Chapter 3: Drawbacks

~~Forests of Mt. Takao~~

Muramoto was struggling to fly as he was trying to make sure he wasn't followed. He knew that what he did was technically vigilantism and knew that the punishment could be severe. Especially since he inflicted a great amount of harm on Muscular in order to finally put him down. He regretted going that far, he didn't like using the Ragnarok form since it cost him a great amount of strain to his stamina and physical fortitude when he performed it. However, he couldn't take him down without pushing his strength to that limit. He looked down, smirking softly as he found where he ended up now. He flew down, hiding into the forest as he stumbled to make his way to the old home he had within the cave. His movement was slow, weak and even staggering as he fell to his knees at the entrance of the cave. He coughed harshly, covering his mouth as he looked to the trickle of blood that was produced from his lungs. He opted to crawl deeper into the cave, sitting against its cool surface as he recovered. He closed his eyes slowly, his sight foggy from the exhaustion. Though he was extremely spent from that battle, he smiled softly knowing that he went back to being the only "Apex Predator" in his "territory".

~~The Sanctuary, Tokyo Outskirts~~

Momo was holding close to Kyoka as they watched the same news channel that reported, now moved to the lounge instead of the kitchen as the two hoped Muramoto would come walking through that door at any moment. They, however, have been kept waiting for almost two hours now as they thought of the condition their beloved wild boy was in.

Their ears perked up when they heard the chime indicating someone was at the front gate. Kyoka got out of Momo's arms and raced to the security desk not far from the lounge, looking up the camera feed looking directly at the gates to only see Momo's parents with a man in a rather expensive looking suit with a suitcase in hand. She sighed, disappointed it wasn't her hero coming home. She pressed a button to open the gates, turning to Momo in the lounge and telling her that her folks were here.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Yaoyorozu entered the house at the center of the complex, the man walking in behind them as Momo offered her family and the gentleman a drink. None took the offer, the situation that Muramoto was in made them not in the mood to even sip an ounce of water. The man cleared his throat as the five of them sat in the lounge, Momo and Kyoka sitting on a couch, her parents the one across from them, and the man in the chair between the two.

"So, in short I am here to be Mr. Muramoto's legal representation for the investigation and charge to come to him. Ladies, as you know acts like he commited are considered a serious crime."

Momo and Kyoka didn't know what to say when they heard him say that. They both knew that the consequences for his actions were going to cost him, more than her father could probably be able to sweep away despite his vast fortune. They kept their heads hanging low, not wanting to even speak while the lawyer, who called himself Mr. Kyo, explained everything to the four of them. He believed, given the dire circumstances, and Muramoto only being a minor in the eyes of the law, he could get him down to potentially probation for an uncertain amount of time. However, he made it clear to them all that this incident would likely kill any chance of him ever becoming a hero, or being able to do much within society in itself due to the severity of the offense.

Mr. Yaoyorozu kept talking with the lawyer, asking hundreds of questions that revolved around what he saw was a son all but in name and blood. Mrs. Yaoyorozu moved to sit beside her daughters, smiling and soothing them as Momo started crying, hearing all the possibilities that could happen to her recently made boyfriend. Kyoka only listened, unsure how to feel since this whole situation was completely unfair to Muramoto but the law was there for a reason.

The group kept talking for a short time before the chime rang out again, and like before Kyoka rushed to the security station and looked at the camera overlooking the gate. She blinked, not too sure who she was seeing. There was a man in a black shirt, pants, and boots with yellow goggles on his forehead and a large, gray scarf around his neck. Beside him was a weird looking bear thing in a vest, white shirt, formal slacks and polished shoes. She turned to the lawyer and raised an eyebrow.

"Uhm, were you expecting more people from your firm or something?"

Mr. Kyo shook his head in confusion, and with a bit of curiosity Mr. Yaoyorozu got up and went to see who exactly was at the gate.

~~The Sanctuary Gates~~

The two strangers stood at the gate patiently, though the taller man seemed to be getting quite annoyed at just standing around here when he could be sleeping in his comfy, custom made sleeping bag he just got in. He sighed, thinking about just going in and talking to the boy that way but was stopped when a man in a brown business suit walked up to the gate.

"Hello, can I help you?" Mr. Yaoyorozu was now on the other side of the gate, looking at the two at the entrance to his property with a bit of curiosity in his eyes.

"Ah yes, hello! I was hoping that the resident of this facility was home. We are from the UA High School Heroics Program and wanted to talk to him about a potential spot in this coming year's class."

The bear mouse smiled and looked up to the man, the smile never leaving his face though Mr. Yaoyorozu could see the cold, calculated gaze the rodent man had in those beady black eyes. He, however, pulled back his thoughts and returned the smile.

"Ah, I see. Sadly, however, the lad has yet to return home from that…incident. So I must ask you to come another time. I am afraid that me and my family are currently discussing the legal issues he had gotten himself into because of the incident."

As if falling for what the mouse wanted, the rodent smiled even brighter and raised his furry white paw. "Then it's a good thing we're here! What we have to say pertains to such a situation! We'd be more than happy to talk to you about it. Oh, where are my manners? My name is Nezu, principal of UA. May I have your name sir?"

Mr. Yaoyorozu's eyes widened at this revelation, smiling sheepishly before opening the gate from the control panel on the gate's side. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Nezu. I am Hiroto Yaoyorozu, I am the lad's landlord in a sense. Please come in."

Nezu smiled, nodding as he turned his paw to the man standing beside him. "This is a teacher at the school, Mr. Aizawa. Excuse his rather rude lack of an introduction. He is quite tired at the moment."

Aizawa nodded his head to confirm what Nezu said, and the two representatives of UA made their way into the complex. At first, they were rather impressed at the fast acres of land that were seemingly built for a purpose similar to a zoo. However, there was a distinct lack of animals it seemed. Though as they got closer to the house in the middle of the facility, they stopped dead in their tracks. Nezu quickly jumped up and into Aizawa's scarf, hiding in fear as the two saw the large Bengal Tiger walking freely in the paths of the complex. Aizawa prepared himself for an attack, but his and Nezu's jaws dropped when the tiger simply walked up to Hiroto, nuzzling his head and body against the man's body as if he was a typical household cat. Hiroto chuckled, looking at the two scared and confused men that were following him.

"No need to fret, Seiya is a gentle soul. Though he is a bit depressed. We don't know for sure, but as soon as Muramoto went to fight Muscular my daughter said the animals have seemed to lose their usual happy demeanors. I think it's because they know that he is hurt..which makes me worry."

The older man sighed as he ran his hand up and down Seiya's back, trying to give the large feline some comfort before it simply walked away as if it was a normal thing to do this. Nezu was the first to speak up after his natural sense to run and hide left his system.

"So, that predator is Muramoto's? Does he have the licenses and such to even have it or run this place?"

Hiroto smirked, waving his hand dismissively before turning to keep taking them to the house. "I made sure every possible thing was taken care of for him. Not a single legal issue to be found here."

The trio made their way into the building, and found two very emotionally upset young girls, an older woman trying to comfort the two girls, and a man in a suit that looked to the entering trio. The two heroes gulped, having a feeling this was going to be a long conversation.

~~Muramoto's Cave, Four Hours Later~~

Muramoto grunted as he slowly opened his eyes, looking outside to see that night had fallen in the sky. He was slow to get himself up, grunting as his body screamed for him to go back and rest on the ground. He shuffled his way to the entrance, making a low whistle but fell to his knees. He couldn't hold his breath and blow long enough to call one of his companions to him. His throat was parched, his body still on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. He coughed, crawling back into the cave as he laid there helpless. At this rate, he figured, he would be resting here for several days. He couldn't do that, he needed to go and get home. His friends, companions, and lovers were there waiting for him. He grunted as he struggled to get up again, but this time his body decided it had enough and brought him into unconsciousness.

As he laid there, unable to move or fight, a large light was coming from the entrance of the cave. The light landed on his body, and an audible gasp was heard as several footsteps made their way into the cave, covering the boy in a thick blanket and putting him on some sort of stretcher. He couldn't know it, his mind lost within his resting body, but someone held his hand as the group took him away from the cave and to somewhere new.

~~Hero's Grace Hospital, Two Weeks Later~~

Muramoto groaned loudly as he felt his eyes opening up again, this time to a bright light that caused him to squint and blink before adjusting to the environment. He slowly leaned up, seeing wires attached to his body and what he assumed was an IV in his arm. He growled slowly at this, he hated being in hospitals, and hated it more because hospitals were always in the center of the cities. He looked around, trying to move himself but quickly realized there was weight on his legs. He looked down, seeing both Momo and Kyoka sitting at the end of the bed in chairs, their upper bodies laying across his legs. He smiled at this, moving his hands to run his fingers through their locks. He loved to feel them again, the time he was knocked out all he could do was dream. Dreaming about his future, his life, and of the two doves he found. He kept running his hands through their hair til one of them stirred. Kyoka opened her eyes, bringing her hands to her face and rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes before looking at him.

"You're…you're awake! Thank fucking god your awake!" She practically screamed before tackling him into a deep hug, her head resting against his chest as she let out tears she needed to let go. Momo woke up from her friend's yelling, looking up and tackling Muramoto into a hug of her own. Both girls cried on his chest, neither letting go in fear he'd slip back into his sleep. He chuckled in a low, labored tone as he wrapped his arms around both of them. The boy's heart felt the calm effect the two gave him when they were close.

For about ten minutes the three of them simply embraced one another, the girls letting tears of relief wash down their cheeks while he rubbed his hands across their back to soothe them, to remind them that he was here and wasn't going anywhere. Unfortunately, their time entangled like this was cut short as the door to his room was opened and walked in a rodent-man thing, a elderly looking short lady, and Hiroto Yaoyorozu. In an instant Momo and Kyoka got off of Muramoto, both girls blushing hard being caught like that by the incoming group.

Hiroto smirked at his two daughters, one of blood and the other more in an adoptive manner. He knew the two of them had feelings for the boy, but didn't expect them both to be happy to go after him together. He shook his head at the thought of their future, clearing his throat before smiling at the boy in the hospital bed.

"Ah, Muramoto, you're awake! We were getting concerned my boy, two weeks is quite the time to recover from the exhaustion you felt. I am truly happy you're okay." He turned his attention to the mouse bear creature beside him, keeping his smile. "This is Nezu, Principal of UA High School. He wanted to talk to you about the incident."

Nezu stood up on a chair at the end of Muramoto's bed, looking at the boy at an easier level than looking up to the tall young man before him. "Hello, Mr. Muramoto, as Mr. Yaoyorozu said I am indeed the Principal of UA High School! I have come her in hopes of talking to you about our hero program. We are very interested in tak-"

"I am not interested."

Nezu closed his mouth as he was interrupted by Muramoto, his eyes looking at him with a knowing smile. "I understand you have no intentions of becoming a hero, your friends here have made that quite clear. However, given your current predicament I think you should at least-"

"I. Am not. Interested." Muramoto spoke out and cut off the rodent before him. His eyes told Nezu he had no interest in his school.

Nezu sighed, letting go of his smile and decided to stop playing nice and proper with the lad. It was clear to him, being the intelligent animal that he was, that this boy before him was deep in the mindset of a predator. He didn't want to hear the words of someone he figured he could best, and to be honest, Nezu didn't think he could beat the teenager before him. However, he had a plan B, C, D and all the way to Z for this situation. He cleared his throat before speaking up again.

"You are in deep trouble, Muramoto. You acted as a vigilante and despite your good intentions you severely harmed the villain you fought. You are looking at many years within the correctional world of our legal system if you do not hear me out."

Muramoto grunted at this, but nodded his head in understanding. Nezu smirked knowing he got the boy's attention now.

"That being said, I can make this situation a lot easier for you. I am looking to wipe the slate clean for you, everything needed is already prepared and ready to go to the proper channels to clear your name of this. All I want in exchange is the chance to mold you into a hero to fight villains like that again."

The teen thought about it for a second. He really didn't like this little mouse telling him what was going to happen to him, it defied everything he believed in. Which was primarily the strong overlooking the weak. He shook his head free of that mentality, at least for the moment before looking back at Nezu.

"I will not simply obey your words, Nezu. You can tell what kind of person I am, I can see it in your eyes. If you want me to do this, I have a few conditions I want met."

This was a shock to everyone, even Nezu. He didn't expect him to actually take this that quickly, he figured he would have to stay on Muramoto's case for a few weeks to annoy him into coming to UA. Momo and Kyoka both looked at him confused, they knew for a fact that their boyfriend hated the idea of being a hero despite how badly they wanted to be them. Momo and Kyoka tried for months to convince him otherwise, but just like trying to get him into a school, it was impossible.

Nezu smiled, nodding his head. "Okay, ask your requests and I'll decide if I can accept them or not."

Muramoto nodded in return, pointing a finger to Momo then Kyoka. "They both want to attend UA, they have been talking about it being their dream school since I met them. They are both smart, quirks are reliable, and are good hearted. I want you to let them take that thing for the special kids. Recommendation Test, I think that's what it's called."

Nezu nodded in agreement, returning his eyes to Muramoto. "I will allow them to take the recommendation test via my own recommendation. However, I can not doctor their scores to let them in."

Muramoto smirked, agreeing with a quick nod to the principal. "That's fair. Second, I will -not- wear any uniform your school has. I do not like to conform to a mass of people. It ruins everything someone like me enjoys. Individuality."

Nezu had to think about it for a moment. If he allowed this he could already see the uproar from new and current students. After a few minutes of thinking he raised his head back up and spoke. "I can not agree to this, at least not fully. I do ask that you atleast wear the trousers and coat jacket given. Outside of that, you are free to wear what you wish with those two items. Is that fair to you?"

The boy thought about it for a moment, but nodded. "Agreed, but I can alter the jacket if need be."

Nezu sighed, nodding his head in agreement to this. He just hoped he didn't completely ruin the jacket. Muramoto smirked, clearing his throat before making his next request.

"You probably figured out that I haven't attended a proper school in years, meaning that my skills in those educational classes are rather shit. That being said, I request that I not be judged harshly as I try to catch up to the others."

Nezu actually smiled at this, and had a solution prepared for him already. "I actually have an idea for that exact situation. I would like to teach you directly for the next year to prepare you for UA. Is that acceptable to you?"

Muramoto was about to deny the mouse, but a quick glance to Momo and her infamous "don't you dare" stare caused him to relent and nod in defeat. "Fine. Lastly, I want you to earn this from me. I don't like being under a thumb, and before you even deny that I am you already used that incident against me to comply with you. That being said, if you truly want me to be in this hero course of your's, then I think a fight would be fair. Me against those you think can defeat me. If I lose, then I comply and try to be a decent student for yours. If I win, I do not have to attend your school and my slate is wiped clean. Also, win or lose, Momo and Kyoka are still allowed to take the recommendation tests to join UA."

Nezu, with all his intelligence and calm demeanor, couldn't help but snicker a grin so potent that even Muramot felt a little bit unnerved. "Okay, Mr. Muramoto, I'll do you one better. If you beat those I put against you I'll gladly accept Momo and Kyoka regardless of their scores in the exams. How does that sound?"

Muramoto smirked, nodding as he raised a hand for Nezu to shake, who the principal returned in kind. Not a minute later did he leave, and the short elderly lady followed behind him. He raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was doing this entire time.

He sighed in relief as he relaxed, letting Momo, Kyoka, and Hiroto speak and talk about everything that happened. After a while, Momo looked up at Muramoto with a shy look at her features. "Uhm, Mura…I know you don;t like talking about it, but you did during that fight it just made me more curious than ever. So…what is your quirk?"

Muramoto sighed, knowing this would come after the display he made at that fight. He smiled, looking at the three in the room with him and spoke softly. "My quirk…I call my quirk Druidic Alignment. I know, not the best name in the world, but it sort of fits the idea of what my quirk can do."

He took a deep breath before starting to explain. "Okay, so do you guys know those old games and legends about people called druids able to communicate with nature, use the elements, shapeshift and all that?" The three of them nodded as he continued. "I am basically a druid, in a sense. When I sense an animal in distress my quirk tells me of them and I go to their aid. When I do, that creature bonds with me in more than just a friend way. Our souls literally bond together, connecting us. It's why I can understand their thoughts and sounds. But that's not all my quirk does."

"My quirk also lets me morph my body to mimic the animals im bonded with, I call that sort of transformation Minor Morphs. I found out that I can do that the night I saved Momo and entered the morph I gained through Tajima. The transformation everyone saw on the news is something I only discovered in the last year or so. I call them Nature's Wraths. They are far stronger, more powerful, and far more taxing on me since it doesn't just let me take aspects of one animal, but several. Ragnarok derives its form from Tajima, Yoshida, and Seiya since they are all prime predators I have bonded with. That form's abilities are something that I am still trying to figure out, but from what I have been able to find out it increases my strength immensely along with my speed, agility, and fortitude. And calls out a faux Lunar Eclipse that causes a sense of fear and terror to those under it."

Muramoto took a deep breath, looking at the three who were entranced at his quirk's abilities. He blushed slightly from the attention. "Still with me? There is some more to my quirk."

Momo's eyes widened even farther if it was possible. "More? But this quirk of yours is already so powerful Mura! It's like, I don't even know how to describe it."

Again Muramoto blushed heavily, looking away bashfully. "There are one or two more things. The first being that I have some control over the base elements of fire, water, earth, and air. I haven't explored that much since I only ever used fire to help cook my food. The second is that when I bond with an animal, my body increases in power. Think of it like a boost in my bones, muscles and all that. I don't know how it scales, but it's clear my body has grown so sturdy that I was able to handle those blows from Muscular without much issue. And that's it, at least from what I know."

Hiroto thought about this all for a moment, with proper training and guidance Muramoto would be a absolute terror to any villain he cam across. Though he knew the boy didn't want the life of a hero, his quirk was all but perfect for it. He turned his head back to the boy, smiling softly as Momo and Kyoka went back to sitting at the side of the bed, the two girls holding his hands as they talked about it all.

~~Outside in the hall~~

"...and that's it, at least from what I know."

Nezu smirked, happy he decided to install those hidden microphones in Muramoto's room when he had the chance a few days back. He turned to the older lady standing beside him as they both listened to the conversation via Nezu's personal tablet. "He is indeed in possession of a ridiculously powerful quirk. Recovery Girl, were you able to sneak a sample of his blood while I distracted him and the others?"

Recovery Girl, said old lady, nodded and took a small vial of red liquid out of her pocket and sighed. "I don't like doing this to the boy, Nezu, it's not exactly ethical to take someone's blood for testing without asking."

Nezu gave her a light hearted smile before walking towards the elevator with the doctor beside him. "I know, but we must figure out exactly who he is. All we know about him and his past is from those in that room, and even that there is little to go on. Hopefully there is a match somewhere for us to find out who his family is."

~~Aomori City, Yamamoto Household~~

The yelling was loud enough that it woke up Ayumu, shocking the small fox boy out of his sleep as he heard the voices of his sister and father practically screaming at each other in the dead of the night. He stayed in his bed, his fox ears able to hear it all now that he was awake.

"Your brother is nothing but a failure to our family, Kimiko! He ran away and that freak of a son can stay gone for all I care!" The man's voice yelled out.

"No, you're a failure! Just because he doesn't have the looks like the rest of us doesn't mean he isn't family! He is out there, I know the man on the news was him! He beat that monster and showed him what he can do! He is a hero and I will find him!"

The yelling got more intense as Ayumu heard his sister fighting with their father over the guy she said was his older brother. For the last two weeks their house was practically a warzone between the two. When she confronted their father about the Muramoto boy in the photo he got instantly aggressive to his daughter and ordered her to stop looking for a discarded son he believed dead. The fighting kept getting worse and worse, and it seemed to be reaching a new level of aggression tonight as he listened with his legs to his chest. The young boy hated hearing his family fighting, but he shuddered to think his dad actually hid the fact he had an older brother.

The yelling got more intense, and soon enough a loud clapping of hand meeting cheek was heard and rang out from the house. Everything went silent for a moment, soon the sound of sniffling and the struggle to hide a cry was heard and was followed by the footsteps of his sister running to her room and slamming the door shut. Ayumu froze, unsure what he heard but had a feeling his beloved father hit his sister. He didn't know what to think, he was lost from all the anger swelling in their once happy home.

Kimiko went to her bed to cry into her pillow, her cheek stinging from the strike her father gave her for daring to speak out against his cruelty against her older brother. She kept her head buried in her pillow, letting the anger and sadness bleed out through sobs and tears til she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she looked over to see who touched her, the look of anger and pain in her eyes were lost as she saw her brother Ayumu looking at her, tears of his own growing in his eyes when he saw the red mark of a hand across his sister's cheek.

The two looked at each other only for a moment before they hugged each other, keeping one another close as they cried knowing what had happened would change things for them. After nearly twenty minutes of soothing one another, Ayumu broke away from his sister to see her wiping her puffy eyes from the tears. She looked down at her lap, her voice rasp and low as she spoke.

"Ayumu…I am going to find him…I need to find him."

The boy couldn't say anything, understanding what his older sister meant when she said this. She was going to run away, to find their brother. He was torn between telling their father about her plan or not, but when he saw the mark on her cheek that he left there any thought of trusting his father was gone. With a heart full of love and conviction, he took a hand of her into his own and smiled.

"When do we leave then, sis?"

((Author's Notes))

Hey all, Vermillion Clover here! Just wanted to say thank you for the support of this fanfic so far. Over 500 views and 20+ follows and favorites! I am happy to see people enjoying this, and it makes me want to work on this much more!

I also wanted to state the ages and such in this note for Muramoto and his siblings, since I may have mixed it up in the previous chapter. Muramoto is currently sixteen. Kimiko is twelve and Ayumu is eleven. I wanted to clear this up for my own sake and those who may get confused now or later on.

That being said, as of this chapter, Momo and Kyoka are both the age of fifteen on the verge of sixteen. I wanted the UA High School students to be at least sixteen in this version of the MHA universe.

And that's all I really think I need to clear up. Now on to two reviews I have regarding a new animal to be added and the potential inspiration of this quirk.

To Amkwiesel: Not exactly, since Muramoto's quirk is more based around the widespread lore and concepts of Druidism. However, I can see the connection you made to him and Conner Kennway. I love it, and think that it is a potentially good idea for a character later on in this story. Also, AC3 is the best AC.

To Guest A: The idea of adding a Asain Elephant is actually very interesting to me. And would make sense for what is to come later in this story. Thank you for the idea, and I am happily implementing it into the story as I write this!

To Guest B: Animals vs Heroes/Villains? Well, you got my idea for this almost correct. However, for the sake of the plot I made, Muramoto will be attending UA as seen in this chapter. However, I think you will like what is to come from all of this.

Thank you all for the reviews, and the support! I hope you all keep enjoying this story as much as I am writing it!

One last thing before I end this Author's Notes. I want to open an invitation to have your own idea of an Original Character added as a character in this story. I love to add more variety into this story instead of the family of Muramoto Yamamoto. I hope to see some really interesting ideas for characters in this story! :D

Sincerely, Vermillion Clover.