No Hero came for me.
I had been walking back from school that day, a sunny April afternoon, wearing my favorite pale blue dress and my hair up in two pigtails. My mother had taken time to do them for me that morning, so I felt pretty. I had also achieved full marks on the pop quiz in math class that day. All in all, I was in a good mood.
I spent 200 yen on a popsicle in a convenience store, and licked the sweet-sour raspberry treat happily like all other seven year olds as I stood in front of an electronics store and watched the TVs that were in the display window. It was broadcasting an interview with All Might, my favorite Hero ever. Because I admired him so much, I decided that I'd become a loved and respected Hero and save people from villains like him when I grow up. Although my Quirk wasn't combat-oriented, I believed that I could still contribute lots to the society with it.
The interview ended and I tore my eyes away from the TVs on display and continued home. How long did I stand in front of the electronics store? I wondered. I did not own a phone, nor did I have a watch. I wondered what was gonna be for dinner. The day had been going well for me, so I dared myself to think that my mother would be making my favorite cream pasta.
I left the busy main street and turned onto a quiet road with little vehicles. The apartment which I lived in was at the other side of this neighborhood. I quickened my steps, eager to get home and tell my mother what good things had happened today.
Suddenly, a white van pulled up beside me and the window rolled down. I was surprised to see my homeroom teacher, Hiyama, smiling at me.
"Oh? Isn't this Nanashima?" He mused, "I never knew that we lived in the same direction."
"Neither did I," I beamed. Out of all the teachers who taught me, Hiyama-sensei was my favorite. He was always extra nice to me, and he never punished me when I messed up or did something wrong. All the other kids were jealous of me for being so close with him.
"Where do you live? I'll give you a ride home." Hiyama-sensei smiled.
"Really?"
I hesitated for a bit. My mother had always warned me to not get into stranger's cars...
"Of course!"
...But my homeroom teacher isn't really a stranger, is he?
"Okay."
I climbed into the back seat of the white van and finished my raspberry popsicle. "I live in the apartment by the park." I told him as I wrapped up the sticky wooden popsicle stick with tissues.
"Got it," Hiyama-sensei said as he started the engine and handed me a red lollipop. Although I had just finished a popsicle, the sweet scent of the candy made my mouth water. "Here's something for you, congratulations on that pop quiz today!"
"Thank you!" I smiled as I tore open the bright, crimson candy wrapper.
…I wish I never ate that lollipop.
He grabbed my face with his dirty hand, staring into my lifeless eyes. "You know, as soon as I saw you sitting in your seat in my classroom that day. I knew that it had to be you. You were such a pretty and dainty little girl, and your Quirk is barely useful in combat, I knew that you were the one I was looking for."
I responded him with a screaming wail. "Hiyama-sensei, stop! Please don't hurt me! Don't hurt me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
He secured his hands around my neck and choked me; his knee was against my groin. I gagged as tears, snot, and saliva rolled down my face. My ears were roaring with the sound of blood pulsing, and I started to feel dizzy due to the lack of oxygen.
"P-Please…stop…s-sensei…" I choked.
He ignored my pleas and stroked my body, his hand moving its way up my thigh. His lips were on my cheeks, whispering dirty things in my ear. "You're mine, all mine…" He grinned sadistically and cuffed my limbs to the chains attached to the bed. He pulled out a short, leather whip from the back of his belt and brought it down upon my body, leaving a crimson slash on my skin. The pain was unbearable. I bit my lips and chewed the insides of my cheeks until I tasted the bloody iron flavor of blood.
For the first few nights, I sobbed.
After a few weeks, I occasionally sniffled.
A few months later, I quit crying entirely.
No Hero came for me.
Eight years had passed in the basement he kept me locked up in, and I had grown almost apathetic. The light had disappeared from my eyes, staring into the mirror was like staring at a ghoulish zombie: dark shadows under eyes, hollow cheeks, thin, bony body… I was anything but healthy, but I didn't really care anymore.
Every once in a while, Hiyama would give me something sweet to eat, like muffins or cupcakes, but unlike my naïve child self, I no longer found them sweet. They all tasted bland, like cardboard. The talk shows on TV weren't amusing anymore either; my world became black and white.
I got up and showered as usual, trying to wash off the smell of beer, blood, leather, and men. Each new wound stung as the hot water ran over it, but I had become used to the pain. I was tempted to pick at the scabs, but sense told me not to.
What had become different that particular morning was, although I had a clear idea of what happened last night (and various other nights), I couldn't recall any pieces of memories. Last night, I had showered, gone to bed, waited fearfully for that man to return from work, he returned, came into the basement, and then…what happened?
I was still young, so I doubted that I had developed Alzheimer's, but this memory impairment was not explainable by ordinary forgetfulness. Had I time skipped? No, that was not my Quirk. If there was a Quirk that allowed time travelling, it would've caused an international commotion long ago.
Although confusion bubbled within me, my expression remained the same as a puppet. I got dressed slowly and opened the drawer for a hair brush, and to my surprise, a note had been left for me.
Instinctively, I thought that it was from Hiyama, and I had an impulse to crumple it up and throw it out. However, my senses told me to read it. The contents consisted only of three sentences, but it startled me greatly.
Dear Nana, don't worry, I will protect you. I won't let him hurt you. Love, Hana.
I looked around to make sure I was the only one in the basement. I clutched the note tightly in my trembling fists as hot tears trickled down my cheeks. I started to cry, an act which I haven't done in ages.
My Hero had come for me.
Eventually, more identities joined Hana and I. There were eight of us in total, and we numbered ourselves to make identification simpler. I was labeled #7, since my name was Nana (Japanese for seven), it was funny, since I was the original identity.
Hana was labeled #8, because her name shared a syllable with Hachi (Japanese for eight), we also found this hilarious (perhaps more hilarious than me being #7), because she was the first identity to appear. Although I was the original identity, she was the primary identity. I knew how not being able of having control over one's own body felt, so it was the least I can do for her in order to thank her. She deserved to have control over the body, because it was always her that protected us from Hiyama.
Seeing than Hana and I shared a number pattern in our names, my other identities decided to name themselves according to numbers as well. There were some arguments on who was going to be #4, because it was an unlucky number. And in the end, we ended up with two #3's, but that wasn't a bother.
What was interesting though was that all my other identities had their own Quirks; Quirks that were different from mine. We came to a conclusion that although sharing the same body, each identity of a DID patient would have different Quirks (Hana was an identity without a Quirk). It made sense to us, because there were eight different souls inhabiting the same body, it was only natural for each soul to have their own Quirks. If only I (we) were able to leave this basement, our existences would be a scientific breakthrough, we'd be celebrities!
As unwilling as I was, I had to agree with Hiyama that my own Quirk was useless in combat. Fortunately, the Quirks of my other identities were not. The eight of us formulated an escape plan together, and we waited patiently for the day to execute it to arrive.
However, that day never came.
One day, Hiyama brought one of his friends down to the basement.
I've never seen other humans asides from Hiyama, so the experience was a bit interesting, but it also sparked some sort of uncertainty within me. What was Hiyama planning to do to Nana now?
I stared at the two men who had cornered me. My heart was pounding. It was my responsibility as the primary identity to protect the other identities. They did not have to experience this, none of them had to, and especially not Nana. Nana created me to be her Hero, and I will fulfill my duty as her Hero.
(But where was my Hero?)
"Wow, she's pretty, how old is she?" The man whom I did not recognize asked.
"Fifteen, almost sixteen." Hiyama answered.
"How long have you had her?"
"Since she was seven."
"Damn, you sick pedophile!"
"Can't help it." Hiyama shrugged nonchalantly. "
The man turned to me with lust dancing wildly in his eyes. "Hey girl, what's your name?"
I did not answer him. Instead, I glared at him with hateful eyes. Chances are that he's another BDSM pedophile maniac. Hiyama was a psychopath, so his buddy must be a psychopath too; there was no doubt about that.
"So you're just shoving your used toy to me?" The man asked Hiyama with a huff. "How awful of you; where are your morals?"
"I flushed it down the toilet," Hiyama shrugged. "I've lost interest in her, so I'm giving her to you. I'll have to find a replacement, but she was good while she lasted. Besides, it costs money to feed an extra mouth."
My eyes widened. What was Hiyama saying? What was he going to do to Nana? What was happening?
"You're sick, dude," The other man snorted. "But yeah, although she's hella scarred and used, I'll admit that her face is nice to look at."
"So you're willing to take my used toy? Thanks bud; that helped a lot."
"Shut up, lol."
I could feel the blood roaring in my ears, my head was hurting at the roaring and I was sick of the people before me. SICK. S-I-C-K.
"You…" I spoke in a shaky voice. "You…"
Hiyama looked down at me. "What?"
"You kidnapped Nana and kept her chained and locked up here for eight years. You abused her, tortured her, raped her, and now you're just throwing her away…?" I stared, wide-eyed, in utter shock. "You're just going to throw her away like that? After all these years of what you did to her? Just because you've lost interest?"
"What's with that third person speech?" Hiyama frowned. "Yeah, so what? What are you gonna do about it?"
The roaring in my ears became louder. I looked at the mirror in the corner; it was reflecting my pale, horror-struck face. A bell rang in the back of my mind as realization dawned on me. If I don't make a move, Nana's hell would never end; I mustn't hope for help from other people. If so, I might as well save her myself, for I was her Hero.
(But where was my Hero?)
I stood up slowly from the bed I was chained to, and with some newly found, unknown source of power, I clenched my fists tightly together, and the iron chains weathered away.
Hey, isn't that mine…? I heard one of the other identities question in the back of my mind. They tried to reach me, but my wrath had built an invisible wall between us.
I'M GOING TO SEND THEM TO HELL.
The other identities were banging on the invisible wall, screaming, but I shut them out. I was the primary identity; I have control over the body, it's my decision that counts, not theirs.
"I am not your toy, you son of a bitch." I snarled.
"What did you just s–"
"Shut up!" I cut him off with a scream. "Shut up shut up SHUT UP! I'm sick and tired of your bullshit every single fucking day, you took Nana away from her happy life, destroyed her, and now you're just gonna throw her away!? SHE IS NOT YOUR FUCKING SEX TOY!" I dug my nails into my forehead and felt the pulsing quicken. My throat and my lungs felt uncomfortable with the screaming.
The two men raised their hands, ready to activate their own Quirks to defend themselves, but I was quicker. An AK-47 with a silencer attached materialized in my hand, and I loaded it with the speed of lightning as if I was a skilled veteran.
Hey, that's my Quirk! Another identity yelled in my head. Why are you able to use our Quirks?
"How did you…!?" Hiyama was shocked at my sudden display of two different Quirks that he was previously unaware of; I wasn't aware of it either.
There were double images in my eyes and half was covered in red. Without warning, my vision went blind and I could feel the tugging sensation in my temple getting stronger as more blood rushed into my head. There was a violent ripping noise, screams, a thump, and the splattering sound on the ground, and suddenly my vision focused (although the red still existed). Everything thing became crystal clear – including the repulsive faces of the two soon-to-be corpses. They had each lost a limb during my little blackout, and were scrambling towards the stairs.
The taste of my blood was overwhelming as I pulled the trigger of the AK-47 and shot Hiyama in the right lung. I gave him a few extra bullets to release my anger.
His friend stared at us, terrified, and turned to run back up the stairs. "That's not what you said her Quirk was!" He shouted desperately before I fed him a few bullets in the head too. He crumbled into a pile on the stairs, and his blood trickled back down. I was breathing heavily; the adrenaline coursed through my body.
I took a deep breath to calm myself down. Nothing mattered now; I've done my task. These people won't be bothering Nana anymore since I've killed them.
I felt the throbbing pulse that existed on my forehead; my fingers were covered in blood when I brought it back into my sight. I had probably hit my head on the wall or something during the chaos just now. I staggered towards the shower to wash off the blood.
I didn't care. I didn't care anymore; nothing mattered to me. The fact I just killed two people with this newfound Quirk (which was probably being able to use all the Quirks of the other identities), or the horrified gasps from behind the invisible wall I built. I didn't care anymore.
(But where was my Hero?)
Nana screamed in my head. Hana, you killed people!
It was to protect you. I tried to calm her down.
That's not how I want it to be! She sobbed. I didn't want you to KILL people! Even if they were awful!
Don't worry; it's my hands that were dirtied, not yours. My attempts to comfort her didn't seem to be working.
What's the difference? We share the same body!
It's okay, it's okay; everything will be fine.
I wanted to be a Hero when I grew up; killing people is not what Heroes do!
Hearing this, my expression became bitter.
Nana…
What? Nana sniffled.
I don't think that you'd want to be a Hero.
Why? Her tone became concerned.
Heroes are... My voice trailed off.
I was a freak.
I was mentally ill.
I was insane.
I was made aware of the above three facts in less than a day's time after I left the basement and returned back to the normal society. Had the world always been cold like this? Did it change? Or was it me who changed? Everything that I was once so familiar with had become strange and distant. How long had I been in that basement again? Eight years? Nine years? Ten years? I could barely recall. I couldn't find my way home. Where did I live again?
Penniless and homeless, I wandered the streets for days until I walked into an old, abandoned building and fainted there.
A cold bucket of water splashed onto my face and I jerked awake. I was lying on a hard, wooden floor of a bar. Two men were staring down at me; one I couldn't see his expression, for his entire body was covered by a thick black mist, and the other was visibly annoyed.
A plate of food was set in front of me on the ground. As soon as I saw it, I grabbed towards it without wondering if it was poisoned. I wolfed the entire plate of food down while the two men watched me.
"Are you a starved dog?" The one who seemed annoyed muttered. "No eating manners at all."
I wiped the sauce of the mashed potato away from the edges of my mouth. "Sorry," I mumbled, "I haven't eaten in days."
"Where are you from?" The one surrounded by black mist questioned.
"I-I'm from…"
What was my address?
"Where?" The annoyed one demanded.
What was it?
"I…I'm from…" My mouth was dry.
Where was I from?
"I…" I gave up and hung my head in shame. "I don't remember."
"Haa!? Don't kid around with me!" The annoyed one snapped.
"I'm not!" I protested. "I really don't remember!"
"Calm down, Shigaraki Tomura." The black mist guy told him. "There must be a reason why she doesn't remember. Right?"
I nodded silently; thanking god that at least one of them was willing to listen to me.
"Why?"
"I…" I hesitated. What would they think of me if I told them that I was locked in a basement for eight years, physically and mentally tortured, and developed seven other identities, each with their own Quirks? I didn't want to risk my chances. "…I can't tell you."
"Don't be ridiculous…" Shigaraki Tomura hissed and grabbed towards my face with his hands. "Don't kid around with me!"
"Ack!" I didn't know why, but my body dodged away from his hands instinctively. Something about him told me that he was dangerous, though not in the same way as Hiyama.
"Shigaraki Tomura!" Black mist barked. "Stop!"
He didn'tlisten, and grabbed towards me again. This time, I squeezed my eyes shut in terror.
"…Huh?" Shigaraki Tomura blinked once, twice. "What the…?"
A small mountain of sand had risen up from the ground and created a shield between his hand and my face. I glared at him. "Don't you dare hurt her!" I snarled.
Don't just go on and use my Quirk like that! A voice complained in the back, which I ignored.
"What's with the sudden third person talk?" He asked in confusion.
"I'm Hana; the one you just tried to attack now was Nana." I explained curtly. "Thank you for your hospitality, but I think that we should be leaving now. Sorry for the interruption." I lowered the sand back into the ground and turned around to walk towards the exit.
Shigaraki Tomura didn't seem annoyed anymore, in fact, he seemed a bit intrigued. "A patient of the dissociative personality disorder, huh…" He mused. "Interesting…Kurogiri."
"Aye." With a wave of his hand, Kurogiri had created a pool of black mist in front of the exit, blocking my way.
I spun around and sputtered. "What do you want from us?"
"Calm down, don't worry." Kurogiri told me. "We just want to talk to you."
Shigaraki Tomura nodded and sat back down in his chair. "Tell us how you―or Nana, whatever―developed this mental disorder."
"Why?" I asked tentatively.
"We're curious."
"Why should I trust you guys? Although you did offer us food, you seem sketchy."
Shigaraki Tomura threw his hands up into the air. "Ha! She called us sketchy! Listen here, little girl," He pointed at me. "We are the League of Villains."
"League of Villains?" I echoed incredulously.
"Yes, that is us." Kurogiri nodded. "Our ultimate goal is to kill All Might."
Kill All Might!? Nana gasped in horror. Hana, let's leave! I don't wanna stay here anymore!
"You're planning to kill the #1 Hero?" I ignored Nana's pleas and asked them instead. I was interested to hear what they had to offer. "The Symbol of Peace?"
"Yes, we are." Shigaraki Tomura sneered. "What? Could it be that you share the same ideologies as us?"
I clenched my fists tightly and chewed the insides of my cheeks. "…Nana was kidnapped by her teacher on her way back home from school when she was seven." I told them bitterly. "She was then chained and locked up in a basement for eight years, abused, tortured, and raped. She created me and a few others to protect herself from the pain. Each of her identities has their own Quirks; I can use the Quirks of all the other identities."
"I see," Kurogiri nodded. "Then why is it that, you sound like you bear an intense grudge against All Might when you mentioned him?"
"No one came!" I screamed. I couldn't help raising my voice, though they didn't seem to mind at all. "No one came to my rescue. If I was Nana's Hero, than who was my Hero? My Hero never came, so that's why I hate! I hate all those hypocritical Heroes! They are liars! They never came for us. They are hypocrites!" I finished screaming and panted, waiting for their response.
Hana… Nana mumbled. I-I didn't know you thought that… I'm so sorry.
"Ku-ku-ku…" Shigaraki Tomura giggled. Soon, his giggled turned into hysterical laughter. "Marvelous! Bravo!" He applauded. "Hana, was it?"
"Yes," I nodded. "What?"
"I admire your remarkable grudge against Heroes, so I would like to extend this invitation to you: won't you join the League of Villains with us? That way, you may be able to achieve revenge on Heroes yourself"
My eyes widened. "I-I…" My mouth became dry instantly.
Nana became alarmed. Hana, stop, don't listen to him!
"No Hero came to save you, right?" He hopped off his seat and walked towards me. "No one that passed offered to help you, right? You were all alone and ignored, right?"
I nodded mutely.
"Well, you did nothing wrong. The one to blame is to current society of Heroes, not you. So why not destroy it?" He walked even closer; his dry, cracked face was inches from mine. "Why not?"
HANA! Nana screamed. Leave! Leave! Leave! I don't wanna stay here! Leave! Leave! Leave!
"Join…the League of Villains…?" I gulped. My heart was thumping with a thousand beats per minute. "But Nana…and the others…"
"Oh, who cares?" Shigaraki Tomura rolled his eyes and jabbed his finger into my stomach (it was rather painful). "The only one who is stopping you right now is probably Nana, right? She doesn't know what is best for her, because you―her Hero―came. She's a sheltered child who never knew the cruelness of reality, but you do." He jabbed his finger into my stomach again. "You're the primary identity; you're in charge, not Nana."
…
Hearing his words, I made up my mind in an instant.
No! Hana! No! Nana screamed.
You're not stopping me, Nana. My tone was cold.
No, seriously, stop, please, I'm begging you, I don't want to become a villain!
Well too bad, Heroes are all hypocrites; this is the only correct way!
No! Stop! Please! HANA!
Sorry Nana, but this is for your own good.
The last emotion Nana felt before she faded out was an overwhelming fear for her future, and Hana's bitter wrath against Heroes.
I haven't written stuff for a long time now, but I've been watching My Hero Academia lately and I thought that I should really write something about it. However, although I have pretty much the entire storyline planned out in my head, all I've written is this one chapter. I kinda doubt that I'd be able to finish this one (because of homework and school stress and original projects and all that other awesome stuff), but we'll see how it goes. I'll try to update once a week, hopefully. Also, excuse my grammar, because I still hate having people beta my stuff and I'd rather let my grammar die.
Last but not least, review!
