Thaw

Zero

As I get ready for my last day of school, I feel incredibly excited. But as I look in the mirror, a memory from my childhood suddenly comes to mind.

"All done, baby. Go show your dad," my mom said, giving my shoulder a gentle pat.

She had just finished pulling my hair into two puffy pigtails. Our suitcases were lined up by the front door. Today was the day we were moving to Japan. I didn't completely understand why, but I knew it was a big deal.

I sprinted into the living room, bursting with energy. "Look, Dad! Look at my hair!" I yelled, jumping up and down.

My dad looked down from his phone and laughed, scooping me up into a giant hug. "Look at you! You look beautiful, kiddo. And you know why? Because you get your looks from me," he teased. I just giggled and nodded.

"Hey, Dad? What's Japan like?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Well, it's a huge island pretty far away," he explained, setting me back down. "It's got massive cities, amazing food, and tons of cool places to check out. That's where I'm going to be working as a Pro Hero."

I nodded, my eyes going wide.

Before I could ask anything else, my dad clapped his hands together. "Alright, team, let's move! The plane leaves in 3 hours, so we've gotta get on the road. B/N, Y/N, shoes on!"

"We're coming, stop yelling!" my mom called back, walking in with the last of the backpacks.

A New Home

When we finally landed, Japan was beautiful. I still remember the smell of the food, the clean streets, the cherry blossoms, and how packed the train stations were.

When we arrived at our new house, I stared up at it in awe. It's huge.

"Take it all in, kids," my dad said, looking at my older brother and me. "This is home base now."

After we spent the afternoon unpacking, my mom told us that the neighbors had invited us over for dinner. I held her hand as we all walked down the street together.

Ding-dong.

The door opened to reveal a woman, and right behind her was a boy about my age with spiky blonde hair. He was a little taller than me. Our eyes met, and I gave him a small smile and a wave.

Katsuki's POV
My mom told me the new neighbors were coming over for dinner, so when the doorbell rang, I knew it was them. I stood behind her as she opened the door to see who they were.

I looked up and saw a girl my age wearing a dress and a sweater, with her hair in two puffy pigtails. When she saw me, she smiled and waved.
I waved back. I hope she's cool.

"Well, come on in!" my mom said, stepping back to let them through. Then she noticed our feet. "Oh, wait—shoes off at the door, please."

The girl's parents instantly turned red. "Oh, man, sorry about that! Completely slipped my mind," her dad said, quickly kicking off his sneakers.

"Don't worry about it, totally fine," my mom laughed, waving it off. "So, who are these two cuties?"

"I'm Y/N, and this is my older brother, B/N," the girl answered, pointing to the boy next to her.

"Why don't you kids head upstairs to play while I finish up dinner?" my mom suggested.

"Alright, my room's this way. Come on," I said, grabbing Y/N's hand.

"Let's go, B/N!" she called out, and the three of us raced up the steps.

The Park (1 Year Later - Age 5)
A year passed, and Katsuki and I both turned five. Even though I was a few months older than him, we were attached at the hip. One afternoon, we were hanging out at the park with his mom, Mitsuki.
I was on the swing set, watching my dress catch the wind, when I heard someone yelling from the other side of the playground.

"Stop it, Kacchan! You're making him cry!"
I dragged my feet in the dirt to stop the swing, got off, and walked over to see what was happening, hiding behind a tree.

"If you keep hurting him, I'll stop you myself," a small green-haired boy yelled. His legs were shaking, but he was standing right in front of another kid who was crying.

I peeked around the tree to see who he was facing. It was Katsuki.

Katsuki just grinned, a sharp smirk on his face. "You want to play hero? You don't stand a chance without a Quirk, Deku," he said. He activated his Quirk, sparks and small explosions crackling in his palms.
I knew he was about to hurt the kid, and I couldn't just watch. He was always so nice to me, so seeing him act like a bully completely caught me off guard.
Katsuki and his friends lunged forward. I didn't think twice—I just reacted.

Using my speed, I teleported directly between them. I braced myself, instinctively wrapping ice over my arms to form a shield.

When I opened my eyes, I realized I had completely frozen Katsuki's two friends in place. "WHAT THE HECK, Y/N?! GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Katsuki yelled, while his frozen friends just stared at me in shock.

"No! Stop being mean to other kids," I yelled back, standing my ground.

Katsuki rolled his eyes and let his sparks fade. "Whatever. You're lucky you're my best friend, or I would've beat you up too."

I kept a serious face, knowing he was just talking tough. My expression softened as I turned to the green-haired boy on the ground. Katsuki's friends, finally breaking free from the melting ice, quickly ran away.

I reached my hand out to help him up. He took it, looking at me like I was the coolest person he'd ever seen.

"Hi, I'm Y/N. You okay?" I asked with a small smile.
"Yeah... my name is Izuku Midoriya. Nice to meet you, Y/N," he stuttered, wiping away his tears.

"KIDS! TIME TO PACK IT UP!" Mitsuki's voice echoed across the park.

"COMING!" Katsuki and I yelled back together.

The flashback ends, and I blink, finding myself back in the present day. ready to face my last day of school.