in ten years?" Aizawa crossed his arms while he waited.

      "I think being a hero would be pretty nice. Though I don't really care where I ra--"

     "-I want to be the number one hero like All Might and my grandma, Nana were!! So that way I can make everyone feel safe again like before when All Might was alive!"

     "Oh?" Wait.. grandma? Now that he thought about it, he did look eerily similar to- "Shimura?"

     "Yeah! So you know about my grandma too??" Aizawa stared at the teen in shock. So this...was the seventh wielder's grandson?

     "...I will admit.. you acted as a surprisingly good leader for a kid your age." Rubbing his chin. "I can't really talk about this now, but if you ever want to know a secret about heroism, meet me here alone later tonight."

     °▽°👆 "As much as I respect you as a hero you are also a stranger and that offer you just made sounds incredibly suspicious so I will politely decline your offer."

     Diverting his eyes suddenly, "You're right that did sound pretty creepy -ahh... H-how about I just explain it here then?" The hero then plucked a hair out of his head and held it out to the kid while again possessing that creepy smile. ⌓‿⁠⌓ "Eat this."

     ・v・ ... ﾟv  ﾟ "How is this any better?"

     "Ghh, uh, um.. Gosh. I really wasn't expecting to stumble upon someone like you so early."

     "Huh??"

     Aizawa looked all around. As he hoped, there was hardly a soul in sight. Just some passing strangers with their backs already turned to them. "Guess I'll just have to show you."

     Eraserhead stuck out his hand to form a  finger gun pointed at no one in particular. After squinting, focusing long and hard, a pathetic little strip of black energy wiggled forth from his fingers. "Aha! See? Another quirk." He smiled uncharacteristically bright, honestly impressed with himself for even accomplishing that. The two teens squinted suspiciously at it.

     "Kinda gross." Iguchi.

     "But, you're right. I can't see that having anything to do with your quirk." Tenko was officially intrigued.

     "Alright now check this one out." After the hero said that, a small puff of purple cloud grew around him until he was almost completely hidden in it. "See? Cool thing is I can still see through it."

     "Why are they so lame though?" Iguchi.

     "I never cared to train with them." =_=

     "Wooahhh." Late response. Alright, now that was pretty cool! This took Tenko back to when he was really little and (Y/n) used to let him play with random quirks she found. Eventually, though, she had to stop, saying that all the switching between quirks was what was making him weaker. "Wait, won't having that many quirks at once slowly kill you?"

     "How did you know that was a thing?"

     Shrugging, diverting his eyes, "Just a hunch."

     "Well, you're on point. Without any help, my life would've been instantly chopped in half the moment I received this quirk. But luckily someone was kind enough to give me a quirk that essentially makes me immortal."

     :0 "Woah."

     "Wait!! When-how did you get those quirks?!"

     ... "You two promise not to tell anybody?" Both boys nodded furiously. "Hmm..." Not exactly satisfied, but oh well. "To be honest," staring down at his hands, "I'm not entirely sure how it all works myself. ... All Might passed it on to me right before he died only a couple months ago. He didn't have much time to explain, but he said that this quirk is the kind that gets passed down from generation to generation in hopes of defeating All For One. ...Oh yeah. The quirk is called One For All."

     "Wait, the farty one or the tentacle one?" Tenko elbowed Iguchi for the slander.

     "Neither, but also both... Um, basically, this power gets passed down to one person, takes the power of said person, then moves on to the next person, doubling the power in a way. One For All on its own is merely an energy collector, but I guess, with me at least, it reached a point to where I can actually use the quirks of the past users now. I don't really need any of them, though, so I just stick with my own. And besides, I'd only be painting another target on my back for revealing I had One For All."

     "Not gunna lie, that's actually pretty cool." The animorph admitted, arms limp at his sides. Tenko was bubbling with excitement.

     "That's so cool, though!! You should train all of your quirks, beat that All of Wan, and become the number one hero! It would be super easy for you!!"

     "See. That's where my issue resides." Aizawa faced the teens more directly, sliding his hands back into his pockets. "You see, I had no intention to ever become the 'symbol of peace.' And All Might knew that. So he just told me not to worry about it; instead focus on finding someone else who was willing to take up that mantle.. And, finally, that is where you come in." Gesturing to Tenko. The young one beamed, now finally realizing what this was all about. "You've already proven to be a resourceful, capable fighter who can lead others to do the same. You're also the kind of person I can imagine All Might would be fond of. And since this is all part of his dying wish.." Aizawa landed his hand on the teen's shoulder, lending him a small, confident smirk. "I say why can't you have this quirk instead of me..? Become that hero you thought I could become with it."

     Tenko hopped giddily, overcome with excitement. "This is so cool! Of course I'll take it!! And I'll become the best hero the world has ever seen!!!"

     "Sheeeesh, not so loud, kid."

     "I-- I'm sorry!!"

     "Sorry, by the way," talking to Iguchi. "Nothing against you."

     "Meh, I don't really care. I'm a proud third-wheeler." The teen crossed his arms, trying to look cool. He failed. It kinda stung that he wasn't being offered this power. But then again... Yeahhh, Tenko deserved it way more than he ever did!

     "Unfortunately, since this quirk is so powerful, your body will need a bit more bulking up before passing it on." Sighing. "Soo.. Guess that means I'm in charge of someone else's dietary and workout schedule now..." Rubbing the bridge of his nose.

     "Ooo! Can Iguchi join me please?!"

     "Hhhhh make that two..."

---------------

     "Ta-daa~! Here we are!" You stood beside the child, the two of you having just arrived at a trash filled beach. It honestly wasn't as bad as you expected it to be. Though, there was still junk thrown everywhere. The little Izuku stared up at you curiously.

     "Um... What does this have to do with training?"

     You flamboyantly threw your arm around, stopping at last to point dramatically at the wall of trash. "You are going to help me clean up all this garbage!!"

. . . Zooming out to see the whole beach. . .

     In a shrill voice, "WHAT!?!"

---------------

     Both training montages commence. Tenko and Iguchi were physically trained along the much simpler route such as going to the gym and jogging. Since Aizawa technically didn't live in that city, he just made sure to visit on occasion to ensure they were sticking to the schedule and eating according to their diets. The two teens were lucky to have someone to suffer through all this with. Though it took the two a few months to even see any results, by month three, they were really starting seeing some positive results!

     Izuku wasn't expected to train quite as hard. For him, it was mainly working on persistence, which he was actually pretty good at already. He was only ten too, so it wasn't like you could expect him to work out real hard for long periods of time. There was plenty of beach to clean anyways. May as well take it slow and have him finish up by the time he was old enough to attend UA.

     However, this training wasn't all just for him. Primarily, it was actually for you. Because you also wanted to be physically ready for when UA orientation came around! And though your muscles were already well enough defined from all those cage fights, endurance was your real goal now. So if by chance you couldn't finish an opponent swiftly, you wouldn't be the one to tire out first.

     But training Izuku was a great secondary reason to help motivate you.

--------------------

     "You doing alright, man?" Iguchi leaned forward, arms draped over his knees, feet propped up on the bench chair as well. Tenko sat beside him, forlornly staring down at the sad melting ice cream cone in his hand.

     It was finally summer break. They were so close to reaching their goals. But today had been especially tough for him.

     "...(Y/n) and I used to go out to get ice cream together for her birthday."

     "Huh?"

     "When we were really little, heh, we'd beg her mom to take us to the store and pick out a birthday present for her... She never liked surprises, so we'd include her in the gift grabbing process...heheh.." weak chuckle.

     "Um...okay? That's cute, but-"

     "-Today is her birthday."

     "...Oh."

     Tenko smiled weakly. "...I just hope she's having fun today."

-----------

     Shoeless, stockless, you stood with bare feet in a clean section of the beach. Sun setting before your eyes, you stared at the beauty with a cold, distant stare.

     You never told people about your birthday anymore. Nobody at the Shie Hassaikai really cared nor asked about it. And naturally you avoided your dad as much as possible.

     There was nothing exceptionally special about your birthday anyway. It was an overrated celebration sort of thing. There was no reason to celebrate you.

     "(Y--..Y/n)!!" Izuku ran up to the beach. He slowed to a stop not far beside you. "What is it, (Y/n)?"

     The dead, dull look in your eyes faded into something softer as he approached. You were nearly smiling by the time you looked down at him. "Look around us." You smirked. "See anything different?"

     Izuku spun in a circle. "Uhh, it's cleaner?"

     "Exactly! You did that! Look at what you did." You crossed your arms, smiling at the dent the two of you had made in the trash heap.

     The boy gaped, but then he gasped at you angrily. "That's not true! You did most of it!"

     "Ehh, fifty-fifty.." He stared up at you. "Fine. Thirty-seventy.. Point is," You placed your hand on the boy's head and ruffled his thick, green hair. "even if it looks like you're not getting anything done, as long as you're working hard at something, you're always going to make progress. You just need to look back every now and then to see where you were before."

     Izuku picked your hand up off of his head by the wrist. "Yeah but how do I become a hero?" You flicked at one of his curls one last time before leaving his hair be. "I'm quirkless, and everybody else says I can't."

     You chuckled softly. "Unfortunately, I can't risk telling you anything about the future. That might change the way things are supposed to play out."

     "Awh..." He looked at the limp hand he was still holding over his head. "Hey, why do you have holes in your hands?" You pulled your hand from him finally, feeling the strange indents that only in your teenhood started to deepen.

     "It's just part of my quirk I guess." You usually kept your palms hidden, which typically resulted in a very well practiced kind of body language.

     "Oh, cool."

     "Heh...yeah." Sighing. Without warning, you sat down on the sand, legs crossing. An elbow resting on your knee propped up your hand which carried your chin on its fist. You stared dully again at the setting sun. Izuku, after scanning around silently, sat beside you, also facing the waves. 

. . .

     It was nice having company.

     "Hey, um. Just letting you know real quick."

     "Hm?" The kid's head turned to you.

     "...I'm going to make it my goal to lead you by example, alright? Y'know. So all you have to do is watch me and know what you're supposed to do."

     "A? Does that mean you're going to become a hero??"

     "Heck yeas~!" Chuckling. "But before I even start, I just need you to know something real quick."

     "Hm?"

     "I am far from perfect, alright? And the last thing I want is for you to treat my every word and action like gospel. I'm not All Might. Heck, even he wasn't perfect; he was human just like the rest of us." Izuku hummed sadly, eyes turning to the water ahead. You rubbed his back a little. "Hmh, and you're going to mess up too. We all are in some way. So, don't get too caught up on the mistakes you make, alright? The best thing you can do is learn from them and try not to repeat it. ... And about a quirk." The boy looked up at you again with such big, listening eyes. You smirked down your shoulder at him. "Quirk or no quirk, you're still an amazing kid who will do amazing things one day. Not having a quirk has nothing to do with your worth as a person... Just remember that." Izuku stared. Stared in shock for the longest time. You began to worry you'd stunned him with your words.

     The kid's eyes then started to water. So full of tears they filled his face. The boy had no words. He simply sobbed, sniffled, and wiped tears away uselessly. "Tha...thank you..." Dang... He still had a terrible complex? Your eyes stung a little, shimmering just slightly. Izuku wrapped his arms around your left arm and cried into your short sleeve and bandages. Your other hand rose and brushed through his hair gently. This continued until he quieted down. "...I don't care if you're not perfect..." His voice softer now. "..I still think you're the coolest."

     You smiled.

--------------------

     In some random park.

     "Alright." Aizawa stood before the two boys. "Can you confidently say that you have trained your hardest; that you have reached the goal I set for you?"

     "Yeah!!" Both Tenko and Iguchi pulled back their sleeves, revealing the muscles both recently earned. "And I've been training with my own quirk too!"

     ⌓‿⁠⌓ "Excellent." The man plucked another hair from his head and handed it to the younger look-a-like. "Eat up, buddy."

     Tenko snatched the hair and examined it closely. "..Is there perhaps another way, or-?"

     "Unless you're a fan of cannibalism."

     💀 "Nah, this works." Tenko rolled the hair into a little ball and held it between two fingers. "...When was the last time you showered?"

     Aizawa shrugged.

     "Right.." Tenko warily threw the hair into his mouth and swallowed it, gagging and coughing afterward.

     Eraserhead stepped forward and pat the boy's shoulder. "Congratulations. Now what do you plan to do next?"

     "Well.. I guess (Y/n) and I used to talk about going to UA together.." The fond memories brought a little smile to my face. "I live pretty far away right now, but it would be fun if I could go..."

     "Huh... Yeah UA's pretty close to where I live now too."

     "R-really?!"

     "Guhh, speaking of which, I need to head back there by sundown... Well, seeya." He turned around and started his leave.

     "Wa-wait! But what if OFA activates randomly?!"

     Waving over his shoulder, "I'm sure you'll be fine. Just make sure not to activate it all at once or you could explode."

     "OH, SO I JUST LET A CREEPY HOMELESS GUY PLANT A BOMB INSIDE OF ME, HUH!?"

     "Not homeless."

     "I DON'T CARE!"

. . .

     "Hello, young Shimura!" A new voice from behind. Specifically All Might's. Tenko spun around, spotting eight to ten other color coded ghosts casually standing in a cluster.

     "HOLY FRACK I CAN SEE GHOSTS NOW!!!"

---------------

     It was a chaotic next couple weeks to be sure. Every day was filled with learning the absolute basics of how this quirk functioned. Still didn't use it for fear of breaking his bOnEs. Simply talking to the dead was...interesting.

     Coolest of all was that he actually got to see the spirit of his grandma!! Though the connection wasn't all too good, so he kept glitching out and stuff. The one he could talk to most easily was All Might, who helped explain to him all the basics of OFA which Aizawa failed to.

     Through the magic of begging, Tenko convinced his mom to move closer to UA. And since Iguchi's mom refused to do the same, he made the bold decision to move out, become his own man...and move in with Tenko instead. In return, he'd get a job and pay rent. 👍

     WHICH FINALLY BRINGS US TO THE IMPORTANT PART! When Tenko really wanted to punch a robot in the face!

     He was doing decently. Meh, if he passed it was gunna be by the skin of his teeth. The robots were too big and bulky to take out with a few meager rocks, so he mostly just saved people and helped them kill robots. He was still too scared of activating OFA. Scared to break his bOnEs.

     But that fear melted away when that zero pointer finally made an appearance, and BOY was it unexpected! Two people in particular were stuck in its path. Someone trapped under some rubble and another trying to help said person. All-in-all, it was looking pretty grim for them both.

     "No better time to use it than NOW!" He focused all the energy of One For All into his legs, grit his teeth, and just had to acknowledge that this was going to hurt! BAM! He jumped off of the ground, pain biting at his legs. But he didn't have the mental fortitude to dare look down at the damage! Heart racing, arm pulling back, the boy screamed as he flew at the robot. And at the correct moment, he punched that sucker right in the face!

     Now came the terrifying reality as his descent began. He hurtled toward the ground, no hope in sight.

     'Aren't I supposed to have the quirks of the past users too??! Including my grandma's?! Why are they not...activating?!'

     His heart leapt, pain throbbing in his skull as hopelessness overwhelmed him. Not so early.. not when he just started... Not now.

---

     " "Let's be heroes together, (Y/n)!!" "

     " "Nahhh! If you want to be a hero, then you're going to be a hero! We can be partners if you want! Or even build a whole team of heroes! And you can give everyone little quirks that will help their main ones!" "

     " "WAIT!! (Y/N)!!!" "

     Why was she always so apprehensive about the idea of being a hero? Literally the best job in the world. Looking way back to the very beginning, even then...

     She only agreed to be a hero because Tenko wanted her to be one. She was just playing along.

     But...why?

     What did she know that he didn't?

     ...Did she.. ever want to be a hero?

     And why was she the only person he could think about as he descended into what would become his death? Was there still that much grief? Still???

...

     Heh... Guess.. guess he never would get to see her again now. The best friend who he dragged along through all his silly little make-believe adventures. In all his play about saving people, he completely ignored the person who needed saving the most.

     He couldn't blame himself for what happened. He couldn't even blame himself for failing to pick up on the signs. But.. maybe... If he had only been a better friend..

     He could have been her hero.

---

     Suddenly, his body was wrapped in another's. A tight embrace held his every aching limb close, one of the stranger's arms taking special care to wrap around the teen's neck. Though his eyes were tightly closed, he knew his savior was a woman, because, well.. her breasts helped to cushion his neck even more, unintentionally/instinctually it likely was. The two landed harshly on the ground, Tenko not saved from taking a few rough scrapes. Though, those were nothing compared to the throbbing in his completely shattered limbs!

     When they were done rolling, the woman let go of Tenko and sat on her knees beside him. Tenko opened his eyes to look up at his hero. He squinted, mind terribly hazy due to all the pain. The longer he looked, the less he could believe it.

     White hair, the free strands of which bounced softly with every movement. That pleasant, innocent face which somehow conveyed wisdom beyond her years. Those soft eyes and tender lip. Though older, it was still clearly the same person. For a moment, he wondered if he really was dead..because there she was.

     "...(Y/n)..?" He croaked. The moment her face turned to him fully, he knew it was so. He didn't care to register why she was here or what she was doing. He grabbed her hand with his left one. The only limb that still functioned. Holding on, he didn't dare to let go.

     Even as the overwhelming pain won out, the adrenaline wore off, and he simply couldn't remain conscious any longer.

     Fear struck at his heart when he felt himself slipping.

     So, he whispered, "...Please be here when I wake up."

     He would be a better friend this time around.