Chapter 1 // Friends Old and New

The only vague memory she could remember of her father is how he loved butterflies. He would draw them on pieces of paper, he would trace them on her mother's hand, ad he even painted them on her bedroom ceiling.

"Un papillon." he would say, pointing at one he saw in the garden. Did he speak french? She couldn't remember. A small garden, with nothing but a few rows of thumb-sized carrots and the occasional tomato that would fester over and rot. A couple pots of flowers, slightly wilted. It was unnecessary, but quaint. A piece of home. That was the only memory she could ever remember of her father.

When he left, the garden would slowly disappear. There was no use for it, as it's caretaker no longer was around. Soon nothing remained in the yard but a rocking chair her mother would spend her days in. No matter what day of the the week, time of day, whether it was raining, her mother would be there. Rocking back and forth, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and her alcohol of choice cradled in her fingers. Kage Asahi wished she could run away.

But that was home. And there was nothing she could do about it.

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"The first day of middle school, hm?" her mother asked, sipping water. Hungover, Kage thought with a scowl. "How exciting."

"It's fine." Kage spooned oatmeal into her mouth. "I'm walking home."

"I can pick you up if you want." Ima Asahi offered.

After the three beers you'll probably go through? No thanks. Kage thought. "No. I can walk home," she said coldly, pushing the bowl away. The oatmeal was already cold. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and slammed the front door closed before her mother could even mutter a word.

Was she guilty that she shut her mother out? No, not really. the oatmeal coated her tongue bitterly. She'd wasted enough of her life trying to help someone who refused her help. Now, she should focus on herself. Being a hero would take hard work. There wasn't time to waste making friends that wouldn't bother helping her succeed.

She boarded the subway, before taking her usual spot by the door. She enjoyed watching people walk in, and trying to guess their quirks. It was a distracting game, and it worked. As of now, there wasn't anyone else in the subway except an old man asleep, so she simply looked out the window and thought.

The UA recommendation letter already came- but it didn't mean she would make it. She still needed to make it through the entrance exam. Her father would be proud.

At least she thought he would.

At the next stop, a trio of boys walked in, and she was stunned to realize she recognized one of them. Bakugo Katsuki? The angry, blonde student slumped over on a seat across from her, not giving her more than a glance. She briefly went to the same school in elementary and disliked him immediately.

Not to be misunderstood; she admired his quirk and his skill set, but he could be extremely cocky and his need to be dominant set her teeth on edge. For now, she would mind her own business. The other two friends tagging along seemed incredibly annoying, so it just made her more susceptible to look away.

Then something happened. Another boy walked in, with curly green hair and viridian eyes. He smiled shyly at Kage, then noticed Baguko, and paled. Kage's eyes narrowed. I already don't like this, she thought.

"I-is it okay if I sit here?" The boy pointed at Kage's seat next to her. She nodded, arms crossed. He hugged his bag to his chest, looking uncomfortable. Kage didn't like the glare in Bakugo's eyes. She turned to him, and tried to make a realistic-looking smile.

"Your name?" she asked. The boy smiled.

"Izuku Midorya?" he said gratefully, eyes still darting to the trio of boys. "And you?"

"Just Kage." she said crisply. It was dreadfully obvious that Midorya was terrified of the boys' presence, but why?

"Kage...that name means shadow. Is your quirk by chance related to your name?" he said, eyes shining. She gave a small laugh. This kid was a fanboy, wasn't he?

"Kind of..." she inhaled. "My quirk is called Solar. I take in the energy from sunlight and absorb it. I can form it into shapes." she demonstrated by shaping a projection of a butterfly. A pang of regret formed in her chest when she remembered her father. She brushed it away. She knew the light wasn't as bright as it used to be, and it was colder when she molded it.

"Interesting...if it's functioned by solar energy, then is it possible to do the same with moonlight?" Midorya questioned, pulling out a notebook. She looked on with amusement as he began writing notes. "In theory, the moonlight wouldn't be nearly as strong but it's still possible to have a night-time function-"

"Never tried, but who knows. Any skill will be useful for the UA entrance exam." she sighed.

His eyes glittered. "You're trying for UA too?"

She shrugged. "What about you? Your quirk?"

She tensed as the trio of boys laughed. Midorya's face fell. "He's quirkless!"

Kage's eyes narrowed. Damn, these boys were petty. "So?"

Bakugo got up and sulked over, a dangerous gleam in his red eyes. Midorya quivered, although his attempt to put on a brave face was admirable. "So the damn nerd is trying out for UA. I'm the only one from our school who's trying out for it, and I'm going to make it. No quirkless runt is going to get into UA."

Kage snorted. "God, you're as annoying as I remember. Piss off."

Bakugo growled. "I remember you. You're the girl with the villain quirk."

Kage stiffened. Midorya glanced back and forth between them.

"You had the Solar Quirk, but you seem to forget to mention your other quirk." Bakugo said, smirking. "Killed that kid with it, too."

Kage gripped the seat, knuckles white. "Piss. Off."

"A quirkless runt and a killer hero." Bakugo scoffed. "Pathetic."

The subway stopped, and the trio left before them. Bakugo shouldered Midorya and Kage away, sauntering off to their school. Kage shook, grabbing her bag.

"W-what was he talking about?" Midorya quivered. Kage's eyes darkened.

"Doesn't matter." she murmured, shouldering her bag. "Prove him wrong. You'll make it into that school, and so will I. Good luck until then."

She almost left when he grabbed her arm, turning pink. "T-thanks. For stepping up for me."

"Rejects gotta stay together, right?" she said, giving him a grim smile. "See you at UA."

He waved, and she watched as they walked their separate ways after trading HeroPal accounts. She thought about Midorya as she walked to her school. Perhaps they would train together. Like friends. She gave a soft smile, breathing a little easier once she stepped on campus.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to make friends.

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<"Deku_120" has logged on>

Deku_120: Hi! This is Kage, right? How was the first day?

<"Sunfox333" has logged on>

Sunfox333: It was okay, I think. HBU?

Deku_120: It was alright, I got a lot of info about UA! :)

Sunfox333: Same. If you don't mind me asking, what's with the username?

Deku_120: Oh! Deku's a nickname...it just kind of stuck.

Sunfox333: Hah, that's cute. This was my sister's account, so the username ISN'T MINE.

Deku_120: XD sounds pretty cool, considering you do have a Solar Quirk. Oops, I'm going to miss the bus! Talk to you later! :)

Sunfox333: Alright, see you tomorrow :)

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Kage tossed her phone on the bed, and stuffed her backpack under it. Her homework could wait. Half a year into middle school, and she was already sick of it. She peeked into the window out back. Her mother was, as usual, sitting in her rocking chair. A glass full of amber liquid peeked from her hands.

"Whiskey. That's a new low." she muttered. Good, her mother didn't know she was home. Didn't matter, since she wouldn't be here for long. She threw on a hoodie, some sweatpants, and after a second thought took her phone. She carefully closed the door, and began walking down the street.

Kage liked taking walks to the beach. It was a long walk, and usually the sun was almost set by the time she got there, but it was worth it. she enjoyed smelling the salty air and feeling the warmth of the sun absorb in her skin.

She walked for about fifteen minutes, then finally made it. She climbed over the fence, as one would do, and stared at the sunset, a soft glow of light against her face. Her thoughts usually drifted to her father.

Why did he leave? She always seemed to ask herself. Mom wasn't an alcoholic until after he left. Her sister, Miku, was already gone off to high school. What gave him the reason to leave the family without even saying goodbye?

She felt a tear threaten to spill over. She rubbed her eyes, but it was already too late.

*DING* She checked her phone, exhaling.

Deku_120: Hey! :D I know it's kind of short notice, but my mom cooked too much, and she wanted to know if you wanted to stop by and eat dinner with us!

Kage snorted. She knew full well that Inko Midorya "cooked too much" because she knew that Kage's mother barely cooked anymore. But, nevertheless, she was warmed by how nice the Midoryas were. She reminded herself to thank Inko the second she walked in. It seemed like Deku always knew when something was troubling her.

Sunfox333: Sure. Heading over now.

Deku_120: :D Great! See you soon!

Kage climbed over the fence, and began walking the now-familiar way to the Midorya apartment. After a few minutes, she felt like she was being watched. After a couple more minutes of doubling back, she knew she was being followed.

She steadied the energy she had saved up, and focused it in her palm. She turned a corner, and waited. The footsteps neared closer...closer...

She sharpened the light into a dagger-like form, and held it at their throat. "Why are you here?" she asked coldly. The figure coughed, rubbing their throat.

"Thanks a lot." the figure grumbled.

"Why are you here?" Kage repeated, still holding the dagger to their throat. "I told you to stay away from me, Toga."

Himiko Toga grinned, rubbing her sore throat. Kage noticed the smear of blood on her lips. "What wrong with visiting an old friend?"