Chapter Text
Prologue
All men are not created equal, how true that simple statement is.
I suppose it’s an even greater imbalance for women too. We deal with so much and are expected to just bear with it. I mean it’s not going to change anytime soon, right?
This is a story -- my story I guess. A story that begins with a little girl. Midoriya Izuku. Born to Midoriya Inko and Hisashi, a happy family. Life was simple then, she had her best friend Bakugou Katsuki, and the dreams of a child. Dreams that were soon going to be tainted by the cruelty of reality. You see, today was Izuku’s fourth birthday; In this world of quirks, you either manifested your quirk at the age of four, or you were registered quirkless. So the Midoriyas headed to a quirk specialist to officially get the quirk they were sure she had registered.
They left heartbroken, Izuku was doomed to a life of apparent weakness. All because of a joint that wasn’t supposed to be there.
“Do you think…I can be a hero too?”
“I’m so sorry baby, my Izu-chan!” My mother sobbed and clung to me trying her best to assure me but...
That wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear.
I had learned countless times that I was below those around me. Kacchan made sure of that.
All I wanted was to save Shoichi-kun.
All I did was drive him away…
Over the years I had learned to just shut up and accept whatever came my way. I was just a useless Deku after all, right? Puppets don’t show emotion, they don’t react. It must be so nice, to be unable to feel.
So I kept quiet, no matter what they said about me or what they did. I kept my mouth shut and my eyes down. The silence only brought mockery in new ways.
I had always loved my name, Izuku -- named for my green hair, the color representing my family and peace. I was called Shizu by my classmates, for my quiet demeanor. No students called me by my name anymore. It was either Shizu or Deku. I honestly don’t know which is worse...
Things only got worse as I got older. I grew in different ways, soon enough people started noticing. It’s not like I wore anything to attract attention, it was just a school uniform.
I don’t like walking alone anymore.
Kacchan doesn’t care.
Despite all this I still studied heros, still quietly hoped that somehow I’d make it. I could be the first quirkless hero! I could help so many others like me. I learned long ago to stop sharing my dreams if I didn’t want to be ridiculed.
“Take a swan dive off the roof and pray you’ll be born with a quirk in the next life”
Maybe I will.
What would you say then?
“Poor Deku, couldn’t even keep herself alive. I always knew she was useless.”
No.
I could never give him the satisfaction.
I’m not going to give anyone the satisfaction of breaking me.
I will find a way to be a hero, no matter the circumstance.
“I’m sorry, but there is no way for you to be a hero without a quirk”
His words turned into white noise as I finally got the message.
I GET IT, OKAY? I UNDERSTAND. I WAS PUT ON THIS EARTH TO BE MISERABLE.
There’s no way for me to achieve my dream...
All Might left, I followed shortly after.
Kacchan was in danger, but… I’m just a useless Deku after all, what can I do?
I can see his eyes.
It’s my fault that the villain escaped. Anything I try to do will only make it worse.
He looks scared.
All Might said I could never be a hero, there’s nothing I can do. I need to just give up on this stupid dream...
Something within me burned at the thought of giving up. I’ve lasted this long and made it this far, there is no way I’m giving up on my dreams this early. I can do something. Anything. I will help him and I will be a hero!
I surged forward.
Having a quirk was weird, it felt like a humming in my bones, a new kind of energy that had yet to be tapped into. I only wish I had finished training sooner and had gotten the opportunity to have actually trained with my quirk. This test is going to kill me.
I knew I should’ve pushed myself more. Maybe I could actually get some points if I had had time to train my quirk. That glasses guy embarrassed me and I had to sit next to Kacchan. Everything is just going wrong today.
What in the actual heavens above is that thing?!
I’ve got to get out of here!
A cry for help drew me out of my head.
The nice girl who helped me earlier… she’s trapped.
There’s nothing I can do though, I can’t even use my quirk and there's no way anyone else would make it in time.
It doesn’t matter what you can or can’t do, just do what you can!
So I leapt, and felt the most pain I’ve ever felt.
The exam bell rang. I walked away with 0 points.
I’ve messed everything up, I knew that I needed more points but… I couldn’t just leave her there. No one was going to help her. I had to. I’m glad I did though, she deserves to get into UA with an amazing quirk like hers. UA can wait.
I got in.
I GOT IN.
I GOT IN.
The nice girl from earlier tried to give me her points. She deserves to be a hero.
I’m going to be a hero!
Holy shoot, I’m going to be a hero!
My mom came in to ask me about the noise before joining in on my celebration. Dad’s going to be so happy!
I’m finally on my way to achieving my dream! Let’s see how far we can go!
I try my best to tie my tie, none of my uniforms have ever required a tie before, so it ends up looking all wonky. Oh well, I can learn how to tie it after school. I put on my blazer and my red shoes before giving my mom a kiss on the cheek and heading out to school. Have to be early on the first day to make a good impression! Let’s start the year right!