Chapter I: Despair and Hope
"Never give up hope, no matter how dark things seem."
Chapter I: Despair and Hope.
Despair.
The deep feeling that there is no hope and that you can't do anything to improve a difficult situation.
When Izuku Midoriya was 4 years old, he discovered the harsh truth of the world: people were born unequal. He got beat up by Katsuki Bakugou, or Kacchan as he liked to call him, the boy who was supposed to be his best friend, and his minions—as the blonde liked to call the two boys who followed him—just because Izuku stood up and defended a kid in the playground.
He stood his ground valiantly with a smile on his face, acting as a shield, a protector. Just like a hero like All Might would do. Something that made him proud and happy, as he was one small step closer to his lifelong dream: To be a hero.
Yes, his quirk hadn't awakened yet, but it didn't matter. He had managed to be that boy's hero without it. He had started his path to heroism even before he got his quirk so when it awakened, he would be ready.
But two days later, poor Izuku's dreams were cruelly crushed by the doctor's words.
"It's best you give up."
That simple sentence hit him like a bullet train. Making him feel as if the weight of the world was on his little shoulders. He dropped his All Might action figure and stared into nothing.
His mother was worried, so she asked the doctor what he meant and whether her little boy had a problem.
The doctor calmly pointed at the X-Ray of Izuku, "By all rights, if you have a quirk, it'll manifest at the age of 4 or later, depending on the complexity of the quirk. You told me yours was 'Attraction of Small Objects' and his father had some kind of Fire Breathing Quirk, right?"
Inko Midoriya just nodded. The doctor pointed at the image again.
"According to research, the origin of quirks is in the pinky toe. People without the extra joint deviated from the 'base human'. Unfortunately, little Izuku here has two joints. Something that in this era is exceedingly rare, but it indicates he is a 'standard model'."
The doctor sighed heavily, not liking what he was going to say. "I'm sorry to tell you this Ms. Midoriya, but your son has no quirk."
Izuku was catatonic, he didn't register when his mother took him home, he didn't eat, nor he did utter a single word. At night, his worried mother tried to cheer him up playing All Might's debut video.
The laugh of the number one hero resonated the bedroom, breaking his stupor. He turned to his mother with tears in his eyes and a vacant expression.
"H-He's an awesome hero. D-Do you think I could be one t-too, m-mommy?"
His mother broke, seeing her precious son so devoid of life. Hugging him, she told him she was sorry, blaming herself for his lack of quirk. Unaware that Izuku wanted some kind of closure, someone to told him he could be a hero even without a quirk.
He didn't blame her because he knew she was doing everything she could to comfort him, overwhelmed by her emotions and the guilt she felt for not being able to fulfill her little one's dream.
Thus, it was that fateful day when Izuku Midoriya knew despair for the first time in his short life.
- THE FORCE AWAKENS -
Eight years later, Izuku Midoriya's life was a nightmare. Being the only quirkless kid in the school, he was the favorite target of bullies, especially of one Katsuki Bakugou. His former best friend—Izuku still considered him as such—had taken a liking to using his quirk on him, not caring about consequences, as he was the wonder boy of his school.
Someone the adults knew would become a pro hero, so they began to favor him to the detriment of the rest of the students. It was not unusual to see Kacchan— and his two friends— free from any punishment.
Even so, Izuku had tried to report his bullies to his junior high teachers, hoping they would put an end to the abuse he was subjected to. Something he learned was the worst thing he could do.
As he discovered on the way out of school when Kacchan and his henchmen beat him even harder for daring to tell on them.
Izuku never tried to report the abuse again, fearful of the consequences and the beating that awaited him if he did it.
But for Izuku, the worst thing wasn't the beatings but the indifference of his classmates. Everyone was afraid to approach him much less befriend him, fearing becoming the next to be bullied. He was avoided as if he had a contagious disease.
They just assumed he didn't exist. And that was something that hurt worse than a thousand beatings.
So he simply gave up and embraced despair as his only company. The one who would never abandon him no matter what he did.
- THE FORCE AWAKENS -
It was afternoon, and he was limping to the apartment complex where he lived with his mother. The place was quite ordinary, perfect for middle-class people. Located in the suburbs of Musutafu City, home of the famous and prestigious U.A. Academy, All Might's alma mater.
His hair was full of ash, droplets of dry blood stained his clothes, which were burnt and tattered. He had a black-eye and his body bared to the world the abuse he had suffered at the hands of his "peers."
He was broken.
"I'm lucky mom must work the night shift today. I don't think I can fool her. Not with these injuries."
Izuku winced at the thought of his mother seeing him like this. She didn't deserve the trouble or the despair of her failure of a son coming home like that. Not when she worked tirelessly to support them both after his father had walked out on them when he was four —a couple of days after he was diagnosed as quirkless.
He looked at the stairs and sighed, weighing if it was worth going up to his apartment. Maybe it would be easier to sleep on a park bench, saving him the effort. His sore and tired body would surely thank him.
But the image of his mother crossed his mind. The only person who still tied him to the world. He couldn't do it; It wouldn't be fair to her.
"I don't want to worry mom, you idiot." Izuku berated himself as he started walking up the stairs, flinching at the pain.
He eventually made it to the apartment and took off his shoes as best he could, depositing them at the entrance. He lumbered into his room and began to take off his thorn clothes, grimacing at the friction of the fabric against his wounds. He took a towel and headed to the shower, fighting against the desire to lie down on his bed. He had to wash and then disinfect the wounds that adorned his body; otherwise, his situation could worsen, and his mother would discover the truth.
After drying himself he took his torn uniform and placed it in a bag, thanking himself for anticipating and getting replacement uniforms with the little savings he had. Then he took the bag and placed it in his backpack to get rid of the clothes the next day on his way to school.
Izuku looked back at his room with longing, looking at each of the hero items he owned. The giant poster of All Might in his golden era suit that his father had given him when he turned three, the Endeavor-shaped night lamp that his mother had bought so he could sleep safely when she was working at night. The collectible cards of Japan's Top 100 heroes that he and Kacchan had put together with so much effort.
Memories of a better time when his life wasn't the nightmare he now found himself in.
His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten at lunch because he was hiding from Kacchan and his friends. Looking at the kitchen, he decided to simply grab a yogurt from the fridge to fool his hunger, aware that it wouldn't be enough but not having the desire to prepare anything more elaborate.
Izuku just wanted to sleep, not because he was eager to go back to school the next day but because he wanted his pain to go away at night. So he walked out the kitchen towards his bedroom.
But then he felt a strange, yet familiar sensation of warmth that surrounded him like a blanket, one that gave him security and comfort, making him forget for a moment all his problems, worries, and the pain he felt.
Izuku, overcome by the positive emotions he was suddenly feeling, closed his eyes and could feel a flicker of hope and dreams —something he thought had died in him a long time ago but that now filled him with emotion.
His mind, which was cloudy at the time, cleared; like a ship that had spent a long time lost at sea and had now found a lighthouse to guide it towards its destination.
The warm feeling that embraced him told him, without needing words, to leave the apartment towards the railings. And so, he did decisively and without a hint of doubt, something he had never done before in his life.
Outside, the most beautiful view awaited him.
The moon was high in all its splendor, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of stars, an unthinkable spectacle that was impossible to enjoy in the city. But there it was, defying all logic. Just so he could watch and bask it in all his glory.
Izuku lowered his head, feeling his entire body tremble with a sense of longing.
He felt at peace for the first time in years. He fell to the ground clutching his chest as the tears began to fall down his face. Closing his eyes he felt the sensation embracing him stronger, protecting him, just like his mother's arms did when he was little.
He had a purpose! He felt complete at last!
He opened his eyes and smiled genuinely, not the mask he always wore in school to hide his true feelings but one that expressed his happiness.
"Thank you… whoever you are…" Izuku said softly.
A few minutes later he got up as best he could, still surrounded by the warm sensation. He looked up one last time before returning to his apartment and nodded.
Soon fatigue overcame him and Izuku Midoriya went to sleep. But unlike all the previous nights, he was able to rest peacefully without any nightmare to torment him. With a smile plastered in his face, the first in a long time.
Oblivious to him, the sensation he had felt began to take on a human form, a transparent blue one with a hooded cloak covering it. The figure walked a little and put his hands on the window of his room.
Then Its voice sang harmoniously.
"Do not despair anymore, little Izuku. I have missed you and have longed for our connection to be reestablished. You have nothing to fear; now that we are together, we can strive to achieve your dreams. But for now, rest and remember that I am with you, always."