☽ independence ;; [ bnha ] ☽

prologue.

Goals.

Everyone has a goal in life of some sorts. A goal is something you might not even know you have, but somehow it's still there. In the long term, maybe a goal could be to get married, or have a family ...  maybe graduate college and live a good life. For the short term, maybe ace a test you have coming up, or do well on a job interview. Life is full of goals. For Izuku Midoriya, the ninth holder of One For All, All Might's successor: you might think his goal is to be the number one hero. Well, it used to be - but when All Might, the previous Symbol of Peace died, Izuku's perception of life was absolutely torn apart - just like a few of the posters from his dorm room wall when he found out the devastating news about his mentor. The person who showed him what it means to be a hero left him.

It has been four years since then. Izuku Midoriya was now a licensed pro hero, and the new Symbol of Peace for Japan. Everyone saw him as a light. Ever since he made the number one spot for heroes, the crime rate has gone down significantly, at twenty-two percent. To the citizens of Japan, Deku was someone they could look up to, and rely on for their safety. But to Izuku, he was nothing more than All Might's replacement. Because of that, he felt guilty. Sometimes Izuku couldn't get out of bed and do hero work, because doing so would be him accepting the fact that All Might is truly gone. Izuku couldn't accept this as fact.

"Deku, do you feel comfortable answering that question?" A girl with short brown hair tilted her head slightly, microphone aimed at Izuku's mouth. Shit, he must've zoned out in an interview on live television ... he's never done that before. He felt a pit in his stomach as he hesitated to answer, "Oh! Yes, of course." He stuttered over his words a bit. He got distracted, feeling his hands getting warm. He forgot the question. "What was the question again?" He asked, his voice shaking a little. He was embarrassed. The audience giggled a little bit, and that just made Izuku's face turn to a fair shade of peach. The interviewer smiled and chuckled, and she asked the question again.

"What is your goal as the new number one hero?"