I don't own One Punch Man, nor do I own My Hero Academia. Each Franchise is owned by their respective owners.

AnimeFan13579: I was considering to do that, actually, but I would've risked changing the tone of the chapter, which is a bit serious. Sure, there were elements of comedies there and there, but putting a nut joke in a chapter that introduces Shimura Kotarou, just doesn't sit right with me. Sorry if that was a letdown xD, I'll try my best in the future.

(Just reminding you once again, I just got to Season 4 of My Hero Academia, so if there is a bit of an inaccuracy in this story, please do pardon it.)

Enjoy!

Kotarou could feel the warmth from her mother's embrace. He was crying, slipping his arms through his mother's armpits, begging her to not leave, begging her with all his strength.

All he felt was a strand of tear slipping through his shoulders. It was Nana's, his mother.

"Mama.." Kotarou begged again, "Mama, please don't leave me.."

Nana could only stand, removing herself from her son's embrace. Her face gave out a saddened expression, looking at her son with a sorrowful look, "There's so much that has happened, that has passed, you can't stay with me, Kotarou, and I'm really...sorry.."

Nana then looked at the foster family, who stood there patiently, smile of kindness was written all over their faces. "Take care of him for me, will you?"

"We will." A male voice said. "We will give him the love that he needed the most. We promise." A female voice added, earning an approving nod from Nana.

When Nana turned her back, suddenly, two small hands grabbed onto her thighs, "Mama!" He cried, "No! Stay with me, please! What did I do? Do you not love me anymore?! Was I a disappointment?!"

Nana closed her eyes, hiding her pain from her son. She replied, "That's the reason I'm giving you away, Kotarou.." She almost sobbed, "I love you so much, like I loved your father.."

Kotarou kept clinging to her legs, "Please don't leave me..please...please.." His tears began flooding his cheeks like a tsunami, "Mama.."

"Please let go.." Nana said again. "I don't want to!" Kotarou screamed, "Why are you leaving me just to help strangers?!"

"It's for your own good too, Kotarou..I'm sorry.." Nana explained again, "Please, let go, you can't stay with me for much longer.."

"No, you lie! You prefer to help strangers rather than to stay with me, to love me, to-" Kotarou was suddenly held back by two pair of hands.

"That's enough, Young Shimura." The male said, "Your mother is doing this for your own good. Her hero life is going to endanger you. You need to understand that."

"B- but...mama..I want to stay with mama..I don't want her to go..I don't want to be alone!" Kotarou sobbed, "Take your hands off me, old man!" He tried to break free, as he saw the form of his mother, still clinging to her.

"You're not alone. You have us." The man reassured, but it was not enough for Kotarou.

"Get your hands-" Kotarou was pulled back forcefully by the man, "I'm sorry to do this, but I have to, Kotarou. Let's go inside."

Kotarou was still clinging to his mother, "GO AWAY! I DON'T WANT TO STAY WITH YOU! I WANT TO STAY WITH MAMA!" He sobbed louder than before.

"You can't." The man firmly said, before managing to get Kotarou to let his grip go from Nana's legs, "Trust us. You're safer here."

"I'm safer with my mama!" Kotarou rejected, trying to break free, "LET ME GO!"

"No. I won't let a child like you die out there. You're staying with us. That's not our decision, but your mother's." The man interjected.

"MAMA!" Kotarou screamed as he tried to break free from the man's restraint, as he watched his mother walk away, her cape fluttering in the wind.

Nana stopped walking for a short while, tilting her head slightly to the boy, smiling sadly as she uttered her next words, "I love you, Kotarou.." She then turned her head forward again.

He sobbed even more, as Nana, from afar, bend her knees, before leaping off of the ground, as her frame began to gradually disappear in the yellow sky.

The man let go of the child, who fell to his knees, putting both of his hands into the ground, his tears drooling off of his eyes, hitting the ground with a tiny splash.

"Mama.." He whimpered, "Come back..." He sobbed, "Please.."

Present day..

That memory again. It was completely irritating the boy. Then again, it was triggered by that damned letter sent by his mother. Should he even call her his mother?

No. She was not his mother. She was never interest in taking care of her only son. She never loved him. All she cared about is being a 'hero', helping strangers, hurting the people she loved, believing in a very absurd idea such as socialism, that you should help people if you have the power to.

Heroes take their time all day to help strangers, but he very much doubt that they even cared about their own family. They probably abandoned them to save a cat from a tree for a fucking stranger.

He hated the very idea. He hated the concept of 'heroes' to the very core. They should cease to exist! They took everything from him. His sanity, his life, his childhood, what could've been of his life instead of this mess.

It took my mama away...

Suddenly, a nudge was felt by him. He looked to his right side, only to see Yagi, "Hey, what's eating you? You seem completely gloomy for the rest of the walk."

Ah yes, him. The ridiculous boy with the two messy yellow tufts on the top of his blonde hair, with that casual clothing that read 'oppai'. He was like those heroes, taking their time out to help strangers. He despised it. He hated the very idea of helping people.

"I'm fine. That's just how my face looks. What, scared?" Kotarou scowled. Yagi replied, "No, that's not what I meant-"

"I'm still baffled on why you think you should be here following me around like a starved dog. Don't you have stuff to do?" Kotarou asked again, scowling even more.

"Because it's dangerous. I'm staying until you go to a much safer place, with people you can rely on." Yagi spoke.

"People that I can rely on?" Kotarou began laughing maniacally as he walked, startling Yagi. "Hohoh, 'people I can rely on'. No, I don't want to be helped. I'd rather die than to receive some help from some overzealous hero."

Yagi found that statement to be rather disturbing. What was wrong with this kid? Why does he hate heroes so much?

"Besides, it's not like you'll find the one that does the helping the same way when you get to know them deeper enough." Kotarou replied again, as he looked down.

Okay. Something is definitely wrong with this kid. Something must've happened prior to that meeting of theirs back at the small public bathroom.

"Why do you hate heroes so much?" Yagi asked again. Kotarou snorted, "Because all they do is hurt the people that cares about them, that loves them. And for what? To help strangers that they don't even know about."

"They do that because it's the right thing to do if they are to be called a hero. Strangers or not, they're people, they have families, they have a life just like you do, just like a hero does." Yagi countered.

Kotarou chuckled, "I used to like superheroes years ago, y'know. My mom used to buy me a copy of a Spider-Man movie, that fictional hero that came from the pre-quirk era. I liked it. Saw some comics of him too. But one thing I noticed, is that he likes to neglect the feelings of his loved ones to save the strangers that doesn't even appreciate him. Some of them even labelled him as a menace! Can you believe that?!" He said, finding himself in the middle of his childhood ramblings.

"And despite that, he kept going out at night, patrolling the city, saving the little guys, beating the shit out of criminals. But he spends very little time with the ones he loved, The ones that cares about him more than the entirety of his city could." Kotarou took a breath, feeling rage surging through his emotions, "I hate his character as I grew older, and for the concept of heroes too." Kotarou finished, scowling as he did.

Yagi couldn't help but agree with some of his points. He wasn't the best at wisdom, but he found the kid's words to be very convincing. He constantly worries his mom, even moreso by leaving her to attend U.A.

But he knew there had to be someone that can be there when trouble spreads, when evil prevails, someone must be there. A hero. He's not doing this for the strangers only, but for his mom too. If his mom ever finds herself in trouble, he could be her hero.

He had to be a hero. It's a must, and an obligatory for him.

"I just hate heroes, end of the story. And I'd rather die than to have myself to be saved by one of them. They're vile monsters, they wouldn't hesitate to abandon their loved ones just to save strangers. I...I HATE THEM!" Kotarou clenched his fist, "I hate them so much.."

Yagi put his hand on the boy's shoulder, who seemed reluctant to let it stay, "Heroes don't abandon their loved ones. You have to see it the other way, kid. It's like when a father goes to work, ultimately depriving him of the time he could've used to spend with his loved ones. But that doesn't mean he's abandoning them. It's just a sense of duty. A duty, to which he thought was the right thing to do. That doesn't mean he loves his family less than he already does."

Kotarou pouted, "Bullshit." He looked away, "There are heroes that really abandoned their kids because they thought it was dangerous to have them around."

"Then that means they love them," Yagi countered, "They love their kids too much that they were willing to send them away just so they wouldn't be in danger's way anymore. I won't say it's okay to do that, but it's well-intentioned, with the wrong methods."

"Can't they just abandon the hero life?! Why are they putting so much pressure on them just to help petty strangers, and then send their sons away to fend for themselves?!" Kotarou screamed, tears threatened to come out of his eyes.

Yagi was lucky enough to notice this, before replying, "...you don't happen to be talking about yourself, don't you?"

"N- no!" Kotarou replied, "I was having a second-hand anger! I saw the kids, they were abandoned by their parents! Given away like a trash, to a fucking foster family that doesn't even care about them! Not even a bit! They had to suffer for months under labour and-" He began crying, as he ran away abruptly.

"H- hey, wait up!" Yagi yelled, but Kotarou ignored it. He wasn't about to let his emotions get the better of him. And this teenager was getting on his nerves. He needed to get away from him. It'll just bring him more bad memories.

Suddenly, he felt a gust of wind passing him by. He bumped into a body, of none other, than Yagi himself.

Yagi saw the reddened pupils of the boy, and the stained cheeks of his. Yagi should've been more blunt. This boy is not okay.

Kotarou screamed at his face abruptly, "Just go the fuck away! I don't need your pity! GO AWAY!"

"No." Yagi stated, "We'll find your parents, and have a talk with them. I think I'm starting to get the idea on what you're dealing with."

"And? You want to fucking help me?!" Kotarou yelled, "I bet you have a mother waiting for you from afar, worrying about you, and yet you're here wasting your time to help a nobody like me!"

"Please, Kotarou, soften your heart and open up more. I want to help you, I really do. I can't let you be out here in the streets while there's no one around. Where does your parents live? We can talk it out, I'll get you back to them. I pro-" Yagi was immediately interrupted when Kotarou screamed once again, "And how do you know that they'll accept me?! They probably forgot about me! Because I just wasn't good enough for them! I'm just worthless to them! Strangers means more to them than I do!" Kotarou sniffed, as he began to scream, "They don't love me!"

"You're being irrational. Of course they love you. Something bad must've happened that drove them to send you away. We can talk it out, now I need you to tell me about where your parents l-" Yagi was interrupted by a strike from his behind. It was metallic, of course.

Yagi slowly tilted his head back, feeling irritation growing inside him.

"You two are being noisy." The monster emerged. It was a monster with car parts plastered all over his chest, a plate number hung on his waist, and a metallic helmet was all over his round face.

"I don't appreciate apes coming to my domain while I build my custom cars." The monster growled.

Yagi scowled. It was a mysterious being. Not a human.

"Get lost. I'm in the middle of something here." Yagi scoffed. The monster shrieked, "EHHH?! What's with that tone of voice, human?! Don't you know who you're talking to?! I am the SUPER CUSTOM YO649Z MK. II! Show some respect, before I put a frying pan on that noodle hair of yours-"

Yagi thrusted his fist forward, blowing half of the monster's body away, as his insides fell on the ground, blood splattered all over his shirt.

He sighed in exasperation, as he looked back, "Okay, kid, back to-" He was frozen in terror when he noticed the kid wasn't there anymore. "Kid?" Yagi called out again. "KOTAROU?!"

He looked back and forth, left and right, only to find nothing. He sprinted, "KOTAROU! Goddammit! I let my guard down! Shit! Damn it!" He yelled, mentally berating himself for letting his guard down.

But as he walked, he found a piece of soaked, almost torn paper lying on the floor. It was a letter of some sorts.

What caught his attention, however, was that the first words in the letter read, 'Dear Kotarou'.

He has to read it. It could be a clue. An obscure clue, but a clue nonetheless. He bend his knees, reaching over to the letter, and pulled it to close to his face until he can read the words of the letter...

And what he read was shocking.

"Dear Kotarou...It's your mother. I'm really sorry, you know, for leaving you all of a sudden..So many things happened...and your mother has to fight some really bad guys from now on..

They might even do bad things to you, Kotarou. That's why I have to keep my distance away from you..

I'm sorry I couldn't be a good mother to you, like many others are..I know you might end up hating me for doing this, but know that I'll always love you, Kotarou.

I really love you Kotarou, I hope you can live your life to the fullest without me, happy and smiling. Even when I'm dead, I'll always be watching you from heaven..

Sincerely,

your dearest mother.."

Words couldn't muster on how guilty Yagi felt as he read the letter.

Tears began leaking out of Yagi's eyes as he finished the letter. The kid needed help. He was an idiot to let his guard down.

"Why did I let my guard down...?!" Yagi berated himself, as he tried to stand, pocketing the letter in his shirt. He tilted his head forward, "I need to find him, I need to find him!" As he frantically sprinted away, faster than he ever was before.

He checked from every corner of the city, from the destroyed mansion he left, to the forest, everything, and he was not so lucky.

"Where are you, where are you, where are you?!" Yagi screamed in panic, running as fast as he can, startling the pedestrians around him.

"KOTAROU!!" He began calling out the boy's name as he ran, exploring every corner of the city, but to no avail.

He stopped running eventually, feeling frustrated, and guilty. He could've helped the boy. If not for that mysterious being distracting him, he could've!

Yagi fell to his knees, letting his hands hit the ground to support him from falling. He then took a deep breath, before...

"KUSOTARREEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" Yagi screamed to the heavens above, confusing the pedestrians around him.

Meanwhile...

The stench was unbearable, but he can live with it. The sewer isn't exactly his favourite, but he needed it to get away from that teenager. He wanted to help, sure, and Kotarou was...oddly appreciative of it. But it only brings bad memories. He didn't want to get back with his mother. She did nothing but hurt him. All for the sake of strangers.

He checked his pockets, only to find that the letter was missing. But he only sighed, "Not much of a loss.." but then, he pulled something out of it.

It was a paper, of an old photo of him and his mother. Nana was bending in front of her child, while he... he looked happy, happier than he is right now of course.

Kotarou was finished cleaning the whole house, as his foster 'parents' told him to do. He walked around the living room, only to notice the photo that he left behind.

The photo was of him and his mother, together, smiling at the camera. They looked...happier.

Kotarou's eyes began to wet, as he muttered, "Mama..."

"Come back...mama..." He sobbed as he sat on the couch, "I love you, mama..please come back..I'm lonely..."

He sobbed as he hugged the picture, "Mama...Kotarou misses you.."

He breathed uncontrollably, sobbing as he hugged the picture tighter than before.

"Kotarou! You brat!" A male voice came out, startling Kotarou. "Get back to your room! Now! Do I have to punish you again?! Do you want another labour?! Do you want another night at the basement?!"

"N..no sir.." Kotarou muttered. "Then get your ass off the couch and sleep!" His foster 'father' screamed.

"What were you do-" His stepfather noticed the picture, before chuckling, "You miss your ma', huh? Well too bad you aren't going to see her anymore. You're staying with us, so deal with it."

Kotarou didn't say anything, as he followed his stepfather forward. Suddenly, the old picture of his mother was snatched away from his hands, "N- no! Give it back!" Kotarou yelled."No. This, this thing, is just a distraction for you." The man said, before tossing the picture into his pockets, "Now go to sleep, idiot." The man pushed the kid into his bedroom, who fell, as he silently sobbed.

"Keep crying, nobody will care," The man maliciously stated, "You're just a tool for us. A worthless tool. But we'll hone and sharpen you. But for now, stay still like the worthless dwarf you are." He said, before slamming the door aggressively.

Kotarou layed on the floor, not bothering to stand up and go to his bed. He muttered as tears began soaking the very floor of his room..

"Mama...help me..."

Kotarou stared at the picture longer than he suspected. His brows began to lower, as anger began to fill him, before crushing the picture beneath his palms, then shredding it into pieces.

He didn't know why he still had it. His mother didn't care for him, and gave him away to a family that didn't care for him too.

Maybe he'll just stay lonely here. That's what he is. Nobody cared about him. Except for that tuft-haired boy. But even he can turn out to be an asshole like the rest of the people he knew.

He laid on the ground, besides the defiled water. He wasn't bothered by the smell at all. He lost all the care in the world to even be bothered about it.

Maybe this is his destiny, to always be alone, to be abandoned like the worthless trash he is.

Maybe...this is the end of the road.

Meanwhile, back with Yagi..

Several hours has passed, and the sun began to set. The sky was darkening, and the young soon-to-be hero was distraught in his search for one lost Kotarou.

He walked from streets to streets, beginning to give up, but he couldn't. The kid needed his help. He'd search for him even if it takes a hundred years.

Kotarou needed his mother, and Yagi will do everything in his power to make them meet again.

But how?

Even if he eventually finds him, Kotarou will outrightly reject the offer. His hatred was there, he saw it.

But Yagi knew deep down Kotarou still loved his mother. The love was still there, but subtle, held back by his anger, his hatred for heroes, for his mother.

He would find his mother if he could, the problem was he doesn't have the slightest idea about Kotarou's mother.

He needed advise. He can't do this alone. One thing came to his mind, a pro-hero that he knew, that is the closest to being his mentor than anyone could. Shimura Nana. Yes. Her. She probably knows how to deal with this situation.

She'll handle it like a professional. Cool, composured, and calm. He's sure of it.

A few days ago, the pro-hero gave him her number, so he decided to open his phone, to call her.

As the phone beeps, the phone let out a voice of an A.I, "Sorry, but the number you're calling is inactive. Please try again later."

SHIT!

Yagi sighed as he pocketed his phone, while he sat near the corner of the street, at the convenient store.

Did he really screwed up that bad? Guilt began to rise even more within his emotions. His intuitive told him that he's not a true hero for not being able to help the boy.

He needed to learn from this, to not let his guard down, no matter what. His idiocy cost the kid his happiness, the happiness he deserved.

Yagi sighed, as he was unable to think of anything to do. He then realized that Tatsumaki and King were probably waiting for him to return. They were probably worried about him. But he can't just leave this place yet. Not until he knows what to do.

Suddenly, a feminine voice called out from above, "Oi, oi, oi..."

Yagi was frozen for a second, before realising who it was. The green energy around his body was a dead giveaway.

Tatsumaki descended from above him, green energy surrounding her, "I had to fly from Mustafu to here just to check on you." She scowled, "Yogurt." She said, giving him a new nickname.

Yagi widened his eyes, "T- t- TATS?! What are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be at home?! Are the authorities okay with you using your quirk like that?!" He screamed. Tatsumaki pouted, ignoring his questions, "Hmph! Figured as much. I noticed something was wrong with you."

"W- h- how do you know that?" Yagi frantically asked. Tatsumaki replied, "My quirk allows me to feel people's presence, remember? But it's not just their presence, I can also feel their mental state."

Yagi widened his eyes. He completely forgotten about that.

Oh yeah, there's that... He thought.

"So what happened? Did someone die? Are you blaming yourself again?" Tatsumaki demanded for answers, as she landed on her feet to the ground, approaching him closer.

"It's...complicated...a long story..well not that long, but I don't feel you want to list-" Yagi was interrupted when Tatsumaki spoke out, "No, tell me, spill the beans. I want to hear about what made you so distraught." She finished, crossing her arms.

Yagi then went about on how he met a lost boy earlier, how he was with his foster parents, only God knows where they are, and the fact that his mother gave him away to preserve his safety. He then told her how the boy hated heroes, and would pretty much rather die than being saved by them.

Tatsumaki was taken aback by this story. She uncrossed her arms, standing there for a solid minute. She was reminded of her own past again, listening to the teen's story, how similar he is to her. Except, her parents gave her away for a not-so-noble reason.

Still...

"Hey? Tats? You okay?" Yagi called out as he waved his hands in front of the plant-haired teenaged girl.

"I'm guessing..." Tatsumaki then continued, "You lost the kid.."

Yagi's expression saddened at the mention of his failure, "Yeah, I did...I let my guard down. The kid didn't want help, and he was so sure of it. But he needed help. Deep down, he knows he needed help."

Tatsumaki's expression softened, as she crouched closer to Yagi, "Yagi.." She said, "Don't stress yourself over this. You tried your best, right? We can try this again tomorrow. For now, let's just leave it."

"But how can I leave it? How can I go home knowing that he is somewhere, out there, crying in the streets, longing for his mother to come back? He may seem like he hates her guts, but I do know, for one, that deep down, he loves his mother more than anything. I want to help him!" Yagi replied back.

She then put her finger up to make her point, "You just said the mother of that kid is a pro-hero, right? If we just stay here, searching for that kid, it will bear no fruit, trust me. We can investigate by talking to some of the pro-heroes that you do know and have spoken with."

Yagi knew she was right. Staying here is pointless. It'll just be another senseless searching that bears no fruit at all. Plus...he had a meeting with Shimura Nana tomorrow. He can use that to his advantage.

"You're right..." Yagi finally conceded, "Let's just go home..and.. I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Don't apologize," Tatsumaki firmly stated, "Don't you ever apologize for trying to do the right thing." She reassured, before standing up, "Let's go, Yagi. King's pretty worried about you back there."

"Yeah, I owe him an apology for that one." Yagi nervously laughed as he stood up.

"And we're taking a train." Tatsumaki added again, which made Yagi groan, "Seriously? It'd be faster if we just-"

"No. Train." Tatsumaki ordered. Yagi sighed, "Ugh, okay, you win, Tats, fine! Let's go."

Tatsumaki laughed lightly as they went ahead to the nearest Train Station.

What a messy day...

Mustafu...

The talk with Miriko's mother went well, and she agreed to the house arrest punishment. Nana also promised Miriko that she would make him a recommendation student for U.A next year, as it was essential for his redemption, so she would need to be his mentor.

Nana then brought her phone out, which she charged a few hours ago because the battery almost died.

As the phone was turned on, she saw several missed calls from Yagi Toshinori.

Huh? What does he want?

She then checked her unread messages from Yagi, which reads..

Yagi Toshinori

Sorry for the abrupt interruption, Shimura-san, but there's something that I need your help with tomorrow. Something happened today, and I'm honestly stressed because of it. I hope we can meet tomorrow, Shimura-san. Best of luck with your work as a pro-hero!

6:30 PM

Huh. Nana rubbed her chin, as she wondered what could Yagi possibly needed her help for...

Then again, she did say she wanted to meet Yagi tomorrow, so she'll go along with his request.

I guess I'll have to see that for myself tomorrow...

That's all for today's chapter! Hope you enjoyed it!

TO BE CONTINUED!