AN ASURA IS BORN
PROLOGUE #0:
PRETTY AWESOME, HUH?
My Hero Academia, Kengan Asura and Baki belong to their respective authors and publishers.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Totally heartbreaking silence.
Despite the cacophony of sounds around him, be them the screams, sirens, the comings and goings of the various firemen, policemen, paramedics and Heroes, the only sound that three-year-old Izuku Midoriya was able to register was that of his own breath. His gaze was fixed on the toy he held in his hands: an action figure of All Might, his favorite hero.
It was a present from his parents. They bought it as a consolation gift after that fateful day at the doctor's office.
The day he most likely received the worst news of his life.
The day his life most likely started to fall apart.
The day he discovered he was Quirkless.
"Mom... dad..."
Finally he looked up and glanced at the mall, or what was left of it, in front of him. They had gone there for a family outing. His parents were trying to cheer up their little green bean by showing him around the various Hero merchandise shops.
It had worked.
Izuku finally smiled and laughed after too long, having fun like never before with his parents, Inko and Hisashi, who were utterly delighted tosee their son so exuberant and carefree.
But it didn't last long.
None of the three knew exactly what happened. The only thing they registered was the huge explosion (or more explosions?) That shook the whole mall. From then on, Izuku had a hard time remembering what happened next.
He found himself in the parking lot, where his father gently placed him on the ground.
"D-daddy...?"
"Izuku!"
Hisashi put his hands on his son's cheeks, forcing him to lookat his face.
"Izuku, sweetie, listen to me! It's not safe inside, but your mother needs me! Stay here and don't move, I'll be back as soon as possible, do you understand?! You absolutely don't have to-"
Hisashi flinched, and fell to his knees. Instinctively he reached for his right side, noticing only now the nasty wound he had there. His shirt, which was previously pristine white, was slowly soaking in red.
"Daddy!"
Hisashi hissed through clenched teeth, and turned to his son, now in tears.
"Izuku, do you understand?! You have to stay here and not move for any reason! Do you understand?!"
The father's tone became more and more desperate, as was his son.
"But d-daddy, you're h-hurt! Y-you can't go back in there! Let the p-police or the Heroes handle it! Don't leave me,please!"
"Izuku, you-"
"Please!"
"Don't argue with me, Izuku! Not now!"
"YOU WILL DIE!"
Hisashi stopped. He had never seen or heard his son behave like this, much less scream. He looked at his face. Those big emerald eyes, the same eyes that he and his wife madly loved, now filled with tears and upset. His face with his small freckles, the same face that he saw smiling that same morning before hell fell upon them, now twisted by the little boy's cries and hiccups.
Hisashi flinched again. He looked at his son.
He inhaled. Then exhaled.
"Izuku."
The boy looked at his father, his face covered with tears and snot. He felt Hisashi's hands on his face again.
"D-daddy...?"
Hisashi smiled tenderly.
"Izuku, I have to go. You said it yourself, remember? Heroes have to throw themselves in danger even when they know they won't make it. They have to sacrifice themselves to save as many people as possible. You remember, right?"
"Y-yes, b-but..."
Hisashi hugged his son as hard as he could. Even when he felt the wound on his side twitch slightly, Hisashi continued to embrace Izuku, most likely for the last time.
The mere thought brought tears to the man's eyes.
"I'll tell you this, my boy. I love you. I adore you with all my heart. You are the most beautiful thing that has happened to me in this life, and I am sure that your mother would say the same if she was here with us. I know that now you feel lost and hopeless because you're Quirkless, but this does not make you less human or important, do you understand me? You are a wonderful child, Izuku."
Izuku could no longer control the tears at that point, which broke free like a broken dam.
"Izuku... remember to be good, focus on your studies, eat lots of veggies so you can grow strong and healthy, be friendly towards other children, respect your elders and when you decide to bring a girl home, make sure that she is someone you would be proud to introduce us..."
Hisashi began to loosen his grip.
"Don't forget to brush your teeth three times a day and bathe every day..."
He released Izuku and stood up.
"Always go to bed early, but don't sleep in, be responsible with your money, and for heaven's sake, don't start smoking or drinking, or your mother will never forgive me..."
He chuckled.
"Finally, Izuku, know that we are proud of you, so remember to chase your dreams with everything you have and never give up. Find people who are dear to you and protect them with all of your strenght and more. And know once again that both your father and mother love you with all their hearts."
He turned and ran into the hell that was the mall, doing everything possible to ignore his son's desperate screams.
The hours passed. It was evening now, but not even a shadow of his parents. The mall was now completely destroyed, but luckily the Hero Backdraft had managed to contain the fires. And he wasn't the only Hero on the scene. Numerous have arrived at the scene of the disaster, either to evacuate civilians or the injured, or to capture the perpetrators of the massacre.
All Might, the Symbol of Peace himself, was also there.
Now, under normal circumstances, Izuku would have been thrilled to see his idol in flesh and blood. But after miraculously surviving a Villain attack and losing his parents, he wasn't exactly in the mood to celebrate or talk to All Might.
In fact, he wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.
Instead, it was the aforementioned Hero who approached Izuku, kneeling in front of him. He looked at the kid, his face covered in soot and his green hair slightly burned at the tips.
His legendary smile was almost forced.
"My boy, are you okay?"
Izuku nodded.
"Are you sure? Are you injured? Does it hurt you somewhere?"
He shook his head.
"Are you alone? Where are your parents?"
Izuku, without even looking up from the ground, raised an arm and pointed towards the fuming remains of the mall, to what was most likely his parents' grave.
All Might looked at the rubble. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Then he sighed.
"I'm sorry..."
At that moment, Izuku looked to his idol. The Hero's eyes were dull, filled with sadness and regret.
"All Might...?"
The hero turned to the kid.
"What is it, my boy?"
"Can I become a Hero, too...?"
"But of course!"
The laughter that followed was empty and cold.
"With hard work and training, anyone can become a Hero!"
Izuku looked once again at the rubble. They were gone. He was all alone now.
"Even if I don't have a Quirk?"
The silence that followed Izuku's question was long and excruciating. He did not remember how long, seconds or minutes, passed before the man before him, his hero, his idol, replied. The single word that came out of his mouth hurt him more than anything that happened to him on that damned day.
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"No."
One Year Later
Life truly wasn't fair.
These were the words that repeated themselves in young Izuku Midoriya's mind, over and over again like a broken record scratching away at his sanity. It was a fact of reality that he learned that day in the doctor's office but tried to fight as much as he could. Everyday he would wake up with just the slightest bit of optimism that this one was going to be better than the last, only to have his expectations crushed immediately after.
And today was no different.
The laughter, the jokes, the pitying stares, the snide remarks, the beatings, the dehumanizing treatment. It was the realization that he was truly worthless in a world where people like him were obsolete. Becoming a Hero wasn't even the least of his worries, being able to find a job and live a comfortable life might as well have been a far off dream for him. All because he lacked what eighty percent of the world did not, a Quirk. Something that determined one's value as a person. Or his case, one's lack of value.
The boy doesn't really remember what happened after the umpteenth beating from Bakugou and his cronies. His body had switched to autopilot and his mind became clouded. He briefly recalled something the warden at the orphanage told him that morning, but he couldn't remember. But there was one thing that was absolutely clear in his mind.
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He needed to get away.
It was all too much. He just couldn't take it anymore. School, the orphanage, life, it was all just a repetitive cycle of pain and agony that he just couldn't go through anymore.
He was done.
With eveything.
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He did not return to the orphanage that afternoon.
A Week Later
-Yamanashi Prefecture-
A little over a week had passed ever since that fateful day. And in that time the reality of the situation had already set in for Izuku.
His brash and impulsive decision to leave everything behind was not one that he fully considered before running away. But in his mind, there was really no other way. To Izuku, continuing on with his mediocre existence just wasn't an option. And against his better judgement he chose to stick with his choice.
The first couple of days weren't too bad. He managed to get by sleeping in the train station and using what little money he had on him to keep himself fed. But things quickly took a turn for the worst, especially in the last three days.
With the last of his money completely dried up, Midoriya found himself resorting to dumpster diving and hiding out behind restaurants in hopes of finding something to eat for the day. And if that wasn't bad enough, finding a relatively comfortable place to sleep was just as difficult. The only real positive out of this entire situation was the fact that he could spend a good portion of his day at the public library before being told to leave at closing time. There he would use his time to look at some illustrated books or just pass the time.
On one particular night Izuku found himself rushing to find shelter from a torrential downpour that seemingly came out of nowhere.
The four-year-old boy had just lucked out and found a white, hooded sweatshirt that someone left in the nearby park. The article of clothing even had about five hundred yen stuffed into its main pocket. He tried to use the money at a local convenience store but was kicked out due to his less-than-stellar appearance. It had literally been days since the last time he showered and even he could see the thin layer of dirt and grime starting to cover his body and clothes. With the rain coming down harder and harder with each passing second, Izuku finally found a small ray of hope in the form of an abandoned looking building a little further down the street. He had passed by the place a couple of times during the last few days and noticed how there was pretty much no activity either in or outside of it. Even now, not a single soul could be seen near the premise.
Seeing as this was his best option to stay dry, Izuku quickly padded the wet ground over to the building and began searching for a possible way inside. He scoured the perimeter for a good two minutes as he tried to find some type of opening, only to immediately stop his actions. Although it was tempting, breaking through a window was a bit further than he was willing to go right now. He was hoping for the possibility that maybe one of the doors was unlocked, but that didn't look like the case.
For a brief moment, Izuku paused as he squeezed himself underneath a shallow door frame in an attempt to minimize his exposure to the rain. There was only enough space for him to stand, which forced him to lean up against the uncomfortable concrete wall.
As much as he didn't want to admit, he was just about at his breaking point. These last few days living on the streets had been rough. Sure there were probably other people out there who were in way worse positions than he was right now, but that didn't stop him from feeling terrible about himself.
The Quirkless boy took this time to think back to how he ended up here. Wet, hungry and alone while trying to shield himself from the elements. His mind flashed back to all the ridicule and torment he had suffered each and every day in the last year. And no matter how much he tried to keep to himself and lay low, people would find any excuse in the book to make his life hell.
If he was being completely honest, Izuku hated his life.
He hated it with every fiber of his being. Each and every day he would wake up disappointed that whatever deity was out there decided to plague him with another sunrise. He tried to be optimistic about things, but there was only so much that he could handle. Especially when your value as a human being and your very existence was constantly called into question.
He hated how unfair the world was to him, simply for something that was completely out of his control. Meanwhile people like Bakugou, someone who was not a nice person by any stretch of the imagination, were put on a pedestal and praised for having been born lucky.
The little boy did his best to resist, but eventually gave in and burst into tears. He slipped down the door wall and cried silently.
It wasn't fair.
He did his absolute best to honor the promise he made to his parents on their grave at their funeral, becoming a Hero despite being Quirkless, but he failed. If he still had them by his side, perhaps he would still have the strength to go on and chase his dream, but that's not how it went.
He was alone.
He was Quirkless.
He was useless.
He was unwanted in this world.
Nobody will miss him.
"I s-should have d-died with you... It would have been better t-than this anyway..."
"WAKE THE FUCK UP, YOU BRAT!"
A sudden scream woke Izuku (had he seriously fallen asleep while crying in the rain...?). He got up quickly, fearing that he had accidentally violated someone's property. Looking around, he noticed several men around him.
They wore rags or tattered clothes, and they had the classic "bad boy" look that his parents used to describe all the time, telling him to be careful if he met people like that.
One of them, a guy with a bunch of scars on his face and black hair combed backwards, stepped forward towards the child, a bit too far forward, as Izuku recoiled until he touched the wall he was sleeping on just now.
"What do you think you're doing, sleeping near our turf, you turd?"
Izuku began to tremble, looking away from the man.
"Hey, I asked you a question! Speak when asked!"
The man snarled as he viciously grabbed Izuku by the hair, who cried.
"I'm s-s-sorry! I didn't mean to b-bother you s-sir, but I have nowhere to go and just w-wanted to take refu-"
He couldn't finish speaking, as the man abruptly threw him to the ground among the other members of his group.
"So what? You think you're the only homeless person in town? You want a hug? A kiss? Maybe a caress on the cheek? Me and my boys found this place first, so it's ours, and we don't like it when someone tries to break into our house!"
"B-but I w-wasn't..."
He was interrupted one more time, but from a kick in the stomach this time.
One of the thugs spoke timidly.
"A-Ando-san, with all due respect, don't you think you're overreacting? He's just a kid, what harm can he do?"
"YOU IDIOT!"
The one who apperead to be the leader of the gang, Ando, yelled.
"Exactly because he's a kid we have to teach him a lesson! What will people think if they find out we let some fucking brat walk all over us?! They'll think we've gone soft and they'll step forward and take what little we've got! Is that what you want?!"
"N-no, sir..."
More discussions followed among the gang members, but Izuku was still lying on the ground in pain. He tried to getup, but was immobilized immediately.
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And then came the beating.
The group ganged up on him, striking him anywhere they could. Izuku was unable to utilize any means to defend himself, he just laid there being kicked and punched.
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Again.
Battered, injured and bleeding, Izuku laid on the cold, wet ground. The gang of thugs had just finished the beating. They seemed pleased to have almost beaten a four-year-old kid to death. Izuku tried to get up one last time, but he was immobilized once again, this time by Ando himself.
"Wow, still alive? You're a tough brat, I'll give you that!"
He sneered.
"You know what? I like you, kid! If you decide to be good and come with us, we'll take you to Ichiryu tomorrow. I'm sure one of the perverts there will give us a good price for your pretty young ass!"
The other gang members laughed with gusto. For fear of contradicting Ando or because they really found it funny, Izuku couldn't tell.
"Hey? Can you hear me? Are you aliv-"
"What's going on here?"
An unknown voice interrupted Ando and silenced his men. They all turned towards it, including Izuku (in his case, he lifted his head off the ground, trying to ignore the excruciating pain). They noticed a single figure behind them. A man, tall and extremely muscular. He had long brown hair tied in a ponytail hanging over his right shoulder. His eyes were brown with pronounced tear throughs. He was wearing a black tank top, ripped jeans and wooden sandals. On top of the tank top, he was wearing what seemed to be a cream-colored cloak. At his feet was a wooden crate. The stranger watched the criminals for a few seconds before noticing the bleeding child at their feet. His eyes widened for a moment before glaring at Ando.
"Wow, really Ando...? Is that really the best you and your boys can do right now? Picking on a kid and nearly beating him to death? A big leap I gotta say, for a former yakuza..."
Ando saw red.
"Mind your own fucking business, Tokita! This doesn't concern you! The little fucker was invading our territory and we taught him a lesson, as per the rules! Or did life on the outside make you soft, huh?!"
"You'd like that, wouldn't you? And as for the rules, Scarface, I know them better than you and your pets, so don't come acting smart with me, you might get burned."
"Then why-"
"If a stranger invades your territory, before you attack him, you need to make sure which family, group or clan he belongs to. If he is a rival, you are free to kill him, but if not, you must help him or let him go. Peacefully."
The man, Tokita, as Ando had called him, looked at the little one on the ground.
"And that doesn't look 'peaceful' to me. At all."
Ando began stomping towards Tokita.
"So what?! Things have changed now, old man! You go and live the good life outside, you come back here, and you actlike a fucking landlord?! No, I don't think so! Let's settle this the ol-"
*CRUNCH!*
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Everything stopped.
Ando's men stopped.
Izuku stopped (not that he could move before).
Ando also stopped.
Before he collapsed to the ground, with what looked like the impression of a fist in the middle of his chest.
Tokita sighed.
"You talk a lot about rules, but you've forgotten the most important one. If you want to fight, you don't have to challenge me, but just come at me... Idiot..."
He walked over Ando's unconscious body and glared at his goons.
"Now, as far as I'm concerned, you have two options. One, take your boss and get the hell out of here. Or two, you stay and end up like him. Your choice, gentlemen."
A few moments went by without anybody moving or talking.
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Then, out of nowhere, Ando's men charged at Tokita, who rolled his eyes.
"Hang on, kid, I'll be right there."
Izuku stood motionless on the floor, watching Ando's men throw themselves at the man named Tokita.
The same man who had knocked Ando out in an instant with a single punch. And apparently he was about to do the same to his lackeys. Izuku watched as Tokita dodged, deflected, counterattacked, hit and tossed away Ando's men as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Some of them even used their Quirks, but they were still knocked out in the blink of an eye. He noticed one of them trying to strike him with what appeared to be a baton, but Tokita grabbed him by the wrist and threw him in the air like a rag doll. Another tried to hit him with a knife, but Tokita deflected it with the back of his left hand.
"Impossible..."
Izuku thought.
"Or maybe...? His Quirk...?"
Izuku's mind was trying to figure out what the hell was going on in front of him, while fighting to stay conscious.
After only a few minutes, Tokita stood over the unconscious bodies of Ando's men. He wasn't even panting. Not a single drop of sweat on his body. He sighed again.
"No, seriously, why do cheap punks always have to throw their lives away trying to kill me...? Mhm... Maybe there's something wrong with my face..."
"Ugh..."
Tokita interrupted his thoughts when he heard the strangled sound of pain coming from the kid. He wasted no time and ran to him, checking his condition.
"Tch... Bastards, they sure did a number on you, huh?"
Izuku could only nod.
"Don't worry, kid, you're safe now. It's lucky I stopped by for personal business."
He nodded again.
"Anyway, I don't think I should leave you here to rot. Come here."
Gently, Tokita took little Izuku in his arms, and gasped.
"Wow... you're light, kid... Too light for a... five? Six-year-old kid...?"
"Four-year-old..."
Izuku murmured.
"Four-year-old?! What the hell, they only fed you bread and water or what?!"
Izuku stood still. Tokita sighed again.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Izuku. Izuku Midoriya."
"First and last name, huh? You're not from here, then... Well, I'm Niko Tokita, by the way. Nice to meet you! If you don't mind, I'd rather postpone the pleasantries when we're somewhere safe, so we can treat your wounds properly, shall we? Maybe over a hot meal? And..."
Niko sniffed.
"And maybe a nice hot bath. No offense."
He chuckled, but Izuku looked away, clearly embarrassed.
"Sorry..."
"Don't worry about it! I can tell by looking at you that you've been through a lot... Come on, let's go!"
Niko and Izuku left the alley, now filled with helpless, unconscious people, not before picking up the crate Niko had deposited before knocking Ando out. They walked for quite a while, and Izuku felt the fatigue build up, but before finally losing consciousness, he had to ask his savior something.
"Tokita-san..."
"Yes? Are you all right, kid?"
"What... what was that...?"
Niko raised an eyebrow.
"What was what?"
"That ... Against Ando's men... w-what was it? A Quirk...?"
At that point Izuku had a hard time keeping his eyes open, but tried his best to hear the answer to his question.
Niko watched Izuku for a few seconds before chuckling.
"Quirk? Nah, kid. In all honesty? Quirks are overrated!"
He stopped walking and looked at Izuku. Niko smiled.
"That thing you saw? Pretty awesome, huh? Those were martial arts!"
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"Martial... arts...?"
Izuku finally closed his eyes and leaned his head against Niko's chest.
"Yes... they were... very... awesome..."
A/N:
Inspired by another story, King of Fighting, written by Herolover27