Chapter Text
“Hey! You shouldn’t beat on someone who doesn’t fight back, you brats!” A feminine voice calls out. The kicks and punches directed at Izuku suddenly stop.
“What do you want, you old hag?” Kacchan asks, obviously irritated.
“Leave. Him. Alone” The woman says with a tinge of anger in her voice.
“And why should we?” One of Kacchan’s friend’s asks, obviously confused “He’s quirkless! He’s no good anyways”
“Listen there, you brats” The woman seethes and he feels someone pick him up. He doesn’t dare move his head to look. Not until he’s sure he’s safe, at least “I normally don’t beat up children, but I WILL beat you up if you don’t back off”
“Hey! We’re just kids! You can’t beat us up!” Kacchan’s friend protests “Only a villain would do that!”
“Oh, believe me, I am no villain, but I have nothing against beating up those who deserve it” The woman chirps in a mirthlessly cheery voice “Now, get out of here before I call your parents”
“Tch” Kacchan clicks his tongue “Come on guys. Our fun is ruined either way”
…
…
“Hey, you okay?” The woman asks, as she sets him on the ground “Damn” She whistles “Those are some nasty bruises you got there”
“I-I… I’m fine” Izuku says meekly, hurriedly standing up “T-thank you for helping me!”
“Aww, you don’t have to thank me” The woman in front of him grins “There aren’t many things that piss me off more than people ganging up on someone who doesn’t fight back”
Izuku risks glancing up at her. He lets her appearance sink in. She has black hair, tied into a ponytail, green eyes, and a tattoo on her left arm. The tattoo depicts a range of flowers, draped on her shoulder and twirling around her skin, reaching all the way to her elbow. She’s dressed in a simple, black, sleeveless t-shirt and knee-length trousers in the same colour. He doesn’t really know what to make of her, but she’s helped him so she has to be a really nice person.
“T-thank you regardless” He mutters sheepishly “Y-you’re… the first person to do anything about it”
“Well, that’s just sad” She says plainly, and he almost winces “Tell you what, you have to learn how to fight back! If no one else helps you, help yourself”
“B-but I… I can’t fight them” Izuku says quietly “I’m quirkless. It’d just make things worse”
“Well, what about you being quirkless” The woman raises an eyebrow “Is that your excuse for being a lazy fuck and not doing anything to improve your situation? Is that what this is?”
“Wha-? No” He looks at her, shocked “It’s just… they have powerful quirks. What can I do against that?”
“Train, train, and then train some more” The woman says with a large grin, and ruffles his hair “Come on, it’s not gonna be easy, but it’s gonna be satisfying when you see the results”
“I-I… Thank you” He smiles at her, tears gathering in his eyes.
“No problem, kid!” She beams at him “Well, I have to go soon. You need anything more or…?”
“J-just one question” He looks at her expectantly “Do you… do you think I could become a hero?”
“Well, duh” She says with a raised eyebrow “Of course you can, why wouldn’t you? It’s a matter of hard work and all that shit”
“…Wow” He whispers, stars in his eyes.
“Why are ya lookin’ so surprised?” The woman questions.
“I-I mean… No one has ever told me I can be a hero before” He admits, smiling a bit nervously “Normally, they’d just tell me to give it up…”
“Normally? Whazzat? Sounds boring” The woman laughs “Tell ya what, beansprout. Their opinions ain’t worth shit. If you want to become a hero, who are they to stop ya?”
“T-thank you!” He says, tearing up “I-I just… Thank you so much”
“…” She looks at him, and he almost flinches seeing as her gaze goes from warm to analytical “Humpft” She huffs “You know… You should be prepared to work harder than anyone else, if you want to make it. Are you ready for that?”
“Y-yes, ma’am!” He says and smiles at her.
“Huh… Don’t call me ‘ma’am’ . It makes me feel like an old hag” She grumbles “Back on track though… If ya want, I can help you train. Only if you’re prepared to work hard though”
“I-I… R-really?!?” He can’t help but gape at her.
“Of course. It seems like it’ll be lots of fun” The woman grins and pumps her fist into the air “Ah, I should prolly, like, give ya my phone number or something. Hold on” She produces a small piece of paper and a pen, seemingly out of thin air. She writes something, and then hands it to him “Here ya go, beansprout. We’re starting tomorrow”
“I-T-thank you so much” He bows.
“Don’t mention it, shorty. We have lots to do” She grins at him and walks off.
He can’t believe his luck. Not only has he found someone who believes in him, that person has offered to train him. He can’t help but smile as he looks at the small note in his hands. For the first time in a few years, he actually feels excited, he’s actually looking forward to something. And that’s how Izuku, at the age of eight, found himself a mentor, and a possible way to become a hero.
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“You’ve actually shown up!” The woman flashes him one of her toothy grins.
“Y-yes” She says, smiling sheepishly. Is she going to back down on her words now? Tell him it was all just a joke?
“Well then, we should prolly start” The woman says, tilting her head “Oh, right, I’ve never caught your name, huh? What IS your name again?”
“It’s Izuku Midoriya!” He quickly supplies, wriggling nervously with his hands.
“Well, that’s a bland name if I’ve ever heard one, and I’ve heard many” The woman says blankly “We’re going to do something about it in due time” What does she mean “Oh well, anyways, we should, like, start”
“…” Now that he thinks about it… “Uhm, I don’t… I don’t really know your name either?”
“Oh right” She tilts her head “I keep forgetting to introduce myself to new people. An annoying habit, I tell ya. Well, name’s Yuki Kuroyume. Can we, like, get one with our training already, or is there something else?”
“N-no, Kuroyume-sensei. We can start” He says sheepishly. The woman stops for a second then grins.
“Aww. I’m a ‘sensei’ now. Wouldja look at that” She smiles proudly “But don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you act like a model student, ya hear me?”
“Yes?” He says, mildly confused.
“Alrighty! Time to teach ya basics” She grins “But first, what do you know about fighting? Any experience?”
“W-well… I’ve only really been beaten up” He admits lamely “S-sorry”
“Nah, doncha worry about that” She waves her hand in a dismissing gesture “Basics are fun to teach too. Let’s start though, I’m getting bored of just staying still”
They go through what she’s calling the ‘basics of the basics’. By the time they end the lesson, he’s covered in sweat, but he knows how to throw the punch, how to kick properly, and where to aim. It’s still a bit sloppy, but he’s glad he’s improving at all. He also learns that Kuroyume is… an eccentric person to say the least. Aside from her weird speaking style, and general air of… something, she also really likes to throw in random remarks during the lessons.
Like ‘and that’s how you properly fuck someone’s face up. Please use it on that fucking brat who keeps bullying you, when you get better at it’ or ‘I feel like it’s going to rain. Rain is a really good thing you know? Makes the ground all fun and slippery. Perfect for trippin’ people”. He still doesn’t really know what to make of her, but hey, it’s alright. It’s not like he’s perfectly normal either, being a quirkless person and still wanting to become a hero. They schedule their next lesson to take place two days from now, and he finally feels that things are going alright. His first step on the path to becoming a hero has been taken. He smiles cheerfully as he jogs home that day.