Trigger Warning. This chapter contains: Mentions of Abuse, S*xual Abuse, R*pe, M*lestation, Child Ab*se, and P*dophila.
Not everything is as black and white as most people believe it to be. Villains and heroes. Good versus bad. That's what most people believe to be the truth. The heroes go out to fight the villains and put them away for good. The villains are people who bring chaos, and the heroes are the bringers of all that is good.
But what if the heroes were the bad guys? To society, that just could not be possible. The heroes were the perfect embodiment of good. The heroes couldn't be evil in any way. Right?
To Izuku, it was possible. He knew of several heroes that did horrible things to their families. Some of the big-time heroes, like Endeavor, who abused his family according to rumours, and then there were the small-time heroes, like Graveller. Graveller was a hero who had a daughter. To the public, they had a nice relationship. Whenever Graveller brought his daughter to events, she was smiling, happy, and carefree.
Graveller's daughter was anything but that. From what Izuku heard from the rumours, Graveller molested his daughter, physically abused her, made her post pictures of her naked body online for money, and what made it so much worse was that she was only in her early teens, thirteen to be exact. So you could see how much it irritated Izuku.
And the police? What did they say about it when someone found a photo of said daughter in the hands of Gravellers adult son? They arrested the son but didn't look into the father. They claimed that she might've been kidnapped, and then the case was put on ice. It drove Izuku up the bend, and he wanted to see if the rumours were true.
Looking through interview after interview that the hero did with his daughter, Izuku could see that every time he put a hand on her back, she flinched. It wasn't noticeable to those not paying attention to her, but it was enough for him to notice. When the camera or the questions weren't solely focused on her, she had a nervous expression on her face.
And her eyes, her eyes screamed of agony and were begging for help. Yet, she couldn't say a word, as if she did, he assumed that Graveller would do something drastic and or far worse to her than what he had already done.
And to Izuku, that was all he needed to see.
"Kurogiri?" Izuku asked the man made of mist as said man looked at his employer. Izuku had come in with a schoolwork package that Kurogiri had printed off to keep up the illusion to Mitsuki. The boy had finished it ten minutes ago, and now he was sipping on a juice box.
"Yes, Midoriya?" Kurogiri asked as the greenette began scratching at his neck. Despite the fact that Kurogiri only knew the boy for about a day, he knew that he was angry whenever Midoriya began clawing at his neck. "Is there something the matter?" Kurogiri questioned as Izuku let out a dry chuckle.
"Tell me, Kurogiri. Have you ever heard of the pro hero Graveller?" When Izuku asked this question, Kurogiri could hear the malice in his voice. It was almost suffocating. The amount of disdain in his voice was enough even to make Kurogiri flinch.
Kurogiri knew who Graveller was. He was in the top 20 of all the heroes in Japan. He had saved more lives than Kurogiri could ever dream of. Of course, his popularity and villain captures were really low, meaning he couldn't squeeze his way into the top ten.
"Yes, I am aware of him. But what do you want with him?" Kurogiri asked as Izuku began scratching his neck even faster, an angered expression taking up his face.
His scratching drew blood, making him take his fingers back and away from his neck as the sting from the wound made him grunt. He stared at the red viscous liquid as it dripped from his neck and onto his hoodie. As the blood coated his fingertips, he stared at it for a few seconds before smearing the blood on the table. A smirk replaced his angered expression as he spoke
"I want his blood, smeared on the wall… or maybe his ashes spread across the floor…." Izuku said, staring into the blood on the table, as well as the blood dripping from his hoodie. "For someone who abuses his daughter, that is all he deserves." Izuku's voice was cold. He was callous. He wanted nothing more than for Graveller to be dead.
Kurogiri had to admit, Izuku was scary when angry. "What would you like me to do?" Kurogiri asked as Izuku smiled devilishly.
"I wish to speak to Dabi. I think I have the perfect way for him to join our group…." Izuku said as Kurogiri let out a dry sigh. The mist man nodded, already realizing what he wanted—creating a portal to the vigilante's residence.
As the swirling, black, inky portal opened, the green-haired boy put on his mask and walked through. Taking one step through, he felt the mist flow through his body as he was left weightless. He remembered the feeling when he first walked through the mist. It almost felt magical, freeing. Yet, it was only for a second.
But now, after the third or fourth time, it seemed almost normal, like taking the train somewhere or boarding a plane over to travel to another country.
Stepping through to the other side, he stood within the decrepit room as Dabi sat on his couch, glaring at him. The man clearly wasn't expecting him, as he was wearing only his boxers and a white undershirt.
"What the hell do you want? I don't remember contacting you or even saying you could come over—especially this early in the morning," Dabi said as Izuku chuckled.
"Please, Todoroki. I told you we'd be in contact. I didn't say I had to wait for your call, did I?" Izuku said as the natural white-haired man scoffed. He stood up from his couch, walking out of the living room and dipping into another room.
Izuku leaned against the wall. He got to see just how gross this place was. It seemed almost uncared for. Then again, the whole building looked like a dump from what he saw on the internet. Slightly mouldy walls, garbage on the floor, mostly fast-food wrappings, and a cracked TV. That was just the living room. He shivered at the thought of what the rest of the 'house' looked like.
Dabi stepped out of what Izuku guessed was his room wearing a pair of black pants and a proper white shirt as he stared at the green-haired kid.
"Your place is a dump. You know that?" Izuku commented as Dabi rolled his eyes, leaning against the doorframe as he levelled a slight glare at him.
"That was intentional. But that doesn't matter. The fuck do you want," the white-haired boy asked as he had a bottle of dye in his hand, getting ready to dye his hair as Izuku smirked.
"I have a little something for you. Let's call it a test. If you choose to accept, that is, it'll be your way to prove to me that you're serious about killing fake heroes," Izuku said as Dabi raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? I never said I'd agree to join your squad. So what makes you think I'll accept in the first place?" Dabi asked, letting his natural heat speed up the chemical reaction in his hair dye as Izuku smirked underneath his mask.
"I'm aware of just how much you despise Child Abuse. So I think it'd be very appealing to you for you to kill this son of a bitch," Izuku explained as he noticed how Dabi's eye twitched at the mention of Child Abuse. He knew about how Dabi hated Child Abuse, as he was a victim of one.
"I'm listening…." Dabi said, his voice suddenly turning angered as Izuku chuckled.
"It's amusing how quickly you changed your tune. But, my observations aside, I think this will be… very cathartic for you. I'm sure you are aware of the Pro Hero Graveller…."
As Izuku explained the situation to Dabi, all he could see was red. It was one thing to beat your child, but it was a completely other thing to rape, molest, and extort said child repeatedly. To put the cherry on the disturbing cake, when the police caught the kid's brother with the same child pornography, it made him ten times more furious when he was told they did absolutely nothing to the father.
Both of the vigilante's hands lit up in a fiery inferno as the man's eyes were filled with an anger unrivalled by even the most terrifying villains and heroes.
"Yeah… that fucker is going to die, painfully." As Dabi expressed his joy at the thought of burning the hero alive, Izuku chuckled quietly.
"My only request is that you bring me his head so that I may turn it to dust with my bare hands," Izuku said as he turned to leave.
"Before you go, what's your name. I want to know it. It's starting to get annoying just calling you kid, fucker, brat, or whatever word I come up with in my head. Not your real name, either," Dabi asked as Izuku looked out the window. He then glanced behind him with a gleam in his eyes.
"Dust. Call me dust. It may be simple, but it's good enough for now," Izuku said as Dabi smirked. The former Todoroki crossed his arms as he watched 'Dust' leave his apartment.
"Well then, dust, I guess I have a morally bankrupt hero to kill. That, I do not mind even in the slightest," Dabi said as he went to his coat rack. Slipping his classic black jacket over his body, he opened his front door, and with a slight tap against the doorknob, the door closed on its own, as the screws in the hinges were extremely loose.
Sato Sugimoto had what one might call a miserable life. Her father, Makoto Sugimoto, was the pro hero Graveller. Early in her life, when she was around the age of 5, she remembered how life back then was normal, and she didn't have to live in constant fear of her "So-called" father.
Back then, things were peaceful.
Little had she known that was all an act.
When she turned six years old, her mother was killed.
The media had portrayed her mother's death to be because of a villain attack, as her body was found in a heavily criminally populated area, and the person closest to the body, a former convict who had served time for aggravated assault, was arrested and accused and subsequently convicted for her murder, which Graveller spearheaded.
In reality, Graveller committed the murder as a way for her to get out of his life. Sato had seen it all happen right before her eyes. Her mother's screams echoed out as the sound of a knife penetrating the skin echoed in her mind. The worst part about it was that he would do it to her if she ever spoke about it.
Her skin crawled at the very thought of it. The feeling she'd get when it happened made her want to vomit, yet for whatever reason, her body would respond in the exact opposite way of how she felt. Instead of repulsion and hatred, it would respond with the feeling of pleasure.
Every time it happened, she could remember the distinct feeling. She could feel his thing surge inside of her as it happened. Depending on his mood, he would either be rough or normal, and even when it was normal, it would hurt. Being forced to feel his thing inside of her made her want to kill herself out of embarrassment.
The only reason why she didn't kill herself was for her friends and those she knew cared about her. She was just too scared of her father to speak out about it.
Even then, who would they believe, a skinny, brown-haired girl with an unappealing body and a weak Quirk, which allowed her to shoot water out of her hands at differing pressures? Or a pro hero, who had credibility, a powerful Quirk to make earthquakes in a 10-metre radius, control the damage the earthquakes did, and make a 7 figure salary a month?
The answer should be more than obvious.
She sat in her dingy, disgusting room that had looked like a pigsty. There was a bookshelf, although it had only one or two books, ones that her mother had got her. The rest were sold to 'punish' her for acting out.
Her windows had been boarded up so that she couldn't leave without his permission, and he also made sure to soundproof her room so that nobody would hear her screams for help.
She was currently trying hard to ignore her father's shouts as she curled herself into a ball on her bed. She heard a loud crashing sound from downstairs and immediately feared for the worst, that being her father was drunk and was looking for her. She shivered as she heard the thumping and crashing increase in volume as the shouting became louder.
Tears began to edge themselves down her cheeks as she imagined the things he'd do to her once he found her. She wanted to leave. She so desperately wanted to run away. She so desperately wanted to hide. But where was there to hide when the person who's tormenting built the very house you live in, knowing of every possible hiding spot, nook and cranny? Add onto the fact that her door was locked from the outside in. All she could do was wait for him to find her eventually and for him to beat her before doing it to her.
That was how her life went. Never one moment of downtime, never one moment of peace. It was either sleep, ask for something to eat only to usually get denied, get raped, and then cry and or dread the rest of the day afterward. And that was on the weekends.
She always dreaded the weekends or after school. And currently, it was the early morning on the weekend, meaning that the process was about to repeat itself.
She was currently wearing a red summer dress that she was forced to wear all the time, as her father told her it made her look 'sexy' and that the only time she was allowed to take it off was for school. She was also not allowed to wear underwear unless she was going to school, which her father explained was for 'ease of access.'
Whenever he told her that, it made her shiver and cringe.
She started to shake as the urge to cry became harder to ignore as she continued to become stressed about what was going on. The thumping became louder. Some other noises were also heard, like… crackling? That was a new sound. Sato made it a point to always listen for new sounds, just in case her father had any guests around.
The reason for that is that her father never really had any guests over. The only time other people would be here would be the police to tell him of an emergency, or one of the neighbours who thought it would be nice to give her something, only for when they leave, if it were food, for him to eat it, or if it was a toy, for him to throw it out.
The loud crashing noises continued for a few seconds, followed by more crackling sounds and the sounds of dripping, almost like water. Eventually, the smashing and the crashing noises stopped, and instead of loud footsteps that belonged to her father, softer, quieter footsteps echoed around the downstairs.
What happened? Who did these footsteps belong to, and what happened downstairs? Panic began to surge through her body as the new footsteps got closer and closer. Her heartbeat began to go faster and faster as the doorknob to her door began to turn. She expected the door to slam open as she finally heard a clicking sound.
But no such slamming sound was heard. She looked up to see the door gently open as a person she had never seen before stood in front of her. The person in question had black, messy hair and pale white skin with some purple patches mixed in, including his lower jaw. He wore a black jacket with silver rings around the edge of the sleeves, exposing his purple scarred arms.
Underneath his jacket was a white shirt with a few tears in the tope, revealing some scarred purple skin, held together by staples of all things. As for his pants, they were a simple black with a few tears on the knees and black shoes to go along with the mostly black get-up.
His blue eyes were calm and concerned. The man stared at her as she felt herself loosen up, a calming feeling coming from the man instead of the usual anger she was used to from others.
"I take it that you're Sato Sugimoto. The daughter of that heartless bastard downstairs, right?" The man asked as Sato didn't reply out of fear of what he might do. The man, in response to her lack of an answer, sighed.
"I'll take your silence as a yes. I can't even begin to imagine what he's done to you…." the man started, which caused her eyes to go wide. Did he know? Did he know about… about it?! Her father was going to kill her. He knew, the man in front of her knew, which meant she must've said something about it. That's the only way he could've known.
Her breathing began to quicken, and her heart began to race.
No.
No.
No.
He wasn't supposed to know. He wasn't supposed to know. He wasn't supposed to know. He wasn't supposed to know. Hewasntsupposedtoknowthewasntsupposedtoknowhewasntsupposedto-
"Hey, calm down. You're ok. That… monster… he won't be able to hurt you anymore," The man said, his hand on her shoulder as she shakily looked up at him. His eyes, they told no lies, and they showed reassurance.
"N-No… any minute n-now… he'll s-storm up t-those stairs a-and h-he'll-" Sato was interrupted by the man… smirking?
"Nah. He can't do much of anything right now. If you want, you can come see what I mean, that is… if you trust me?" The man said as he let go of her shoulder and raised a hand out as an offer to take it. She took a second to analyze his intent. From what she could tell, he wasn't trying to trick her, at least, not yet.
She could tell that man knew she was analyzing him, but from what she could gather, he didn't seem to care in the slightest. The back of her mind told her not to trust him, but another part of her told her to trust the man in front of her.
Hesitantly, she grabbed his hand as he helped her get off of the uncomfortable bed she found herself on. When she stood up, she was up to his chest in height. She couldn't tell just how tall he was, but he was at least the same height, if not taller, than her father.
"Y-You promise not to hurt m-me… right… you won't do it to me… right?" Sato asked timidly as the man raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"I don't know what "it" is, but if it hurts you, then no. I won't. You have my word," the man said, causing a wave of relief to be lifted off of Sato's shoulders. He wasn't going to do it to her, meaning she could, at the very least, trust him a little bit.
The two silently walked out of her room and down the spiral staircase to the first floor of the two storey house. There, she could finally see what made that crackling sound. Small parts of the living room were covered in blue flames, and slumped up against the wall was the headless body of her father.
"As I said, he won't be able to hurt you anymore. He can't hurt you anymore. Not when he's dead," the man said matter-of-factly as tears came to Sato's eyes. She didn't know whether to cry out of joy, knowing that she was free from him or cry out of sadness.
But why would she cry out of sadness? Shouldn't she be happy that the man that hurt her, did it to her, and abused her for years, was now gone?
While yes, that would be a blessing, a god-send in every which way, but now, Sato had nowhere to go. No one to turn to. Sure, she could go to her friends, but to ask to live with them? That would raise flags. Why would she be coming to them to live with them when she has a 'perfectly good home' to return to? They would suspect that something bad happened, and when they find her dad dead, all fingers will get pointed at her.
At least, that is how she believed it to be.
As she was on the verge of having a mental breakdown, the man looked at her as she started to cry. "Huh? Hey, kid… you ok?" the man asked as Sato fell to her knees. "Wow, kid! Hey, don't freak out, uh…." The man started as he knelt beside her as she wept.
"Shit… uh… hey, kid, look at me, can you do that?" The man spoke quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder as she started to calm down. Her heavy sobs turned to light sniffles and hiccups as the man reassured her.
She couldn't process half of what he was saying, mostly to the fact that she was trying to block out the world. All she could really hear was him asking to look at him. When she did so, she was met with a concerned-looking man. His face looked so disfigured, now that she was getting a good look at it. His entire lower jaw was purple, rotting skin, and so were the bags under his eyes. The rest of his face was pale, and his eyes were a cerulean blue.
"Good, now you're looking at me. What's wrong? What's troubling you now?" The man asked as Sato wiped the tears from her eyes. She knew he wasn't being rude; she could hear the sincerity in his voice.
"I-I… I have n-no where t-to go now… h-he was my only f-family…." Sato muttered out as the man backed away. He seemed to look conflicted, his face showing how he seemed both annoyed and also conflicted. It was then when the man's eyes lit up as he turned to her.
"Well, you might not have a family to turn back to, but that doesn't mean I can't help you. If you can trust me, that is?" The man said, extending a hand out to her. She stared at the hand for a few seconds, thoughts racing through her head as she stared at it.
This hand was the very hand that ended the monster's life that hurt her, abused her, and tormented her for seven whole years.
This hand was the one that saved her from that monster.
This hand belonged to her hero.
Her small, delicate hand grabbed onto his rough and scarred one as he pulled her up from the floor. A purple, misty portal appeared behind him as he smirked. "Come on, kid, where we're going, you'll be safe from anyone trying to hurt you," the man said as he led her through the misty, spinning hole in the air.
As she passed through it, she could feel the mist wrap around her ankles and wrists, but unlike the tight, constrictive feelings of ropes or her father's harsh hands, it felt weightless. It felt as if a cat's fur was rubbing against her skin, thanking her for being with it. It flowed through and around her body, guiding her to the safe space she was being granted.
As the man let go of her hand, and as she stepped through the vortex of mist, she found herself standing in a bar. The man huffed, looking around with a blank expression on his face.
"This is my first time being here, and I have to say, it's quite welcoming," The man said as Sato looked around, and as she did so, she was met face to face with an emerald green-eyed boy, who wore a mask over his mouth. He wore a black hood over his head, green hair sticking out from the front as he sat on a barstool.
His eyes showed to her that he was seemingly relieved about something. She looked at the man who brought her here, and that's when things started to piece together in her mind. But just before she could say anything, the boy took off his mask, and as he spoke, she felt a wave of peace wash over her.
"Hello, Sato Sugimoto. My name is Dust. I am the leader of the League of Vigilantes. I know it isn't much, but this bar will serve as your home for the time being. I hope you do not mind."
When Izuku got the word from Dabi that the mission had been a success, he felt overjoyed. The sick bastard known as Graveller was now gone, and his daughter was safe. When Dabi requested a portal from Kurogiri, the man made of mist had no problems sending one over.
When he saw Dabi step through with Gravellers daughter's hand in his hand, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. She was safe. That was all that mattered to Izuku. He feared that when he sent Dabi over to kill the bastard that the monster would've attacked his own daughter to save his ass, but it seems as if Dabi had the situation under control.
He remembered looking up the names of those in Gravellers family as a 'just in case' so that he would know her name if she came here. Now that she was here, he could make introductions far easier. Of course, he wasn't going to tell her his real name, as if she were to tell someone his real name as a part of his introduction to her, then that would put a stop to any plans of his.
"This is my first time being here, and I have to say, it's quite welcoming," Dabi said as the girl looked around the small bar, and finally, her eyes landed on him.
Taking off his mask as the girl's eyes were focused on him, he smiled before speaking. "Hello, Sato Sugimoto. My name is Dust. I am the leader of the League of Vigilantes. I know it isn't much, but this bar will serve as your home for the time being. I hope you don't mind."
It had been a long time since he spoke without being either on edge, annoyed, or slightly angry with the person he spoke to. Even with Dabi, he felt slightly annoyed when talking to him, seeing as he threw away a perfectly good life to become who he was. Even if his father was a prick, he still could've saved his siblings from the man, but he was selfish and didn't step in to save them.
"O-Ok…" The girl said as she seemed to be scared. Of course, Izuku knew that she might've been. Hopping off the barstool, he approached her. She flinched when he did so. A small spike of anger raged through his mind at this. Not because she flinched, well, actually, yeah. She flinched just by being touched.
What the hell had Graveller done to her? To what extent did he hurt her. He knew the theories that she had been physically abused, possibly even sexually, but to what extent the theorizers didn't know. But if it was so bad that even a small touch made her flinch… Izuku couldn't even begin to believe just what kind of hell she had been through.
"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you. I promise you. None of us here are going to make you uncomfortable, and none of us here are going to hurt you. Ok?" Izuku reassured the brunette as she looked at him with her brown, worried eyes.
"Y-You promise… you promise you w-won't do it to me?" The brunette asked as Izuku cringed. He looked at Dabi, who shrugged.
"Hey, don't ask me. I have no idea what she's talking about. She asked me that question too. I just chalked it up to being something pretty bad," Dabi stated cooly as he crossed his arms.
Izuku looked back at Sato as he sighed. "Can you tell me… what it is?" Izuku asked, a serious expression on his face as he stepped back, giving her as much space as possible if she freaked out or wanted to be far away from someone when explaining it.
"Y-You know… it. W-When, a man, p-puts their t-thing in you and they keep putting it in and out until this white stuff comes out…." Sato explained as Izuku's eyes went feral. The rage hidden behind it was so vast that he didn't even notice that he had begun scratching his neck.
"Kurogiri…" Izuku spoke darkly as the mist man behind the counter cleared his throat. Dabi felt a chill go down his spine as the young boy spoke. So much rage, vitriol, and pure disdain was in this boy's voice, you could easily mistake him to be a monster just from hearing it. It was like he had changed into a different person entirely.
"Yes, Dust? What is it?" Kurogiri asked as Izuku balled his hand into a fist. His fist shook, anger in his body language as Kurogiri already knew what he wanted.
"Open a portal to Musutafu municipal park. I need to let off some steam…." The young greenette said as the portal opened. Izuku walked through the portal and entered the park, taking off his gloves and stuffing them in his hoodie pockets as the portal behind him whisked away.
The boy walked into the thick forest, wandering deep within so that no one could see him. Once he got deep enough into the man-made forest, he walked up to one of the trees and put his hand on it. The tree began to turn grey as cracks started to appear where his hand was.
Dust began to fall onto the ground as the speed of the Decay became faster and faster until the tree was gone, a pile of dust left in its wake.
But even that wasn't enough.
He did the same thing to another tree and another until finally, at least half of the trees deep inside the man-made forest were turned to dust.
It took him nearly 30 minutes to get all of his anger out. He felt bad for just leaving the kid behind and with Dabi and Kurogiri, but if he didn't do something about his anger, he would've done something stupid.
He looked at the time. It was 11:30 am, meaning it was just about to hit noon. He was starting to get hungry, as he hadn't eaten all day.
Izuku usually skipped out on breakfast and waited till noon to eat. Perhaps he could get the kid something to eat since she also looked malnourished. That sick bastard. He raped, abused, starved, molested, and tortured his daughter, all for what?
No… he needed to stop. The more he thought about it, the angrier he would become. He didn't want to be out here all day destroying more of the trees in the park. God forbid if someone caught him doing it, he'd be arrested for illegal Quirk use.
Putting his gloves back on, he grabbed his phone from his pants pocket before making sure to call Kurogiri. As the phone rang, he walked over to a park bench and sat down, sitting next to a blond-haired girl with messy buns, sucking on a straw that was stabbed into a pouch filled with a red liquid in it.
He paid no mind to it as he heard Kurogiri's voice on the other end of the phone. "Hello, Dust. I am assuming you're calling for a portal?" Kurogiri asked as Izuku huffed.
"Yeah, bring one in five minutes," Izuku said, hanging up as he put his phone in his pocket. When he did so, he sighed, looking back at the girl. She was currently wearing a school uniform, a white top with a red skirt and a red tie.
She stopped sipping from the bag of red liquid as she sighed. "Hey, noticed you were looking at the bag… don't ask…." The girl said, her voice rather monotone.
"Well, it's either strawberry jam or its blood. Not like it's abnormal. They're plenty of people out there with blood Quirks…." Izuku said as the girl turned to him with a confused look on her face.
"You don't seem put off by it. Most people who find out that I drink blood either think it's gross or finds it weird or leaves… Even my parents hate me for it, so why aren't you weirded out?" The girl asked as Izuku shrugged.
"Well, when you have a Quirk that decays anything you touch, you learn that people tend to hate you for the Quirk you're born with. I chalk it up to how society treats certain Quirks," Izuku explained as the girl snickered.
"You know… the only reason I'm sober is because of this blood…." The girl said as Izuku huffed with amusement.
"I can only assume. So tell me… what's your name?" Izuku asked as the girl smirked.
"Toga… Himiko Toga. What about you?" Himiko asked as Izuku put his hands behind his head.
"Midoriya, Izuku Midoriya. It's nice to meet you, Toga-san," The greenette said as a purple portal appeared in front of the bench. The blond stared with curiosity as her eyes widened.
"Hey! Is that a portal created by Kurogiri?" Himiko asked as Izuku stood up, looking back at the girl.
"You'd be correct. I won't go into detail, Toga-san, but… how about we get a coffee sometime? Perhaps we can discuss how vile this society is, as you seem like you're someone who has be-fallen its clutches," Izuku said, throwing out a piece of paper before stepping into the portal.
As Toga picked up the piece of paper, she looked at it with a slight smirk. It was a phone number, and it most likely belonged to Midoriya. He wasn't wrong about her being a victim to the system. She wouldn't mind speaking to him about it.
"Well… you just got my attention, Midoriya-san," Toga said, putting the piece of paper in her shirt pocket. As the portal closed, she walked out of the park, a small smile on her face. "I can't wait to talk to you again…."
Dabi was angry. The rage he felt after what the girl had described "it" to be sounded almost exactly like sex. Of course, when he heard the rumours of what that awful bastard had done to her, he only believed them to be that, rumours. There was no way some sick and twisted freak of a man would do such a thing to their own daughter. Yet, here she was, living proof of such a thing.
It had been two minutes since Dust had left, and Sato had taken a seat on the chairs in the bar lounge area. The girl was currently enjoying a bowl of Ramen that Kurogiri had gotten her. Dabi sat on one of the bar stools, holding a can of beer that Kurogiri also got for him when he got Sato the Ramen.
"So, Kurogiri, what do you think Dust's doing right now?" Dabi asked as Kurogiri hummed. He was currently cleaning a shot glass that seemed to have previously been used.
"If I were to assume, he's most likely at the park, turning trees into dust to calm himself down," Kurogiri said as Dabi nodded, taking a sip out of the can of beer. His nose shrivelled up at the taste of it, but he didn't mind it. Like his sister, he never really drank all that much, but when he did, it was only when he was angry or when he felt like getting drunk.
Let it be known that Dabi hated having hangovers and that it was only extremely rare when he actually got drunk, and when he did, it was usually to celebrate when Endeavour got his ass beat in battle, which was rare enough as it was.
But right now, he was drinking because he was mad.
He looked at the young girl, who was fishing around her bowl of ramen, a distressed, even nervous look on her face. She clearly barely trusted anyone here, and credit where credit was due, at least she had the sense to be careful around new people, though for all the wrong reasons.
That bastard of a father made her distrusting of other people and probably made her think that everyone was either out to hurt her or out to rape her.
"You're worried about Sugimoto-san, aren't you, Dabi?" Kurogiri asked in a hushed tone as Dabi sighed.
"What made you catch on?" Dabi asked, putting his can of beer down. His cerulean eyes were trained on the girl as he watched her eat. "I knew the way he treated her was horrible, but she straight-up described this 'it' thing as sex. He raped her, from what I could assume, frequently. Beating a child is one thing, but raping a child is inexcusable," Dabi snarled as small embers appeared on his knuckles.
Kurogiri looked over at the kid and sighed. He would have to agree with Dabi. Even if most of his emotions had been scrubbed clean from him when he was turned into a Nomu, anger could not be scrubbed away.
Other emotions like sadness, respect, and grief that those who made him also couldn't get removed, which he understood to be on purpose, but that didn't matter right now.
His anger at what he learned today was what he was more focused on. Even though Kurogiri didn't outwardly show it, he was furious.
"What about you, Kurogiri? What's your take on it?" Dabi asked as the mist man huffed, putting down the glass he was cleaning on the table.
"I'm angry about it. To me, hurting the thing you create is something personal. I doubt you are aware of my creation, but to keep it brief… when someone who you believe to be the person doing the right thing betrays your emotions and feelings, it makes me sick to my very core." Kurogiri paused, looking at the girl as his yellow eyes slanted with concern.
"For those who she thought she trusted to so openly hurt, abuse, and torment her would've made me puke if I had the capacity to," Kurogiri finished as Dabi lowered his head, looking down at the ground.
Dabi remembered what it was like to live in his house when he was younger. Endeavour considered him a failure due to his weak constitution. Every day his father would emotionally tear him down, calling him a worthless child. Eventually, the pressure of being called that day in and day out came to a close when Baby Shoto was born.
When he saw Shoto, it snapped. They had replaced him. They had replaced Touya Todoroki, Son of Endeavour, with Shoto Todoroki, the perfect son of Endeavour. All of the kempt-up emotions boiled over, and he snapped.
Of course, thanks to Endeavour, he didn't hurt Shoto. Thank god, he would've never forgiven himself for it. But that didn't stop him from going to Natsuo for comfort, crying out his emotions whenever he was down in the dumps. Natsuo was always a good listener, and he always felt safe around him.
When the forest accident happened, he called out for Natsuo first. Then it went down the latter. Eventually, he was able to reel in the fire, and he came out of it a scarred and burned-up individual. Had it not been for the nearby river that he had fallen into, he would've died.
He knew what it was like to be abused, manipulated, and treated as an object. That's why he heavily related to Sato.
Getting up from his barstool, he walked over to where the kid was sitting, and she immediately stiffened when she saw him. It caused Dabi to cringe as he sat down, looking across the table from her as she stared at him, worry in her eyes.
"Hey, kiddo. How's the food?" Dabi asked as Sato looked at her bowl of ramen. There was a moment of silence between them as, eventually, she spoke.
"It's good…" her voice was hushed, but it was still audible for Dabi to hear. The former Todoroki smirked as he reclined in the seat.
"Well, at least your liking your food. Me and Kurogiri, that's the mist man, were kinda worried you didn't like it," Dabi said as there was another moment of silence. It was only broken when a soft sniffle came from across the table, catching Dabi's attention.
He glanced in her direction as he could see tears forming from her eyes. He figured that she would be crying… a lot. But at the same time, he understood why. The kid clearly was suffering from whiplash. Going through a shitty situation to a suddenly better one in a matter of moments would cause confusion in anyone who had lived like she did.
"Hey, you ok there, Sugimoto-san?" Dabi asked as the girl wiped her tears away.
"W-Why?" That was the only thing she said, causing Dabi to be the confused one. What did she mean by 'why?' Why what?
"What do you mean?" Dabi asked, curiosity in his tone as Sato sniffled before letting out a baited sigh.
"W-Why save me? I-I don't understand… nobody was s-supposed to k-know about it, or… or…." Sato started on the verge of a breakdown as Dabi inwardly frowned. He sat up straight before resting his hand on the table and snapping his fingers, which got Sato's attention. Her eyes were red from all the crying she had done over the past ten minutes, which on its own was making Dabi upset and angry.
But at least now she was safe. Sighing, Dabi reclined back and spoke.
"One word for you, kiddo… rumours. They spread faster than the fastest wildfire. It didn't help that during interviews you were starred in, your smiles looked artificial in the recordings, and when the camera wasn't focused on you, you looked extremely nervous, always glancing back and forth from your father. The look in your eyes screamed 'save me.'" Dabi paused, making sure she understood what he was saying.
All she did was stare, her eyes still watery, yet no tears came out. She looked away, shoulders tensing. Dabi cursed himself. Of course, the girl was going to think that this was her fault. Her father probably gave her a victim's complex because of how much he abused her.
"S-So it's my fault… I-I'm the one that c-caused trouble f-for my d-dad…." Sato started to mutter as Dabi grit his teeth.
"Your father was a scumbag, Sugimoto-san. Please don't feel like you were the one who inconvenienced him. I learned that the hard way with my family, you don't need to feel the same for yours…." Dabi stated as Sato looked at him.
"W-Wha-" Sato shook her head. "W-What d-do you mean?" The brunette asked as Dabi sighed, slumping in his chair.
"Well, I'm sure you know the number two pro-hero, Endeavour, right?" Dabi asked as Sato raised an eyebrow, wiping her eyes from the tears that were starting to fall.
"Y-yeah… dad said that he's a g-great hero… he was always jealous of Endeavour…." Sato said shakily as Dabi huffed.
"Great hero, huh…." Dabi muttered under his breath before continuing. "Well, his real name is Enji Todoroki, which I think is known commonly nowadays. I'm his first-born son. My real name is Touya Todoroki, but don't go around saying that, ok? I gotta keep my identity secret," Dabi said as Sato's eyes went wide.
"Y-You're Touya? D-Didn't Endeavour say you're dead?" Sato asked, her eyes now filled with confusion as Dabi sighed.
"Nope… here I stand, or well… I guess here I sit. But that doesn't matter. My point being, Endeavour wasn't exactly a great father either. He neglected and abused my siblings and me because we were all failures. The only one who didn't get mentally abused or neglected was my youngest brother Shoto, who was considered perfect…." Dabi said, a sigh leaving his lips as he sat up straight, looking Sato in the eyes.
"It took me years to overcome the mental abuse he threw onto me, and I pushed through it, and I became who I am now. It may not be much, but if I could triumph over my abuser, you can too. It'll take a long time, but I can help you through it. So, what do ya think, can I help you?" Dabi asked, bringing his hand out.
Sato looked at it for a second. Then, after a moment of silence, she grabbed his hand and a small smile formed on her face. "Y-Yea… ok…."
Dabi smirked as Sato smiled, and while it wasn't much, it was the start of a friendship.
-To Be Continued-
So, there you guys have it—another chapter for this fanfic. I know it took a long time, but as I said in the author's note, I don't want to just pump out chapters every other day like it's some sort of factory. I want these chapters to be as perfect as they can possibly get, and if that means I need to sacrifice quantity, then I'm going to sure as hell do that over sacrificing quality.
I wanted to bring up a few things that happened in this chapter, and we're going to start with the elephant in the room, the introduction of the OC, Sato Sugimoto. I know what you're all probably worried about, and don't worry, she's just a side-character, not a main character. That being said, her character arc is something that will be focused on in a few chapters.
The other big thing is Toga's first appearance. Why wasn't she acting like a psycho? Where did she get the blood from? Etc, etc. Most people hate it when you mess with characters like Toga, but as this is an Alternate Universe, not all the characters will have the same motivations as others.
In this universe, Toga's parents weren't total pieces of shit, and they didn't neglect Himiko. They did they're best to help Toga with her blood attraction and addiction. In other words, they accepted her for her. However, it wasn't because they loved her, far from it.
We don't know much about Canon Toga's family life, and a few people just assumed that Toga was a normal teenager, but I saw it as that her parents were Rich Elites who thought she would taint the family name for liking blood. So in this timeline, instead of them neglecting her, they basically run a blood drive for those who need it, and they give Himiko blood bags to make sure she doesn't go coo-coo for coco-puffs.
But that doesn't mean she isn't going to be an important character, I mean hell, I paired her with Izuku in this fanfic, so she will definitely be a main character.
The last thing I'll address is Dabi's openness. No, it will not be common, but I want to show off that Dabi in this timeline isn't all about getting revenge on Endeavour and is his own person. I feel like Canon Dabi, while he does have his edgy dumb-kid moments, is solely focused on hurting Endeavour and his family. While he still wants to pull the rug out from underneath Enji, I want him to have a more human part of him.
So he's going to be helping Sato out with getting over her Abuse, or at least helping her through it. His reasoning is that he sees some of himself in her, that and he hates abuse, as, for obvious reasons, it rings too close to home. No, there will not be any sort of romantic connections with the two, it'll be a purely plutonic relationship. I've seen far too many fanfics where a person Dabi saves ends up loving him, and I will not be adding to it. Its half the reason why I made Sato a minor.
Thank you guys for sticking around, and I'll see you all in the next chapter, peace.