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Chapter 6

"Let me make sure you get home okay." Midoriya said as he grabbed my backpack and began filling it with all my supplies we had strewn across the alleyway. I followed suit, picking up his stuff.

"That's okay, I can make it." I sighed.

"I wasn't asking," I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye in surprise before sighing. We continued in silence until we finished, handing off our backpacks to the respective owners. I nodded to him in agreement, deciding today didn't seem like the day to argue with him.

We walked in silence, both of our heads down as he processed the entire day.

After all these years. One day I finally decide to speak to him and he gets me into two near-death experiences. Not including the fight with Bakugo at school today.

"I always thought Bakugo was the trouble maker," I sighed.

"What?" He asked, looking at me.

"I always thought Bakugo would be the one to get people in trouble. Maybe I should've tried my luck befriending him," I lightly chuckled.

Midoriya only sighed, "Yeah, sorry." He sighed, turning to look back at the ground.

"I'm only kidding. You know he'd kill me if I even tried to speak to him," I looked down at the ground as well, kicking a rock.

"Yeah..." He was staring at the ground and I decided he still wasn't in the mood to speak so I continued playing soccer with the rock along the ground in silence. "Sorry. Just... thinking about All Might earlier. I know I shouldn't, it's just..." He struggled to find the words.

"I understand." I offered him a smile and he blushed, looking back at the ground as he tightened his grip on his backpack.

His hair was a prettier green than before in this lighting...

"Deku! Yatsu!" We both stopped in our tracks and turned to see Bakugo barreling down the sidewalk for us.

"Kacchan?" Midoriya whispered from beside me.

Bakugo stopped a few feet from us, struggling to catch his breath. Obviously, he had sprinted his entire way here.

"Listen," he growled, his hands balling and shaking in anger. "I would never ask either of you weaklings to help me. Don't think you can look down on me now!" He was staring at the ground. "Huh? Got that? I was fine by myself." Finally, he looked up. Screaming at us as spit flew from his mouth.

I made a disgusted sound as I took a step back and Midoriya spared me a confused glance as I did so.

"You're just quirkless failures who can't even cut it as rent-a-cops. You didn't help me. You did nothing. Don't forget it." He turned on his heel angrily, his back hunched as he began to stomp away. "I don't owe you anything!" He yelled back.

Midoriya turned to me in confusion, "What was that?" I only shrugged, watching Bakugo angrily run off.

We silently turned on our heels, heading back towards our neighborhood.

That is until All Might dashed from behind a corner.

"I am here!" He screamed, still in his super form.

"All Might!" Midoriya screamed.

"Where'd you come from?" I asked, leaning forward to see further around the corner as I inspected where he just came from. "How'd you get rid of all those reporters?"

He laughed, "I stand for justice! Not soundbites! Because I, I am All Mi-" he transported back into his smaller form as blood spewed from his mouth, cutting him off mid-sentence.

Midoriya screamed from beside me and I jumped back to avoid soaking my uniform in his blood.

"Young man. Young woman. I came here to thank you." He started.

"Young woman?" I whispered, looking to Midoriya for his reaction.

"Also," All Might brought my attention back to him. "To discuss your questions from earlier," He looked directly at Midoriya. "If you hadn't told me about your life... If you guys hadn't run into that fight... I would've been a worthless bystander watching from the crowd. So thanks."

"Oh, no." Midoriya started. "It was my fault he was there to begin with. I dragged Asami along and almost got her hurt as well. I got in the way of your hard work. I wasted your energy. And... not to mention your time."

"Izuku..." I quietly pleaded for him to not make me sound so weak.

"I'm not done." All Might stopped us. "You told me neither of you have a power. So when I saw this timid, quirkless boy with a brave, quirkless girl try to save a life, it inspired me to act too."

Midoriya gasped beside me and turned to look at All Might, I lowered my head and tried to make myself disappear.

He called me brave.

If only he know how much of a coward I truly was.

"There are stories about every hero. How they became great. Most have one thing in common. Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think... Almost on their own." I looked back up, my interest peaked.

Did All Might of all people now believe Midoriya could become a hero? Did he think I even stood a chance?

Midoriya sniffled beside me, lowering his head to hide from All Mights eyes. He grabbed his chest, slightly bending over as the emotions became too much for him to bear.

I as well started to tear up, but I tried my best to bite my lip and blink them away. I stared down at Midoriya as I tried to avoid All Mights intense stare.

"Today, that's what happened to you guys," Midoriya's cry intensified as he fell to his knees, the tears running like a river.

I understood his pain and I understood every ounce of accomplishment he was feeling right now. As if the younger me was screaming, jumping for joy. Begging me to follow suit and dance with her as All Might declared we had the same bones that kept a hero fighting. We had the same muscles, the same mind.

Something those kids had told us that we lacked for years.

Now, the number one hero stood before us. Telling us otherwise.

I lowered myself to my knees, rubbing Midoriya's shoulder soothingly as I let my own tears begin to fall. He looked at me, we shared an intense stare, an emotion passing between the two of us that I was too young to understand at the time. Both of us simultaneously being told we were too much or too little for this world, finally being told we were just the right amount. I'd never been spoken to so kindly.

"Young man. Young Asami. You, too, can become a hero." Midoriya sobbed entirely now, his body racking with them as he grabbed his chest with one hand and my wrist with the other. I tried my best to stay strong for him, but I couldn't. I sobbed as silently as I could, staring at the ground below us.

I didn't know how, but Izuku Midoriya and I were going to become heroes.