It's always been the two of us for as long as we could remember.

When we were young, our parents were killed in a car accident, and we were admitted into an orphanage in one of Japan's more run-down cities. It was dangerous to wander away from the safety of the orphanage, and we weren't really well off either at the place. The few people that took care of us were struggling and trying their best for us, the ones who were left behind, the ones with nowhere else to go.

Neither of us really remembered our parents, being too young, so the people at the orphanage became our family. Bonds were formed that were thinner than blood, but thicker than water. We would promise to look out for each other, because in this place where we were no one, we had to do what we could to become someone. We became the big brother and sister, and did what we could to help our other 'siblings' out.

Growing up at the orphanage wasn't a bad life. The caretakers, Miss Hana, Miss Yuki and Mr. Tanaka always did their best to provide us with what we needed to grow up properly. Thinking back on it, things could have been way worse for us, and we're forever grateful of the love and care that those three invested in us for us to grow into decent kids. It was out of this gratefulness that we worked hard as we did.

The day our quirk manifested for the first time was…strange.

Well, we're not entirely sure if we both got the same quirks or if we just shared one. We both knew from what little information our caretakers had of our parents that telekinesis was to be expected, and that was the quirk both of us inherited. What was weird was the chain that we could only see. It was a pale blue, and it joined from one wrist to the other. When we walked too far apart, the links would disappear, but the cuffs would remain. When either of us interacted with it, we could pull and throw the other as we pleased. Nobody else could see the chain, so whenever we tried to explain it we'd get weird looks from the caretakers and from the other kids before it would be shrugged off.

We don't know what was the trigger for it, but we soon discovered that we were in dire need of it.


"Hey, Haru, Haku, do you have any idea what highschool you wanna go to yet?" A pink haired girl asked, tilting her head at the two curiously. The dark haired pair exchanged glances with each other before responding simultaneously.

"U.A High."

"That's really up there! Don't you guys have to like study real hard and stuff?" A green haired boy piped up.

"Well yeah, it's the top school for people who want to become heroes. Of course we have to work hard, harder than anybody else," Haku huffed, crossing his arms and setting his jaw.

"Besides, people need to not underestimate us orphan kids. The fact is, we've grown up in a terrible neighborhood where it's so normal to hear about people going missing and there isn't a hero agency anywhere nearby, making us have to defend ourselves. So I kinda think we have a little bit of an advantage," Haru added softly, earning a few nods of agreement from the others.

The bell rang a few seconds after, signifying the end of the day and the students began clearing out, Haru and Haku staying behind to wait for the other orphan kids. They might be older and more independent now, but the area was still dangerous, especially for kids like them that most people wouldn't bat an eyelash at for going missing, so all the kids from the orphanage would travel as a group for safety. Once they were all there, they began the walk home, chatting amongst themselves animatedly.

"Any idea what's for dinner tonight, Saki?" the older twin asked.

"I think they said it'd be curry today," came the response from the red head, lifting her gaze from her book.

"Aw hell yeah! I love curry day," exclaimed Daichi, the green haired boy from earlier, pumping his fist in the air.

"You and Haru both, isn't that right…" Haku's voice trailed off as his eyes widened in fear, his head whipped around behind him, unable to see the familiar form of his sister.

"Hey guys?" his voice shook as he turned to look back at his friends, a similar terror filling their gaze as the realization sunk in.

"Where's Haru?"


"Ugh…I need to meet the deadline today or the boss is gonna fucking kill me," a raspy voice growled out in annoyance, inhaling deeply from the lit cigarette in his hand. He breathed out the smoke slowly, watching the puffs of air aimlessly waft upwards before he dropped it and put it out with his shoe, scratching at the stubble on his chin. His sunken, dull gray eyes darted around him, a hint of a spider tattoo peaking out of the loose, black shirt, located on his right collarbone.

The man in question was part of a human trafficking scheme, tasked with seeking out any unsuspecting people with potentially strong quirks to offer up to his boss. A place like this was perfect. No hero agency in sight, the police force too pathetic to do anything even if there were missing persons reports filed, and most likely a dog eat dog scenario, he hoped to find some poor sod to snatch up. He had his neck to keep safe after all.

He made sure to keep to the backstreets, keeping out of sight. No need for this face to be seen and have someone cause trouble by reporting suspicious activity. He turned around the corner, noticing the school grounds and did a quick scan around. There were a few straggler students around still, but being so close he couldn't risk it. He backed away to a less traveled road and decided to scope out the place, his left eye glowing with a yellow crosshair on it. His quirk allowed him to judge a person's potential based on their quirk and its type. If he wanted to live to see another day, he had to find something really good in order to please his boss.

He almost considered moving along when his crosshair locked on a head of dark hair running into the school, his vision filling with many question marks before the figure went out of sight. He sucked in a breath, his heart racing in bewilderment.

'You've gotta be shitting me, a quirk with no information on it? The boss is gonna be on Cloud fucking Nine if I snag this kid for him!' He hung back and stayed out of sight, waiting to see if the kid would come back out. Sure enough, a minute or two later, the same head of dark hair hurried out, checking the watch on her wrist and muttering something to herself under her breath. He watched as she turned around the corner before he went to make his move.

"Crap, I hope I didn't take too long. The others are probably freaking out…" Haru muttered under her breath as she readjusted her bag on her shoulders, dusting off her skirt quickly before making her way back to the group. However, as she rounded the corner, a hand shot out and grabbed her arm roughly. Before she could even scream, another hand was clamped around her throat, effectively cutting off her air supply.

Before she could even think of using her quirk, the man quickly spun her and punched her in the gut, making her cry out in pain and slump over. Her vision was blurring, gritting her teeth in pain and anger, frustrated that she let someone get the jump on her.

'I'm so fucking stupid, why did I think I'd be safe without the others?'

"If you even think about using your quirk, I'll break your arm, got it kid?" the man snarled, gripping her by the chin with his hand still wrapping tightly around her arm to discourage her further. She swallowed, nodding shakily before the man quickly binded her legs and her knees before flinging her over his shoulder.

"And if you struggle, I'll break your legs, so don't even try it." This forced her into silence, the fear overtaking her and she clenched her fists tightly, trying not to freak out and panic. If she screamed, he'd probably hurt her too, so she kept her mouth shut and very subtly reached down to the invisible chain and rattled the link lightly, hoping somehow her brother would sense where she was.

She was taken to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the neighborhood and was roughly dropped on the ground against a shipping crate, grimacing in pain. The man kept his dull eyes on her as he slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He dialed a number and brought it up to his ear.

"Hey boss, it's me. I managed to snag a good one. Yeah, you're not gonna believe this. When I checked them with my quirk it showed a whole lotta question marks," he murmured into the phone. Haru lowered her head so that her long hair covered her face, frantically glancing around to try and find something to use to help her. She barely caught a glimpse of an oil barrel before her head was forced up by the man gripping her hair and yanking her up.

"Don't try anything kid, I'm warning you. I'm doing this to save my own fucking skin, so don't you dare ruin this for me," he growled threateningly. She hissed at him before she spat at his face.

"Why you little-" He flinched, and this gave Haru the opening she needed. Her eyes glowed and a blue aura surrounded the oil barrel she saw earlier before she launched it smack into his face, the force of the throw making him fly across the room. She used her quirk once again to break the bindings holding her in place and began making a run for it, afraid to look back.

'I need to get back to the others and fast!' was the only thought in her head as she heard the man sprinting close behind her, growling out something angrily. She skidded into a thin back alley, grunting as she slammed into a wall before running forward, jumping over trash containers and using her quirk to drag a larger trash can behind her to block his path. It however, seemed to not have deterred him that much, if the loud crash behind her was any indication.

"Shit-" she swore under her breath, whipping her head around, desperately searching for an exit before she felt herself being yanked upwards, shrieking in surprise before she felt herself be wrapped up in a familiar warmth and almost burst into tears out of sheer relief. "Haku!"

"You can thank me for saving your ass later, let's get the hell out of here!" he exclaimed, taking her hand and jumping off the roof of the shack he had climbed on, landing in sync with her and began sprinting out of the back alleys, meeting up with the other kids.

"Holy crap, Haru you're ok!" Saki cried out, relief washing over her features.

"We can celebrate later, we have to-" Daichi's voice died in his throat as the man from earlier stumbled into view, his eye lit up with the crosshair and blood trickling down from his forehead where Haru had hit him with the stone. He hissed in anger upon seeing Haru, who flinched and shifted behind Haku, who put his hand in front of her protectively, his blue eyes glaring at the man before them.

The villain shifted his gaze over to the older twin, his eye with the crosshair widening as the same question marks filled his vision. So there were two kids with unknown quirks here? If he could somehow nab them then he'd be in his boss's good graces for weeks! He cracked his knuckles, a sinister smirk curled upon his lips as he approached the kids.

Do they make a run for it and try to get the police? Do they try to fight him off? Splitting up was not an option, not in such an unsafe area. The villain probably knew that too, seeing how he was going after them currently.

"Saki, Daichi, we're gonna try Plan D," Haku muttered quietly under his breath, earning acknowledging glances from the other two and Haru gripped his hand slightly tighter in nervousness. He gave her a reassuring smile before his eyes began to shine silver, his sister's also lighting up. He let go of her hand and lunged forward, his hand pulled back before he slammed his fist smack into the man's jaw while Haru levitated in the air before she let herself drop and executed an axe kick at the same time.

Neither twin was strong enough to do him in, but they hoped that they could at least stun him in place in order to make a break for it. He stumbled back, clearly not expecting a counterattack and the kids took that opening and booked it, running straight to the police station. Running on pure adrenaline, they shakily reported what had happened to the officers that were there before being escorted back to the orphanage in case that man came back again.

The caretakers immediately fussed over the four the moment they set foot in the house, a flurry of questions escaping from their mouth about everything that happened. The police reassured the adults that they would do their best and keep an eye out for the man, especially after identifying him as one of the members of a group that participated in human trafficking. The twins exchanged nervous glances between each other, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of their stomach. The bad feeling wouldn't go away.

The rest of the day went by without much happening, but everybody was still on edge. The kids were extra careful about traveling anywhere, refusing to stay out for anything longer than late afternoon to early evening. The caretakers made sure to be extra careful about locks and safety measures every night. Even with the police force being aware of the situation, the unspoken words were heavy in the air.

Nobody was going to be able to save them if that man came back, even less if he decided to bring friends along. Such was their fate here, with no heroes to save them. Only each other.

Sure enough, the night before the twins were supposed to go in for the entrance exam for U.A high, disaster struck.

The older kids were out when it happened, trying to shake off the uneasiness they felt for the past couple weeks by getting some snacks at one of the convenience stores in a safer area of the neighborhood. But when they saw smoke coming from the direction of the orphanage, they all felt their blood run cold. Bags of treats and snacks tumbled down onto the group, forgotten as they all rushed back home as fast as they could and saw the house ablaze. The caretakers had a few of the younger kids already gathered outside, but the twins could tell at a glance that a few more were still missing.

"Chika and Emi are still inside!" came the distressed cry from . The twins immediately sprinted into the burning building, ignoring the yells and screams to stay outside. Bright blue and silver began shimmering as they moved debris out of the way, searching desperately for the two little girls still trapped inside.

"Chika! Emi! Where are you?!" Haru yelled as loud as she could through her hand, trying to keep the smoke out.

"Haru-nee!" came a high-pitched shriek under a pile of rubble.

"Haku-"

"I know, quick!" They moved in tandem with each other, shoving the debris away with their hands and their quirk, seeing the two forms of the toddler girls shaking and quivering in sheer panic.

"I'll keep the debris from collapsing, grab them, Haku!" the younger twin yelled out, her eyes shining bright as she concentrated, lifting the heavy beams up just long enough for the older to quickly scoop the girls into his arms. Haru released the quirk and took one of the girls from her brother before they dashed out of the building, keeping the little ones' heads down so they didn't inhale the smoke. The last of the beams creaked and crashed right as they got out, covered in soot, clothes slightly singed, out of breath.

Haku rubbed Emi's hair gently, trying his best to soothe the younger kid as the reality of their situation sunk in. Their home…where would they go now? Nobody could really even register the sirens of the police cars or of the fire trucks, numb to everything even as they were all escorted to a safer city in order to give their testimonies at a more active police department, a few pro heroes coming around and asking questions.

Haru murmured gently to Chika, who was still trembling and clinging to her for dear life, giving soft words of assurance and reminding the little one that she was safe. was seen pulling an officer aside, asking hushed questions and wringing his hands nervously. The older man then shuffled over to where the kids were gathered in a tight circle, all of them looking up at him with apprehension written all over their faces.

"Children, it seems that the police officers will be keeping us under their care until we are moved to someplace more safe. I know some of you have entrance exams tomorrow, but we will be needing to stay with them until we get everything settled," he informed the group, causing murmured whispers amongst the kids. The ravenette looked at her brother worriedly, unsure what to make of the situation, as everything hadn't really sunk in yet. They were still in shock. Haku tilted his head at the door that led just outside, handing Emi to Ms. Yuki.

Haru gave Chika one final forehead kiss before placing her with the other kids and followed her brother outside, sliding into a nearby bench just right outside of the police station and felt all her composure leave her, her legs shaking and her hands gripping the edges of her skirt to the point her knuckles were turning white.

"Deep breaths, sis," came the gentle voice of the older, placing his arm around her and pulled her in close, squeezing tightly. She pressed her head against his chest, doing her best to follow his instructions. The both of them were quiet for a long time, watching the people walk by and go on with their lives. It was a good while before the silence was broken by the twin.

"What are we gonna do now, big bro?" she asked timidly, lifting her head to look at him. He was quiet, swallowing the lump in his throat before leaning his head back to look at the sky, deep in thought for a moment. He looked back at her, his eyes shimmering in unspoken fury.

"We're gonna continue with our goal, and become heroes. We're going into U.A High the moment we get settled and we're gonna work our asses off. All so nobody else has to go through this shit again. It's so…it's so frustrating. How…" his voice cracked and he pressed his other hand to his face, "how fucking powerless we are." Matching sapphire blues gazed at him in concern, the younger slipping an arm around him and squeezed back.

"We'll go into UA High and become heroes so that we can make the other kids' lives better, so no other kid like us has to be without a hero again. So something like this can never happen again," she affirmed, Haku lowering his hand and giving a small smile to his sister.

"Can't be that hard, after all, nothing's changed." They lifted their heads to stare at the sky, watching as the color shifted to that of the sunset, as if to mark the moment.

"Us against the world."

If one were to go back and ask the two of them what the reasoning was behind their fervent desire to become heroes, they would look at each other for a moment and sort of chuckle quietly before answering.

"Because ultimately we become whoever would have saved us that time no one did."

~Hakuryu and Harumi Tsukino: Origin~