Author's Note: Since World Heroes Mission is a relatively new movie and it inspired this story, I will be upfront about what spoilers are contained within. What this fic spoils: the basic goal of Humarise (which is admittedly revealed in the trailer or the first five minutes), the quirks of the villains, and the quirk of new character Rody Soul. What it doesn't spoil: the major plot twists or ending of the movie, since this fic is set well before the movie occurred and has a completely different plot. This story can be read without having seen the movie since I introduce the movie characters and Humarise as if Izuku has never heard of them or met them before.
Chapter One:
Toshinori Yagi staggered down the street clutching his arm. Blood dripped between his fingers. He gritted his teeth and pressed the cut harder, hoping it would finally scab, but his hand only sank into the stickiness. The Humarise members hadn't meant to injure him so badly—after all, he was only a teenage boy and one of their precious quirkless. He'd taken advantage of that hesitation to throw himself straight at their weapons, forcing them to pull back.
But they'd be tracking him. Drops of blood fell rapidly, leaving tell-tale trail. His vision blurred and twisted. He squinted down the deserted nighttime street, praying for a hero.
His bare foot struck a rock. He winced and kept going as fast as he could. His battered feet had already left bloody footprints behind him. Wearing nothing but blue striped pajamas, he had no protection from the cold. His teeth chattered. He could barely put one foot in front of the other.
After Toshinori had been diagnosed as quirkless, he'd been thrown out by his parents. He'd hopped between orphanages, foster homes, and homeless shelters. When a guidance counselor had slipped him a Humarise brochure, it had seemed like a dream come true. A group that promised love and support from others like himself, and more importantly, scholarships for schooling or job training. Not many jobs took teens. Toshinori had been refused by all employers for his quirklessness. He needed a lucky break.
But Humarise had proven to be discriminatory in entirely different ways. They hated quirks with a passion that appalled Toshinori. Despite their anti-quirk rhetoric, their leaders were people with powerful quirks: religious fanatics and those who hated themselves. The quirkless made up the lower echelons. Although they were considered holy, they were babied and controlled.
After moving into a Humarise dorm, Toshinori had been placed on a strict diet and curfew. His dream of becoming a hero had been considered "too dangerous." His training equipment had been taken away. The strange religious ceremonies where he blessed "those cursed with quirks" had been mandatory. People believed touching him would purify them and forced him into hugs. So much touching, it never stopped! Despite his young age and total lack of interest, his dorm manager set him up on blind dates with a creepy insistence that quirkless genetics needed to be passed on as quickly as possible. Then when he'd tried to leave, they'd locked him in the Room of Enlightenment.
Toshinori shuddered to remember the Room of Enlightenment. He wasn't going back. He'd die first.
Footsteps sounded behind him. A gentle voice called, "Toshinori?" as if speaking a child or a pet.
Toshinori froze. He was too weak from the drugs pumped into his system to run. He crouched down behind a trash can, praying they wouldn't see him. His breath puffed white in the cold. He clamped both hands over his mouth, smearing blood across his lips.
"Excuse me?" A black-haired woman floated down from the roof. She wore a white cloak. A beauty mark gleamed on her chin. "Are you injured? Can I call an ambulance? My name is Nana Shimura. I'm a hero."
A hero! Toshinori leapt up and grabbed her arms. "Please," he croaked. "Please don't let them take me. They'll tell you that they're my family, but they're not." His eyes blurred with tears. "Please help me."
Her dark eyes widened, but instead of asking questions or doubting him, she said, "I promise."
Toshinori collapsed into the hero's arms, knowing that he'd been saved.
DECADES LATER:
Still gagging from the taste of All Might's hairspray, Izuku asked, "Did it work? I don't feel any different." When his favorite hero had offered him a transferrable quirk, he'd expected something more dramatic (and less disgusting) than eating a hair.
Toshinori said, "It takes a while for the power to settle. Even longer before you can use it safely."
"Because it might blow off all my limbs?" Izuku arched an eyebrow, remembering All Might's earlier claim. "Did that actually happen to a past user?"
"Our records are vague the further back they go. That might be an urban legend. You cleared this entire beach of garbage." Toshinori spread his arms wide. "You'll be strong enough. I believe in you, young Midoriya."
"I'm getting a quirk," Izuku mumbled. He still couldn't believe it. "I'll try my hardest to make you proud!"
Toshinori pulled him into a hug. "You already have, my boy."
Izuku felt like he was floating on a cloud his whole walk home. He was never washing the shirt hugged by All Might ever again.
As he opened the door, he heard his mom shouting, "For the last time, no! My son isn't interested! No, I don't need another brochure! If we get one more brochure, I'm taking it to the police to report you for harassment!"
"Mom? What's wrong?" Izuku set down his backpack. "Is it that strangely cult-like quirkless support group again?"
Hanging up the phone, Inko sighed. "Yes, it's Humarise. They're way too persistent. Perhaps they got a wind of how much money your father sends us."
Izuku's first exposure to Humarise had been because Kacchan thought it hilarious to sign him up for the mailing list of "a group of worthless losers like him." Inko had been a little interested in the mental health services until she'd found out that they required their members to move into a dorm room away from any parents with quirks, then she'd been rabidly opposed. Izuku had immediately disliked the group because of the hateful way they talked about people with quirks. Even though these days the quirkless were the ones discriminated against, it brought to mind old hate crimes from the dawn of the age of quirks. Izuku didn't approve of hate speech no matter who it was directed at.
"Maybe they won't be interested in me soon," Izuku muttered, dreaming of One for All. His fingers twitched as if writing in a notebook.
"What was that?" Inko asked.
Izuku had promised to keep One for All a secret. "Nothing. I'm sweaty, I should go take a shower."
For several more days, Izuku ignored the letters and phone calls from Humarise. Their brochures were easy enough to toss in the trash. But their persistence was starting to pick at his nerves.
As Izuku walked back from another training session with All Might, a woman approached him. Her mint-green hair poked out of a red robe with a white collar. She asked, "May I speak with you, Chosen One?"
Izuku stopped and glanced around. She was alone and the sidewalk bustled with people, so he assessed the danger as low. Coldly, he said, "I've already told you that I'm not interested in joining Humarise. You're harassing me."
The woman wrung her hands. "I'm sorry, Chosen One. I'm not supposed to approach you like this yet either. But you seemed to be in danger."
She sounded so sincere that it took the edge off Izuku's anger. Even though he suspected he was about to waste his time listening to nonsense, he said, "Call me Izuku, not Chosen One. What's your name? What danger?"
"I'm Beros. But I could never call you by your first name. You're too special. It's so rare to see such a young Chosen One." Her eyes drank in his face like a drowning sailor spotting land. "You represent the hope of mankind."
This was very different from how people usually reacted to learning that Izuku was quirkless. Not necessarily in a good way either—it made him uncomfortable. He shifted his backpack over his shoulder. "What did you want to tell me?"
"I saw you with the Fallen Messiah, All Might. Please, you must understand." Beros' voice rose in pitch. "That man is dangerous. He used to be one of our Chosen Ones, free from the disease of quirks, but somehow he became infected as an adult! It was an unheard of abomination. What if he seeks to corrupt you as well?"
Izuku's eyes widened. "Do you mean All Might was born quirkless?" Given what he now knew about how One for All worked, it was entirely possible. "And he used to be a member of Humarise?" Strange, this information had never appeared in any of All Might's biographies. Also, All Might had loudly and publicly accused Humarise of being a dangerous cult. This was one of the reasons Izuku had been predisposed to distrust them.
Beros held out her hand. "Come with me, and I'll tell you everything."
For a moment, Izuku was gravely tempted by the prospect of new All Might lore. But then he shook off the mad impulse. He could always ask the real All Might tomorrow. Who knew if this cultist was even telling the truth? He certainly wasn't going to follow a strange woman to an isolated location. His mother had taught him better than that. His hand tightened on his backpack strap. "No, thank you. I would like you to leave me alone from now on. All Might is a good person. Don't harass him or spread strange rumors about him."
Beros burst into tears.
Izuku gaped, then he dug into his backpack and gave her a pack of tissues. "Are you feeling unwell? What's wrong?"
"You're so kind." Beros dabbed at her eyes. "Even despite all the bullying you've been through, you still care about other people so much—including the unholy monstrosity All Might. Only the blessed quirkless are so pure of heart."
Izuku flinched. How did she know about the bullying? It could have been a lucky guess, but she'd sounded so certain. Had this cult been investigating him? He growled, "I disagree with you. The balance of power might have turned against the quirkless now, but during the dawn of the age of quirks, metahumans were mass executed in many countries. That goes to show that people are equally capable of cruelty no matter their quirk status. I believe people are equally capable of kindness as well. I hope you learn to hate yourself less. But I insist that you leave me and All Might alone." He turned and walked away.
Beros ran after him, calling, "Wait! You have to listen to me—"
"If you keep following me, I'll scream." The threat finally stopped her. She stared after him with pitiful eyes. It made him feel guilty, but he didn't turn back.
As soon as he was out of Beros' sight, Izuku pulled out his phone and texted All Might: I've been receiving a lot of spam mail from Humarise. Today one of their members approached me trying to warn me away from you. I thought you should know in case they harass you, too.
He hesitated. Then he added: The lady implied that you had a history with Humarise. Would you be willing to tell me about it? You don't have to, of course.
As soon as he sent the message, Izuku regretted it. He'd probably been too forward. He stared at his phone anxiously. All Might didn't reply, but Izuku hadn't been expecting a fast response since his teacher had mentioned he had a hero mission after their training. Now Izuku would spend all night worrying about if he'd asked something too personal. He suspected All Might had a bad history with Humarise, given his public hostility toward them. They certainly seemed to hate him back.
Izuku wondered if the cult would freak out after he started to develop One for All's power. He should get rid of them before then, even if he had to report them to the police. On second thought, he should make a police report right now. The cult had already escalated to approaching him in public and likely prying into his past. It would be good to start a paper trail if he needed a restraining order later. He texted his mother that he'd be home a little late, then turned toward the police station.
During a routine patrol, Shouta Aizawa found a teenage girl collapsed on a bench. Her head lolled sideways and she moaned.
Immediately, he dropped to his knees in front of her. He waved a hand over her face. "Excuse me, miss? Are you feeling unwell? Can I assist you?"
"Your kindness befits one so blessed! Use it on me," she whispered.
"Pardon?"
"Take away my curse! Even for a moment!" She stared up at him with watery eyes.
"Miss, can you understand what I'm saying? Have you been drinking?" Aizawa sniffed, checking her breath. He didn't smell any alcohol. That left the possibility of drugs or illness. "I'm going to call an ambulance."
"We had never heard of a curse so holy as yours before. Some wondered if you might qualify as a Chosen One. Regardless, we all agree that you are special. The cause has conscripted your power." She gripped his arm. "But we will look after you even once you no longer have it, since you are a gift from God."
Aizawa let her keep holding his arm, willing to offer whatever comfort he could to this ranting, delirious child. He could still use his other hand to unlock his phone.
A sharp pain came from his arm. He looked down to see a needle sticking out of his skin.
The phone slipped from Aizawa's limp fingers as he fell to the ground. He heard the sound of a vehicle roaring toward him, then he knew nothing more.
Just as Izuku rounded the corner, he spotted a dark-haired man being supported by two heroes, a woman and a man. With an arm around each of their shoulders, they maneuvered him toward a car. His eyes were shut.
Izuku immediately recognized the costume of Shouta Aizawa, the Erasure Hero. But he didn't recognize either the man or the woman. That was very odd, because Izuku knew every single local hero. Yes, including the sidekicks. He had a section in his analysis notebook dedicated to each one.
The muscular man wore a grey suit with a golden horned mask and iron balls on his knuckles. The woman wore a similar combat suit with a green cape and a mask obscuring the lower part of her face. But Izuku still recognized the mint-green hair and eyes of Beros.
A member of Humarise would never be a professional hero. They scorned the system that worshipped strong quirks. Izuku noticed a phone fallen on the ground next to the park bench. This whole situation stank.
A teenage girl opened the back door to a black van. Beros started to put Aizawa inside. Izuku forgot that the smart thing to do would be to call the police. He ran forward.
Izuku grabbed Aizawa's arm and pulled him away. Surprise let him break free. Aizawa fell on top of Izuku. As he squirmed out from under the unconscious hero, Izuku screamed, "Help! This is a kidnapping!"
Faces turned toward them.
Loudly, the man said, "We're professional heroes assisting a fallen comrade to the hospital. This boy seems confused."
"They're not heroes! This is a kidnapping! Someone call the police!" Izuku screamed. One woman reached for her phone. Good.
Beros leaned over Izuku. Instead of anger, her eyes sparkled with joy. "I knew you were a kind person. How many others would leap in to save someone else?" She wrenched his arms behind his back and dragged him toward the van.
At that point, Izuku realized that he was about to be kidnapped.
He went mad: kicking, screaming and even biting. There was a limit to what a child with no combat training could do against two adults, and he knew it, but he had to distract them long enough for the police to arrive. He put up enough of a fight that the man set down Aizawa in order to wrap his giant arms around Izuku instead. At that point, it was all over.
But even if Izuku couldn't break free, he wouldn't give up. He kicked—not the Humarise cultists, but rather Aizawa, still lying on the ground. "Wake up!" he screamed. "You have to wake up! You're being kidnapped!"
Aizawa stirred. He sat up. One bleary eye popped open and fastened on Izuku. "Wha?" he slurred, a sound of mingled surprise and alarm. He tried to move his capture scarf, but it only rose up in the air and flopped down limply.
A police siren roared. The man hissed to Beros, "We're out of time."
They threw Izuku into the van and jumped in. In the backseat, a teenage girl stabbed a needle into Izuku's neck.
"Wait!" Aizawa screamed. It was the sweetest sound Izuku had ever heard, because it meant at least one of them had gotten away.
Hisashi Midoriya (or Hisashi Shigaraki, or All for One to those who knew the truth of his greatness) hummed a cheerful tune under his breath as he sat before his office computer. Nothing put him in a better mood than obtaining a quirk. And today, he planned to obtain Erasure, the quirk he'd longed for and chased for years.
A week ago, Humarise had contacted him requesting that he transfer Eraserhead's quirk to one of their high-ranking members. They seemed very confident in their ability to secure Shouta Aizawa. Hisashi had worked with Humarise many times before, taking away quirks from those who didn't want them and keeping them for himself. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. Of course, he'd noticed that they never offered up the strongest abilities, always having excuses for why their leaders still needed their powers for the cause. But Hisashi didn't care about their hypocrisy or that the cult viewed him as a walking abomination, as long as the suckers kept offering him free quirks.
All Might hated Humarise with a deeply personal passion. He'd made it his life's mission to expose their crimes and destroy them. That had been reason enough for Hisashi to offer funding to the cult and help them avoid legal detection in the past. The cult despised All Might in return—somehow they knew that he'd once been quirkless before obtaining One for All. That made him the equivalent of the Antichrist to them. Humarise had fed Hisashi information about All Might's movements and helped the villain All for One stay presumed dead after their battle. Another mutually beneficial arrangement.
Today, that might all come to an end, because Hisashi had no intention of giving up Erasure. He planned to lie and say he'd been unable to transfer the quirk, then walk off with it. Maybe if he used a subtle quirk to kill Aizawa, he might get away with it. But he didn't care very much if they believed him. He'd already gotten all the best quirks the cult was willing to offer to him. Their use had run out.
On his desk, his phone buzzed. The caller ID said "Inko Midoriya."
Years ago, Hisashi had given Inko the number to his office phone and ordered her to never use it except in the direst emergency. She'd never once called before. He immediately picked up. "What happened?"
Choked sobs came from the other end. Inko stammered, "I-Izuku, he's been kidnapped."
Hisashi's heart stopped. When he imagined what his enemies would do if they found out he had a son…"How? When? Tell me everything!"
Inko sniffled. "The police said that he ran away from home to join Humarise. They found a note, and it looked like Izuku's handwriting, but it couldn't have been! He'd never run away from home! He couldn't stand Humarise; we were mocking them together just yesterday."
"I know the note was fake," Hisashi growled. His hand tightened on the phone. Humarise had a member with a quirk that could imitate other people's handwriting. They'd used this trick before. Humarise was behind nearly half the disappearances of quirkless people around the world. They believed all their so-called Chosen Ones belonged under their protection. They also had deep ties with the police, preventing their kidnappings from being properly investigated.
How the hell had Humarise found his son? Hisashi had been so careful! He'd used Dr. Garaki as Izuku's pediatrician because Humarise stole medical records to find quirkless people. He'd even bribed the local Humarise recruiters to turn a blind eye.
Hisashi forced his hand to unclench before he broke the phone. This situation was far from unsalvageable. Fortunately, he hadn't cut his ties with Humarise yet, so he ought to be able to arrange his son's safe return. Humarise would never physically hurt anyone without a quirk. Instead, they brainwashed them—
A sharp crack came from the phone as its outer case shattered. Hisashi took a deep breath. "Inko, I'll hire a private investigator. No expense will be spared. I'll return Izuku home very soon, I promise."
Inko sobbed, "Won't you please come home? Surely your son is more important than your job! I need you—"
Hisashi hung up, his mind already on other matters. He put a bandage over the cut on his hand where the broken phone plastic had bitten into his skin.
His computer buzzed with a requested video call from Flect Turn, the leader of Humarise.
Hisashi's eyebrows rose. This was convenient. But he hoped it wasn't because the cult had realized his familial connection to their newest prisoner. He accepted the call.
Flect's blue face popped up on his screen. A quirk for visualizing images from screens let Hisashi see him despite his All Might-inflicted blindness. As always, Flect had blindfolded himself before speaking to Hisashi. The cultists believed that just looking directly at All for One might somehow cause them to be infected by his all quirks. Even over video call. What a bunch of morons.
With no pleasantries, Flect said, "We have experienced a setback obtaining Erasure. I ask that you postpone your visit, since our members prefer not to be in your presence unless absolutely necessary. I'm sure you understand."
Hisashi remembered why he'd always been planning to eventually backstab Humarise. He did not enjoy being spoken to in such a tone of disdain. "I have a more important matter to discuss. You've abducted the quirkless child of one of my followers." This gave him an excuse to be interested without admitting the full importance of the matter. "His name is Izuku Midoriya. I'm willing to pay for his safe return."
"You? Being around a pure, unstained child?" Flect recoiled in horror. "What heresy! I wonder that you haven't struck him dead with your sinful presence."
Hisashi gritted his teeth. "I'm never around him—his parents keep him away from my business and they look after him very well. He's not in need of your protection. I can even give you the names and information of several dozen quirkless people currently living in Japanese society pretending to have quirks. I'll help you obtain them instead." In fact, he could create some quirkless people for the cult if need be.
"We've discovered something very special about Izuku Midoriya. I'm afraid he's not up for trade. You can assure his parents that our Messiah will be safe with us. We will guard his purity from being tainted with our lives. He will no longer suffer from the cruelties and ignorance of the outside world, but rather live in perfect comfort and security, protected by our deep love for him."
Special? Messiah? What did that mean? Hisashi growled, "Perhaps I'm not making myself clear. If you don't give back the boy, then it will mean war between our organizations." He did not believe Humarise would risk that for just one quirkless child.
Flect shrugged slightly. "It was always inevitable that we would destroy an abomination such as yourself. Once you'd transferred Erasure, your use would likely have been over." Then he hung up.
Hisashi gaped at the screen. That religious fanatic had dared hang up on him? He dared imply that Hisashi was not capable of adequately protecting his own son? They wouldn't let him see Izuku?
Standing up, Hisashi summoned his Nomu.
Within the space of a few hours, Hisashi had been taught two unfortunate truths. 1. Humarise had definitely been already preparing to cut ties with him; and 2. Every single Humarise base he knew the location of had already been abandoned.
Given time, Hisashi could track down members and interrogate them, but he didn't have time. He refused to leave Izuku in the hands of those deranged fanatics a moment longer than necessary. Plus, the average Humarise member knew nothing important. It would be satisfying to torture them, but not particularly useful.
Unfortunately, Humarise was very good at hiding. They had roots buried deep into society from the dawn of the age of quirks. They'd evaded All Might for his entire hero career. Even Hisashi himself hadn't managed that. He touched the scars on his face.
All Might was Humarise's greatest enemy, their most persistent hunter, and the single person most likely to know where to find them.
Hisashi ground his teeth so hard that one cracked. But he knew what he had to do.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: Shot Down with Anti-Aircraft Munition
Flect Turn: All for One, you have been rewarded for all your efforts purifying us from the disease of quirks and trying to destroy our fallen messiah All Might. Even though you are a walking abomination, the Lord has blessed you with a pure, quirkless child. We have taken him into our care so he will not be touched by the filth outside these walls. We will adore him until his dying day, shower him with luxury so that he may live like a god, and protect him from the sinful outside world. He will never know of hunger, strife or danger—only the bottomless well of love we have for him.
All for One: Cool, but can I see him?
Flect Turn: No.
Later:
All for One: And then they said no!
All Might: (Gasps) Oh no they didn't!
Author's Note: This story will update once a week on Thursday evening EST. Credit goes to DeadPuppetBoi for brainstorming this AU with me. This is my 100th story and it's a doozy! Please sit back and enjoy the wild ride.
The cover art for this story was commissioned from the eternally talented arlcn. I'm in awe of the amazing shading. Delete the spaces to get the link to the full-size picture:
arlcn.
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Humarise is not currently known as a terrorist organization in this AU. This fic occurs before their official attack during the World Heroes' Mission movie. In this story, they pretended to be an ordinary religious group devoted to helping quirkless for a long time before they revealed their true intentions. I have also increased their power and influence even above what they had in the movie (and their stats were pretty broken in the movie.) In this AU, All for One helped them build their influence even more in order to piss off All Might. Which ought to teach All for One a lesson about dealing with deranged cults, but watch him learn nothing from this.