Prologue: The OutCast

The world as we used to know it has changed a lot over the years. New advances in technology have changed the world into something out of a sci-fi story. But that's not the only genre that's come to life in our streets. Heroes, the ones you used to read in comic books now populate the streets of all Japan and the rest of the world. Half the population has something, a superpower, that has been dubbed as a Quirk, and those without them dubbed Quirkless. In the world today you're either blessed with or without one, but for me, it was a different story. I got a Quirk, but you know, fate always did have a funny sense of humor.

Too bad I don't get the punchline.

Hitoshi smiled as his classmates admired his painting of a Calico Cat. It stood on a sun-soaked rock, Its back turned to the viewer looking ahead at a grassy field. For a three-year-old, it was an impressive piece of work.

"Well done Shinso!" Mr.Yin said to the curly-haired boy with excitement.

"T-thank you, Mr.Yin..." Hitoshi whispered as he sat in front of his painting.

Everyone continued to admire the painting as it lay on his desk. Hitoshi's cheeks were a vibrant pink as he looked down at his hands, which were clasped together and laying on his lap. He felt confident and proud of himself. One of Hitoshi's friends, Hanasu, walked up to him and gave him a big smile.

"It's really pretty Hitoshi!" The black-haired girl said as she looked closer at the painting. He cracked a shy smile, Hanasu had always been a good friend of his, so to hear her words of praise was not unfamiliar to him.

A few others murmured similar praises, saying things like "I wish I could paint like that" and "isn't his mom a painter?" As well as "he's so lucky!" Hitoshi could hardly handle all the praise, not that he disliked it. He was honestly elated to know that he was on par with his wonderful mother. He covered his face, however, and smiled as his cheeks continued to heat up. He was used to being praised and still, every time it happened he was a blushing mess. His parents were well respected and known in his little town outside of Tokyo Japan. So receiving praise and having people flock to him, hanging on his every word, was normal.

"Thank you...Thank you..." he said looking up and laughing softly at all his classmates. He was asked what the painting represented and Hitoshi joyfully began to explain how he always wanted a cat and that he hoped to own one someday. Impressed the other kids clapped at his explanation and he gave them little bows in his chair.

Once the crowd around his desk had calmed down and the other kids had lost interest, as all toddlers tend to do, they went on to take up other activities. Hanasu had stayed behind with a few others and was now pestering Hitoshi with art questions that Hitoshi happily answered. Hanasu soon asked a question that he had heard millions of times before.

"Hitoshi, do ya think you could teach us how to paint?" The black beauty inquired tilting her head as she rested her arms on his desk. Hitoshi thought about that for a few minutes before responding.

"I could try," he said happily.

He never liked sounding like he was better than his classmates, so whenever Hitoshi was asked that question he did his best to be humble about it. It was his way of still showing respect despite the mountain Of pride that swarmed in his chest.

"Awesome!" Hanasu yelped excitedly, "where do we start?"

She pulled up a chair next to him. The other kids looked curious too and all went to grab paintbrushes and paint. Hitoshi looked at his makeshift class and smiled.

"Well, first my mommy always says to, Uhm, copy who you look up to..so..." he brought out a new piece of paper and put his original painting in the middle of his desk, "I'll help you copy what I did...it's good practice!" He said reassuringly.

The kids and Hanasu followed Hitoshi's lead, asking him for help when they needed it and paying close attention to his cat painting, doing their best to copy it. The day had been so much fun, Hitoshi loved being the center of attention even if he was a bit shy at times. He always felt honored to be praised because of his family and he did not doubt that once he got his quirk he would be on his way to being the best-known hero that Japan had ever seen. And the first Shinso to ever become a hero at all.

The school bell rang and all the kids rushed to their cubbies. Hanasu was standing by Hitoshi as he put his books into his Eraserhead backpack. Hitoshi loved the underground hero more than anything, and as such whenever Hitoshi's dad caught The hero on late-night TV he always started recording so Hitoshi could watch the hero in the morning.

"So your birthday is soon, right?" She asked as he put on his backpack, he looked up at her from his place on the ground and nodded.

"Yep...!" He said his voice was quiet and a little nervous sounding. Hitoshi shook his head free of the worry in his thoughts as he stood up.

Hanasu tilted her head at him. "Are...you ok...?" She asked worried for her friend.

"Ya, ya, ya I'm just...I can't wait to get my quirk!" Hitoshi said as he nodded and shook himself again, in all honesty, Hitoshi was a smart kid, and he knew that his parent's quirks weren't...the best suited for hero work. Both his sides of the family weren't.

His mother could touch people and make them do whatever she wanted while his father couldn't sleep and could live without it. Even so, Hitoshi had hope that somehow he might have some cool combination of their quirks that he hadn't thought of or at least something that could be useful. With that thought in mind, he clenched his hands into fists, a happy, determined smile on his face as he turned to her.

"It's going to be the coolest quirk ever I bet! Superheroic and I'll become a hero in..." Hitoshi quickly went to count in his head. "Three years!" Hanasu giggled. "So you will be a hero at six? That sure is a big number" she sed thoughtfully.

Hitoshi noded as he began jumping up and down "ya! I'll be the best hero ever! Maybe even ErasureHeads sidekick!" He sed his voice getting louder with bubbling excitement.

"That's pretty cool!" She said, pumping her fist in the air. The purple-haired boy pumped his first with hers as the two started walking to the lobby.

They continued to talk about hero's while they waited for their parents Hanasu looked up to the hero All Might as many of Hitoshi's classmates did. And while Hitoshi respected the hero, All Might just...wasn't his ideal, ErasureHead showed Hitoshi that it didn't matter how flashy your quirk was as long as you could use it for good the quirk was good and you were good. They began switching from hero talk to Hanasu messing with Hitoshi's long curly hair. His purple locks hugged his cheeks and puffed out in fluffy tuffs most of it finding itself in his eyes. Hanasu began to braid his hair as they both sat in the lobby entrance of the Kindergarten.

Hitoshi's mother walked through the door and smiled as her son hopped up off the rug-covered floor and ran to her leg hugging it tightly. Mamoru nearly jumped seeing how energetic her son was, usually he was pretty tired after school so she wondered how this day had been different from the rest.

"Mommy! Mommy! I was an art teacher today!" He said his violet eyes sparkling with joy.

Mamoru sighed happily as she ran her fingers lovingly through his curly purple hair. So that was It, she smiled brightly and couldn't help but be proud. Even with his dreams of heroism her son always had been a little artist, drawing on the walls when he was two and then creating hero costumes as soon as he turned three.

"Were you now? Well then, how about you tell me all the details on the car ride back?" She asked and Hitoshi nodded. That's when she laughed softly noticing her son's newly styled hair, his violet eyes on full display. She looked ahead at Hanasu who was waving back to Hitoshi as the green-eyed girl was lead outside by her mother.

After Mamoru talked with Mr.Yin, with the teacher simply informing her of Hitoshi's wonderful behavior, the mother and son walked out the doors of the kindergarten and to the car parked in the parking lot in front of the school. Mamoru helped her son into his car seat and buckled him up. She then closed his door and walked around to the driver's seat getting in. She started up the car and began to drive. Her son talked about his day, how he had impressed everyone with an amazing painting, and of how everyone had wanted him to teach them how to draw. Mamoru nodded and laughed in response and then their conversation slowly drifted away from school and into heroes which she was quite used to.

"Did you See ErasreHead on TV today?" was Hitoshi's first question.

She laughed softly to herself. Her son did love to talk, Hitoshi had been quick to accept that his parents were well known and he relished in it. He loved talking about his parents, really, Hitoshi loved talking about anything he was passionate about and the boy was passionate about a lot.

"I did. Today he fought a villain with a puppet quirk."

Hitoshi leaned forward in his seat. Eyes sparkling at the prospect of his favorite hero being seen in daylight, however, the puppet comment made him tilt his head. "Like...your quirk?" The small boy inquired genuinely curious.

"No, this was different" she sed firmly "this "puppet master" can make people do anything even if it's against there will, my quirk can't force people to do things that they wouldn't normally." She was quick to explain with a shaky voice but Hitoshi didn't seem to notice. His nose scrunched up and he leaned back in his seat crossing his arms "Sounds like an evil quirk" he sed sounding super upset. "I hope I don't ever get a quirk like that" he sed with a huffy sigh.

She knew he hadn't meant anything by it but Momarus face fell anyway, she was worried for her son, she just hoped he wouldn't set himself up for expectations that were too high to reach. She hoped that he wouldn't let his quirk, whatever it was, change him.

"Y-ya..." she looked at her gloved hands gripping the steering wheel and silently prayed that her lovely son would get the most heroic quirk in the whole world. She didn't want to curse her son with hers. She loved her boy more than anything else in the world and his birthday was coming up, he would be four soon, and she just wanted the best for him.

Only the best.

"Haha! Take that nasty villain! And pay for your crimes!" Hitoshi said He held the other figure of a robot in his other hand and was making it lay down in defeat. A figure of the Pro-ErasureHead was standing on top of it.

"No! You will not beat me Eraserhead! Cuz I have the best quirk!" He said in a deeper voice than his own and he looked back at his Eraserhead figure moving it around while he talked for it.

"Hahahaahhhhaha! No, I have the best quirk," he said in his own voice and then he threw the robot onto the couch. Hitoshi quickly got up and climbed up on the couch and placed his ErasureHead figure on top of the robot again, "take that! Villain!"

"Hitoshi! Dinner time!"

It was his father, Hitoshi happily got off the couch leaving his figures behind and ran past the couch through the open archway that led into the main hall of the house, on the right was the front door with a shoe cubby and a coat rack beside it. In front of Hitoshi was the entrance to the kitchen area, Hitoshi walked into the kitchen looking up at his father who was sitting at the round table.

"Hey, daddy!" He was so happy and excited he ran to his father and hugged his waist, his father gently ran his fingers through Hitoshi's curly hair. Hitoshi's mother smiling as she watched "Sagyo, can you help get Hitoshi's plate together?" Sagyo nodded it wasn't often he got to spend time with his family, he was a doctor which ment he was extremely busy most of the time, so the tired eyed man jumped on any opportunity to be a good dad.

"Of course, Mamoru." The bubblegum-haired male got up from his seat and ushered Hitoshi over to the kitchen. Sagyo helped Hitoshi prepare his plate, the three-year-old had gotten more insistent on doing things himself. The closer his birthday got the more independent he became.

The idea of a quirk had been Hitoshi's biggest daydream, every day was another one where he fantasized about saving others with his quirk. Of course, even being as young as he was he had his fears. His parents' quirks weren't exactly...heroic Hitoshi adored his mom and dad, but the chances of getting an admirable quirk weren't looking too good for him. And yet he still hoped that somehow both his parents quirks could be combined into something he could use. Hitoshi also thought about the possibility that he would get either of these quirks and something different altogether.

As Hitoshi ate he continued to think, he thought about the endless conversations that his parents had with him, about how even if his quirk was not that of a hero he should still try to become one. He of course had agreed but he was only three, He didn't know at the time what that meant. Hitoshi had reasoned that whatever his quirk was that it would be a good one and that he would be happy with it.

He would be happy, he promised his parents.

He would.

July First had been Hitoshi's birthday party, his parents had planned it perfectly so that they could celebrate exactly on his birthday, they had planned for such a long time to make his day as special as possible. But they had failed, they hadn't meant to and it wasn't even their fault. Fate just...had a funny way of doing things. It had been a few days since Hitoshi's birthday, and he wanted to forget all of it.

Birthdays were supposed to be happy and that's how it started. Hitoshi had never been more excited, there had been black and yellow balloons and so many hero themed games. The party had been themed after the Pro Hero Eraserhead, of course, and Shinso had even styled his hair after him. Up and wild just like the pros hair when he used his quirk.

Hitoshi had been talking with some of his friends about the latest news story on the pro and they all seemed excited however everything had changed when Hitoshi had asked, "What was your favorite part of the report?" He had been so genuine so happy, his smile could light up any dark room.

"Oh, I-" Hanasu had been cut off by some unknown force as if an invisible person had put their hand over her mouth. But that wasn't all her eyes...her green eyes...they looked glazed over as if, she was dead. This had worried Hitoshi and sent him into a mini panic he placed his hand on Hanasu's shoulder.

"Are you ok?" He had asked her.

No response. Hitoshi panicked further, shaking Hanasu violently as he attempted to get a response out of her "Hanasu! Snap out of it!"

Soon adults got involved and then a Doctor was called, attention was brought to the girls' eyes. The Doctor had told Hitoshi to calm down and take a few deep breaths after he had been told what happened. As Hitoshi began to stop panicking and cleared his head, Hanasu went back to normal gasping once she had been brought out of her daze.

"It's just as I thought." the Doctor said as he inspected the now shaking boy "your son has developed a very... frightening quirk." Mamoru looked worriedly at the Doctor as she held her equally concerned son.

"W-what? I got my Quirk?" Hitoshi was confused, how did this Doctor know that? And how come he still had no idea what his quirk even was? The Doctor patted Hanasu on the head, she looked up at him and then at Hitoshi her eyes wide and dilated her body even shaker then the boys. She stumbled back into the doctor trying to get away from him she began to hiccup and breath heavily as she gripped onto the doctor's leg.

"H-he possessed me!" She squealed pointing at Hitoshi with tears running down her face and her finger shaking.

"W-what? No, I did not!" Hitoshi protested, what was even happening? What was Hanasu talking about? All he had done was ask her a question! And she had started acting weird! Hanasu scrambled away from him letting go of the doctor and going to her mother.

"I knew coming to this party was a mistake!" Exclaimed Hanasu's mom as she looked at Mamoru, "you and that blasted quirk, I knew it was bad news! It was only a matter of time before your son was cursed with it as well!"

Mamoru's hands turned into fists, her brows down cast and her eyes lit with fire.

"Listen here, I could care less if you insult me but I draw the line when you dare to attack my son!" She yelled back, Sagyo and the Doctor had to work together to calm the two mothers down. The party was quickly disbanded and the kids along with their parents left the once bubbling and lively house. It was just Hitoshi, Mamoru, and Sagyo now with the doctor sitting across from them on the couch. Hitoshi was in his mother's lap as she held onto him tight while the Doctor sat across from them. There was silence in the room the only sound that filled the quiet space was Hitoshi's heavy breathing and the doctor's pencil moving across the clip bored that laid in his lap.

"So, what happened exactly?" Sagyo asked the doctor in an attempt to break the unbearable silence. He looked down, sighed then looked back up.

"It seems your son has a different version of your wife's quirk," he said looking at little Hitoshi as he held onto his mother's arm.

"He...has my quirk?" Mamoru asked with horror in her voice her face went white at those words *my quirk? No* she started shaking. Sagyo saw and gently placed a hand on his wife's arm giving her a tight reassuring squeeze. The Doctor nodded and he began to explain.

"He can brainwash people just like you Ms. Shinso. However, he doesn't need to touch them. He just needs to talk to them and make them respond to him." He sat up in his seat, "this of course is simply a guess from what I've seen, and from what I've heard."

Hitoshi looked up at his mom, and she looked down at him with pain and tears in her eyes while Hitoshi silently pleaded with her to tell him that it was not true. But his mother didn't argue with the Doctor's claims all she did was hold him closer.

"Of course, to make sure we will need to run some tests on your son, would that be alright?" He asked understanding how fragile the situation was. Both the parents agreed, it was better to be safe than sorry after all.

From that point on Hitoshi's life was never the same, Hanasu avoided him at school and any other friends he had left him. Other kids approached him but only with requests to brainwash the teachers, or to do funny things or to brainwash a classmate they didn't like to do something bad. He of course always said no, but the requests we're getting bigger and bigger until-

His parents pulled him out of kindergarten and finished up the rest of his years of kindergarten in homeschool and continued his preschool education through homeschool as well. Hitoshi had become a much quieter kid, even at home, he didn't talk a lot anymore he didn't ask questions anymore, he was too scared to, he was terrified.

They had also decided to move out of the city and somewhere smaller, a place where they could make a fresh start, at least, for Hitoshi. It was only during his first year of middle school did his parents agree to send him to an actual building. He had hoped that this would bring forth the fresh start that he so desperately needed, during his kindergarten years once he got his quirk people were scared of him, and yet they had also wanted to use him, which had caused him to have many nightmares. Nightmares ware he would be trapped in a black room with chains around his arms and legs, nightmares, where he would be the puppet master ware life was nothing but a game for his own enjoyment, nightmares ware whenever he opened or closed his eyes he would see himself...as a monster that ate people, that hurt people. Hitoshi would even wake up sometimes and just stay there as still as a tree, and he would see things, things that even in this new world, he shouldn't be seeing. As a little four to five year old, these nightmares affected him and they affected him badly.

Once they had moved to Mufastu, Japan, him and his parents had thought that this would give them all a chance to start over. With Hitoshi heading into middle school it seemed like that it was logical to assume that he could truly start over in this new town, middle school would be his escape, It would be the fresh start that he had dreamed of. It would be the fresh start that he needed.

The first year the teacher asked each kid to introduce themselves and their quirks, but he had lied. He said that his quirk was like his fathers; he didn't need to sleep but he could if he wanted. Hitoshi had adjusted the quirk a little so it would fit with his recent sleep schedule which had been different than his years in kindergarten, at least the years before his quirk, he would stay up late due to waking up from nightmares and his sleep paralysis but during the day he would always fall asleep in his classes. The kids in his class had left him alone for the most part, his class president would scold him for sleeping in class and that was really it.

That was until a day at lunch. Hitoshi had just been getting his lunch for the day, as he walked through the line with his tray in hand, his feet feeling heavy and weighed down. He asked sleepily for some sushi and if he could have the one without the lettuce. The poor boy was so sleep deprived that he accidentally activated his quirk. The lunch lady stood there with a blank stare. All the kids had seen it happen and they all began to freak out in different ways, Hitoshi tried desperately to get the lunch lady to snap out of it but his quirk wasn't working, or really it wasn't listening to him. He grew frustrated as the kids' accusatory words filled his head. "What did you do to her?" and "You made her some kind of zombie!" Along with other similar phrases, until Hitoshi gripped his head, the voices were bouncing around in his mind he hunched over as his face got hotter and hotter with passion until he shouted "Just go to sleep! All of you!" That's when the lunch lady fell to the floor.

Hitoshi looked down at his feet as his mother tried to talk to the principal and apologize for the incident.

"Please he's just a boy, he's still getting a handle on his quirk-"

"A Quirk that we thought was harmless!" The principal shouted, "your son lied to me, and to everyone around him which could have put many people in danger!"

Hitoshi stayed quiet, he didn't have anything to say. That was the moment when Hitoshi took an oath of silence he would only speak if it was necessary and he would never ask anyone a question again.

All his dreams of being a hero crushed within just a few years, at home his mother and his father still put faith in him but he knew now it was just a pipe dream. His quirk was useless and only used to hurt people. At least that's what the kids started to tell him when he was allowed to come back to school. They would give him ideas for evil schemes he could commit if he wanted; they feed him idea after idea. Each one became more disgusting and violent than the last.

Hitoshi tried to block them out but whenever people stopped him now it was less of "do you have the homework? I forgot what it was," to "can you brainwash the teacher to forget about it?" It was kindergarten all over again. Hitoshi continued to stay quiet. He just ignored them and even though it wasn't exactly bullying, it was taking a toll on his mental state.

Hitoshi was sitting in his bed the sounds of the night coming in through his window. He had fashioned a pair of dark eye bags like his father and though Hitoshi could go a while without sleep and be completely fine, tonight was what he called his "limit night" He had been able to stay awake for weeks now but hitting week ten he knew he wasn't going to last much longer. This had been the same thing that had happened on that day with the lunch lady, he hadn't paid attention and had suffered greatly because of it. Hitoshi had trained himself to stay awake so he didn't have to have any nightmares, so that he couldn't have sleep paralysis, but this had repercussions as it seemed his plan to stay awake had worked too well. Now when he felt like he would be alright, like maybe he could get some sleep, each time it got harder and harder to go to sleep even when his day hadn't been that bad. Anytime he did sleep now it was during the day which was a little bit better he supposed.

The twelve-year-old boy looked up at the posters hanging on his walls, pictures of Heros in action, or simply an inspiring quote. One poster imparticular caught his eye "if you stop when you're low you'll stay there." He read it out aloud it was an Eraserhead poster and that quote was from an interview a few years back. Hitoshi remembered the question that had been asked to "what do you have to say to young people wanting to be heroes?" It had also been the first and last interview that the hero had ever been on.

Hitoshi looked at the poster now as the words of his classmates filled his head. "You would be such a good villain!" "Ya like for real! You could do any bad thing you wanted!" "You could make everyone love and trust you if you get super good!"

Hitoshi's eyes filled with tears and he looked away and wiped his eyes. He hated them and their stupid assumptions, he hated his mom for giving him this blasted quirk, he hated his teachers for being too scared to defend him, he hated everyone. Hitoshi turned over in his bed and began to cry, he was so stressed, so annoyed, so mad at everything. The world had dealt him a hand of cards that he wanted to burn.

Hitoshi looked up from his pillow to look at the poster next to his desk against the wall again.

"If I stop when I'm low I'll stay here..." he said to himself switching the words to hit closer to home.

He was in a low spot, and he didn't want to stay here by any means. Hitoshi gripped the pillow with all his might before he shot up out of bed and started over to his desk he pulled out the chair and took a seat opening up his laptop. He began to search for heroes with similar quirks like his and surprisingly there weren't as little as he thought. He researched how they fought and used their quirks in battle. He looked all night and into the day and that little research alone gave him some hope, not a lot, but some. Hitoshi stood up from his seat and began getting ready for school. He was going to be a hero and he knew exactly how he was going to do it too.

Mamoru walked into Hitoshi's room to clean it up so it was neat and tidy for when he came home and as she was looking through everything she noticed that his laptop was open and still on. She walked over to close it but her jaw nearly dropped when she saw what was on the screen:

U.A. high school! The best place for you to become a hero!

Mamoru was shaking, this was ridiculous her son had gone mad. Mamoru loved her son and would support him no matter what- but, U.A.? Really? He was still twelve! And here he was already thinking about highschool? Not only that but- U.A. Was gurling only the best entered and exited that school. Did Hitoshi truly have what it took? As much as she wanted to believe he did. Mamoru had to snap her son back to reality, there were tons of different highschools he could choose from! Besides, he was still far too young.

"Sagyo!" She called out in a panic while she rushed out the door "we need to have a talk with our son!"