"Get lost freak!"

"You should be a villain with a quirk like yours."

"It was Ryu, he started it!"

"You can't be a hero; you should just give up."

"You think UA will accept a monster like you!"

These voices continued to sweep through the mind of the young boy as he ran through the city streets with the cold rain beating down on him, soaking his clothes and chilling his bones. Despite the terrible weather he couldn't care for either the rain or where he was going as long as it was away from the people, the idiots who kept telling him that he couldn't follow his dream and become a hero. All his life that's all I wanted to be, a hero but not for the fame, money or fans but just to protect people and make them feel safe, like nothing could hurt them, like many of his favourite heroes did every day. As he continued to run through the city streets as he kept thinking on how he was sick of how everyone treated him just because of his damn quirk, everyone bullied him day after day and every time he would stand up for himself and fight he was always treated as the one who started it while the others would play as the victims even if he was the one injured while the others cackled in the background, unscathed.

After running for what felt like an eternity the young boy found himself in the middle of a park that he'd never been to before, it seemed to be deserted with the exception of a few benches and a jungle gym, accompanied by a swing which seemed to be fraying at the seams. Falling to his knees from sheer exhaustion he finally started to feel how his shirt had been drenched due to the rain and how it started to feel like a second skin on him. Looking up to the black clouds that covered the sky he finally let everything he'd been bottling up for years let out and he began to sniffle, then cry, and then sob. Sadness was one of the emotions that he knew too intimately, not to mention envy and his other emotional companion in the rain, anger.

He drove his fist into the ground with everything he had but that wasn't enough, not yet. He kept pounding the same spot over and over and over again as if he needed to find something that was hidden underneath him that could fix everything wrong in his life. He continued his assault on the same poor spot of dirt for a few minutes until he wore himself out and after giving up on his little search he raised his fist to find that it was bleeding heavily with the skin on his knuckles having been worn down, now stinging from the continuous attack on the ground he now could start to collect his thoughts, wiping the dirt from his knuckles with a wince. Then he remembered on why he was running through the rain in the first place. On how one of the few people that believed in him could be a hero gave up on him.

1 hour earlier

Ryu was in his room finishing off the homework he was given earlier that day, he liked to finish homework the day he got it since it meant he could do what he wanted sooner without the worry of handing it in late. Since Ryu really didn't have any friends and was considered a social outcast he found solace in reading from school text books he finds in the school library, manga about a group of friends traveling the world to fight a great evil, books about human super soldiers fighting an alien race who sought to exterminate the human race and books about dragons to which Ryu loved the most due to his fondness of the terrible mythical creature that in the past was once considered an embodiment of the devil. Ryu's room was a basic size for a 10-year olds room with posters of multiple heroes plastered all over the walls along with his bed and desk. He also had two large books shelfs both of which were full, full to the brim with an eclectic selection of any topic he could imagine. People thought this love for reading was one of the reason Ryu did so well in school, normally ranking in the top 3 whenever a test had occurred at school. After finishing his homework Ryu put his pen down, working out the small knots of tension in his palm.

"Finally done" Ryu said, sighing in relief "Maybe I should have dad look over this, rather be sure I did well than screw up, not that Ms would care."

Grabbing the piece of the paper he then left his room and proceeded down stairs in the dimly light hallway to find his dad in the living room with his step mother Yuki. Seeing the door slightly open Ryu walked over to see what was going on. Inside he sees his father and step mother talking on the couch but before he could knock he heard his farther ask Yuki something that made Ryu stop dead in his tracks and start to listen to their conversation.

"Honey… are you scared of Ryu?" Kenji sighing after saying it making it seem he had been holding it in for a while.

Taking a moment to ponder what her husband said Yuki finally spoke with an almost questioning tone. "I know he's a great kid and that he goes through a lot at school because of his quirk. But Kenji, it seems like some days he's on the verge of going into a fit of rage. I'm worried what he could do, not everyone is as well prepared."

After taking a moment to recompose herself after seeing that Kenji was waiting for her to go on, she continued. "But I know that if we work hard enough with him, maybe some extra quirk counselling or therapy, he can control his anger."

"I know you want to do anything you can to help Ryu, but I've tried everything I can think of and nothing seems to work." Sounding on the verge of tears Kenji continues, ramming his fist into the arm rest. "I'm worried that after so long, or the bullying gets worse or something he'll explode and do something horrible and in the ensuing chaos you could get hurt… Everybody could get hurt! I…We can't let that happen."

After taking a moment to recompose himself Kenji speaks again "The other day Ryu asked if I thought he could still be a hero and I told him he could but deep down I don't think he can, not like he is. With his quirk and rage, a part of me is starting to agree with what the other parents say about him and that he'll become a villain. I… I don't know what to do…"

In that one moment Ryu's world shattered, he knew he had problems with his anger because of the bullying he endured at school and that his quirk made it much harder to control but he always thought that if his dad was there by his side he could do it. But now after hearing what they… he just said Ryu felt truly hopeless about his dream, like a little part of him had given up and stopped trying. Ryu started to wonder 'Will they send me away? Will did start to treat like a freak like everyone else does, like a villain'?

After quietly walking away from the door so as to not alert his parents of his presence he mumbles to himself. "Well if they really do want me to send me away then I won't give them a chance." Ryu's voice seemed to radiate with sorrow at his little pledge.

Getting to the front door, he slips his shoes on and runs out the front door into the cold rain that started only an hour ago. Not caring about the wind or rain Ryu just picked a direction and ran, the sound of his father's disappointment echoing in his ears.

Present

The moment kept playing in Ryu's head as if on a continuous loop. 'He'll become a villain…' Did he really mean it? His own father? 'He'll become a villain…' He gave up on me 'He'll become a villain' Starting to twitch from the anger building in him clenching his fist with such force his hand went white, blood fighting desperately to flow back into his fingers.

"THEY'RE WRONG!" Roaring to the sky with every ounce of anger he had in him, small flickers of heat sparking from his mouth at the cry.

Still searing with anger Ryu attacked the ground again but with both his hands, ignoring the pain coming from his already injured right hand. Cracking the ground underneath himself with his attack, the bestial nature of his quirk showing itself. He continued this until he laid exhausted on the ground barley able to keep himself up even with the support of both his hands and knees. He laid there for what felt like hours trapped in his own thought about everything that had happened from his farther giving up on him to the almost daily beatings he got from his so called peers at school, tears welling up in his eyes again. Ryu was so trapped in his thoughts that he never noticed that he wasn't alone in the park until the unknown person's shadow caught Ryu's attention.

XXXXXXXX

Nezu didn't know why but he always liked the rain. Maybe the way it sounded as it hit different surfaces, or how it could make the light from car's headlights looks beautiful when seen in puddles, who knew? But a part of him believed that it was because the first thing he experienced after escaping his human captors was the rain hitting his face and how it felt like freedom, to feel like he finally had control over his life.

Nezu continued his pleasant stroll down the street, soaking in the feeling until his ears picked up a strange sound.

BOOM!

"Hmm strange is there a villain attack nearby? Surely not at this hour." Looking in the direction of the sound, the ever-present smile on his face.

BOOM!

"It sounds close, perhaps I should check in case it's a villain running rampant." Taking off in the direction at a somewhat lazy pace, Nezu finds himself in one of the local parks. He turns the corner to see not a villain wreaking havoc but a child, probably no older than 10 years old lying on his hands and knees.

He walks closer to get a better look at the child: a mess of black hair, wearing a blue All Might t-shirt and a pair of black shorts. Upon getting closer to the child Nezu sees the shirt sticking to the child like a second skin 'He seems to have been in the rain for quite a while, a child would get sick'.

Once getting close enough to see the child's face Nezu is shocked upon recognising the mysterious child.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Ryu, what on earth are you doing here in the middle of the night, you could get sick?" The second Ryu heard that concerned but carefree voice he knew who his mysterious onlooker was.

"Uncle Nezu." His voice hitching from the cold he looked up to see his uncle, to any passer-by you couldn't tell he's family since Ryu is a 'normal human' and his uncle is an animal that could be a mouse, dog or bear.

"Why are you here of all places you should be at your house." He stops the second he sees the ground and leaned in towards Ryu's injured hand. "And what happened to your hand?" Nezu crouching down to get a better look at the hand.

All Ryu could do is just sit there as his uncle continues to ask him question after question on why he was in the middle of the park in the pouring rain without either his farther or step mother accompanying him, he didn't say a thing until Nezu finally stopped his little assault of questions and just asked him.

"Ryu are you ok?" With genuine concern in his voice, all Ryu could do is just hug him and after a few moments he spoke.

"Uncle Nezu please help me…" Tears stream down his face while he asked his uncle for his help, mixing in with the rain.

After taking a moment to process what he heard Nezu spoke "Ok, my house is nearby we'll need to get that hand treated, you cleaned up and I bet you must be hungry. Come on."

After helping Ryu up Nezu lead him back to his house all the while racking his brains for a possible reason why Ryu was alone in the rain and hurt, none of his answers stood much ground. 'I'll wait till he's had something to eat and rested up.' Stopping for a moment to look at Ryu and the condition he was in 'Then I'm getting to the bottom of this.' His eyes showing the determination only a genius on a mission could have.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, although it may be short I plan to try and make these chapters longer. A heads up this is my first ever fanfic and I know I'm not great so I love to hear what you have to say about this so I can improve my writing and the quality of the story so I can bring something better for both this story but others I may do in the future.

A big thanks to my friend Nanocowie who helped me write this chapter and I highly recommend you check out his profile in my favourite writers on my profile to read his My Hero Academia fanfics, I personally recommend The cats caught a rabbit.