Heroic Souls

Chapter 1 - Midoriya

So maybe today wasn't Midoriya's day.

Tomorrow could be better!

At least, that's what he had hoped, before realizing there was no possible way for tomorrow to be worse than today.

Not only had he taken his AP exams and felt sure he had flunked, but now, at the bank, well.

Some criminals had decided today was the day they would pull off their heist, using crude weapons to take down security and threaten the civilians. There was no remorse in the eyes of these criminals. Only the greed that pushed them to these actions.

As he sat, silently going over everything that had gone wrong, the screams and cries of the fearful citizens around Midoriya rang in his ears. He watched as the criminals seemed to move in slow motion, taking heaps of cash out of a vault, threatening the hostages.... It felt like there was nothing he could do.

All this darkness seemed to surround him, engulfing him in its despair.

But even still, a beacon of light shone through the darkness.

It was a beacon of hopes. It was a beacon of dreams. And soon the beacon's light would shine down on Midoriya and the hostages, bathing them in its warmth and safety.

A hero will arrive.

Midoriya knew, a hero would arrive.

A hero *had* to arrive.

And then the hero arrived.

-------

Ever since Midoriya was a child, he always loved the very idea of heroes.

The concept of being willing to give up one's own life for a complete stranger seemed so alien to him, yet so compelling.

He adored stories of heroes who saved lives not for any gain of affection or power, but simply because no-one deserves to feel the pain of death.

Stories of Justice, of pain, of strife...

Stories where failure seemed so certain, and yet against all odds the Hero won.

Soon, Midoriya's focus shifted.

Where he once found enjoyment in stories of fictional heroes able to do anything they set their mind to, he now found enjoyment in actual Heroes.

Heroes like All-Might.

Like Endeavor.

People who would do the impossible for the good of the people around them.

He adored these Heroes.

He yearned to understand the reasons behind their heroics, the faces behind their masks.

So when All-might himself appeared in scene to deal with the bank-robbers, what else other than fascination and awe could Midoriya possibly feel? His idol, his hero, here to save him! So why did such a feeling of guilt fill him?

Nothing was his fault. He hadn't done anything that helped the criminals.

In fact, he was a nuisance to the criminals if anything, considering how when they attacked, he had frozen up in front of the teller, blocking the way until he was pushed aside.

And yet, there was a burning feeling in his SOUL.

*I could have done more.*

*I'm useless, I should never have come here.*

*What am I thinking?! It's not my fault.... Is it?*

In this moment, Midoriya came to a decision. It may not have been a well-informed decision, or even a well-thought out one, but still, he came to a decision.

He decided he never wanted to feel helpless again.

-------