This is my first fanfic in a very long time, so please be gentle with me. It's mostly romance, with a little bit of action and mystery thrown in.
I've got it at a T rating right now, but that's mostly due to Bakugou's mouth. For my comfort level, I've moved this timeline to 3 years ahead of the manga/anime-everyone is at least 17 and this takes place during the final year at U.A. High. There might be some slight manga spoilers as the story continues on, but nothing major and I will post warnings.
This is unbeta-ed, so all mistakes are my own. I don't own My Hero Academia.
...
If there was anything that Shota Aizawa hated more than the media, it was government officials. The moment he walked into Principal Nezu's office, he knew, just knew the people there were just that, federal officials. He stared at Nezu, wondering what the hell was going on. On either side of the mouse's desk there stood a group of people, four on one side, three on the other. To the left, there were two men and two women, dressed in various nondescript dark colored business suits. The only thing that stood out was the fact that they were all Caucasian. On the right, it was three men, Asian, also dressed similarly.
"Mr. Aizawa," began the principal. "Thank you for coming so late in the afternoon." Aizawa bowed slightly, as he stopped in front of the principal's large desk. A chair was placed in front. "I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Higurashi, Mr. Tokugawa, and Mr. Yamamoto of the Public Security Intelligence Agency." The mouse nodded to the men to the right, who all bowed as their name was called. "On my left, this is Mr. Smith and Ms. Black of the United States Central Intelligence Agency," slight bows from each, "and Ms. Evans and Mr. Wright from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations." They also bowed, each American showing they were at least comfortable with Japanese greetings.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Nezu continued. "This is Mr. Aizawa, one of our distinguished faculty here at UA High."
Aizawa felt his eyebrow arch. This just got interesting. He bowed in return and took a seat in the chair indicated by the Principal. What the fuck did top officials from both Japan and the United States want with him?
"Nice to meet you all," he said. "What is it I can do for you?"
Principal Nezu shifted in his seat. The mouse seemed nervous. "It seems UA High's outstanding reputation has gone international. Our government and that of the U.S would like to make a request of UA, more specifically, that of you." He turned towards the Americans. "Ms. Evans, if you would like to begin?"
The lady on the far right cleared her throat. "Mr. Aizawa," she began in perfect, unaccented Japanese, "my colleagues and I need your assistance with something." She held up a briefcase and placed it on Nezu's desk. "With your permission, Mr. Principal," she nodded at the mouse, who motioned for her to continue. "This is highly classified information, so I'm sorry but we will need you to sign some paperwork, before we can continue."
Aizawa looked at the Japanese officials, who all nodded at him. "You understand, Mr. Aizawa," began Mr. Tokugawa, "This is a very serious matter for both of our countries and we will need your silence if you choose not to assist us." The man motioned to a stack of paper on Nezu's desk. "If you will please sign at the bottom of the first page, we can continue. Otherwise, you may leave and no one will approach you again."
Damn it, now he was intrigued. He carefully read the document, noting the vague language. Inwardly cringing, he quickly signed, glancing at Nezu who seemed pleased.
"Thank you," said Mr. Tokugawa, taking the paper and placing it in a black briefcase. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he nodded at the Americans, "You may continue."
The other woman, the CIA agent, smiled. "I'm Jane Evans, Undersecretary to the Director of National Intelligence, and I'm here to officially request—on behalf of the President of the United States of America—your cooperation with a serious matter that affects the safety and security of your country and mine." She nodded to the other woman, who opened up the briefcase with two loud clicks that echoed in the office.
Photographs were then laid out in succession on the desk, four in total. The afternoon light shone brightly on the dark wood, making them appear to be lit from within. The first one appeared to be a somewhat professional, candid portrait of a family, two parents standing in front of a fireplace with their two small children, the oldest, a girl, appearing to be not much older than five or six. She had blond hair and dark eyes, a perfect mix of her parents. The younger of the two, a boy, was barely out of diapers, and grinned toothily at the camera. The girl had her arms around the boy, sticking her tongue out and holding up the universal sign for bunny ears. The parents, an Asian father and a Caucasian mother, smiled happily at their children. They were all rather nicely dressed, and judging from the interior decorations of the room they were standing in, quite well off.
"This is the Fukagawa family, taken eleven years ago," the woman continued, pointing to the photo. "Kappei Fukagawa was a jeweler working for the De Beers Group, at their Manhattan Office." She nodded to the woman next to him, "And his wife, Kristen Jones Fukagawa, who worked for the Security Council at the United Nations."
Aizawa didn't blink at the use of the past tense verbs as the family was described. "Kaylee was their oldest child. She was around seven at the time of this photograph, and Simon was barely two years old." Her voice cracked. "This was taken two weeks before three of them were found dead at their home."
Aizawa glanced back at the photograph. "How did they die?"
"Multiple gunshot wounds," said Mr. Smith. "The parents had just come home from a Christmas party. The babysitter had just left for the evening. Forced entry from the family kitchen, broken window. The parents got two shots each, one in the chest and one in the head. Boy was found hiding under the sofa, multiple shots to his legs and head." Mr. Smith spoke like he was reading from a textbook, no emotion evident in his voice.
Aizawa looked at the agent. "What about the girl?" he asked, wondering why a crime, as tragic as it was, committed over eleven years ago would be of interest to UA and him.
Another U.S agent cleared their throat. "The second photograph was taken nearly five years later."
Aizawa glanced down at the indicated photo. It was a grainy black and white photograph of three men dressed in winter gear, surrounding a smaller figure. The clothing looked to be something you'd see right off a magazine, although the smaller figure's clothing was baggy. A ski cap was pulled over her hair, concealing it from view. The small figure was looking straight at the camera, and Aizawa could immediately tell it was a young girl, probably around the age of ten or eleven. Her eyes looked haunted, but it was obvious it was the girl from the first picture.
"This was taken from a CCTV camera in Denver, Colorado. Our facial recognition analysis identified that girl as Kaylee Fukagawa. The men were unknown at the time, but we believed them to be part of an international crime syndicate, with known ties to terrorist groups all over the world. And criminal organizations such as the League of Villains and the Shie Hassaikai."
Those last two groups had attacked UA students in the past three years. Another piece of the puzzle fell into place. "What did they want with her?" Aizawa found himself asking.
"Kaylee's known quirk is inherited from her father. Thanks to the Japanese government's excellent records," Mr. Smith bowed in the direction of the Japanese officials, "We know that Mr. Fukagawa's quirk enabled him to take organic matter and turn it into gemstones, although the quality and quantity varied."
It explained why the man worked for an internationally known diamond company, specializing in mining rough diamonds and gemstones.
"Kaylee Fukagawa, however," added Ms. Evans, "could create diamonds. Perfectly flawless diamonds. Her quirk manifested about a month before her family was murdered. They must have been watching them for quite some time. In any case, the kidnappers took Kaylee, forcing her to create diamonds. They were selling them on the black market for years."
"Diamonds are pretty regulated though," said Aizawa. "Surely someone should have noticed."
"Diamonds are more than just pretty jewelry. They have many uses—industrial, medical, and even high-grade military weapons contain diamonds. The kidnappers were smart, though, they made sure the diamonds she produced were small, and the overall value low enough to fly under the radar of international diamond regulations and banking laws," Ms. Evans gestured to the child in the photograph, "For the past eleven years, she made enough to bankroll every major crime syndicate on four continents."
Aizawa took a deep breath, his eyes moving to the next photograph. It was a crime scene photo of two bodies, drenched in blood, throats slashed open. Their faces were turned away from the camera, but he had a feeling they were two of the men in the previous photograph.
"Three months ago those bodies were recovered inside a vacant warehouse on the outskirts of Kamagaski, "Mr. Smith said, noting where Aizawa was looking.
Kamagaski was Tokyo's largest slum. No one liked to talk about it, most ignored its existence, but the population there was around 25,000. It would be an easy place to hide, as both the police and pro-heroes rarely patrolled the area. If you wanted to disappear, it was the perfect place.
"The third victim was found outside, still alive," Mr. Smith continued. "He didn't survive long, but he had several stab wounds. Forensic evidence matched the three men that killed the Fukagawas and kidnapped Kaylee."
"What about the girl?" Aizawa asked.
"We found her two days after the bodies were discovered. She was wandering the streets, and the police picked her up. They managed to get her to the nearest hospital. She was covered in blood, and still holding the weapon."
"Oh my," Principal Nezu finally spoke, startling Aizawa. "Surely you don't think the girl killed those men."
"That last picture shows the murder weapon," Ms. Evans confirmed.
Aizawa looked at the final photograph. A knife, still bloody, was displayed on a black table, a number next to it to indicate it had been taken as evidence. Even with the blood, it was impossible not to see the entire thing was a solid piece formed from a diamond. The blade shone in the light from the camera flash, the facets on the handle reflecting millions of rainbows.
"That knife is 10,000 carats of completely flawless, colorless solid diamond," Ms. Evans stated. "Kaylee created that knife and then used it to slash the throats of her kidnappers. The third one managed to put up a fight, but she was able to stab him enough times to fatally wound him."
Aizawa stared at the knife, impressed. The girl had to have been terrified, but somehow managed to save herself and take out all three of her kidnappers.
"Where is she now?" asked Principal Nezu. On either side, the people shifted nervously.
"We have her in custody," said Mr. Higurashi bluntly. "While the Japanese and United States government decides what to do with her—"
"And who should be responsible for her," interjected Mr. Smith, somewhat angrily. "Kaylee Fukagawa is a United States citizen—"
"—whose father was Japanese, and who was found on Japanese soil!" finished Mr. Yamamoto, hands slapping the desk, making everyone jump. "My apologies," he continued, bowing apologetically, "but as you see, this is a matter of some contention between our two countries."
Aizawa waved all that aside. "Answer the principal's question, where is the girl now and how does this involve UA High?"
The other female American, Ms. Wright, stepped forward. "Kaylee has been in custody for the past three months. She's in relatively good health, other than mental trauma, of course. She doesn't talk much, but she did explain that she was kept in relative comfort for the most part. It seems the past year got a little rough as the kidnappers became desperate." She shrugged. "It seems with all the world upheaval; the black market began to dry up for the diamond trade."
"It seems that along with her known quirk, she's got an above average intelligence. We've tested her and she passed the basic school courses. She's at least on par, if not above, most students her age."
Aizawa frowned, wondering why in hell this was being mentioned. "You said she had a known quirk, what is it you're leaving out?"
The CIA agent cleared her throat. "The kidnappers gave her a drug, an injection every morning. Similar to the one that Overhaul created, this one could isolate a quirk and nullify it. Kaylee doesn't know why, they never told her much, and of course those that do are now dead."
"Surely her mother registered her quirk with the government, right?" asked the principal.
"Unfortunately, our country is somewhat different. A large part of the American population believes it's an invasion of privacy to register their quirks and the previous administration did very little to convince the public it was in their best interests." She sighed.
"But if she worked for the United Nations, wouldn't she have been required to?" Aizawa asked.
"She was," said the other CIA agent. "It's all been redacted."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that even though there are just five people in this world who have a higher security clearance than I do, I cannot tell you what Mrs. Fukagawa's quirk was. There is no information on her quirk at all. I'm not sure what the kidnappers knew about it, either, since they can no longer talk."
"Does the girl remember?"
"No. Her early memories of her family are gone," sighed the CIA agent.
Aizawa grimaced. "So let's cut to the point here," he said. "Why are you telling me all of this? What do you want?"
The Japanese agent, Mr. Higurashi, bowed deeply to Aizawa. "We apologize for keeping you for so long, Mr. Aizawa, but we need a safe place to place Ms. Fukagawa while the Japanese government and the Americans negotiate terms."
"In other words, you want UA to play babysitter while you decide who gets to keep her." Aizawa shifted in his seat, straightening up.
Everyone nodded. "Surely there are safer places than UA," Aizawa reasoned. "It may have escaped your notice, but this school has been attacked off and on for the past three years. There's more to this story than you're telling me. Why not Shiketsu or Ketsubutsu Academy?"
"We also need you," Ms. White explained. "Believe it or not, Mr. Aizawa, but your particular quirk is extremely rare. We need you in particular to keep an eye on Kaylee in case her other quirk manifests itself. "Her face softened. "She's just a seventeen-year-old girl, who's been kidnapped, drugged, and forced to use her quirk to complete exhaustion. She's been hidden from the world, kept in a locked room most of her life. " She leaned forward, lowering her voice as though there were only the two of them in the room. "We know you have some experience dealing with children in similar circumstances."
Aizawa flared his eyes. Eri. They were talking about Eri.
"We also don't know if there were any other criminal organizations that know about her. They could be looking for her," added Ms. Evans.
"We would like to have Ms. Fukagawa stay here at UA, in Class 3-A, specifically," said Mr. Higurashi. "Thanks to the dedication of Principal Nezu," he smiled at the mouse. "UA is now one of the safest locations we could place Ms. Fukagawa. In addition, we'd like to place her in one of the empty dorm rooms so she may be exposed to what normal high school life is like. She isn't allowed to use her quirk—the diamond creation one—and we don't know if or when her other quirk might manifest itself. Her blood tests show that a small amount of the drug is still in her system."
Aizawa grunted. "You can't be serious. There's nothing "normal" about UA or Class 3-A. How in the hell do you expect me to explain her to a classroom of future heroes? Very few things get past them. You expect they are going to accept that some random student managed to get enrolled into the most prestigious hero class in all of Japan?" Aizawa's voice rose in anger. "They've worked their asses off for the past three years, facing danger and meeting it head on, and you're going to expect them to blindly accept someone from the outside with no hero training? I don't think so."
"No one is saying that, Mr. Aizawa, and we apologize if we've given you that impression. It's precisely because of Class 3-A that we feel Kaylee would be best suited in your class," said Ms. Wright. "If or when Kaylee's quirk does manifest, you would be there to counteract it. Also, we've got profiles on all your students in Class 3-A and as you said earlier, your students are exceptional. I'm confident that they could handle whatever her unknown quirk throws at them." She smiled briefly. "As I understand it, she wouldn't be the first person in the class with a quirk that couldn't be completely controlled."
"I'm not about to put my students in any danger. This conversation is over." He got up to leave.
"One more thing," said the final CIA agent, who had been standing just behind the rest of his colleagues. He stood in shadow, but stepped further into the fading afternoon light. "I have something here that might interest you," he said, indicating a black briefcase he had in his hand. He took out two stacks of papers, neatly stapled, and placed them on the desk in front of Aizawa. "Mr. Higurashi?"
The other Japanese agent cleared his throat. "On this side are twenty contracts—one for each student in Class 3-A. Upon graduation they can work for any pro hero agency of their choice." He paused. "For the next three years."
Aizawa blinked, sitting back down in the chair. This was something unheard of. The pro agencies chose the new grads and originated the contracts. Not the government. "That's not possible."
"I assure you; it is possible. We have untold connections with every major pro hero agency in this country and could easily get them to sign on those students without question."
"And should your students set their sights on going internationally," continued the male CIA agent, nodding to the second stack of papers, "They would be provided with equal contracts with any hero agency in the United States and any of its territories."
Ms. Wright grinned. "I understand you have a student that's quite stealthy. The CIA would love to have someone like her on our side—"
"As if her own government wouldn't be interested in her!" snapped Mr. Higurashi, frowning angrily at the CIA agent.
Ms. Wright smiled delicately. "My apologies, Mr. Higurashi." He glared at her.
"In any case," Ms. Wright continued, "Your students would be well supported once they graduate, with the full backing of two major world powers. That's not a deal even pro heroes would see."
"UA will be behind you no matter what your decision is," said Principal Nezu.
Aizawa sighed. He really wished he stayed in bed this morning.
….
Keep your head down. Kaylee tried to keep her trembling under control, where it wasn't so visible. Standing between the government officials, her head bowed so low her neck hurt, she could see the black shoes of the man standing in front of her. He wore a long overcoat over black slacks.
It was the first time in three months that she'd been anywhere other than the hospital. After waking up in the room they had quarantined off, she was given clothes and told to get ready and pack up her things. She'd snorted at that. She didn't have anything so she sat and waited on the bed until the agents escorted her into a black car.
Two hours later, she found herself in another room, standing in front of someone new. His coat was frayed at the edges.
"Ms. Fukagawa," he said, his voice low and rough. He spoke Japanese. "My name is Shota Aizawa. I'm an instructor here at UA High. You're going to be a guest with us here for the next year."
Kaylee glanced up at the American agent at her side. The lady smiled. "Remember dear, we discussed this in the car ride over here. Mr. Aizawa has agreed to let you stay here where you will be safe. He and his students will help you adjust to normal high school life."
Kaylee swallowed, trying to get her throat to work. Talking was something she had to get used to, her captors rarely said anything to her, and she learned quickly enough that if she spoke too much, she'd get punished.
"I'm—my name is Kaylee." she began, stuttering with the challenge of remembering how to speak in Japanese, "I'm not normal." She didn't want to be known as Fukagawa, that's what they had called her—when they weren't calling her "girl" or "it." She didn't like that name.
She heard the man in front of her grunt. "No, none of us are. My eyes are up here, by the way." His voice was dry, but she could detect a slight tone of laughter.
She looked up. He had black, stringy hair that surrounded his pale, unshaven face. His eyes were somewhat bloodshot, and he looked like he could use a good night's sleep. He was dressed in all black, minus a long, thin, scarf-looking thing wrapped in multiple layers around his neck.
"Kaylee," pressed the agent on her other side, the one from the Japanese government. "You'll be safe here, but we need you to understand that you cannot speak about your quirk, or your real background to anyone here but Mr. Aizawa and Principal Nezu. Do you recall what your cover is?"
"My name is Kaylee Fukagawa," she repeated the story she had been told in the car. "I am 17 years old and I was home-schooled for most of my life. My parents wanted me to go to UA High because it is the most prestigious school in Japan. I am in the hero course for this year to observe. I cannot discuss my quirk."
She heard Mr. Aizawa snort. "This is the cover story?" He asked the agents. "You have to be kidding me." He rolled his eyes.
The Japanese agent cleared his throat. "We felt that it would be easier to keep it as close to the truth as possible," he explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "Besides, Ms. Fukagawa understands how important it is for her to not attract attention. Your students shouldn't notice her presence."
Kaylee agreed. She really just wanted to be left alone. If nothing else, her time in captivity had taught her that she needed to keep in the background, making sure her captors forgot about her other than when they needed her to make the diamonds. It took her a few years to figure that out, a few escape attempts, a few punishments, but she learned.
"We'll see about that," muttered Mr. Aizawa. "Kaylee," he continued. "We've got a room prepared for you. The dorms are just a short walk from the school. They are only three years old, and we call it Heights Alliance. You're on the 4th floor. You should be comfortable. Your things are already unpacked."
Kaylee thought to all the places she'd been dragged to over the years. A small remote cabin in Colorado, completely off-the grid with no electricity or water. Then there was the cramped room aboard the freighter that took them first to Hong Kong, where they kept her in relative comfort in The Midlevels area, renting out a decent sized apartment in one of the more fashionable areas in the city. They controlled her access to everything, including keeping all windows blacked out. Finally, the last place was a rat-infested basement in a warehouse, somewhere in Tokyo. "It'll be fine," she replied.
"You'll have classes six days a week," Mr. Aizawa continued. "The mornings are the usual classes such as math, literature, and the like. Lunch is at noon. The afternoons are hero courses. You won't be allowed to participate, but it seems you can observe," he glanced ruefully over at the agents. "Do you know what it is we do here at UA High?" he asked her.
Kaylee recited the article she remembered reading. "UA High School is Japan's most prestigious high school to train heroes," she said plainly. "It's located in Shizuoka Prefecture, in the city of Musutafu. A mouse named Nezu is the Principal here. The school has been attacked several times in the past few years, most notably by the League of Villains." Kaylee felt her throat start to close up, the pressure on her chest increasing. She could feel her pulse increasing; her head throbbing in sync with her heartbeat. She might as well said she'd attacked the place, since it was due to her that they all had the money. Her fault. Her fault.
"Very good," replied Mr. Aizawa. "Since it's evening, most of the students will be in the dorms, getting ready for bed. I've assigned the class representative, Momo Yaoyorozu, to show you around. I've also asked Ochako Uraraka and Tsuyu Asui to be there as well. All three of them are expecting you." Kaylee saw him grin. "They're some of the quieter students in the class, and you should get along with them well."
"Ok," Kaylee said. She had no clue what to do or how to speak with people, period, let alone those her age.
"I'll introduce you formally to the rest of the class tomorrow during homeroom," he said. "Some of them are out training late, as they're getting ready for their work-study programs."
Kaylee had no idea what a work-study program was, but nodded anyway, looking back down at her shoes. Her new shoes, that like everything else they provided for her, didn't fit quite right. The doctors said she was somewhat malnourished, however, was in surprisingly good health considering what had happened to her. She swallowed again, feeling her heartbeat increase again. Don't think about that now, she told herself.
"Come with me, and I'll walk you to the dorms," Aizawa said, opening the door and motioning for her to follow him. She said a brief goodbye to the agents, who seemed happy to see her go.
Kaylee looked down at her feet again, following his footsteps. The polished hardwood floor turned into stone steps, which then changed to a white cement walkway. The spring air was still cool in the evening, and the breeze brushed her hair across her face, tickling her nose.
She paused, looking up at the sky. She forgot how clean the air could smell, how clear the night sky could look. Even with the low-light of the evening combined with the bright lights illuminating the pathway, she could still make out a few stars.
"Kaylee?" Mr. Aizawa turned to her. He was standing a good distance away from her now, his thin scarf waving in the slight breeze. "We're here."
Kaylee gazed up at the large building, a giant 3-A printed on the front. Soft yellow light shone from the windows, and Kaylee could see a stairway spiral up through each floor. The doorway had columns on either side, which matched those on the arches she'd unknowingly walked under. The door was a massive wood monolith, so large that Kaylee wondered if she would need super strength to open it.
Mr. Aizawa turned the handle. "Let's go in."
Kaylee followed.