LOCKED

MY HERO ACADEMIA FANFIC

WRITTEN BY OBEY

AUTHOR'S NOTES: THIS IS MAINLY A DIALOGUE-DRIVEN STORY

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE REVIEWS! I'M JUST TRYING TO SPEND TIME PRACTICING DIALOGUE, PRIMARILY WITH TWO CHARACTERS INTERACTING.

STARRING TSUYU ASUI AND HIMIKO TOGA

DISCLAIMER: ASIDE FROM THE PROTAGONIST EKO SHIGERU, ALL OTHER CHARACTERS ARE FROM MY HERO ACADEMIA. THIS STORY IS FOR FANFICTION ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

PLEASE ENJOY!

CHAPTER 1.

HERO CLASS 1-A SEAT NUMBER 21

Let me get this straight...

Somehow, I'm the bad guy?

What kind of sense is that founded on?

When I first arrived at U.A., I never expected anything like this...

... number 21.

Living with the rest of Class 1-A has been unusual. I was mostly disregarded in terms of strength, seeing as how my Quirk isn't quite obvious to most people. The depths of my abilities are quite vast, even for myself. I'm still learning... but I'm also concealing most of what I do learn.

My Quirk is Infatuation. I can influence a person to admire me. As unlikeable a person as I am, that is still my Quirk. Infatuation is not measurable, except by man-made terms. But I've figured out different levels of power I can inject to get the desired results.

Upon first arriving at the school, I made no friends. I hoped to keep my power a secret, yet I had to develop it. I told the teachers that my Quirk is Infatuation, and that I can use it to win over villains to be good. It seems like a harmless Quirk that mankind can benefit from.

In truth, I don't want to be a hero at all. I'm not even sure what I want. But I am essentially addicted to this power. And being that I'm still only 16, I haven't matured my mindset on the matter.

The first encounter I had was with Ochaco. We met during a run on a Sunday, and she introduced herself. I have always been antisocial, but she was relentless in her efforts to make me feel welcome. I considered telling her to leave me alone, but of course I failed to do that. Instead, I found her attractive and ultimately succumbed to my desires... and used my Quirk on her. After that, Ochaco pursued me often, asking me lots of questions. At first, I was flattered, but in time I wanted to return to my solitude. In time, I distanced myself from her.

Next was Kyoka. We were the only two in the dorms one night, and she was feeling sad about something, so I gave her company. Apparently, she was bisexual, although she mostly went for women. She had a crush on Ochaco, but she wouldn't dare admit it to any of her friends. Only I was new to this group, and she trusted me with this info. In truth, she didn't really trust me with full consent. I used my Quirk to get some of her trust. When it was over, she looked like she was about to confess she loved me. I knew I had to stop.

But stop I didn't. After spending time with Toru and Mina, I ended up with Eijiro. Next, I found myself with Denki. Opportunities alone with them kept on popping up, even when I wasn't expecting them. And that's when I realized my Quirk was taking effect unconsciously at times.

The depths. They were deep. I stopped using my powers, but the infatuation still took time to wear off. Those whom I affected stayed attached to me, taking weeks to loosen up. I was brought to speak to Professor Aizawa about my lack of progress, and I influenced him to grant me a pardon. My powers saved me everywhere I went.

Over time, I began to speak to Tsuyu on rare occasions. Lately, she'd been downcast. Something was upsetting her. But my Quirk was too unfair. It felt truly wrong to consider using it on her.

One night, she left the dorm after midnight. I couldn't resist going after her, curious about where she was headed. I followed her to a pond in the woods, where she sat and watched the glowing moon on a serene evening. After watching her briefly, I elected to reveal my presence, fearing I would be a stalker in her eyes if I stayed hidden.

She turned and gasped in a sort of controlled surprise. "Eko? What are you doing here?"

"I saw you leave the dorm. I just wanted to see where you'd go." I wasn't trying to lie to her. But I probably looked and sounded like a liar.

"Oh." She nodded and tried to look away, up to the sky. "I just came here to enjoy the night." She must have felt I was about to leave because she held a hand up. "You don't need to leave. It's all right if you know my secret spot. Just don't tell the others please."

"Sure." I had no claim to judge others for secrets. I hesitantly took a seat next to her, staring off where she was. "You like looking at the moon?"

"No, not exactly." Her voice was soft and fragile, as if she were naked.

Hearing it hurt me. I was tempted to use my Quirk, so that she wouldn't be sad. But I remembered my rule, and I honored it. "There's something bothering you?" I had no idea where I was going with this.

"Well..." she looked embarrassed yet remained composed. A rare combination in people. "You'll think I'm strange."

"Perhaps," I replied without thinking. When she winced subtly, I quickly followed through with additional thought. "Strange isn't something negative. It's merely definition."

She raised an eyebrow. "I thought something is strange if it lacks definition. Like, you act random and weird."

"Those are two different things."

"They are? How so?"

"Strange can apply to someone who acts different than another person, to the point where that other person fails to understand or empathize. As for random and weird, it's more literal, and those behaviors make someone unpredictable."

"Or someone could be acting strange if they act different than they normally do." She shrugged but managed a tiny smile.

"So now that we are past the point of strange, let's just say we have an understanding of each other. At least, while we are here in this solitude."

She nodded. "You're not strange, though." Implying that someone else is.

"If you say so," I answered. "But... something is on your mind?"

Tsuyu looked like she wasn't going to elaborate, and yet she proceeded. "Some of my friends are... acting strange. I've never seen them act this way before."

"I'm still new here. What's different about them?" I knew the answer already, at least in terms of who was responsible.

"Ochaco is... and then Kyoka..." now her breathing got more intense. Then she turned to face me directly. "They started acting really secretive. And so did Toru, Mina, Eijiro, and Denki. It was like they were all in on some scandalous secret... and I wasn't in on it. So, I got sad."

How to regard her feelings when my actions were responsible? It wasn't exactly like I could confess what I'd done. Even if I did, it would make things much worse. As the infatuation wore off on them, they'd cease caring about me as they had previously. Then they'd be free to move on.

Or was I wrong? Either way, I felt the sting of guilt.

And then Tsuyu's eyes were the vision of clarity. "I think you did something to them."

My heart was beating rapidly. Even I hadn't foreseen her accusation. "What do you mean?" I inquired, in my calmest voice.

Tsuyu was about to burst from the stress. "You... you... changed them. But I don't know what you did." She clearly wasn't enjoying what she was doing, but she was determined.

Whatever the reason was, I was unable to lie to her, as if she had a Quirk to bring the truth out of me. "I did."

"But why?" Her eyes swelled with moisture.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "My actions were selfish."

"Why, though? Tell me." It looked like she was ready to fight me.

Considering I had no fighting ability of my own, she would easily overpower me. "I was drawn to someone, and then I would sort of... pull them closer. It happened very naturally, so much that I falsely believed that it was natural. And it happened several times."

Tsuyu actually took a step back, suddenly afraid of me. "Ochaco? Did you…"

"What? No!" I answered, assuming she meant the worst. Moments later, I sighed. "Well... it's complicated."

She glared at me. "How could you do something like that?"

"I don't know how not to."

As we discussed it, Tsuyu slowed down considerably. "I don't know. If you influenced her with your powers... then she didn't actually give consent." She paused and added another note. "What about Kyoka too? And Toru?"

I nodded. "Eijiro and Denki, too."

"You swing both ways?"

I shrugged, now it was my turn to feel embarrassed. "I don't have a preference." As she stared at me, I felt shame, but I handled it in unusual fashion. It felt like I needed to convince her. "I was just fooling around, and I didn't expect it to reach this point. The truth is, I have no friends, and don't really want any. But then, I actually had desire to be with others, and it came out. With my Quirk coming into play unconsciously, it all felt natural."

"Maybe it was," Tsuyu suggested.

"I appreciate you trying to support me, but I am certain my Quirk took away from the legitimacy of my encounters."

"But how does it work? Do you brainwash people?"

"I can get them to be infatuated with me. It's not necessarily physical attraction, or love. They'll be drawn to me, like me, be on my side, support me. They'll agree with me on things."

She gave me this weird gaze for several moments. Yes, weird. Different than how she'd acted before. "Okay then... will you use it on me?"

"What?" I felt like I misheard her.

"Use your Quirk on me." That cleared it.

"No way," I shut it down quickly.

"Why not?" She nearly pouted.

I tilted my head. "Why yes?"

"So, I can see how it works. How it feels. If it's bad, then I'll have to turn you in for your actions."

I held both hands up defensively. "If I use my Quirk on you, then you won't be able to oppose me."

"And it wears off? Eventually?"

"Yes. Depending on how much power I use."

"And afterward... I would return to normal? And be fine?"

"And you'd still have your memories, although it would be hard to remember exactly how you felt. Since the infatuation is artificial, you won't have the same feelings in the future."

She pressed her finger to her chin. "So, it's not really harmful. Unless you use a bunch of power or take away people's freedoms." As she mentioned it, she shivered a bit.

"Look, I never wanted to use my Quirk on any of them. It was a mistake. Just turn me in. I deserve it."

Instead, Tsuyu's eyes grew watery. "You don't want to use your Quirk on me? You don't..." she turned away. "Just forget all this. This was a mistake. I'm sorry."

When she seemed depressed, I found myself coming to her aid. "Wait, what just happened? What do you mean?" What was I missing? She wanted me to infatuate her? What kind of sense was that?

Then I realized... it was weird.

"If you really want me to... I will. Only if you are comfortable."

"Forget it. I shouldn't have suggested it."

"Tsuyu... tell me what's wrong. If you want me to pay for what I did, I'll comply. But what's going on? There's something else that came up just now."

She wrapped herself up in her arms. "When I first saw you join our class... I was drawn to you. I was attracted to you. And then I wished you were attracted to me." Her confession came from left field, and her words were strong, even while revealing such vulnerability. "I was wrong to think that way."

I was unsure of how to respond. "Look Tsuyu... I wasn't lying. I really don't have preference about physical appearance. I don't even know anything about dating or relationships. If you felt that way about me, I wouldn't reject you. I promise."

"But you're not attracted to me. So, you'd only be engaging with me on my behalf."

"But if I agreed to an engagement of sorts with you, it would still be a mutual understanding."

"I guess... that's true." She sighed again and took a few steps to me. "But then I still needed to experience your Quirk. So that I can be comfortable after what you told me."

At this point, I was no longer willing to hold back. "Okay, okay. I'm going to be straight up with you the entire time, though. And I'll only use a bit of power."

"Use as much power as you used on Ochaco."

I gulped. "...fine."

With that, I got to work. I felt my Quirk, enrolled with it, intertwined the vine, and then directed it... into Tsuyu. It only took several seconds for me to finish.

We both stood there silently. Eventually, she was the first to speak. "Is it done?"

"Yes."

But she hadn't changed. "I feel exactly the same."

I squinted in confusion. "Really?"

"Yes. Are you sure you did it? You're not pretending to use it, are you?"

"I swear I did it."

"But... I feel exactly the same."

We let some considerable time pass. Even I grew worried. Had my Quirk stopped working? Or was it beyond my control? So many questions. So few answers.

Eventually, Tsuyu shed a few more tears and curled up in a ball by the pond. She seemed to blame herself.

I sat down next to her, hoping to figure out a way to console her. But I was lost. "I think if I interact with you more, it causes the infatuation to manifest. Or maybe I'll use more power." With that, I added another dose.

The effect was the same. We talked to each other, complimented our appearances, and tried to get aroused. But there was nothing.

"So honestly... you used your power?" She asked again.

"Yes. Honestly."

"Maybe it doesn't work since I knew you wanted to use it ahead of time."

That actually made sense. "Maybe."

"You've always used it secretly, right?"

"Yeah. Actually yeah." Suddenly this theory came to be believable.

"So, there's still a chance to use it," she suggested. "Maybe just when I'm not expecting it."

"I guess." Now I was the one feeling depressed. This was all so unusual.