Starting Line 1.4

"I want to be a hero." Midoriya stopped writing in his notebook, turning around to face the white haired kid he had come to call his only friend.

Though, he would never say it out loud, mostly because he was afraid of the answer he might get.

The aforementioned friend, Kenshi, showed little reaction from his sudden declaration.

The same stoic boy took almost a full minute before he finished the page, looking up with those eye indents that showed no emotion.

"Then be one."

Midoriya almost fell out of his chair, bewildered and wondering how he could say something so important so casually. Especially as he was currently reading a book, but again, how he was able to do so with those bandages on was as good as anyone's guess.

"I… how?" Midoriya nervously made his index fingers circle one another. "I don't have a quirk."

Kenshi stared at him eerily for another long and agonizing minute, "Then don't be one."

"Gah!" The green haired boy collapsed on Kenshi's desk, his body turning into a stone statue as his eyes turned to squiggly circles.

Kenshi, finding his reactions amusing as usual, closed his book and slid it into his backpack. He glanced around the mostly empty classroom, deciding that he would go home, finding no need to stay for the extra hour of self study they were given for their upcoming exams.

Hefting his bag up and tightening the straps, Kenshi got up and headed out. Behind him, he clearly heard the startled yelp and hurried paper shuffling as Midoriya shoved all his stuff in his bag and sprinted to catch up to him.

"Hah, do you just ignore everyone?" He asked while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Mostly." Kenshi responded.

"Ahem. Then, as I was saying, How? You said that I can be a hero just now, do you think it's really possible?" The green haired boy nervously asked as he surveyed the hallways, taking steps away from Kenshi when someone from their class would look in their general direction.

Kenshi shrugged, "What kind of hero do you want to be?"

The question seemed to hit Midoriya hard, his eyes focusing on something in the distance as his usual slouched posture straightened and his hands balled into fists, "I want to be a hero that inspires people, a wall that can withstand anything that comes before it, and a true hero who smiles in the face of evil."

Kenshi had to struggle not to show his shock, fully unaware that the person he had spent more than over a year with had so much determination to be a hero. He usually never brought it up, Midoriya opting to nerd out and talk about the recent happenings of heroes and or a recent debut.

Curious, and with a small pull of his bandage to expose one of his eyes, Kenshi studied Midoriya who was currently in his own little world as they took the stairs down to the first floor.

Midoriya looked skinny, but there was some obvious muscle that could be shown, most likely from him doing calisthenics at home. His green hair was wild as usual, his steps were uncoordinated, and Kenshi could take a wild guess and say he never had a single real fight in his life, Bakugou's one sided beatings aside.

Kenshi let his bandage go and spoke abruptly, "Fifteen months."

Midoriya snapped back to reality, "Fifteen months?"

"Fifteen months till the UA entrance exam." Kenshi pointed at him. "You have fifteen months to try and become the hero you want to be. A quirk is just another tool and nothing more than an added bonus. Support gear can bridge the gap, and yes I know it's expensive for heroes. However, for students of UA, they are almost dirt cheap."

"You have a chance, and only one Midoriya." Kenshi paused for just a moment. "So, let me ask you this, a villain with a quirk that can make their skin as hard as stone, how do you win Midoriya, without a quirk mind you."

The broccoli haired boy gained a pensive face, hand swabbing his chin as he answered relativity fast, "If it gives a physical boost then frontal confrontation is out, possible bindings from support gear is feasible, but if there's a clear time limit on the encounter than head trauma is the only way to go. Most transformation quirks like that affect the skin and muscles, not the mushy things like the brain and guts which makes them susceptible to regular human damage. An uppercut, even against a stone exterior, can rattle the brain enough for a takedown."

Kenshi smirked, "You win, but, what did you picture yourself as. I meant as you are now Midoriya, with those skimpy arms, uncoordinated steps and personality that would make you hesitate."

Midoriya stopped talking, eyes suddenly finding the floor very interesting, and the apparent realization on his face clearly evident as the duo finally walked out of Aldera's Junior High's entrance.

"I lose." He finally whispered.

Kenshi nodded, "Yes, you lose, and the people you want to save are injured, taken, or dead. Good job Midoriya, you really inspired so many people."

The green haired boy clenched his jaw, glare forming as he raised his hand and looked at his palm as if every one of his problems were held within it. The anger was enough to make that same hand shake uncontrollably, and a single tear raced down his freckled cheek. He seemed to notice it, quickly wiping it away with his sleeve and sniffing.

"Midoriya."

He turned to Kenshi.

"Can you afford a gym membership or a martial arts teacher?"

The boy still did not talk, simply shaking his head and nothing else.

"Then…" Kenshi could not believe he was actually doing this. "Follow me."

Without any more words, the pair walked down the familiar path they always had. It was almost nostalgic, for so long they had done something as simple as walk next to one another, and it had always been a bit surprising that Kenshi allowed it to continue.

He was never a people person. It took almost all of his energy to go to any social event and stay longer than a few minutes. He never texted people, he never played video games, he never batted an eye at trying sports, he never particularly excelled at his academics, and he especially never had a true friend to call his own.

All those years ago, he had been so happy to show others his quirk and what it could do, only to be left heartbroken when they looked at him in fear and pity, creating distance and building a border around him no one dared to ever cross.

He graduated elementary school alone, most of his first year of junior high was much of the same, but then a certain green haired boy who happened to live close decided to walk beside him seemingly out of nowhere.

Someone who, just like Kenshi, had seen how cruel the world and the people in it could be.

Maybe, even if he did not like to admit it, Izuku Midoriya was indeed a friend.

So, He and the green haired boy stood at the familiar red door of Kenshi's house, his keys inserted into the lock and the door opening slowly.

"Oh hey Kenshi, I was waiting…" His grandma was seated on the couch sipping tea, mouth now agape as she saw the guest her grandson had brought with him.

"And this is?" She asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

Kenshi sighed while gesturing to Midoriya, "A friend."

No one said a thing in response, his grandma cycling through various emotions while a goofy smile formed on Midoriya's face, Kenshi standing off to the side while awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

In an instant, his grandma seemed to disappear from her spot on the couch to grab both of Midoriya's hands and shake them up and down, a worried look on her face while studying the boy.

"How much is Kenshi paying you? I'm sorry if he is forcing you to do this, I can call the cops if needed."

Kenshi sputtered, "Oh old woman! Don't threaten to call the cops on your own grandson dammit!" He stomped over and grabbed the hem of his grandma's dress and pulled her away from Midoriya who was practically having his arms ripped off.

"How come you can move that fast, but complain about watering your plants eh? Is it really that surprising that I have a friend?"

His grandma looked him dead in his eye indents, "Yes."

"-ABSOLUTE SILENCE-" Kenshi spoke his attack, taking away Midoriya's hearing so he could say his piece. "Stop embarrassing me grandma, you are gonna run him off or something, don't make this any harder than it already is. You got that? I know those ears of yours hear everything."

Kenshi had already mastered the art of reading lips, so he could only sigh as his grandma proceeded to ask why he had decided to bring a friend home now of all times, the ordeal apparently not making a lick of sense to her.

"Just, I don't really know, but he wants to be a hero. He is quirkless, and he cannot afford to get a gym membership so I thought he could use the weights I use in the garage whenever he wants."

His grandma frowned, first at the mention of the word hero, more so at the word quirkless. Her eyes narrowed at Kenshi, clear contemplation on her face before she simply nodded.

Kenshi returned Midoriya's hearing, the boy jumping in surprise when his sense of hearing came back and proceeded to fall right on his butt. He cupped both of his ears, blinking in confusion as he made sure that they were working again.

"Sorry, I took away your hearing so I could deal with her." Kenshi gestured to the aging woman who had a suspicious smile on her face. "This is my grandma, she isn't a stickler for honorifics so she goes by Seiko."

Midoriya got his bearings rather quickly, standing up and bowing deeply, "Nice to meet you Seiko-san, my name is Izuku Midoriya."

Kenshi's grandma waved him off, "Yes, nice to meet you, don't treat me like I'm old. I will have you know I do most things around this house."

Kenshi's forehead sprouted a single vein, "You only make the tea, that isn't everything."

His grandma ignored him and proceeded to mock him even more by going to brew tea for their guest, annoying Kenshi to no end as he could not do anything at the moment.

He would get her back another time, but for the moment, he had to deal with the green haired boy who was looking at him like a fresh bowl of Katsudon.

"Your quirk! I know what it is now!" He nodded as if to confirm it to himself, "Yes, the ability to take away senses from someone. It all makes well, sense now. Although, the bandages still don't seem needed, unless… "

The realization was visible as his eyebrows shot upwards and his eyes grew wide. Then, Kenshi saw what he had come to hate more than anything in the world.

Pity.

"You lose yours also, the bandages are a form of training, so you can be accustomed to losing your vision in battle."

Kenshi exhaled, "Congratulations, you now understand how much of a curse my-"

"Your quirk is so cool!"

Kenshi's pale face suddenly turned a slight red in embarrassment, the pure praise of his quirk something he had never experienced in his entire life.

"I guess you can say that…" He clicked his tongue and shrugged. "But we can worry about that later, come on Midoriya."

"Okay!" Midoriya's cheerful mood irritated Kenshi to no end, but he dropped it as he guided him to the garage.

Once stepping in, a room no less reminiscent of a full fledged gym could be seen. There was a squat rack, a shelf of dumbbells, a bench press area, plyo boxes, a strip of turf held down by kettlebells with cones strewn about for agility drills, a single cable machine, and plenty of other equipment.

"Woah, this is…" Midoriya's amazement was obvious, eyes scanning each piece of equipment while his hands mimicked writing in a notebook.

Kenshi nodded, "Yes, and you can use it all you want. We go to the same school and I don't really go out much so whenever you need, you can just knock and I will be sure to answer."

Midoriya nodded to the point he had multiple heads, then proceeded to bow at light speed to create after images, "I thank you Kuraka! I will one day pay you back. I-I promise you that."

Kenshi put his hands up and nervously chuckled, "Calm down, it's not like I'm really losing anything by letting you use it, I feel as a friend there is no need to pay me back."

Midoriya suddenly stopped his bowing, eyes watering as he looked at Kenshi, "You are right, we are friends after all."

The words made goosebumps travel up and down Kenshi's spine, the urge to run away prevalent as he gestured for Midoriya to follow him before practically running out of the garage.

Now, he found himself showing his new friend his room, familiar green eyes bouncing around as he scanned every inch, inevitably settling on the only hero merch in the room.

"EraserHead?" Midoriya rubbed his temples for a moment before an imaginary light bulb shone above his head, "Ah, an underground hero with hundreds of successful captures, raids, and investigations. He is well known, but I don't see why it's all you have, is it personal?"

A heavy question right off the bat, but Kenshi plopped down on the edge of his bed and simply shrugged, "He is my favorite hero, I look up to him a little, seeing as how his quirk doesn't give him an inherent physical advantage."

Midoriya raised a single eyebrow, "Then what about when you saved that girl, how did you move that fast, for months I swore you had a physical enhancement quirk, how exactly does it work?"

He was definitely eager, and Kenshi in most cases would never outright tell someone the exact parameters of his quirk. This time, he deemed it an exception, and he promised himself he would make sure to never do so again unless it was absolutely necessary.

"It's called -LIMIT BREAKER-. In simple terms I can take away my sense of touch, fooling my brain into ignoring the limits it naturally puts on the body to not cause severe harm."

"Like hysterical strength? When humans go above what's seemingly possible in moments of peril?"

Kenshi nodded, "Exactly, though there's a reason those restrictions are in place. My muscles could tear, I can pass out from too much adrenaline or lack thereof, tendons can snap, or blood vessels can rupture. It's why I train so much, why I am in great shape and regularly do strenuous workouts. In hero work, it is all about having consistent results. If I can only do it once, and I fail to accomplish my goal, I will be worthless afterwards. A burden."

The last declaration held a lot of weight, Kenshi reminded of how he seemingly was a burden to his grandma, forced to live off her money and unable to get a part time job because of his need to train and study for UA.

Hours upon hours of work, just so he never had to see those eyes of pity ever again.

So he could no longer feel like things around him were out of control, and pay back the debt to his mother.

"You really are awesome huh?"

Kenshi tensed, "What?"

Midoriya shrugged, "You are a lot like Katsuki I guess, day in day out training, focusing on doing the best you can. While someone like me has wasted the last two years wallowing in my own pathetic excuses. I started doing pushups and stuff at home ever since you saved that little girl Kenshi, I was motivated to make myself stronger." Midoriya was staring forward, his stuttering a distant memory. "I believed I was finally progressing, my dream of being a hero not so far out of reach, that I could prove them wrong. However, I'm just realizing how much I was faking it, I never pushed myself to the brink of exhaustion, never did enough to make a real difference, and I never really believed it. Even now."

"You were going through the motions?" Kenshi asked.

"Yeah, someone who wants to be a hero despite being quirkless needs to work twice, no, ten times as hard. However, I barely even scraped the surface of what you have achieved, and you have a quirk."

The room was silent. Heavy tension settling in as Midoriya closed his eyes to calm his turbulent heart, not wanting to break into tears like he always did.

He wanted to change.

Kenshi, still seated on the edge of the bed, felt his raging heartbeat while thinking deeply about if what he was doing was right. All his life he had questioned himself, turned himself into a machine that would do what he set out to do no matter what. Emotions, who needed those? Why have friends,focus the energy on being a hero and nothing else. Hobbies, a waste of time.

He thought back to what EraserHead had said to him.

'Are you not people?'

The question settled deeply in his mind, being said over and over again in that gruff voice as if on repeat.

He decided.

Kenshi removed his bandages with a single pull, standing up and facing the green haired boy before him.

"Midoriya."

The latter opened his eyes, a little taken aback by seeing Kenshi's full face for the first time. His locks of white hair no longer stood up, falling down and encasing the eyes of exotic light blue that shone like blue diamonds.

"Yes?" He managed.

"Let's be the best heroes we can be, right here, right now, let's make a promise."

Midoriya smiled, "Yeah, let's do it. Let's be the best heroes possible!"

Kenshi smiled ever so slightly, feeling motivated more so than he ever was before. He was never the most emotional person, he usually likes boring stuff, he was willing to tear his body apart to gain an inch of strength, was lacking some social skills that most people his age would have, and he definitely had an unhealthy obsession with being a hero.

But so what?

Kenshi clenched his hand into a fist, nodding to himself and once again looking at his first friend.

"This is it, Midoriya." Kenshi held his fist out to the short boy. "Our Starting Line."

Midoriya fist bumped him back, "Yes, our starting line."

[A/N:

Hey everyone, hope you are liking the story so far! Also, just saying that the pace will rise with the coming conflict, so if it seems slow I apologize but I don't like rushing things.

The next chapter will start the beginning of true canon, and I plan on deviating a lot with a plan in mind after the sports festival, so look forward to it.

Hopefully, it is good.

Lastly, check out "The Warping Hero" written by TeemVizzle, he is the author who inspired me to write this story so it would mean a lot if you gave his story a read. It's better than mine, so I can vouch for the quality.

Thank you! ]