Chapter 4 - Brothers in Junior High

(Approximately 200 years before...)

The first incident was in Qingqing City. An extraordinary child was born who radiated light. After that, reports of people with superpowers popped up across the globe. No one knew what was causing these Quirks. Before long, the supernatural became the totally normal. Dreams a reality. The world became a superhuman society with about 80% of the population possessing some uncanny ability. Our streets looked like scenes out of comic books. As cities swirled with chaos and confusion, a new profession dominated our collective consciousness. It was an age of heroes. With the rise of superpowers came an explosive increase in criminal activity. While the governments were stuck trying to figure out how to reform laws with Quirks in mind, courageous people started performing heroic acts to keep our cities safe. Protecting us against villains who abused their powers for evil. With overwhelming public support, heroes found an official place as peacekeepers overseen by the government. Those who performed the best were paid the most and got all the fame and glory. Their careers depended upon their ability to stay in the spotlight...

***

(14 years after the Konan's death...)

"So, as third-year students, its time to start thinking seriously about your futures and with what you want to do with your lives," the homeroom teacher announced to a very bored class, "I could pass out some aptitude tests, but..." he snatched up a stack of papers from the desk, "Why bother! I know you want to go into the Hero track!"

All the students grinned as they began showing off their ȧssorted Quirks.

With a laugh the teacher tossed the stack in the air, making it rain tests all over the room as the students, with a couple of exceptions, cheered.

"Yes, yes you've got some very impressive Quirks, but no power usage allowed in school!" the teacher reminded them, "Get a hold of yourselves."

"Hey teach," an ash blonde male with an arrogant tone interrupted, "Don't lump me in with this bunch of losers. I'm the real deal, but these guys will be lucky to end up as sidekicks to some busted D-lister."

The teenager gave a short laugh from where he sat sprawled in his seat, his legs draped over the desk.

The room instantly erupted in a series of angry shouts.

"You think you're better than us Katsuki?" a shout was heard from all of the other students.

Katsuki Bakugo gave his classmates a feral grin, "Let's go! I'll take you all on!"

The teacher had learned long ago that he was incapable of actually stopping the ruckus directly so he tried to diffuse the situation another way.

"Huh..." he glanced at his clipboard, "You've got impressive test results. Maybe you will get into UA High."

A stunning shock hit the classroom, while a certain green-haired student shrunk in his seat with a groan, trying to become invisible.

"He tried for the national school?" a girl wonders aloud.

"The one that's got a 0.2% acceptance rate!"

"It's impossible to get into!"

"That's why it's the only place worthy of me," Bakugo swung him up so he was standing on his desk, "My brother and I aced all the mock tests. We're the only ones in this school who stand a chance of getting in. I'll end up more popular than All Might himself," he clenched his fists in excitement, "And my brother and I will be the richest heroes in all time! People all across the world will know who we are! It all starts with UA High!"

"Katsuki, don't bring me into this," a quiet voice made everyone look over at a boy with flaming red hair sitting at the desk next to the blonde.

A flutter of paper filled the room as the scattered tests beginning to move with a life of their own. Too focused on using his Quirk to notice the attention he was receiving, Haruko Bakugo, nicknamed Haru, manipulated the paper into a neat stack onto his desk.

"You can't start looking down on people just because they aren't as great as you are," he stated bluntly.

If anyone else had said that sentence, they would immediately set upon by the rest of the class, but everyone was familiar with Haru's reputation. It was well known how much Haru practically worshiped his adopted older brother. He never intended to insult anyone purposefully, he just spoke without thinking sometimes.

For the girls, this was one of his many adorable qualities. Quiet, a little shy, smart, talented, handsome, and most importantly, single. He was the ultimate dream guy in the opinion of many of the girls at Aldera Junior High. This cannot be said for most of the boys, but since Haru had never shown interest in dating anyone and turned down all confessions, he was at least tolerated.

Katsuki chuckled as he ruffled his brother's straight red hair, causing Haru to groan and bat his hand away.

Everyone in the class felt a tug at their hearts. 'Brotherly bonds!'

Everyone watched as the two exchanged grins before settling in their seats again.

Even after seeing it with their own eyes, people couldn't understand how the two boys got along so well. The brothers were complete opposites in both looks and personalities. While Katsuki had spiky ash blond and crimson red eyes, Haru had straight red hair that fell into his golden yellow orbs. Katsuki had a fiery and aggressive personality, but Haru was quiet and gentle. The only similarities to be found in them was when they–

"Oh yeah, Midoriya, don't you want to go to U.A. too?" the teacher inquired in a bored tone.

The room became so silent that you could have heard a feather drop before most of the class burst out laughing as the cringing green-haired student that sat directly behind Haru's spot.

"Midoriya? Your kidding right?"

"There's no way you're getting into the hero course without a Quirk!"

Midoriya stood up desperately was he voiced a protest, "Well, they actually got rid of that rule. I could be the first one!"

A fierce growl silenced the laughter as Katsuki slammed his hand on Midoriya's desk, exploding it with his Quirk.

"Listen up, Deku," his voice was dangerous as he towered over the trembling boy, "You're even worse than the rest of these damn rejects, you Quirkless wannabe. You really think they'd let someone like you in when they can have someone like me."

"That's enough, Katsuki," Haru ordered, a dangerous shadow passing over his eyes.

Bakugo ignored him as Izuku scrambled back while trying to reassure the blonde he did not intend on competing with him, "You will never be able to hang with the best of the best. You'd die in the exams!"

"Katuski..."

The ash-blonde's hands were now smoking threateningly. "Defenseless Izuku," he gloated, "The schools already crappy. Do you really want to embarrass it more by failing so hard?"

A hand grabbed the back of Katsuki's head and slammed his face into a nearby desk, "I said. Shut. Up."

Everyone in the classroom had an expression of mixed amusement and nervousness at the angry look on Haru's face as they shared the same thought.

'There it is! The Bakugo temper.'

Yes, Haru had a temper...

True he was much slower to anger than his brother, but he was just a prone to fight as his sibling when pushed too far.

Katsuki sprang back up, a pissed look on his face, "The hell?"

He swung his leg around, causing Haruko to trip. In a swift movent, Katsuki tried to pin him down on the floor only for Haru's body to dissolve into a blizzard of paper buŧŧerflies.

"Later Katsuki, we have class," he said dismissively as he appeared again, sitting at his desk.

A vein popped on the said blonde's forehead, "Eh? You ignoring me now?"

Haru made a show of writing a note in large kanji on the back of one of the tests before holding it up.

Katsuki growled, a hidden smirk behind his angry expression now that his attention was off the unfortunate Midoriya, "You little...."