Warning: This chapter includes sexual assault, LGBTQ+ discrimination, and deadnaming. Read with caution.

Note: This story is told all from Rin's perspective.

In this world, 80 the world's population now have extraordinary gifts, called "Quirks". With these abilities, life has become something out of a comic book with heroes and villains alike running in the streets. These heroes have become role models to many kids. Now, many would only dream of meeting heroes; I, however, live with one. My father, Haruka Fujibayashi, is the Bayfront Hero: Poseidon. Despite having to head to the bigger cities, he always made time for us kids. My younger brothers, Kintaro and Shinji, were always making trouble for themselves and the rest of us, for that matter. My mother, Suzume, was a schoolhouse teacher and had just had my little sister, Namine. With a 15-year-old, two 10-year-olds, and a newborn, life was pretty wild. Especially since a new baby wasn't the only big change that would be coming.

I grew up in a fishing village in Kyoto. The house in Ine was right on the water, quite literally. We had a dock set beneath the house where Dad would take us on boat rides whenever he was home; my siblings and I were basically born and raised in the water. The main industries were fishing and tourism, so it was only a matter of time before you found a way to love the water. A lot of the older folk there had jobs fishing and selling souvenirs to passersby; I helped an elderly couple that lived a few houses down with their fishing hauls almost every day, picking up a nice little tip each time, but that's not why I did it. I guess helping out people was just in my blood, but my quirk made it even easier. My quirk is telekinesis, so moving barrels of fish was a snap. I hoped that with my quirk and work ethic I'd be a suitable candidate for one of the top hero programs in the top school of the country, UA High School.

Unfortunately, UA is over 241 kilometers (150 miles) from Ine, so I'd either have to make the long trip each day of classes, leaving hardly any time for leisure, or make temporary living arrangements. Dad offered to base in Musutafu for a while so I could attend school there without him and my mother having to worry about my safety. But I knew I could do this, and the whole village had my back too. It made me wonder what I did to deserve such a kind and supportive community to encourage me on my journey to becoming a great hero. My friends teased me about introducing them to some of the pro heroes once I made it big. There were many things I thought I'd miss about the village, including a boy I was talking to; his name was Ryo.

Ryo was an older student at the high school who was helping me to bring up my grades in order to apply to UA. After the long study dates together, it wasn't a surprise that we ended up as somewhat of a couple. Sure, he was a few years older than I was, but we had a connection. He wanted to see me succeed as much as I wanted to become a hero. We regularly went out to the shops in town and would sit down by the shore and watch the sunset and stars some nights.

One night, a little while before the entrance exams for U.A., we arranged another date together. Since it was getting colder and colder out, I bundled up and met him at the door. He greeted my parents at the door and we walked down to the area with all the shops and cafés. The sun was already starting to hand low, bathing the streets in an orange glow that rivaled the bright colors of the autumn leaves. The air was cool and pleasant as the sea breeze blew on my face, catching the long locks of ginger hair and making them dance in the twilight. We talked about our future plans a bit before we entered our favorite spot; it was a Mom and Pop shop that sold Nabe, which on the colder nights were enough to warm anyone up, not that Ryo needed it. Ryo's quirk, Steamer, allowed him to emit warm steam from his skin as a means of temperature regulation. I always teased him to the point where steam would come out of his ears as if he were a cartoon character. I loved how we'd played. After dinner, we headed back down to that familiar shore where we'd watch the skies. The shore where I spent time with my first love, the shore I grew up on, and the shore where I lost a piece of myself.

The sun had just finished setting as we sat down on the rocks. The final tour boat of the evening passed by as I thought about what I'd say to him about breaking up with him. I did love him, but I didn't want to hold him back waiting for me while I built a new life in the city. Soon the lights of the shops dimmed and all that was left were the streetlights. The waves crashed on the shore as I steeled my nerves and looked at Ryo.

I took a deep breath before saying, "Ryo, I love you-"

He interrupted me. "I love you too, Kaede." I cringed at the name. That wasn't what I wanted to be called. I had come out to him and he acted as if it was nothing. Kaede was a girl's name. I am not a- "I can't believe how great things have been. You and I were just meant to be. I think we're ready to take the next step in our relationship." He smiled so brightly.

I stared at him in disbelief as my mouth went dry, trying to find the words to say. At that point, I just blurted out, "I think we should break up!" I tried not to look at him as I feared the worst, but when I did, the bright facade disappeared. My god… Ryo's face that had once been filled with such admiration now looked at me with disgust.

"What?" He spat.

"I-it's just that I'm going away for school most likely… and I-I don't want to string you along or anything." I gasped as his hand suddenly grabbed my wrist hard enough to leave bruises.

"I didn't start dating you for nothing, Kaede! I loved you! I wanted a family with you! The perfect wife and kids! There was a plan, Kaede!"

That was it. "I'm not a GIRL, Ryo! You know that! I've told you again and again! Stop calling me Kaede! And stop loving me then!"

-TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual Assault/Rape; if you'd like to skip the assault scene, head down to the next line-

My heart pounded as he grabbed my face and forced me to kiss him. My stomach dropped into the earth as he started to pull my clothes off of me. The once welcomed breeze now froze me to my core; I prayed that it would be enough to numb me from whatever was about to happen. He trapped me beneath him before he started to have his way. The heat from his skin felt harsh and burnt my inner thighs. He used his quirk to conceal us from any passerby, not that there would be any anyway. I screamed and cried out for help until my throat became sore and I couldn't make a sound anymore. I felt ill afterward and too weak to move once he was done. He left me there half-dressed with the water barely reaching my knees.

I didn't know how much time had passed by the time that my parents went searching for me. My dad found me and took in what he saw; those kind eyes turned harsh, cursing whoever had done this to his baby. My face was red and tear-stained as I looked up at him. The trip to the hospital was a blur. I hardly remember most of the procedures, it was probably better that way. The only thing I remember from the trip was sitting in a bed with my parents at my bedside. The little ones were probably with the elderly couple I worked for since they treated us all like family.

"Kaede! I'm so glad you're… safe?" my mother said as she noticed me visibly cringe at the name "Sweetheart? Baby… what's wrong?"

"Please… don't call me that…"

My father seemed confused as my mother got closer to me and sat on the bed beside me. She ran her fingers through my hair. "What should we call you then, dear?"

"I-I like Rin."

"Rin? Where did this come from?" My father asked, seemingly confused.

My heart sank into my stomach as I looked between the two of them. "I don't want you to hate me…"

"Why would we ever hate you?" My parents looked at me skeptically, my dad spoke up, "Did you do something that would make us hate you?"

"I-I'm not a girl." I swallowed whatever spit was in my mouth despite it feeling like the Sahara. "I identify as male…" There was complete silence aside from the sound of the heart monitor and the shuffling feet of doctors, patients, and visitors alike.

My father stared me down before smiling widely, "I was right! The first Fujibayashi baby born each generation is a boy! A little late for the announcement, but I was still right!"

My mother chuckled at my dad's reaction before hugging me and looking me in the eyes. "Baby… Is this what you really want? Because I'm sure we can make arrangements to help you with this whole journey you're on. I just need to know if you're sure. This is a big decision."

I nodded happily and hugged back gratefully. "Y-yes! I-I've felt this way for a while… I was just so scared to tell you both. I thought you'd reject me…" Tears started to fall in fat droplets as relief washed over me.

"Rin. You're my child. I would never EVER reject you. Anyways, some of the best heroes I've worked with have been a part of the LGBT community. I'm proud of you no matter what." My Dad wiped my tears away; the man was a gentle giant if anything.

Soon after the hospital trip, I was going to doctor's appointments to get put on hormone treatments, getting a binder for every day of the week, and it all came down to me sitting on the edge of the tub waiting for my mother to chop off the hair that reached down to my butt. "You're sure, Rin?" My mom asked one more time. I nodded and before I could say anything a weight was lifted from my head… literally. After cleaning it up a bit and shaving down the sides, I hurried to the mirror to look at myself in the mirror. Again I began to cry as I looked at myself in the mirror. Now that it was no longer weighed down by the huge amounts of excess, my hair fluffed up. It was like seeing a stranger looking back at me in the mirror; I felt like I was in a dream, no longer seeing the girl I was, but the man I am. It really hit me hard that this was happening. These were my first steps to becoming the person I wanted to be when I grew up. Now all that's left is to get into UA High School and to become a hero to save people.

My name is Rin.

I am 15 years old.

I am a man.

And I'm going to be a hero.