Chapter 2

---

After the exam, Izuku had to wait for the letter from UA to see if he had been accepted. When it finally arrived, he hesitated to open it, dread tightening his chest. His hands trembled as he slowly peeled the envelope open and pulled out the letter.

The words on the page confirmed his worst fears:

---

Dear Midoriya Izuku,

We are sincerely sorry to inform you that you did not make it into the UA Hero Course. We apologize and hope you might consider applying to a different course. If not, we wish you the best of luck with your future endeavors.

Sincerely, UA

---

Izuku stared at the letter, his heart sinking. Deep down, he had a feeling this would happen. He hadn't earned any points during the exam, and when it mattered most, he had frozen. He couldn't even save the girl who tried to help him, nor himself, from the zero-point robot. Someone else had to step in and save them both.

The knowledge that there was nothing he could do didn't lessen the pain in his chest. His vision blurred, and soon he realized the letter was getting wet—tears he couldn't stop were falling onto the paper.

Wiping his face, Izuku pushed himself up from his chair, intending to leave the room. But before he could reach the door, his mother, Inko, burst in and hugged him tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Izuku," she said softly.

Hearing her words caused him to break down again. This wasn't what he wanted to hear, but deep down, he knew this was all anyone could say to him. He cried in her arms for what felt like forever.

After they both calmed down, Inko suggested they go out for dinner to take his mind off UA and heroes, if only for a little while. Izuku agreed, thinking a distraction might help.

---

After eating and chatting for a bit, they decided to head home. But on their walk, chaos erupted—a villain attack. Amid the destruction, an explosion went off nearby, and Inko was thrown into the middle of the fight.

"Mom!" Izuku screamed, attempting to run to her, but a hero pulled him back.

"No! Save my mom! Please!" he begged, struggling against the hero's grip. But the hero refused, focusing on keeping Izuku safe.

Izuku looked back in the direction his mother had been thrown, only to see a collapsed building where she had been standing. His heart sank, and panic set in. He tried to fight off the hero holding him, but he was eventually dragged to a group of civilians for safety.

Standing with the others, all he could think about was his mother. He searched the crowd desperately, hoping another hero had saved her, but she was nowhere to be found. A sinking feeling settled in his stomach, and he couldn't shake the thought that something terrible had happened.

Moments later, All Might arrived, taking down the villain with ease. As the battle ended, the civilians were prepared for evacuation. Izuku's group was led past the fallen building where his mother had disappeared.

It was then that Izuku saw it—blood seeping from under the rubble. His breath hitched. Without thinking, he broke away from the group and sprinted toward the crimson puddle.

Falling to his knees, he stared at the pool of blood, his mother's wedding ring lying in the center, cracked and drenched in red.

"No… no…" Izuku whispered, tears streaming down his face before a gut-wrenching scream tore from his throat. His cries were so loud that they drew the attention of everyone nearby, including All Might.

All Might rushed over, his eyes widening when he saw the blood. Without hesitation, he began lifting the rubble, signaling for other heroes to help. When they finally uncovered a body, it was gently set down in front of Izuku for identification.

Izuku hesitated, fear gripping his heart. He didn't want to look. He didn't want to know. But after several agonizing minutes, he took a deep breath and forced himself to look.

It was her.

Tears welled up in his eyes, but before they could fall, he heard All Might's voice behind him: "You can't save everyone."

The words hit him like a brick. He froze, his tears halting. His expression shifted from grief to something empty—cold.

A hero stepped forward and asked, "Do you know this person?"

Snapping out of his daze, Izuku turned his head slightly. "No," he said, his voice calm and emotionless. "Now, let me go."

The hero hesitated, but after a moment, they released him and apologized.

Izuku walked away without looking back. When he was a block away, he pulled out his phone and called Mitsuki Bakugo, Katsuki's mother. She was his mother's closest friend and the only person he could think to contact.

When Mitsuki answered, Izuku explained everything—what happened, where it happened, and what needed to be done.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay with us?" Mitsuki asked, her voice full of concern.

"…No, I'm fine," Izuku replied quietly. "Thank you for the offer, though."

"Okay, but just know our door is always open to you, Izuku."

"…Thank you."